Lobo Del Mar Cafe — Restaurant in South Padre Island

Easily the weirdest experience we had dining in SPI. Let’s start out with the parking and cleanliness, both good, lots of options to park and clean. We came into Lobo Del Mar and were seated pretty quickly, tucked into a corner with a perfect view of the sunset. They’re dog friendly on their patio which was a plus as well. We came in before the sun had set and we kid you not the sun set before we had our water or drink orders taken. We waited maybe 15 minutes before going up to a waitress to ask when we’d be served and she took our drink orders five minutes later but didn’t take our food order as it was our designated waiter’s area. Luckily staring at a sunset is a great way to pass the time, otherwise we probably would’ve left at that point.

When we finally got to order we got: the fried chicken sandwich with cheese and french fries, a pulled pork sandwich with onion rings, a mai tai, and a blue hawaiian. The chicken sandwich was decent, the cheese definitely made it better than without it (they also forgot to put the cheese on it when it came out). It had a good texture and was pretty filling. The fries were good, nothing too crazy. The pulled pork sandwich was good, definitely better than a lot of others we’ve had. The meat was moist and the flavors played well off one another.

As for drinks, the mai tai was delicious, one of the better drinks we had during our time here. The blue hawaiian was much the same, pretty good but maybe a bit too much shaved coconut around the rim of the glass, it kept getting in the drink. It’s a shame the service was not very good here because we had a great sunset view and the food/drinks were honestly good too. We just can’t look past waiting 15-20 minutes to get drink orders taken and almost 30 minutes to put our food in. Waters also came during our meal for context. We’re more than happy to try this spot out again in the future, but for now we feel like this is a...

Stopped in with my family on a Wednesday evening to eat dinner. It was packed, but most of the people seemed to be family members of the owners. They did a “Dance Show”. It was very loud and I was shocked to see very young LITTLE girls dancing around in skimpy outfits. As a mother and a teacher, this is not something I would be okay with if it were my very young child. Service could have been better. The wait staff is very impersonal and skirts the line of being rude. The food is just ok. Nothing special that would be considered a must try while on the island. There are many other restaurants on the island with friendlier service and must try food. The atmosphere was interesting to say the least. Several of the grown men are walking around with hand cannons on their belt. That might intimidate some customers. Is their location so unsafe that the owners need to be openly armed? Another issue is the political propaganda all over this restaurant. If I were running a business, I would not shove my political views down my customers throats. Businesses should not worry about Blue or Red while hosting customers, just concentrate on GREEN. Even the staff had on political shirts pushing political views. One of their band members was playing a guitar that was a confederate flag (scary). As a frequent visitor to the island, there is a lot of unfavorable talk about this business and their family. If you are looking for a wonderful dining experience while on the island, I would skip this restaurant and try a different one. There are several restaurants on the bay that are a much better dining experience all...

Oct. 2023 New sign is up. 🙃 Upon entering, the sign states that you may seat yourself. We were greeted right away with a friendly smile and were told we could sit where we wanted. Stacy was our server, and she was very nice. My omelet was not made how I requested, so I had to pick out the onion, BUT we ordered after they were done serving breakfast, which is why I didn't say anything.

This business takes pride in their establishment. Today, we met one of the owners, and they truly care about your experience. You just need to voice it. I was reading their bad reviews, and I hadn't even noticed the Trump stuff.. I didn't realize that some people's appetite can be influenced by signage. If you don't mind it, try it. The food is good.

*NOTE: The menus are located on the base of the table for convenience.

Sept. 2023 There is a sign that says to wait to be seated, and we stood there for a few minutes. There were staff members who saw us there, and no one acknowledged us at all. Not a welcome, no "we'll be right with you," nothing. So, we decided to take a seat at an empty table.

The view is great no matter where you sit is great. The whole west side of the restaurant is open, so dress cool.

The food is delicious! I had a bacon cheese omelet with a side of fruit, and it had lots of 🥓. My granddaughter had waffles with 🍓 and whipped cream. It is kid friendly, but keep in mind the service can take a while in case yours get impatient.

I noticed a sign that says, "Family owned and operated." Maybe they should consider hiring more help. Maybe the service will be...