This was not one of the places we had intended to go when we planned our trip but it was one of the more interesting places we found and right near a lot of places we did intend to go to. We had to turn around once though since the sign is obscured by trees and not very big. We didn't even know it was there except for the ad in the local tourist fliers. They had a list of the nightly events and we wanted to check it out.
They really do have a wall of games you can play although if you don't bring your own players you might have a hard time getting a good game going. Just face it, people are shy and don't know how to interact with people they don't know. The first time we went in we were more or less by ourselves for the most part with occasional diners. The second time though the place was nearly half full of people playing all sorts of games, the theme seems to be merely a suggestion and not so much organized. They know a lot of the games but you are also about as likely to find one they've never played yet. With over 500 games that's bound to happen. Learning a game a week that would take almost ten years to learn them all and by the end of it most of that would have been forgotten.
The place was pretty clean and the treats in the display case will make your mouth water. Everything we ate there was pretty good and they just keep track of what you got and you pay when you leave. I of course tried the club sandwich, no hamburger, which was surprisingly good. I usually try this sandwich since it's one of those sandwiches that anyone should be able to make well if they can prepare food at all. We also tried their pita and hummus and a slice of cake. All top notch.
Pricing was fair, $7.95 for the club and a few bucks for the treats. The drinks were a little high though nearing three dollars for an iced tea.
As long as you go in the evenings past 6:00 you can park on the street for free. Before that it cost a little but it shouldn't break the bank. There isn't any specific parking for this place so the street is really your only option unless you find a lot nearby you prefer.
Long story short, when the mosquitoes drive you indoors as the sun begins to set, this is a great little place to be driven into. Play a game, have some food, and when the poor little buggers are tired of flying around you can make a dash for wherever you're staying. For us that was usually around closing time.
Hours: Sun - Thurs 11:00am - 10:00pm
Fri - Sat 11:00am - 12:00am
Location: 213 23rd Street, Galveston, TX
Website: http://www.boardgameisland.com/
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Shrimp 'N Stuff, Galveston, TX
I don't think I need glasses just yet but it was a little confusing finding this place, not because it's a bad location but because it's on Avenue O which looks a lot like Avenue Q if you aren't paying very good attention. An easy way to tell the difference is Avenue O is a one way street and Avenue Q isn't. If you find yourself on the wrong street just go two blocks north and you're there.
As their site says, they've got good prices on good food. When you order a po-boy you get more than will really fit in the bun they put it on. It was a little farther from the hotel than we would have liked but they're in a great location for business. If I ever move to Galveston I know what area I'm moving to.
When we got there it was a little busy but the line moved along quickly and we were ordering before we knew it. Drinks were serve yourself and the meal was picked up at the window inside. It didn't take too long to come out considering the traffic of people.
For some reason you just can't get seafood anywhere like the coast. There have been some places that messed it up even then but this place wasn't one of them. I could have eaten their popcorn shrimp and hush puppies until I popped but we had places to go. Their bread was fresh and everything was cooked just right.
Parking was a little iffy. If you get there when someone is leaving or if they're not too busy then you're good to go. The parking is angled parking from the street so you're backing out into traffic but the streets aren't that busy. I wouldn't take a little car just in case it scrapes the ground.
Prces as mentioned were fair.A shrimp po-boy is only $5.99. They would probably charge $8-$9 up here and not be half as good. $2.00 for drinks with free refills.
If you're in town for more than a day you have to check this place out.
Hours: Sun - Thurs 10:30am - 9:30pm
Fri - Sat 10:30am - 10:30pm
Location 3901 Avenue O, Galveston, TX
Website: http://www.shrimpnstuff.com
As their site says, they've got good prices on good food. When you order a po-boy you get more than will really fit in the bun they put it on. It was a little farther from the hotel than we would have liked but they're in a great location for business. If I ever move to Galveston I know what area I'm moving to.
When we got there it was a little busy but the line moved along quickly and we were ordering before we knew it. Drinks were serve yourself and the meal was picked up at the window inside. It didn't take too long to come out considering the traffic of people.
For some reason you just can't get seafood anywhere like the coast. There have been some places that messed it up even then but this place wasn't one of them. I could have eaten their popcorn shrimp and hush puppies until I popped but we had places to go. Their bread was fresh and everything was cooked just right.
Parking was a little iffy. If you get there when someone is leaving or if they're not too busy then you're good to go. The parking is angled parking from the street so you're backing out into traffic but the streets aren't that busy. I wouldn't take a little car just in case it scrapes the ground.
Prces as mentioned were fair.A shrimp po-boy is only $5.99. They would probably charge $8-$9 up here and not be half as good. $2.00 for drinks with free refills.
If you're in town for more than a day you have to check this place out.
Hours: Sun - Thurs 10:30am - 9:30pm
Fri - Sat 10:30am - 10:30pm
Location 3901 Avenue O, Galveston, TX
Website: http://www.shrimpnstuff.com
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Papa's Pizza, Galveston, TX
By the time we got into Galveston we had been driving for a while and wanted something quick to eat. First thing that came to mind was fast food but the wife already had a plan. When we were about twenty minutes away she ordered pizza from a place on the sea wall and more or less on the way to the hotel.
Galveston is of course easy to navigate and I could see the pizza being put into boxes and stacked as we drove up and parked right at the front door. The place was in pretty good shape and clean as could be. The guy behind the counter greeted me and asked if we were there to pick up. He also told up about the great $6.99 lunch buffet they have which we were not able to make, not for not trying either, there's just so much we wanted to do.
When we got the pizza to the hotel the second thing I did was eat pizza. It was still hot and the crust was perfect. I'm glad they don't have one near the house or I would have a hard time convincing myself to cook. We only ate half of the pizza that night and saved the other half for the next day. Even reheated it was pretty tasty. I just wish we had remembered to bring the plates, small microwave and big pizza box don't mix very well.
Parking was easy when we wend but I don't know how it is at lunch, since as I said we never made it by for lunch. It was in as good a shape as you can expect not being new.
Pricing was good especially with a coupon. Two pizzas for under $15.00. The lunch buffet would probably be about the same even without a coupon so either way you go you should be pretty happy.
This place will definitely be a first pick option for our next visit to the island. Maybe we'll even get to do the buffet.
Hours: Sun - Thrus 10:30 am - 10:00 pm - Fri & Sat 10:30 am - 11:00 pm
Buffet: 11 am - 2 pm
Location: 4400 Seawall, Galveston, TX
Monday, September 9, 2013
Home Cut Doughnuts, Galveston, Texas
There are actually some people out there who don't like a good doughnut. I've met them and I still think they're kidding. Going on vacation I wanted to find a good doughnut place so I could at least have them for breakfast once. The wife has really got some brownie points for this since she found a place that we not only liked but went back to just about daily while we were there.
The place was Home Cut Doughnuts. It can be a little tricky at first if you don't know where you're going but the easiest way to find it is from the seawall. Galveston is a numbered grid and this makes it easy if you get lost, just follow the numbers and letters and you can't loose, until they start actually using names... Anyway, from the seawall take 69th, for those who don't know there is only one way to go from the seawall, it is after all a wall. This will tee in to Stewart Road which if followed down eventually becomes Avenue S. Take a right on Stewart. As soon as Stewart starts curving to the right you're just about there. Home Cut is on the right side in the middle of the curve.
When you arrive it looks like an ok place to eat, nothing fancy. There were always cars around though and the people were often greeted by name, not only does that show a loyal clientele but a friendly staff who love their jobs. By the time we were heading home they not only remembered us but asked us how some of our other ventures were going we had mentioned.
It was never slammed when we visited but by the end of the day the selection starts to dwindle. You can sit at one of two counters which have stools in a U shape around them or take them to go. This is a much better deal after 2:00 when doughnuts become a BOGO deal. This does not include the fancy or filled varieties, just the normal glazed, sprinkled, and flavored varieties. I just had to try the fritter to begin with, again I've been looking for a good apple fritter but they still didn't quite make the mark, that being said it was one of the best fritters I've had in a while, I got another one. I also tried the eclair, Boston cream of course, and was not disappointed at all. The wife is more of a sausage and jalapeno girl and everything she ate there was excellent.
Although they do a good business there the parking space is better than expected for the island but the parking condition isn't that good. The parking spaces aren't a problem but when you want to leave there's no real good way to do it. If you pull around the back of the building the slope is a bit steep and even then all the parking seems to face away from the street making exiting feel odd. You have to get out somehow though and there was never a problem with other cars.
Pricing was reasonable. One doughnut is $0.60, a half dozen is $3.00. If you get a full dozen it's the same a getting two halves. The fancy doughnuts like the eclair and fritter I can't recall but they weren't an arm and a leg. As mentioned after 2:00 is BOGO on regular doughnuts to go.
Next time we're in town I know where my breakfast is coming from.
Hours: 7 days a week 5 am - 5 pm
Location: 6807 Stewart Rd, Galveston, TX
The place was Home Cut Doughnuts. It can be a little tricky at first if you don't know where you're going but the easiest way to find it is from the seawall. Galveston is a numbered grid and this makes it easy if you get lost, just follow the numbers and letters and you can't loose, until they start actually using names... Anyway, from the seawall take 69th, for those who don't know there is only one way to go from the seawall, it is after all a wall. This will tee in to Stewart Road which if followed down eventually becomes Avenue S. Take a right on Stewart. As soon as Stewart starts curving to the right you're just about there. Home Cut is on the right side in the middle of the curve.
When you arrive it looks like an ok place to eat, nothing fancy. There were always cars around though and the people were often greeted by name, not only does that show a loyal clientele but a friendly staff who love their jobs. By the time we were heading home they not only remembered us but asked us how some of our other ventures were going we had mentioned.
It was never slammed when we visited but by the end of the day the selection starts to dwindle. You can sit at one of two counters which have stools in a U shape around them or take them to go. This is a much better deal after 2:00 when doughnuts become a BOGO deal. This does not include the fancy or filled varieties, just the normal glazed, sprinkled, and flavored varieties. I just had to try the fritter to begin with, again I've been looking for a good apple fritter but they still didn't quite make the mark, that being said it was one of the best fritters I've had in a while, I got another one. I also tried the eclair, Boston cream of course, and was not disappointed at all. The wife is more of a sausage and jalapeno girl and everything she ate there was excellent.
Although they do a good business there the parking space is better than expected for the island but the parking condition isn't that good. The parking spaces aren't a problem but when you want to leave there's no real good way to do it. If you pull around the back of the building the slope is a bit steep and even then all the parking seems to face away from the street making exiting feel odd. You have to get out somehow though and there was never a problem with other cars.
Pricing was reasonable. One doughnut is $0.60, a half dozen is $3.00. If you get a full dozen it's the same a getting two halves. The fancy doughnuts like the eclair and fritter I can't recall but they weren't an arm and a leg. As mentioned after 2:00 is BOGO on regular doughnuts to go.
Next time we're in town I know where my breakfast is coming from.
Hours: 7 days a week 5 am - 5 pm
Location: 6807 Stewart Rd, Galveston, TX
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