Disappointing Experience Despite High Hopes
As someone with a gluten intolerance, I was genuinely excited to try Grapevine Café due to their extensive gluten-free menu. Unfortunately, the experience fell far short of expectations, and we won’t be returning.
We arrived early on a Sunday (around 7:15 a.m.) when the restaurant was less than half full, so we expected prompt service. Our server, who never introduced herself, took our drink order (hot tea, smoothie, Diet Coke), which took about 10 minutes to arrive. After placing our food order, we waited another 25 minutes for our meals.
The food itself was underwhelming—my potatoes were cold and completely unseasoned. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to address it with our server, as she never returned to check on us. Dirty dishes remained on our table, and I had to go to the host stand to request the check since our server had vanished entirely.
With so many great breakfast options in town, I recommend exploring those instead. Grapevine Café might look promising, but the poor service and lackluster food made for a truly disappointing visit.
2412 State Park Rd 100, South Padre Island, TX 78597, USA
Accommodating Gluten-Free
SeafoodItalianPizzaAllergen FriendlyDinnerKid FriendlyOpen Late NightLunchOutdoor SeatingVegan OptionsVegetarian OptionsPastaBrunchTake AwayPet FriendlyBarDeliveryRestaurantBreakfast
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Hunter Bradford
My family and I had a wonderful time here. The wait staff was very kind and accommodating to some of us needing gluten free options. They even had their own gluten free menu which made it very easy to find what we wanted to eat.
My wife is not gluten free and loved the bread. Not to mention, all pasta and pizza dough is made from scratch every morning. I love the idea of knowing my food hasn’t been sitting for days in a fridge.
When I’m back in South Padre, I would dine here again.
Everyone enjoyed their meals, great atmosphere and our server, Meagan was fantastic! She was friendly, helpful and very nice. Definitely the best server in SPI.
The burger was cooked perfectly, the fries had a great crisp and they have gluten free buns!
Seriously, if you visit Tom and Jerry's for dinner, ask for Meagan!
Amazing food and service! Very good gluten free options, they even have real maple syrup on request and gluten free bread and spices. My dad has celiac and eating gluten results in food poisoning symptoms. It’s great to have such a wonderful option!
F&B was so delicious!! I wish I live in South Padre Island only so I can go to this restaurant more often. Every single thing we had was incredible. You can tell that Chef Gordon really works hard on his craft. The flavors were well balanced and artistically done. The white truffle risotto was the most incredible dish I have ever eaten. We came back to the restaurant 2 nights in a row, just for it. And as an added bonus for all the celiacs, they have gluten-free bread!
We went here based on the previous good reviews. We did not have the same experience. While the servers were nice, there was a lack of organization and management. Food was okay, but there was little understanding of gluten food allergy concerns and a lack of attention to serving the patrons. We will likely not return.
If I could give zero stars for service, I would. We placed an order on the phone hours in advanced. We went to get our pizzas- they haven’t been made yet. We ordered a gluten free pizza because I have celiacs. They didn’t have a gluten free pizza on our receipt. We asked if they charged us for one and when they said no- we asked them to switch it to gluten free since they hadn’t made the pizza yet. They told us no. Roman made us pay for the pizza that wasn’t gluten free (even though it hadn’t even been made yet) and then a gluten free pizza. It was literally the worst service ever. Which is so sad because we’ve owned a place on the island for years and have frequented the original Gabriella’s for years with no problems. Then on top of that- we waited OVER an hour for our pizzas. Worst service ever. Roman provided the worst service- was rude, disrespectful and even though he messed up the order (when I have a hereditary dietary issue) made no strides to make it better. Instead he made us pay for a whole other pizza that hadn’t been made. Oh and our pizza was cold when we got it.
Denny's is a standard chain restaurant..nothing fancy..needs updated in appearance.., but I was very pleased with our waiter..He had a great attitude and was helpful in getting me Gluten Free breakfast items..
33330 State Park Rd 100, South Padre Island, TX 78597, USA
Accommodating Gluten-Free
LunchDinnerSeafoodDeliveryTake AwayKid Friendly
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Hunter Bradford
My family and I dined here several days ago during our vacation in South Padre. The restaurant esthetically is pleasing, or at least isn’t a bore. It’s on the water, so many customers have that view available to them.
The food was neither great, nor horrible. Unfortunately though the service we received from our waiter was off-putting and rude.
Many in my family eat gluten-free, and Jimmy, our waiter, was not accommodating with our diet restriction. He seemed to scoff at our questions about the menu, like he was annoyed by our curiosity. He seemed impatient with us struggling to find something we wanted from their menu.
Cute little island coffee shop. Friendly staff, good coffee, books, and a selection of art by local photographers that you can purchase. They do have breakfast/hot sandwiches, but we only had coffee and baked goods which were delicious. They even had a gluten free peanut butter cookie cup, which was also really good, and was an unexpected treat for those of us who are used to missing out.
My husband and I went in here and when we spoke to the waitress we told her several times that my husband is allergic to gluten because he has celiac disease. So when we ordered we asked if there was any breading or if it’s cooked on the same area that anything containing gluten is cooked and she said she will be sure to tell the kitchen. She said they usually give some bread with the meal my husband ordered and I said they cannot put the bread on there or he will get sick. She said okay I’ll tell them. My husband gets his food and it has bread on it. This is not okay. Especially since we told the waitress multiple times that he cannot have bread. The food became cross contaminated. I don’t recommend this restaurant if you have allergies since they can’t follow something as simple as not putting bread on the plate.
Fun, casual atmosphere with great view, had “top shelf” margarita with Patron which cost more than twice the happy hour default, but we’ll worth it if you have a designated driver ;-)
Ate the coconut shrimp … best I have ever had! Large, perfectly cooked. Flavorful breading yet light enough not to bother my gluten sensitivity(note, I am not allergic so still recommend caution if you are).
We were there as the band was just warming up. Looked to be loud so was glad to be finishing when we did despite the fun that obviously was to come as the sun went down.
Of course, going with dear family makes it all quite glorious…
Wow! This place is a hit night after night. Everything is amazing!! We have tried the blackened shrimp tacos, ceviche, cauliflower tacos, pork belly tacos, calamari, the steak n frites… all of it was so flavorful. The drinks are pricey but very good. We only eat at 2 restaurants when visiting, Yummies and Viva. If viva had gluten free buns for the hamburgers, it would be 10 star rating. The building is pretty, the view is wonderful and the food is great.
I have been telling everyone who will listen about THE ONLY fish sandwich worth eating on the island for years. Just do it! But this week I also ordered the Taco salad. Wow is all I can say! It’s HUGE and worth every penny! This is also the perfect gluten free option. No dressing necessary, use a little sour cream with their homemade salsa. It is amazing and shareable! Enjoy!
Wish I had taken a picture but we jumped on it too fast!
2500 Padre Blvd Unit 2, South Padre Island, TX 78597, USA
Gluten-free options
Ice CreamDeliveryTake AwayKid Friendly
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Lisa Boyett
Super friendly and had easy to read gluten friendly options. Their root beer float was very good. And it was nice to be able to look and see at glance the gluten free options for my daughter.
Celiac friendly
