Ola Seaside Grill — Restaurant in South Padre Island

Food was OK. Service was OK. What was not OK was ordering for my family of 6 (we have 4 kids) and being subject to a 20% gratuity without being told. This is not an establishment where you are waited on. I understand that concept. This is an order at the counter, get your own drinks, and wait on your food kind of establishment. I ordered 2 pizzas for the kids (they are small, only 10") 2 cheeseburgers for the wife and I, 2 sides of fries, and 6 bottles of water which my wife grabbed out of the refrigerator there. My original total was $66 yet with tax and a 20 percent gratuity my total was just under $85!. I only learned that it was in there because the math was not mathing and I asked how it got to that number. I was not told or asked if that was OK to add nor did the payment machine give me an option to remove it. I am a great tipper at restaraunts especially because I know my family can leave behind a mess, but at this sort of ordering establishment where I walk to the counter, get my own drink it is no different than a Panda Express.... in my opinion a 20% is not required and should nit be expected.

The girl at the register said it was for the chefs on orders of 6 or more. Mind you I did not order 6 entrees. I would explore the owner to adjust these policies and pay your chefs a decent wage instead of gouging large families. This means any family of 4 would be fine and not be subject to this, or if my wife and I went up and ordered separately. I flat out feel cheated and angry having dined here. Be prepared to be screwed if you are a...

What can I say about Barry's except that I by the time I left, I was filled with regret. When I went to the bar to place my order (Washington St. Burger no tomato no onion), I was told by the waiter/bartender I would have to come back to the bar and check periodically to see if my food was ready. I'm sorry... what. In my mind I consider the circumstances, off season, low staffing, but then I'm reminded it's a Friday night and for comparison the place next door has a live band and plenty if wait staff bustling around. Maybe it's a staffing issue, I've been there, though I have never told a customer they would be a required part of customer service outside of being present in the establishment. Benefit of the doubt given, I sit with my party and wait for my food. I have a couple of beers and converse, when one of our party gets up to check the status of our food and comes back with four meals. My man was true to his word. We had to go and get our food which had been sitting behind the bar for who knows how long. Bite into my burger and immediate regret. Dry, tasteless, and more bread and lettuce than beef. Every kitchen should at least have salt and pepper and I doubt even these were used. This sentiment was felt by others in my party as well (2 other burgers were ordered and the general tso's chicken). The remnants of our meals were boxed back up and deposited in the trash can. I paid my tab and our party left. Wish I could say our trip to Barry's reflected the reviews some have given this establishment, but this was not the...

BAD BAD BAD !!! Bring back ON THE BORDER! As winter Texans for 3 months we have always supported On the Border restaurant at the Hilton several times a week. Now im guessing, in order to avoid the franchise fee, they have changed it to Barry's Bistro. Bottom line, IT SUCKS. The menu is almost identical to the outside bar at their Sand Rose property next door. The French fries are the skinny ones that get cold as soon as they arrive on your table. The chicken sandwhich lacked flavor. The cheese burger was a 4 out of 10, and the service, BAD. She never came back to check on us, no soda refills, and we waited close to 30 minutes for our check. If I would have had cash, I would have left what I considered fair, and walked out. I will not return to Barry's when there are other options on the island. The Border was always busy and now it's slow. Maybe Barry can make a go of it with the Spring Breakers, but he won't be getting much winter texan business. Save your money and go...