Gilhooley's Restaurant-Oyster

I've lived in the Bayshore area for 53 years. This restaurant is the absolute BEST SEAFOOD on the Gulf Coast. Freshest food I've ever had here. True that it is a no frills kinda place but if your looking for the absolute best food in the area this is the place. Casual, cash only, no minors and I love those rules too. more

We waited a 1 hour, 20 minutes for our food. Saturday afternoon, Jan 19th, 2013. The lightly breaded oysters were heavy breaded. Most of the food was cold. Entrees came out in shifts.\r The bathrooms were the worst bathrooms ever seen. very gross. \r Food is highly overrated and really is some of the worst bar food you can imagine. This is no oyster joint, it is something else. more

Here's a tip for ""clearlakefriends"": I think the owner would've preferred the ""Troll"" remark over the implication that he's a Yankee!! He's no Yankee!! more

The quality of Gilhooley's has diminished substantially since my first visit in 2006. The only perks is the BYOB policy and funny personal wait staff. Tommy's Oyster Bar in Clear Lake is 10X better, for a lower price M-F, and the restroom doesn't make you consider peeing in your pants as a cleaner option. more

Was looking forward to going back to Gilhooleys,I have been there once and the food and service was good.On this second visit,I sat at the bar ordered food and drinks,asked the bartender for an ash tray.While she was bringing the ash tray,she noticed i had a small cigar.She said i could not smoke a cigar in here,it was not allowed.That was o k for me since i do not smoke cigars on a regular basis,it has been weeks since i had one.After about 2 minutes had gone by,I look across the bar and i see a man walking by with a lit cigar in his mouth.I say ""Hey, he is smoking a cigar"".He replied ""I'm leaving,I'm leaving"".The bartender replied that he needed a light before he left.I replied that she just got through telling me,you can't smoke cigars in here.(she lit his cigar)She then started throwing things around the bar area,making lots of noise and shouted, ""o k i'm over it""and stomed off.Needless to say,it took along time for us to get our (warm not hot )food.Not once,did she ask us for another drink or if we needed anything else!Nobody, as a customer,should be treated like this anywhere!What she should have done is either give him some matches or went outside and lit his cigar. more

We can't get enough of this place! It's wonderful, no screaming, running around, whining, crying little kids to listen too. You can go as dressy, or as casual as you want to. The service is usually prompt, and the food is always great! You will be able to buy your meal, beer, and walk away with more change than you would get at McDonald's! more

Great food, relaxing atmosphere, and hard working wait staff. more

Great oysters. They were very big. Cooked just right. Service was slow, but it is a ""kick-back"" place. Don't go if you are in a hurry. Drink a cold beverage of your choice, and enjoy the laid back atmosphere . more

Gilhooley's is great! Yes, it's a dive. Those are usually the best places to go and hang out with family and friends. Here you don't have to worry about what your wearing and, don't have to worry about your pocket book either. The food is priced great and you get large portions. Oysters Gilhooley's are grilled to perfection and served in this garlic butter sauce. I made myself sick eating them. Yes they do not allow small kids however I have taken my 16 year old and had no problem. Also just FYI they have a sign posted effective in August 2011 they will only accept cash. No checks, debit, or credit cards. That could be a negative as most people use plastic these days. Hopefully that fix this! more

I went to Gilhooleys recently and its realy going down on quality, For one I dont understand why theve cut out sweet n low .. I love unsweet tea with sweet n low, and I dont understand why they would just stop having it!!! Then i saw a waitress get it for one of her other customers. To me this was very rude!!!! And they refuse to have french fries no matter how many customers ask for it!!! People even write on the nasty bathroom wall that they want Fries!!! The oysters are getting smaller.. over all the place is going down!!! and that sucks , I drive all the way from Pasadena to eat there and I shouldnt have to bring my own sweeter for tea!!!! more

I have been into Gilhooley's twice now, once this last summer, and the other day after I left another place that was horrible. This past summer the oysters were very small, but now that they are coming back in season it seems that they are much larger. We split a burger, a dozen raw oysters, and a dozen (not sure if this is right) ShrimpGilhooley (oysters cooked in the shell with garlic butter, parmesan cheese, and shrimp). The food was great, not just good, even the burger is worth the drive to get back to. The place is dirty looking, make no mistake, and avoid the bathroom.The waitresses are hilarious, the locals talk trash to them and they respond in kind (maybe that is why no kids?). This is a how-you-take-it place, relax, be cool, and the no kids, and staff is always right policies will not matter. EAT HERE!!! more

Have been going to this place for upteen years, long before it moved and have always had a longing for the Oysters Gillhoughy's. 8 mile to a clean restroom but the food was worth it. Until now.\r Took a friend in for his first visit and since it was mid day on a Saturday wondered why the place was empty'\r $12.95 for a dozen oysters the size of a thimble, that's why! Kiss my Clear Lake azz. Better prices at the Kemah Boardwalk tourist ripoff. The oysters could have been the size of boulders but still not worth $12.95 a dozen.\r The Troll who owns the place has gotten a bit big for his Yankee boots but the locals will all say NO to rip-off prices.\r Goodbye after 15 years. more

I saw another review which said the oysters were too small. While I was there, we ate oysters, crabcakes, and chicken fried chicken. The food was delicious, the beer was cold and the service was good. The oysters were normal size, but they shrink when cooked. I like em raw, but I'll eat all the cooked you want to give me, which is what happened this afternoon. We were very satisfied and had an excellent time. Pros: Great Food Great people more

I recently went to Gillhooley's for the second time. If this had been my first time, I would not have gone back or recommended it to the friend I brought along. The first time I went (Spring 2010), the Oysters were great - I had the ones with shrimp, parmesan cheese, and butter, and they were just the right size and were very juicy and tastey - I was very impressed. I also had a meal that came with coleslaw and the coleslaw was packed with nice size shrimp. I was so looking forward to going back, and was greatly disappointed this last weekend. Of course, I knew there might be an issue due to the Gulf oil spill, so I called and was assured that they had Oysters. What I got was hardly identifiable as an Oyster - they were about the size of the tip of my little finger and they were overcooked and dried out with no seasoning or flavor. There was no cheese, garlic, or butter flavor like before - just dried up little things that didn't much even resemble an oyster at all. I can only assume this is attributable to the oil spill, but I wish they would have mentioned when I called that the oysters were not their typical quality, or maybe weren't even Gulf Oysters. I probably could have even dealt with the small size if they would have been cooked and prepared properly.. Also, the coleslaw that was listed on the menu as ""shrimp coleslaw"" had no shrimp in it. Very disappointing. Cons: Not So Good Oysters more

RAW OYSTERS!! It's the best, it's a dive, they don't allow children. \r You want'em cooked, go to your local Pappa's whatever! Pros: RAW OYSTERS, THE BEST, no children!!! Cons: Not a full bar-I LOVE a dirty martini w/ raw oysters more

For the first time ever we went to Gilhooley's last night and were soooo disappointed. It took 1 1/2 hours to get our oysters and they were like charcoal. The raw ones were good but the Shrimphooleys and the Gilhooleys oyters were burned. We tried scraping the oysters from the shell but to no avail. Many of the shrimphooleys did not have shrimp on them. When we called the manager over to complain (her name was Lacy- she would not give us her last name) she did not apolgize or anything. Her attitude was awful. She told us we should not have tried to eat them if we did not like them. When we told her we were starving and that we were trying to find a good one here or there she did not care. She was rude. She refused to give us our money back because we had eaten part of the oysters. We have been going to Gilhooley's for years and have taken many friends there. We were a party of 6 and we were all unhappy. We will not be recommending this place again. We are very sad about this.... what a shame. (Saturday night March 13, 2010) I am sure the owner would not be happy if they knew what an awful manager Lacy is. What happened to the ""customer is always right""??? Pros: Every other time it has been fabulous Cons: Awful more

No kids for a reason. Why do people have them anyway? The food is consistently great. Had a great lunch there this past Monday. Oysters Shrimpooley (sp?). Fab. Pros: Killer Oysters more

My husband and I have made Gilhooley's our Friday night regular. We have sampled several different items from the menu and have not been disappointed! Of course we KILL the oysters and drink the cold beer! We usually sit at the same table and have our same waitress Sherri take great care of us! Pros: All the food Cons: I can't eat there everday! more

Love the food, but it is annoying that kids aren't allowed. Driving from Pearland just to get some oysters isn't quite enough for me to pay a babysitter. I would be happy to sit in some far off corner outside with my kid to enjoy those great oysters.\r \r Why no kids anyway? Do you all really feel the need to curse and rip your shirts off at the taste of some oysters and beer? ""Wow these oyster are F'ING GREAT!!!!"" \r \r Great food and place, but can't get there as much as I would like because of the kid policy. Pros: Great oysters, nice place to hang out Cons: No kids more

Awesome food, even better oysters!!!! \r more