Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen — Restaurant in Houston

For our second dinner in Houston, our party of eight decided to try out Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, a New Orleans themed chain restaurant located in the southeastern area of downtown. The staff was attentive, asking whether we wanted refills with reasonable frequency, and the food came out within a reasonable time frame.

We ordered fried mozzarella bites, fried alligator nuggets, and a bowl of Andouille sausage and seafood gumbo as our starters. The mozzarella bites came with a nice, chunky tomato sauce that had good flavor: the kids loved this dish. The alligator nuggets were tender, and one of my sons and one of my nieces really loved them. I personally wasn't a huge fan, but I'm generally not a huge fan of alligator due to the texture—they reminded me of dark meat chicken nuggets, which wasn't to my liking. The gumbo was really good, with plenty of sausage and seafood filling the broth, and my only complaint would be that the bowl was a bit smaller than expected: it was more like a large cup than bowls I usually see in other chain restaurants.

We ordered a variety of different plates as our main courses. I went with the crawfish etoufee, which had a really deep, rich flavor and paired well with the rice it came with. I also ordered a side of dirty rice which had a nice, beefy flavor that I expect from the dish.

My older son went with the fried catfish, which he surprisingly ate a lot of, at least for him (he only finished one of the three fillets, which was the smaller portion, but that's more than he usually eats).

My younger son had the 16 oz. ribeye, which he enjoyed quite a bit: he wasn't feeling too well and didn't think that he'd be able to finish the meal, but he liked it enough that he almost finished the whole thing by himself (a couple of us chipped in a bite or two LOL). And he actually tried the baked potato that came with it, which was a big step for him as he has never liked potatoes other than French fries.

My wife had a pan grilled rainbow trout and shrimp dish with sauteed spinach that she really liked, and her sister went for the crisped salmon, seared shrimp and scallops dinner featured on the cover of the menus, which she really enjoyed and kept going on about throughout the meal. My brother-in-law went with the Orleans Platter, a massive plate of deep fried catfish, crawfish, shrimp, and oysters on top of a veritable mound of French fries. He seemed to like it, but try as he might, he was unable to come even close to finishing it and had to take a decent portion of it back to the hotel.

My nieces both ordered the Pasta Mardi Gras, a linguine dish with crawfish, Andouille sausage, giant grilled shrimp, and cremini mushrooms in a cream-based sauce. They both loved the food, but again the portions were massive in size and neither of them were able to finish their dinners, not even the younger sister who generally can eat triple the amount of food as her older sister.

That didn't mean that we didn't have room for dessert, though. We saw someone order the cheesecake, which was a hefty thickness, and knew we had to try it, even though we had eaten quite a lot of food already. My younger niece and I were the ones willing to take a stab at it, and although everyone else was going on about how they couldn't have anymore and criticized us for ordering a slice, when it came suddenly everyone forgot what they had said and went at the dessert. The graham crust as nice and thick, and the cheesecake had a nice density to it, much more similar to a Philly cheesecake than an Italian cheesecake (and so definitely up my alley). It was a great end to a fantastic meal!

If you like Cajun cuisine, I would definitely recommend this place. Just make sure you bring a big appetite because you're gonna get a...

We had a Birthday reservation for 7.10.2022 and we were seated on time. Our server, Khalid (yes like the singer ) greeted us in good timing and told us that he would return once he finished delivering food to another patron. Upon his return, he took our drink orders and then returned about 10 mins later with the drinks. (There were 10 of us.) About 25 minutes after being seated he took our orders. 3 of us had the salmon well done, 2 with Spinach and 1 with green beans, other items were ordered by the rest of the party. He informed us that the restaurant was closing and that the kitchen would probally rush our meal. I asked that the kitchen please prepare the meal as they would any other time. Khalid smiled and walked away to put in our orders. About 38 minutes later, food began to come out. My meal was wrong, I was given green beans, I ordered spinach and my salmon was medium rare and not well done. Khalid took it back to the kitchen. The other two salmon plates were cooked properly well done and with the correct sides. Khalid apologized and said the kitchen is closing so this is likely why my meal is wrong. Another person came over to the table, not sure who she was because she didn't introduce herself. She eventually directed her communication towards me and asked me if I wanted the salmon to be put back on the grill OR if I wanted a new piece of salmon. I asked her what the standard was for the restaurant when this occurs. She said it was up to me. I asked that they please not dry out the fish and I also asked if it were customary to put a piece of fish back on the grill that was eaten off of. She said yes. Nevertheless, they ended up. Bringing out a new piece of salmon as a result of my request. The new piece of salmon was literally so overcooked, I could not cut the salmon. It was the smallest piece they had.. I demonstrated my inability to cut all of the sections of the salmon to the server. There was no sauce, just burnt butter that was completely in a grease state and they added 5 pounds of salty seasoning. There were 2 other people who had the same exact order and their salmon was perfect, so they cannot say it was because it was well. I have ordered blackened salmon several times and I've NEVER had this experience. I feel that it was intentional because I sent back the med rare salmon. I was tired of hearing that a kitchen can be mediocre and sub par because they permitted reservations to be made an hour prior to closing. It is inappropriate for your establishment to think that I should be accepting of a horrible meal because your team was ready to go home. Do not permit anyone in your restaurant if quality is contingent on time. I showed the server how dissatisfied I was with the meal. The response was to offer dessert. Dessert does not cover the $40 spent on an meal that could not be consumed.Thankfully only my meal and experience was ruined. Everyone else was able to have the papadeauxs experience, but they were each upset with how everything was addressed. That is the only reason any stars were given. I am Very disappointed. Server did a decent job but I would suggest excuses not be made, it was like he was expecting something to go wrong before we ever ordered. The management should have addressed my reported concerns. I will post the pictures of salmon my friend had and what they...

Let's dive into this culinary adventure at Pappadeaux in Houston, Texas, shall we?

Upon entering Pappadeaux, you're immediately greeted by the aroma of the sea, mixed with a hint of Cajun spice - a promise of the feast to come. I decided to start with their signature Seafood Gumbo, a dish that's as hearty as a Texas oil baron's handshake. The gumbo was a robust symphony of flavors, with shrimp, crab, and oysters swimming in a rich, dark roux that could make a grown man weep with joy. The accompanying crackers? More like little rafts to keep you afloat in this delicious sea of soup.

For the main course, I opted for the Blackened Catfish topped with jumbo shrimp, served alongside sweet potato fries that were more like golden treasure sticks, crispy on the outside and soft within. The catfish was perfectly blackened, providing a smoky, spicy counterpoint to the succulent shrimp, while the lemon wedge was a refreshing twist, like a surprise guest at a party you didn't know you needed.

Pappadeaux isn't just a meal; it's an experience. The atmosphere is lively, with the clinking of glasses and the murmur of satisfied diners creating a soundtrack to your dining pleasure. The service was as smooth as the sauce on my plate, attentive without being overbearing.

In conclusion, if you're looking for a place where the seafood sings and the ambiance dances, Pappadeaux is your spot. Just be warned, the portions are generous, so come hungry, or plan to take home leftovers that'll make your next day just as delightful. Five stars for flavor, atmosphere, and for making me wish I could eat here every day without becoming a local legend for...