Restaurants in Baytown

Cajun Shack imports the tastes of the Louisiana bayou with shrimp dusted with cayenne pepper and blackened catfish fried until it melts in the mouth. The menu's recipes draw from local seafood and produce. Cooks serve their specialties Monday–Friday inside the spacious eatery during lunch and dinner or by delivery.

Whenever a customer orders a side of hush puppies, Seafood Cafe manager Asad Jawad likes to joke with them a bit. "Ma'am, there is a little problem," he'll say. "When I got these puppies, they were little, and now they are grown dogs." Whether or not this elicits a chuckle, it only takes a glance at the eatery's portion sizes to see what Asad means. At Seafood Cafe, helpings of Cajun-style seafood are as generous as the staff is friendly.

That should be no surprise, since Seafood Cafe is built on a foundation of friendship. Asad and his friends John Herpin and Misael Cortez, also known as The Three Amigos, started the restaurant after they met working at another eatery five years ago. Bringing together traditional recipes from Louisiana with their restaurant-industry experience, they mix up each recipe with their own twist. The cuisine blends classic Cajun dishes such as blackened catfish and gumbo with Mexican-inflected meals including tilapia tacos. The trio only cooks up food they feel passionate about, and will even distribute free samples to convert people to the menu's more unique flavors. They also plan to encourage big appetites with a wall of fame that will honor those patrons who have made the most of the menu's all-you-can-eat catfish option. And on the weekends, jazz and reggae bands play, filling the dining room with jaunty melodies to match spicy Cajun scents.

It started with a single sound—the sizzle of eggs as they hit the bacon-greased iron skillet. And with that, an 8-year-old Chef Ambrose stepped into the culinary arts, going from a kid helping his dad with barbecue to a chef with two gold medals from Culinary Institute LeNôtre. At Just Burgers, Chef Ambrose lends his culinary expertise to hamburgers he sculpts fresh daily, grilling and sandwiching each Black Angus-beauty on a choice of a ciabatta, wheat, or the popular pretzel bun, which often sells out nightly. He also dresses each one in fresh toppings, along with occasional organic goodies gleaned from visits to the farmers' market. Running a BYOB establishment, Just Burgers' team members charge no fees for uncorking wine bottles or prying off beer caps with their teeth.

Having honed her culinary skills for more than 26 years as a caterer in Jamaica, including a few years catering for high-profile Jamaicans, executive chef Jacqui Francis weaves fresh herbs, locally grown produce, quality meats, and Jamaican seasonings into tropical entrees and tapas dishes. Today, she oversees grills sizzling dishes such as sweet reggae chicken slathered in house barbecue sauce, or Red Stripe ribs that seal a juicy marinade of Jamaica's local brew. Reggae, soca, and traditional Caribbean melodies meld with her dishes' aromas as live performers unwind on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Under the direction of local restaurateur Gigi Huang, Gigi's Asian Bistro & Dumpling Bar culls together disparate culinary traditions from across Asia into one menu. Oftentimes, the eatery's offerings are true to traditional recipes from countries such as Vietman, Thailand, and China. Other times they offer a twist on classic dishes, such as the shu-mai dumplings, conventionally made with pork but reimagined at Gigi’s with crabmeat, shrimp, and water chestnuts.

In the exposed-brick dining area, patrons clasp red-curry shrimp with chopsticks beneath an impressive display of flower blossoms on the ceiling above. Snaking branches stretch out overhead, directing diners’ gazes upward and leading them to believe that the floor is actually the ceiling. Gigi's also hosts an all-you-can-eat dim sum–brunch, letting diners feast on veggie dumplings, chicken and shrimp rolls, and tamarind-glazed spare ribs.

Madres Restaurant's new location matches the charm of the original Friendswood eatery, dishing out the same elegant takes on lime-marinated ceviche, sizzling fajitas, and sauce-slathered enchiladas. After finishing off the last bacon-wrapped shrimp brochette, patrons can request that a chef wrap bacon around other Madres offerings, such as buffalo wings or glasses of red wine.