Best Seafood in the Galleria and Uptown: Gulf Fish, Oysters, Crab

The best seafood in the Galleria and Uptown is at Willie G's and Mastro's on the West Loop for Gulf snapper and oysters, Truluck's on Westheimer for Florida stone crab, McCormick & Schmick's in Uptown Park for blackened redfish, and Balboa Surf Club on Post Oak for Gulf grouper and a Sunday fish fry. For raw fish done the Japanese way, book Nobu at The Galleria or slip into Sushi on Post Oak or Uptown Sushi. All eight are inside Uptown and were confirmed open on their own websites in October 2026.

Here's the line to remember: Uptown doesn't do crawfish boils in parking lots. It does stone crab on ice, redfish under jumbo lump crab, and an omelet filled with an oyster-bar classic.

Where do the Galleria and Uptown start and stop?

For this guide, the Galleria and Uptown means the business district around The Galleria and Post Oak Boulevard: the West Loop (I-610) on the east, Chimney Rock Road on the west, Woodway Drive and the edge of Memorial Park on the north, and Richmond Avenue on the south. That takes in the mall, Post Oak Boulevard, BLVD Place, Uptown Park and the restaurants facing the West Loop frontage road. River Oaks District, Highland Village and anything east of the Loop are out, and so is the stretch of Westheimer west of Chimney Rock. For the wider neighborhood, see our Galleria/Uptown area guide.

The quick list

• For Gulf oysters and crawfish étouffée in one sitting: Willie G's at The Post Oak Hotel.
• For stone crab season: Truluck's on Westheimer, typically mid-October through May 1.
• For a big-night seafood dinner with live music: Mastro's Steakhouse on the West Loop.
• For blackened redfish and an oyster happy hour: McCormick & Schmick's in Uptown Park.
• For Gulf grouper, a lunch oyster po'boy and a Sunday fish fry: Balboa Surf Club on Post Oak.
• For black cod miso and yellowtail jalapeño: Nobu at The Galleria.
• For late-night sashimi: Sushi on Post Oak.
• For a quick roll in Uptown Park: Uptown Sushi.

How we chose

We picked restaurants inside our Uptown boundary where seafood is a real reason to go, not one line on a long menu. Each one had to show a current address, posted hours and a seafood menu on its own official website in October 2026, and we read those menus to choose the dishes below. We favored places that name Gulf fish or Gulf oysters on the menu.

We left out restaurants we couldn't confirm on an official site and anything outside the boundary. Hours, prices and happy hours change, and some items are seasonal, so treat every detail here as typical and check the restaurant's site before you go.

Gulf seafood and oyster bars

Willie G's (The Post Oak Hotel)

Uptown, 1640 West Loop South · Gulf seafood and raw bar · open daily

Willie G's sits at The Post Oak Hotel and says its menus are inspired by fresh Gulf Coast seafood, a standard its chefs have been setting since 1981. The raw bar shucks a daily selection of Gulf and East Coast oysters by the half dozen or dozen, and the Ocean Side tower stacks king crab, lobster, oysters, mussels, shrimp and caviar.

Order: Oyster Bar Trash (blackened shrimp with jumbo lump crab), the New Orleans BBQ Gulf Shrimp, Gulf Snapper Melissa with shrimp, crab and scallops, and the crawfish étouffée.

I didn't know that: Oyster Bar Trash is famous enough that Willie G's folds it into its Post Oak omelet. Sunday brunch runs typically 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Good to know: happy hour is typically Monday to Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.

Truluck's (Galleria)

Galleria, 5350 Westheimer Rd · seafood and steak · open daily

Truluck's has served Houston since 1992 and calls itself fiercely independent. Its calling card is Florida stone crab, typically in season from October 15 through May 1, served pre-cracked with the house mustard sauce. Truluck's says the claws go from the traps to your table in less than 24 hours.

Order: stone crab claws in season, the Scallop & Shrimp Saute, or the Sesame Seared Tuna.

Insider tip: the bar's nightly happy hour, typically 4 to 6 p.m., has included half-price oysters, which is the cheapest way into this room. Check the site for the current deal.

McCormick & Schmick's (Uptown Park)

Uptown Park, 1151 Uptown Park Blvd · seafood · open daily

McCormick & Schmick's brought its Pacific Northwest seafood house to Uptown Park, with fish from the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. The chain says its signature oysters come from its own private oyster beds; the half-shell list we saw named Massachusetts oysters such as Pink Ladies and Johnny Shucks.

Order: the skillet-blackened redfish topped with lump crab and lemon butter, M&S Grilled Oysters with scampi butter and Parmesan, and the crab and shrimp cake.

Insider tip: happy hour runs typically 3:30 to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 3 to 5 p.m. on weekends, and the restaurant advertises a Buck Shuck oyster deal on Fridays. More deals in our best happy hour in Houston guide.

Balboa Surf Club

Post Oak Plaza, 1753 Post Oak Blvd · coastal seafood · open daily

Balboa Surf Club in Post Oak Plaza is the most relaxed seafood room on this list, with lunch and dinner every day. The Gulf is on the plate rather than the half shell: Blackened Gulf Snapper, Gulf grouper in the crispy tacos and the Sunday fish fry, and grilled redfish topped with jumbo lump crab and lemon beurre blanc. The raw oysters are North Atlantic, shucked to order.

Order: the grilled redfish, the stone crab claws, which the menu says are flown in daily, and the King Crab Handroll, made with the merus cut of Alaskan red king crab poached in butter.

Insider tip: when the Oyster Po'Boy is featured, it is lunch only, and the Sunday Fish Fry pairs jumbo shrimp with Gulf grouper.

Big-night seafood

Mastro's Steakhouse

Uptown, 1650 West Loop South · steak and seafood · dinner daily

Mastro's is a steakhouse, but its seafood list is why it's here. The menu leans Gulf and Texas: Gulf Red Snapper with jumbo lump crab à la meunière, Texas redfish, oysters on the half shell and oysters Rockefeller, plus red king crab legs and jumbo lump crab cakes. Mastro's lists its Houston restaurant as a Wine Spectator Grand Award winner, and there's live music every night.

Order: the Gulf red snapper, the chilled crab cocktail and the crab fried rice to share.

Good to know: dinner is typically 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with the bar opening at 4 p.m. Ask for the patio, which overlooks a water wall and reflecting pool. More in our Galleria and Uptown date night guide.

Raw fish, Japanese style

Nobu Houston

The Galleria, 5115 Westheimer Rd · Japanese · dinner daily

Nobu is inside The Galleria and serves the dishes that made the brand famous. The Black Cod Miso is marinated in miso for a few days, then baked and finished under a broiler, and the Yellowtail Jalapeño comes six pieces to an order.

Order: Black Cod Miso, Yellowtail Jalapeño, Rock Shrimp Tempura and Oysters with Nobu Sauces.

Insider tip: Tanoshi hours in the bar and lounge run typically 5 to 8 p.m. every night. Nobu is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Sushi on Post Oak (SOPO)

Uptown, 2025 Post Oak Blvd, Suite C · sushi · open daily, late on weekends

Sushi on Post Oak is the late option: it typically stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The menu runs from citrus salmon crudo and Thai chili yellowtail to sea urchin and a sashimi combo plate, and the bar pours sake and an extensive list of Japanese whiskey.

Order: the Thai chili yellowtail, the tuna tartare tots and the sashimi combo.

Uptown Sushi

Uptown Park, 1131 Uptown Park Blvd · sushi · open daily

Uptown Sushi sits at the corner of the West Loop and Post Oak Boulevard in Uptown Park. It's a reliable pick for a quick lunch or a takeout tray of rolls after shopping, with spicy tuna, shrimp tempura and salmon rolls and escolar sushi.

Good to know: it typically opens at 11 a.m. on weekdays and only for dinner on Sundays.

Just past Chimney Rock: two worth the extra mile

These two sit on Westheimer just west of our Chimney Rock line, so they don't count toward our eight, but if you want boiled crawfish or Pappadeaux history, they're the closest.

• Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen (Galleria), 6015 Westheimer Rd. Pappadeaux calls this location its Galleria restaurant and says it is where the Pappadeaux story began, when it opened in 1986. The Houston-based chain's menu includes a fried crawfish platter, redfish Pontchartrain and crawfish bisque. Happy hour is typically weekdays, 3 to 6 p.m.
• BB's Tex-Orleans (Briargrove), 6154 Westheimer Rd. BB's serves crawfish year-round, plus Gulf oysters on the half shell, fried Gulf Coast oysters and Lloyd's Crawfish Étouffée. Hungry groups order The 5 Pound Mound. It's open late every night.

For when and where to eat crawfish across the city, read our Houston crawfish guide.

Save this: an Uptown seafood crawl

Park once and walk or rideshare between stops. This works best on a weekday, when the happy hours line up.

1. 3:30 p.m., McCormick & Schmick's, Uptown Park: happy hour oysters and a crab and shrimp cake.
2. 5 p.m., Willie G's, West Loop South: a half dozen Gulf oysters and Oyster Bar Trash at the raw bar.
3. 6:30 p.m., Mastro's, 1650 West Loop South: Gulf red snapper on the patio with live music.
4. Late, Sushi on Post Oak: sashimi and a Japanese whiskey nightcap.

In stone crab season, swap stop 3 for Truluck's on Westheimer.

Before you go: a quick checklist

• Check hours on the restaurant's own site the day you go. Mastro's and Nobu are dinner only.
• Stone crab is seasonal, typically October 15 to May 1 at Truluck's.
• Want Gulf oysters on the half shell? Willie G's lists them by name; Balboa's raw oysters are North Atlantic.
• Want boiled crawfish? We couldn't verify a crawfish boil inside Uptown, so head to BB's just past Chimney Rock.
• Reserve for Mastro's, Nobu and Truluck's, especially on weekends.

More to eat and do in Uptown

Plan the rest of the day with things to do in the Galleria and Uptown, our Galleria/Uptown restaurant guide and the Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park guide. Citywide, start with the best seafood restaurants in Houston and the best oysters in Houston.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I eat Gulf oysters near the Galleria in Houston?

Willie G's at The Post Oak Hotel, 1640 West Loop South, shucks a daily selection of Gulf and East Coast oysters. Mastro's next door at 1650 West Loop South also serves oysters on the half shell and oysters Rockefeller.

Where can I get stone crab in Uptown Houston?

Truluck's at 5350 Westheimer Rd serves Florida stone crab, typically from October 15 through May 1. Balboa Surf Club on Post Oak Boulevard also lists stone crab claws, which its menu says are flown in daily.

Is there crawfish in the Galleria area?

Willie G's in Uptown serves crawfish étouffée. For boiled crawfish, BB's Tex-Orleans at 6154 Westheimer, just west of Chimney Rock, serves crawfish year-round.

What is the original Pappadeaux in Houston?

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen at 6015 Westheimer Rd, which Pappadeaux calls its Galleria location, is where the chain says its story began when it opened in 1986.

Which Galleria-area seafood restaurants have happy hour?

McCormick & Schmick's in Uptown Park, Willie G's, Truluck's and Nobu all post happy hours on their official sites, typically in the late afternoon or early evening. Check each site for current times and deals.