Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen — Restaurant in Houston

This review is specifically for Papadeaux’s To-Go service, and the photos speak louder than words about the shocking difference in quality between dining in versus ordering takeout.

Today I ordered the Shrimp & Crab Cobb salad for $30.95 through their to-go service, and what I received was frankly insulting compared to what they serve in the restaurant. Having dined at Papadeaux before, I know exactly what their Shrimp Cobb salad should look like - the in-restaurant version (see photo) is beautifully plated with generous portions of perfectly cooked shrimp, fresh mixed greens, vibrant vegetables, creamy hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, and everything artfully arranged on a proper plate.

What arrived in my to-go container today looked like someone’s leftover lunch that had been carelessly tossed together. The most glaring issue? They completely forgot the crab on a $30.95 Shrimp & CRAB Cobb salad. When you’re paying premium prices for a seafood dish, the least you can expect is to actually receive the seafood that’s literally in the name and prominently featured in the price.

But the missing crab is just the beginning of the problems:

The presentation was sloppy and haphazard The lettuce appeared wilted and poorly arranged, just a iceberg lettuce wedge rather than the mixed greens served in-house The overall portion and quality looked significantly diminished compared to the dine-in experience For nearly $31, this looked more like a $12 Flying J truck stop salad

The visual comparison between what they serve to dine-in customers versus takeout customers is stark and unacceptable. It’s clear there are completely different standards being applied, which raises serious questions about their commitment to quality control and customer service equity.

I understand that working in food service can be challenging, and packaging for takeout presents different logistics than plating for dine-in service. However, when a customer is paying premium prices - especially $31 for a salad - they deserve the same quality, attention to detail, and complete order regardless of how they’re receiving their food. Professional standards and basic order accuracy shouldn’t disappear just because the food is going in a to-go container.

This experience suggests either inadequate training for to-go staff, lack of quality control oversight, or simply not caring about takeout customers. None of these explanations are acceptable for a restaurant of Papadeaux’s reputation and price point.

Papadeaux has built its reputation on quality seafood and dining experiences, but this kind of disparity in service standards damages that reputation and makes customers question whether they’re being taken advantage of when ordering takeout.

I cannot recommend the to-go service based on this experience. If you want to receive what you actually ordered and paid for - and want it to look anything like what’s advertised - stick to dining in. The difference is night and day, and for these prices, that’s completely...

What was supposed to be a celebratory night for a family member's graduation turned into a night of disappointment and disgust.

We arrived at the restaurant around 5:00PM and were seated around 5:15PM.

Upon our party being seated it took at least 30 minutes for us to be given bread and butter and this was only after it was brought to Randy’s attention. Randy stated that he was the manager on duty when asked.

Myeshia C was our server and after she served us our bread and butter all of us in our party knew what we wanted to order because we had already been waiting past 30 minutes at this point.

At around 6:40 PM after we were seated at 5:15PM we still had not been served our food. This wouldn’t have been so bad had three tables around us who arrived AFTER us had been served already. I asked to speak to Randy who again identified himself as the manager and brought our concerns to his attention. Randy to his credit was apologetic and stated that the reason some tables who were seated after us received service before us was because we had different servers. I informed Randy that it was definitely understandable that different tables had different servers but what wasn’t acceptable was that different tables had different customer service experiences.

We were finally served our food around 7pm after again arriving at the restaurant at 5pm.

At this point our party was disgusted by the service and asked for boxes to go.

Randy to his credit again provided a discount to our meals. I however would have gladly paid full price , or triple the amount of the meal for decent, prompt and respectable customer service. A discount on the meal did not diminish the reprehensible customer service at all.

Again this was supposed to be a celebratory night for a family member graduating. Had we known we would have to wait nearly two hours to be served while seeing other patrons who arrived well after us being served, we surely would have gone elsewhere. Houston has too many great eateries with excellent customer service to allow one’s self to settle for subpar customer service.

I’m not sure where the ball was dropped but again Meyeshia C was our server and Randy said he was the manager on duty. Randy was apologetic when speaking with him but to circle back the extreme wait times didn't make sense when several tables around us arrived after we did and were served well before we were. No one in our party ordered anything out of the ordinary. Again I was very disappointed in the experience.

I asked Randy who the district manager was and he stated that his name was Mr. Dorsey. I would implore Mr. Dorsey or whoever oversees quality control to definitely review the customer service experience at...

First I'd like to say, it's been a while since I've eaten out. I've been so disappointed by establishments in the past. I decided to stay away for a few years... Last night was not only a wonderful 2nd date, but this location has awakened the "The Critiquing Foodie" in me 🤭

Big. Huge. GIGANTIC! compliments to the Chef at this location. I literally fell in love with everything about my plate. I had the Ginger Glazed Salmon paired with the California Pinot Noir. It absolutely danced well together.

From the simple, yet gratifying way the food was plated to how heavenly it smelled, I was extremely intrigued. The way the rice, salmon , shrimp, string beans, and sliced almonds weren't overcooked/undercooked; The way the ginger glaze added a beautiful finish in taste and aesthetic; The way the ginger wasn't overpowering the grilled taste and seasonings of the shrimp and salmon; All top tier. 🏆

My date had the Mississippi Catfish Opelousas with a Three Wheel Motion 😋 (3rd photo)

There was a mishap, however. A small gnat flew into my glass of Pinot Noir. I guess it wanted to taste the delicious red, but I never agreed to share with it 🙄. My date and I we're sitting not far from the Entry/Exit, so I wasn't irrate or skeptical. We let our server know and he took care of it absent qualms. (I wish I could remember his and manager's name. Forgive me, guys because you deserve flowers 🌹) The manager approached our table and was so pleasant in apologizing for the mishap. She offered us free dessert, but I had to decline. Ya can't stop Mother Nature and it's not like they told the gnat to go for my Pinot 🤷🏾‍♀️. Not to mention , towards the end of the night, I could hear one of the managers telling someone "Less talking, more cleaning!", lol it was very funny and comforting to have heard. I was pleased enough with the service level and getting a freshly poured replacement in a nice and shiny glass. 🌹🌹🌹

Lastly, the energy and atmosphere of the establishment was right up my alley. Not too loud or quiet. Very comfortable. And towards the end of the night, I witnessed one of the managers give kudos to her greeter and server. She simultaneously hugged them both, let them know how proud she was, and thanked them for the great job. It was so sweet to have witnessed. 🥰

Overall, I had a lovely time and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The date was a success and I'm thinking about bringing my family for a visit soon. Definitely...