Noah's Ark Restaurant & Palapa Bar on Galveston Bay — Restaurant in Bacliff

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Great Beach Vibe, Delicious Seafood, and Gorgeous Views

Noah’s Ark is such a fun spot on Galveston Bay! The restaurant is huge inside with lots of windows, a downstairs patio, and a full upstairs patio where they host live music on the weekends. The whole place has an eclectic beach bar vibe that feels laid-back but lively at the same time—perfect for a coastal escape.

The food was absolutely delicious. My oysters were huge, juicy, and perfectly prepared. The hush puppies were seasoned so well that even I (who usually doesn’t like them) thought they were fantastic. The fries had a unique, lightly battered flavor that made them extra good. My husband’s coconut shrimp had just the right amount of coconut flavor, and the coleslaw was sweet but balanced, not overdone. The coconut sauce was different than usual—it didn’t have pineapple like traditional versions—but it still worked wonderfully with the shrimp. Both the cocktail and tartar sauces tasted homemade and were packed with flavor.

The only downside for me was that substitutions weren’t allowed, even if I was willing to pay extra. For example, I would have swapped fries for fried okra since they were listed at the same price on the menu, but the policy wouldn’t allow it. That was frustrating. Also, our waitress was new and it showed a little, but she was kind and tried her best.

Overall, the experience was fantastic—the food, views, and vibe more than make up for the small drawbacks. Noah’s Ark is a must-stop if you’re looking for great seafood and a fun atmosphere on the bay. I’d definitely come back!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Update: We came back for breakfast and unfortunately it dropped my rating to 4 stars. My husband’s French toast came out with no syrup or powdered sugar, and it took about 10 minutes just to get syrup (they said they had no powdered sugar at all). My English muffin and bacon were good but were served on his plate with his meal, and we had to ask for more bacon to finish his order. The French toast itself was just okay, while the eggs, bacon, and muffin were solid but nothing special. Our waitress was very apologetic and explained there were new people in the kitchen, which showed. Dinner is definitely where Noah’s Ark shines, but breakfast and service still...

This place has some great food. The happy hour starts at like 7am and the crowd is what you would probably expect. If you don't know what to expect... we are talking about hardcore chain smokers and booze drinker who start early in the morning. If you like Bloody Mary's that's fine. These aren't bad. Order the double in a large glass. Otherwise you will just get a double shot of well vodka in a small cup and won't understand why your "double" is a "double" until you are too drunk to care. The view of the bay is good. Again the food is quite good. Fresh raw oysters, oysters Rockefeller is great, one of my favorites. The Mexican omelet is very good with red and green and jalapeno peppers, onions, sausage and cheese. The eggs are thicker and made into better made omelets than say IHOP. The hash browns and other breakfast items are as spot on as any hungry person could want for breakfast. We'll stay satisfied for the breakfast, Bloody Mary's and oysters. The rest will have to wait. The service if iffy at best. Tables next to you will be complaining when there is only a small crowd. You can get friendly smiles and endearing names like "honey, sugar, sweet pea" when they take your order. Then be dropped like a hot rock for as much as 30 minutes. All that time tables fill up around and the customers look around and glare as if you had something to do with their bad service. The table next to you sits for an hour covered in dirty dishes and your waitress just takes your dirty plates and stacks them up on the same table, right next to you during your meal. Flies, eggs, pancakes, syrup, cigarette butts, oyster shells, shrimp tails, toast crust, etc. All because nobody knows who is responsible for the dirty tables and dishes. Again, the food has always been good. I even wanted to meet the cook. But by the time the waitress remembered us I was so upset I had forgotten. I just wanted to get away from the pile of dirty dishes they kept setting down next to me. I posted pictures. Just to...

No fancy nightclub here. T-Shirts, shorts and sandals are welcome here. Be forewarned though, you're coming to a very "laid back" and easy going area, so be prepared to be, and to do the same. Bikers are also welcome here and Noah's Ark has designated "Motorcycle Parking Only" areas reserved just for you. Wrap up your day with a good meal, a cold beer and watch the sun go down over Galveston Bay from their patio dining area and you just can't help but kick back, sigh and say: "It just don't get any better than this". Enjoy!

2/26/2023 (Sunday morning)

Today's visit was only worth 2 stars. We came here this morning for breakfast and I was very disappointed with the service we received. We waited almost an hour just for our drinks! There was something "not right" with our server - he couldn't get our drink order straight, gave us someone else's drink order (2 pitchers of Bloody Mary's) because he couldn't remember who was supposed to get them, and then literally ignored us after that. THANK GOD for Ms Michelle who stepped up and saved the day for Noah's. She really busted her behind to make things right for us (party of 8). I'll still come back because I know they usually have great service and their staff are great. I'm sure this was an isolated incident; it's just a shame he had to give this place such a black eye.

3/19/2023 (Sunday Morning) We came here this morning for breakfast and we were very PLEASED with the service we received. 180 degree turn-about from our last visit. Our server today was a young man named Arnold who was the epitome of excellent service; he was prompt with our order, informative when there was a (minor) issue with my girlfriend's order, he kept a constant check on us to see if there was anything else he could do for us, and was just an all-around great server! We are back up...