Best Brunch in Kemah, TX: 8 Picks from the Boardwalk to the Bay

The Kemah waterfront has eight places to eat brunch on a weekend morning, spread across two parallel waterfront zones about 35 miles south of Houston: the Kemah Boardwalk, which lines Kipp Avenue on Galveston Bay, and the Marina Bay Drive corridor in adjacent Clear Lake Shores. These two blocks of restaurants operate as a single dining destination in practice, and this guide covers both. The three places with dedicated brunch menus are Skipper's Cafe (open 5:30 AM daily), Sundance Grill II (Sunday prix-fixe with mimosas), and Saltgrass Steak House (breakfast from 8:30 AM on the Boardwalk). For the late-morning crowd, the Aquarium Restaurant and Landry's Seafood House open at 11 AM on weekends with full menus on the water.

The fact that changes where you go first: Skipper's Cafe at 1026 Marina Bay Drive has been run by the same Greek family since 1994 and opens at 5:30 AM — more than two hours before any other full kitchen in the Kemah area. Its gyro omelette is the dish worth making the drive for: folded eggs with gyro meat, seasoned with Mediterranean spice, on a Texas bayfront, at a restaurant that has been open for every brunch shift for over 30 years. No other spot on the Texas Gulf Coast does this.

How we chose

We define "Kemah" for this guide as the Kemah Boardwalk district (the city of Kemah, 77565) plus the Marina Bay Drive waterfront strip in adjacent Clear Lake Shores — the continuous commercial waterfront that runs along Galveston Bay from Kipp Avenue to Waterford Harbor Marina. This is how Houston-area dining guides treat the area.

Every restaurant was confirmed open via its official website or official social media page as of October 2026. Hours and prices change: treat any figure here as "typically" and check the official site before you go. We counted "brunch" as any spot serving food on Saturday or Sunday before 2 PM. Spots that open at 11 AM with a full lunch menu are included as late-brunch options.

The quick list

• Earliest breakfast on the waterfront: Skipper's Cafe, 5:30 AM daily, gyro omelette
• First [Kemah Boardwalk](/things-to-do/kemah-boardwalk-guide) opening: Bayside Grille, 7 AM, beignets and coffee
• Full breakfast on the Boardwalk: Saltgrass Steak House, 8:30 AM weekends, steak and eggs
• Sunday brunch with unlimited mimosas: Sundance Grill II, typically 11 AM–3 PM, prix-fixe
• Eclectic Kemah brunch: VooDoo Hut, weekends from 10 AM, Cajun and seafood
• Dining inside a 50,000-gallon shark tank: Aquarium Restaurant, opens 11 AM
• Waterfront lunch at brunch hour: Landry's Seafood House and Bubba Gump, both open 11 AM

On the Kemah Boardwalk

Bayside Grille — beignets and coffee from 7 AM

215 Kipp Ave #8, Kemah Boardwalk · daily from 7 AM (closes 3 PM Mon–Thu, 6 PM Fri, 7 PM Sat, 6 PM Sun)

Bayside Grille is a counter-service cafe inside the Boardwalk, adjacent to the Boardwalk Inn. It opens at 7 AM every day, which makes it the first kitchen at this address by more than an hour. The beignets are the move — hot, sugar-dusted, best with a coffee before the rest of the Boardwalk opens. The full menu includes breakfast croissants with eggs and bacon, quiche, soups, salads, and paninis. Casual counter-service style with indoor and patio seating, kids' items on the menu.

Saltgrass Steak House — the first full kitchen on the Boardwalk

215 Kipp Ave, Kemah Boardwalk · Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 AM

Saltgrass opens at 8:30 AM on weekends — the first full-service sit-down restaurant at the Boardwalk address on a Saturday or Sunday morning. The breakfast menu runs through mid-morning and includes Steak and Eggs with a 6-oz sirloin (typically $24.99), Country Fried Steak and Eggs ($15.99), a Cowboy Skillet ($16.99), Biscuits and Sausage Gravy ($11.99), and Breakfast Tacos ($14.99 for two). All served with bay views.

The kitchen shifts to the regular steakhouse menu after mid-morning, so if eggs and grits are what you came for, arrive early. The Boardwalk paid parking lot is noticeably less crowded before 10 AM.

The Aquarium Restaurant — 50,000 gallons and brunch

11 Kipp Ave, Kemah Boardwalk · Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM

The Aquarium Restaurant opens at 11 AM on weekends with its full kitchen, putting it squarely in late-brunch territory. What no other brunch option in the Houston area offers is the setting: the dining room wraps around a 50,000-gallon aquarium stocked with sharks, stingrays, and tropical fish. You can watch a nurse shark cruise past your table while eating Gulf mahi-mahi.

The food is good-for-a-theme-restaurant Gulf seafood: fried platters, shrimp tacos, burgers, and a whole Maine lobster. Kids love it, the food is reliable, and the spectacle is a legitimate entry in any list of the best seafood restaurants near Houston. If you haven't seen it, it's worth at least one visit.

Landry's Seafood House — waterfront classics at 11 AM

1 Kemah Boardwalk · daily from 11 AM

Landry's Seafood is an anchor of the original Kemah Boardwalk with direct views of Galveston Bay and a large outdoor patio. It opens at 11 AM daily with its full Gulf Coast menu: fresh oysters, blackened fish, the Signature Fish Pontchartrain. No dedicated brunch service, but if you're on the Boardwalk at 11 AM and want a proper Gulf Coast lunch on the water, Landry's is the reliable choice.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. — the family-friendly 11 AM option

5 Kemah Boardwalk · Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM

Bubba Gump is the practical choice for families and large mixed groups: opens at 11 AM weekends, the menu is wide (shrimp a dozen ways, slow-roasted ribs, sandwiches, salads), and it handles high-traffic weekend mornings smoothly. No dedicated brunch menu, but the late-morning crowd here is reliably families who drove from Houston for the day. Pair it with Boardwalk rides after the meal.

Marina Bay Drive — the locals' side

Skipper's Cafe — the gyro omelette at 5:30 AM

1026 Marina Bay Dr, Clear Lake Shores (Kemah marina district) · daily 5:30 AM – 2 PM

This is the restaurant this guide was built around. Skipper's has been a Psarovarkas family operation since 1994 — over 30 years of the same Greek-American menu, the same marina location, and the same 5:30 AM opening time that makes it unlike anything else on Galveston Bay.

The gyro omelette is the dish: thin-sliced gyro meat folded into eggs, seasoned with Mediterranean spice, served with hand-peeled house home fries. It does not exist at any other brunch restaurant on the Texas coast. The menu runs deep beyond it: Western omelette, mushroom omelette, corned beef hash, biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak and eggs, pancakes, French toast. At lunch, the kitchen pivots to Gulf seafood plates — fried shrimp, oysters, catfish — and Greek specialties including moussaka, spanakopita, saganaki, and baklava.

No bottomless mimosas, just honest cooking and a marina view. If you're coming from Houston, it's worth leaving early.

More nearby: The Clear Lake area has additional dining options when you want to extend the day. See the Clear Lake restaurant guide for the full picture.

Waterford Harbor and the Lighthouse District

Sundance Grill II — Sunday brunch with the works

800 Mariners Dr, Kemah (Waterford Harbor Marina) · Sunday brunch typically 11 AM – 3 PM

Sundance Grill II sits at the Waterford Harbor Marina, away from the Boardwalk's foot traffic and with a quieter setting directly on the water. The Sunday brunch menu from the restaurant's official site includes Eggs Benedict with German potatoes ($14.95), Crab Cake Breakfast ($26.95), Steak and Eggs with a petite filet ($26.95), and a Sundance Omelette with ham, cheese, and mushrooms ($18.95). Norwegian smoked salmon with a bagel ($14.00) works as a starter.

A Sunday Mimosa Brunch package at $29.99 per person has been offered, including bread, appetizer, salad, main, and dessert alongside unlimited mimosas and coffee. Call (281) 248-7039 to confirm the package before you plan around it. Reservations are recommended — the marina setting and smaller dining room book up on holiday weekends.

VooDoo Hut — eclectic brunch on Bradford Avenue

511 Bradford Ave, Kemah · Saturday and Sunday brunch, typically from 10 AM — check ahead

VooDoo Hut advertises "eclectic brunch every Saturday and Sunday" on its official site, and the menu reflects it — seafood boils, ramen, fish tacos, Cajun plates, and cocktails from 10 AM. It sits in the Kemah Lighthouse District, a couple of blocks from the Boardwalk, in a bar-and-kitchen format. Good for groups that want a rowdy Saturday start rather than a quiet Sunday morning, and the only spot in Kemah proper with a specifically advertised Saturday brunch.

Save this: your Kemah brunch morning

Bookmark before you lose cell service on I-45.

• 5:30 AM: Skipper's Cafe opens. Earliest kitchen on the waterfront by two hours.
• 7 AM: Bayside Grille beignets. Best before the Boardwalk crowds arrive.
• 8:30 AM weekends: Saltgrass opens. Only steak-and-eggs before 11 AM on the Boardwalk.
• 10 AM weekends: VooDoo Hut brunch starts on Bradford Ave.
• 11 AM: Aquarium Restaurant, Landry's, and Bubba Gump all open. Aquarium is the experience pick; Landry's is the Gulf Coast seafood pick.
• Sunday only: Sundance Grill II brunch at Waterford Harbor. Call (281) 248-7039 ahead.
• Parking: Paid lot on Kipp Ave for the Boardwalk. Marina Bay Drive has street and lot parking; arrive by 9 AM on Saturdays to get a spot near Skipper's.
• After brunch: Stay for the Kemah Boardwalk rides, or keep driving south for a Galveston day trip.

More brunch options nearby in our Clear Lake brunch guide and the full Houston brunch guide.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What time does brunch start in Kemah, TX?

Skipper's Cafe at 1026 Marina Bay Drive opens at 5:30 AM daily — the earliest kitchen on the Kemah waterfront. Bayside Grille on the Kemah Boardwalk opens at 7 AM. Saltgrass Steak House opens at 8:30 AM on Saturdays and Sundays. VooDoo Hut brunch starts at 10 AM on weekends. Most other Boardwalk restaurants open at 11 AM.

Is there bottomless or unlimited mimosa brunch in Kemah?

Yes. Sundance Grill II at Waterford Harbor Marina (800 Mariners Dr) has offered a Sunday Mimosa Brunch package at $29.99 per person, including unlimited mimosas and coffee with a multi-course meal. Call (281) 248-7039 to confirm current availability before you book.

Where should I take kids for brunch in Kemah?

Saltgrass Steak House opens at 8:30 AM on weekends and has a full breakfast menu with bay views. Bayside Grille on the Boardwalk opens at 7 AM with lighter fare and a kids' menu. The Aquarium Restaurant opens at 11 AM and lets kids eat lunch next to a 50,000-gallon tank of sharks and rays — reliably the most memorable stop for children on the Boardwalk.

Is the Kemah Boardwalk open for brunch?

Yes. Bayside Grille opens at 7 AM every day, Saltgrass Steak House opens at 8:30 AM on Saturdays and Sundays, and the Aquarium Restaurant, Landry's Seafood, and Bubba Gump all open at 11 AM on weekends. The rides and attractions open later in the morning.

What is the best brunch view in Kemah?

Landry's Seafood House (1 Kemah Boardwalk) and Sundance Grill II (800 Mariners Dr, Waterford Harbor) both have direct waterfront views of Galveston Bay. Saltgrass Steak House has bay views on the Boardwalk. For something completely different, the Aquarium Restaurant has a 50,000-gallon tank with sharks and rays visible from every table.

Is the Flying Dutchman still open in Kemah?

No. The Flying Dutchman permanently closed on December 31, 2024, after 48 years of operation. Landry's, Inc. closed the location at 9 Kemah Waterfront as part of a Boardwalk renovation project. Any listing showing it as open is outdated.