Vargas Cut and Catch — Restaurant in Galveston

As someone who has been visiting Rudy and Paco for several years I was really excited to try this new concept for our annual Christmas dinner with this group of friends. Unfortunately, we weren't even given the chance to try the food that has such great reviews as I was told that I was "too intoxicated" to be served the drink I ordered as I sat down. Beyond being completely shocked by this, I questioned why and our waiter informed me that his Manager said I was clearly too intoxicated to be served. I respectfully asked to speak with the Manager because I can tell you with 100% certainty I was absolutely not obnoxious, intoxicated, or acting in any manner that would suggest I was any of these things. It is not in my character to act that way anywhere, let alone an upscale establishment like this restaurant. The Manager then came over to the table and let me know that she saw me "stumble" as I was walking to the restaurant. Well, even though I am not even certain what she was talking about - I would imagine I could have missed a step as I was walking up to the door. As I'm sure we are all more than aware, we have been in a lockdown for pretty much 9 months now so yes, perhaps I am a rookie at wearing my higher dinner heel. Oh and by the way, I just had ACL reconstruction surgery 3 months ago so managing heels on cobblestone streets that are a hundred years old might be a little more challenging than normal. I don't think that warrants the embarrassment of the staff approaching me in this aggressive manner scolding me that I've had too much to drink. This woman also snobbishly proclaimed to be the owner's daughter - very impressive! I would think that as a family member of the restaurant she would have been invested enough to provide me the opportunity to explain what had happened as I was walking in rather than cause a party of eight people to leave because they were disgusted at how I was being treated. In a matter of 10 minutes, this staff managed to degrade this group of thirty something parents to the level of toddlers who just got caught putting their finger in a light socket. Now that I say that, even toddlers deserve more respect than this. I am absolutely disgusted by this incident. Almost every single time I've visited Rudy & Paco, Paco comes to our table and introduces himself with the warmest smile and positive attitude as if you are a personal guest of his. That is why this family has the exceptional reputation on the island that they do. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for Vargas in...

4.8 stars?! How?! For the price of the items here, I expected top tier service. That is not at all what I received. Soon after our table of 8 was seated, 4 of the 8 water glasses were filled. 10-15 minutes later, the rest of the water glasses were filled, except for mine. Why? I have no idea. Then, someone at the table ordered wine. I asked for water. Another 5-10 minutes passed, and the wine was presented to the table. I still did not have water (or anything to drink) and a friend requested water for me (this is the second ask). The wine was served, my boyfriend asked for my water to be filled (this is the 3rd ask at this point). 5 minutes or so later; I FINALLY got my FIRST glass of water for the evening. Then, bread was brought to the table…only one basket, which was not enough for each person at the table to have one piece. 6 out of 8 people were able to indulge, but because it was placed on the opposite side of the table from us, my boyfriend and I did not get any, as there was no more from the one single basket that the table was given. The waiter did not return until the appetizers were served, so there was no chance to ask for another bread basket. At one point, I left the table for the restroom. Upon my return, a staff member picked up my napkin. I assumed he would place it on my lap, as they had done upon arrival. Nope. Instead, he took it and never brought one back. I then had to request a new one. Other people left the table throughout the night and their napkins were neatly folded by the staff and left waiting for their return, as expected, so I don’t know why mine was taken away and not replaced. 3 of the 4 couples ordered appetizers. We all ran out of the crackers that accompanied and were necessary to properly enjoy the app, so they brought a new bowl of crackers to the table. But guess what! They again only brought enough for one side of the table and placed them on the opposite side, so we got none. Overall, I was extremely disappointed with the service and I’ve honestly had better steak (and most certainly better service) at less expensive restaurants. Very disappointing experience. If you’re expecting to get what you pay for, I do NOT recommend this restaurant. I’m not sure how they are so highly rated. I could not wait for dinner to be over so that I could leave. We will likely...

New Chef? Definitely not the food quality we have had before.

We went to Vargas for my dad's birthday. He love(d) this place and wanted to return. The service was still good but the food was definitely not high-dining, nor frankly even very good.

My dad had the Caesar salad. He always eats Caesar salads. The lettuce this time was cut into small pieces like some fancy dish made with different lettuces and with a taste that had my Dad not believing it was even a Caesar salad. He said he's never had a Caesar salad in his life as bland as this one. I had the iceberg lettuce salad with blue cheese. Have you ever eaten at one of those restaurants that believe to cover the salad - literally drown the salad with dressing - is the best way to go. A restaurant that believes guests dont enjoy the finesse of a salad? I had a hard time remembering that there was even any iceberg lettuce as it was just smothered with blue cheese chips and dressing. My dad's wife had the bone marrow appetizer which was very good.

Our mains across the board were just not up to scratch. We paid $600+ for 3 people, including a $100 bottle of wine. I travel a lot and eat at many good restaurants and I would not generally pay even $200 for such a mediocre meal. My dad's Halibut dish was over cooked, hard and not flaky at all as good Halibuts should be. My dad says it was the worst Halibut he's had in years. His wife's meat was way under-cooked and not cooked per order. And my Alaskan crab legs were just tasteless. I sent a message to my Chef in Asia asking how that could be and he advised that perhaps the Chef at Vargas doesnt cook the crab with any bouillon, for instance. Anyway, it was tasteless and across the board just a disappointing meal to say the least.

(Final note : my dad before the meal said make sure we order the creamed spinach side dish. It's soooo good. The last time he ate at Vargas he said he hadnt had such good creamed spinach ever! But last night the spinach was mediocre at best, was dry and had no creaminess, and none of us ate more than a small spoonful. Like I said, a new Chef? New recipes? What a step down.)

The meal wasnt just disappointing; it was just bad. We wont...