Rudy & Paco Restaurant & Bar
We greatly appreciate your understanding during these trying times. We continue to be overwhelmed by your love and support are honored to have the opportunity and privilege to serve you and your family.
Lunch - Street parking is available, pay at parking meter or by App
Dinner -Complimentary parking behind Rudy & Paco Restaurant on the corner of 21st and Market
God Bless
~ Paco Vargas and Family
Safety precautions
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Bread Pudding
Paco's award winning breading pudding served with our house made bourbon sauce, served with crushed pecans and fresh strawberry
13 reviews
Parmesan Encrusted Grouper Tacos
Fresh grouper encrusted with panko and parmesan, topped with a pineapple serrano close slaw, served golden crisp in a corn tortilla. Accompanied by a cup of crab bisque
12 reviews
Jumbo Lump Crab Cake*
Served over chipotle cream sauce
9 reviews
As always, we enjoyed a great meal at Rudy and Paco. A Galveston tradition for us we were glad to see them "hanging tough" during these trying times. The Ropa Viejo is outstanding!
Would dine here every night if possible!
Absolutely outstanding! First class service, food and cocktails.
Best place in Galveston for excellent food and Service
First time visit and certainly won’t be the last. Everything was so nice...service was excellent, as was the food.
Outstanding! Our service provider, Mike, went beyond expectations.
Always an enjoyable evening when I eat here. You are welcomed and feel special. The service is excellent. They service everyone at the table at the same time. Cocktails and entrees! Don’t pass this place up!
A friend of mine recommended for date night. What a find. From the before dinner drinks to the desert, it was all great.
Can’t wait to go back again.
Wonderful restaurant! Food was delivered at correct temp and delicious. Great wine selection! The service was on point for a Monday night. Really nothing to complain about. I highly recommend Rudy and Pacos!
We were a little disappointed with our meal. Usually the food is outstanding. Today it was mediocre. The waiter dropped my fork on me and did not even bother to pick the fork up or apologize. I understand that we should be more forgiving with Covid and all but if you are going to do something, you should do it right.
The food was extremely tasty and the service outstanding.
The food was very flavorful and lunch portions were generous. The service and ambiance were outstanding.
Perfect evening!
One of the best restaurants on the island. Great atmosphere, great food, fabulous service.
Loved everything about our evening out with friends!
Margarita was unpalatable, if this is the only margarita they serve I would not get it. Food was alright nothing special, perhaps just too different for my taste. I've experience this very famous well rated restaurant, now I will move on.
Love this restaurant, drinks (margaritini), food (shrimp tacos) and service were excellent. There are other good choices in Galveston but this restaurant is so good that I always come back.
Remains one of our favorite restaurants where the food and the service is always outstanding. We eat here often. A Galveston treasure.
My Dads 70th birthday
Just what we were looking for - a night out for a delicious meal with fantastic service. Rudy & Paco’s delivered. The atmosphere was lovely for evening dining with low lights and candles at the tables. Music was old style smooth crooners. Mike, our server, was super friendly and attentive as were the other waitstaff, who appeared simultaneously at just the right time. The appetizer of pan fried calamari with sautéed onions and pickled peppers was a bit disappointing. Although the portion was large and flavors creative, the calamari was tough (bad batch or freezer burn?). Where the meal really shined was the other seafood. I had the grilled red snapper with cilantro cream sauce. The fish was grilled to perfection. The filet green bean/carrot side was fresh and tender-crisp, and roasted new potato blend delicious. My husband had the grilled shrimp, which were large, cooked perfectly, and also delicious. A couple of glasses of white wine for me and craft beer for my husband rounded out our meal along with slices of warm fresh sour dough bread and creamy butter. When the desert menu was offered, we had no appetite left but did take an order of bread pudding home to enjoy later. A great evening was had at Rudy and Paco’s and would recommend stopping in.
A wonderful dinner that our children will remember as a special occasion for years to come. We will be back soon.
Fabulous service and delicious food! Very informative and helpful staff. Quiet romantic atmosphere.
The service was excellent, and the sommelier’s wine recommendation was spot on. The dining room is upscale, but predictable. Mirrors, oblong room shape, white table cloths. The food was good, but not for the price. While the crab cake was excellent, the ribeye was under seasoned and the sides of broccolini and roast potatoes were just too generic for a $75 dish. This is the most upscale that Galveston seems to get.
The food was great as always. It was our anniversary and they surprised us with a little dessert. We love this place.
I’ve always raved about the service and this is the first time that it fell short. We obviously had a new trainee . She was quite ready to be turned loose. Didn’t return to the table much. We waited for her to return to fill our glasses and when she did she only filled one of our glasses. It was my Mother’s birthday which I included in my reservation but it was never mentioned. They usually give the birthday person a dessert. I asked Mother if she wanted a dessert to celebrate and she ordered and it was included in our bill. We missed the impeccable service and the thoughtful
Touches. But the food was delicious as always. I know all servers have to learn and better lunch than dinner just wish it wasn’t my lunch
Anniversary but this place was amazing
Always a pleasure to eat at this special restaurant for a special event: Christmas. Paco greeted us warmly by holding the door for us. Our server, Carlos, took great care for us.
Enjoyable evening even under our current circumstances of pandemic 2020.
Wonderful experience
We had lunch and the food was nothing to write home about. I expected it to be outstanding since it is so hard to get a reservation but I think that is because there are so many locals that eat there. For the price of the food, I doubt we will be back.
As always, we had a wonderful experience. We were personally greeted by the proprietor and seated immediately on schedule with our reservation. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. If you’re looking for world-class fine dining on the island away from the tourist crowd, Rudy & Paco’s is an excellent choice. If you’re not a local, you’ll get a refreshing glimpse into the more sophisticated side of Galveston that isn’t evident from visiting the Strand, the Seawall, or the beach.
Awesome as usual.
Mayra was incredible. Very knowledgeable and polite. Service was impeccable.
Always excellent
Best place to eat on Galveston Island. Bar selections are fabulous. Food is absolutely the most delicious. Service is impeccable.
Always the best. Great empanada's and superbly prepared seafood. 2nd best bread pudding only to my own!
R&P’s never let you down and has become the standard for restaurants Galveston/Houston area. Consistent highly food with professional friendly environment makes it a pleasure to dine.
Where do I start ...
The atmosphere is very relaxing and classy. The waitstaff have perfected the performances of customer service with their orchestrated delivery of service. They have a way of making you feel so special. The food is beyond perfection; always meets and exceeds expectations. I always tell people, it’s the “experience” that brings you back. I highly recommend this “experience” to absolutely everyone! Enjoy!
Finest place in Galveston and Paco Vargas is the most gracious host around.
Great Lunch menu
We were in Galveston four days. Ate here twice, once for a Saturday special occasion and then back for lunch on Tuesday. Without a doubt the best restaurant in Galveston. Nothing else even comparable. Comparable to Michelin starred restaurants in Europe and NYC. Owner seated us and I ordered the escargots without realizing they were not on the lunch menu but I was served them anyway. Hugh shrimp in the shrimp cocktail. Lump crab bisque was amazing too. I ordered the one pound lobster tail for dinner. It must have been the biggest tail I’ve ever seen and deliciously prepared. Took leftovers to go and ate for two more meals. Never made it to desert either meal but something to look forward to next time. Worth going to Galveston just to eat here!!!
FAQs
Rudy & Paco Restaurant & Bar offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (409) 762-3696.
Rudy & Paco Restaurant & Bar is rated 4.9 stars by 3071 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.