Dirty Al's at Pelican Station — Restaurant in Port Isabel

One of the worst dining experiences we have ever had. Arrived to near empty dining room on a Monday night . Dirty Al's has a nice view of the bay; however, our party of 5 was sat in the back with a table adjacent to the wall perpendicular to the windows overlooking the bay, so no one could enjoy the view without contorting themselves. I personally enjoyed a great view of that wall. Ordered the 1/2 pound cold boiled shrimp appetizer. Received 12 'large' (2 small bites each) shrimp ($13) which were unpeeled and were scattered inelegantly on a giant tray of ice cubes and accompanied by a 1/2 filled highly decorative 2 oz plastic portion cup of nondescript bottled cocktail sauce. Shrimp were unseasoned, chewy, and in no way fresh (unbelievable given the restaurant is at the Gulf Coast). They 'remade' it for me, but came out the exact same, but you could see the kitchen wasn't thrilled as the shrimp were literally thrown onto the tray of ice.

I ordered the Pelican Combo ($19) - fish, shrimp, and oysters - blackened. The kitchen got its final revenge as the seafood was entirely black and dreadfully overseasoned. On a large bed of rapidly cooling french fries were 3 fish nuggets (about 1.5 inches x 1 inch), 6 tiny oysters (almond sized), and 3 small, shriveled, shrimp that were cooked well-beyond being edible by anyone who prefers to keep their own teeth. All the seafood was served lukewarm. I ate a bite of the fish which was okay, but the oysters had a terrible taste like they were spoiled. I gagged on the first one.

My daughter got the fried shrimp and fish combo ($17), which was tasteless and served at room temperature and could not be saved by the insipid cocktail sauce.

My son ordered the Red Snapper Rockefeller a "fresh red snapper" topped with spinach, bacon and shrimp ($30). I missed a big clue - if one has to label a specific item on the menu as being fresh, perhaps the converse is true - that is, if it's not labeled fresh, then it isn't fresh, which explains the rest of their food. This $30 piece of fish was served with 3 tiny shrimp on top, no real bacon to mention, and with sides of 2 broccoli florets and mashed potatoes (don't worry - no local potatoes were harmed to make this). Within 6 minutes, he had eaten his $30 portion of snapper.

Other members got chicken tenders ($15) - the world's scrawniest pieces of chicken in a flavorless batter served with plenty of fries.

About 20 minutes after the dishes were served, I managed to get our waitress's (nothing worse than an arrogant teenage waitress) attention. Oblivious to the 3 meals that sat there uneaten, I let her know about how bad the meal was. She said she would get her manager. She came back 10 minutes later, saying her manager said nothing could be done. Eventually, the manager said she wouldn't charge for 2 of the meals, and immediately grabbed the 2 uneaten plates so that we couldn't eat them.

Dissecting what I got for $99 (I tipped 20% although I probably shouldn't have) - 7 anemic chicken tenders, a lot of fries, 3 soft drinks, 12 old shrimp, a piece of red snapper, 2 broccoli florets, and some not-so homemade mashed potatoes. 2 adults left without eating anything. If you shoplift $10 from a store, you can be arrested. If you steal from people at a restaurant, that must be good business. Please don't be a victim of...

Dirt Al's Pelican Station: A Scenic Gem with a Mixed Experience

Nestled along the picturesque back bay, Dirt Al's Pelican Station boasts a breathtaking view that sets the stage for a memorable dining experience. However, our recent visit proved to be a tale of two halves.

The Positives:

Stunning Location: The restaurant's elevated position offers panoramic views of the sparkling water and lush greenery. It's the perfect backdrop for a romantic evening or a relaxing lunch with friends. Fresh Oysters: The oysters on the halfshell were a true delight. They were plump, juicy, and had a pristine flavor that transported us to the seaside. Friendly Staff: The staff at Dirt Al's were incredibly accommodating and attentive. They were quick to address any concerns and made us feel welcome throughout our visit.

The Negatives:

Raw Fish: Unfortunately, the almondy fish we ordered was severely undercooked. While the presentation was promising, the fish itself was raw in the center, which raised serious food safety concerns. Inconsistent Quality: The stark contrast between the excellent oysters and the raw fish suggests that the kitchen may be lacking consistency. It's essential to maintain high standards across all dishes to ensure a consistently positive dining experience.

Conclusion:

Dirt Al's Pelican Station has the potential to be an exceptional dining destination due to its stunning location and friendly staff. However, the issue with the raw fish is a major red flag that needs to be addressed immediately. If the kitchen can resolve this consistency issue, the restaurant has the ingredients for success. For now, we recommend approaching with caution and ordering dishes that have a lower risk of...

Usually we enjoy very much this place,it's one of our favorite. This last visit was very disappointing, the waiter took a long time to go to our table, he seemed as if he didn't wanted to wait on us. Then he proceeded to take our drink order n when he came back then took our food order. He got two of our orders wrong, even though we mentioned it he seemed not to care, he didn't even offer to go back and change it so we would get what we ACTUALLY ordered (very dissatisfied) at the end of the night when we asked for the check, he added the gratuity, we think it shouldn't have had the gratuity (3 adults n 4 kids), REALLY!!?? n as I mentioned, he got our order wrong. Which was the kids order.. they were supposed to be kids meals n he brought us adult meals..Why would we order adult meals for kids??!!! That makes no sense, because of those meals being more costly his gratuity was high. We believe he didn't dersrved that amount for the service we got.. VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED, we had NEVER had any issues,until now.. we love that place, not only because we've known the owner n his kids, since they were kids but because the food is GREAT!! They have a GREAT CHEFF( CAM)👍🏽😁 I believe the waiter said his name was Tony( not sure,he could have made it up) this incident happened Monday night. I would suggest to watch out for that waiter, he tends to over charge u to get a...