tde Painted Marlin Grille in Soutd Padre Island

In response to Isabels review (3 weeks ago), don’t order chicken tenders at a seafood restaurant. And 99% of restaurants that serve chicken tenders, are likely frozen before fried. They don’t have a chicken farm in their backyard to butcher the chicken and batter it up. But they do have an ocean full of fresh seafood to cook up. We first tried this restaurant on a Monday night around 7. Very busy place and we couldn’t get In for an hour and a half. So we game back another day around 530. Was seated immediately. The food was amazing. The service was awesome and the atmosphere is the best in SPI. They open all the doors so you can see the bay and the best part is you are sitting inside out of the sun.

Great food, breathtaking SUNSET views and outstanding service! We had the best time here tonight. We have owned vacation property in South Padre since 2006 and spend quite a bit of time down here. This was by far the best dining experience we have had on the Island. Thank you, Painted Marlin, for making us feel welcome and valued and not like unwanted Spring Breakers. The food was very fresh and perfectly cooked (I work in food industry). We had the shrimp cakes and the Swimmin' Barbie Combo. Simply Delicious! Great Happy Hour with good values on drinks and munchies. Amazing views of the sunset. Not to be missed if you are in South Padre. As a local, I say it is not to be missed.

In the 3 minutes it took after being seated for our waiter to come to the table, we saw 6 members of the waitstaff ( behind the bar, preparing food and serving) either not wearing a mask or having it around their chin with nose and mouth exposed.0After a week on the island having 0 issues with any other restaurant or bar, it was honestly disgusting. We left before our waiter brought us water. Will never be back.

Good food. Very good service. Outstanding location

Everything about this place is perfect! The atmosphere, the sunsets are gorgeous, the food is delicious, and the team understands service excellence. We enjoyed our experience so much and can't wait to go back.

Watching the sunset from our table was amazing. All of our dishes were delicious and our servers Carlos and Ryan provided excellent service.

I love it so far gets full quick. Havent really found that many restaurants to compare it with checked 4 of them out but this is my favorite.

Right on the water, amazing sunsets along with great seafood dishes.

The food is good. Nice views over the bayside.

Jackie was a bartender, she seemed busy and agitated, maybe just having an off day. But the food was good - we had an appetizer and a burger which was very even though they only cook it well done. We will definitely go back there again especially since they have parking for our boat there.

I considered several adjectives, but let's just go with... Outstanding! We started the evening by stopping at a nearby heavily promoted, lower end but higher priced dive, promptly walked out of there, and then found this gem. SO glad we did! The setting is fantastic, great sunset views. The waitstaff was super helpful, no problem with special requests. Food was excellent. If you like spicy food, try the mahi bowl. It pairs wonderfully with a lime margarita, which is great in it's own right. All around a great meal in a great place, highly recommend the Painted Marlin Grille!

What a delightful restaurant. Service was quick and professional, but still friendly. The food was delicious, hot, fresh, and cooked perfectly. Highly recommend the crab fingers and we both had tacos and a couple margaritas as well. The atmosphere is great too. They had good music playing and the the whole restaurant looks out over the water. Wish we were staying another night so we could go again!

Food was excellent! I've had better fish tacos but everything else was great. Definitely get the shrimp cocktail, I've never had sauce that delicious.

Our party was pleased with the food. The Mahi Chipotle-Guava Bowl was very tasty and included bits of mango, veggies, the chipotle sauce on top of a bed of white rice (Alexis). The fried shrimp tasted good but was dry ... probably overcooked (me). Husband said the beer-battered cod fish was a whole lot better than the fish we had yesterday at Lobo Del Mar. Both sons enjoyed their food. Youngest son paid!!!!!!

Great food and service, we went again the next day.

Amazing food; go for the shrimp cocktail and Mahi Mahi bowl. Even behind the masks, you could tell how friendly the staff is. They pay particular attention to making sure you have enough condiments, which was appreciated on to-go orders.

Our first time here & we were really happy with the food & service. Our waiter, Genaro, went over & above to make our experience terrific. We will definately be back!

Delicious seafood and incredible service. Fast and friendly and perfect spot to watch fireworks over the bay

3.5 stars for food2 stars for service0 stars because they are not enforcing use of (state required) masks Generous with a 2 star review. Got food... relatively quickly. 20 min after ordering tacos, ceviche, fried avocado...Got drinks relatively quickly ...But for the next 30 minutes ... nobody stopped backed over ... needless to say.. we sat with empty drinks for the remainder of our meal, needed ice never got it, needed water ... never had a chance to ask for it.Would have gone to the bar to just get myself, but honestly, was testing restaurant to see what these servers would do.Lost my vote on serviceWon my vote on food and location.CheersPaige

Great place to be on the bay. The food was delicious. I had the mango shrimp wrap. The staff was pleasant and knowledgeable avoid their menu. Food was delivered to us promptly. It was a great experience!

The atmosphere and service deserve 5 stars but the food was not impressive. I was a bit disappointed but glad we gave them a try. Open air seating next to the bay was picturesque.

This is GREAT seafood etc joint atmosphere is good the view oh boy the view is just FABULOUS right by the water enuff said the sunset there is OMG that's all I can say its a must see

Great food! Priceless view. Definitely try the Ceviche!

The food is ok on the mid to upper expense as far as cost. The staff is very courteous and attentive. Recommend for sure!

Great place to get food and drinks. Best customer service. The style is fun and modern

We ate there Sunday June 28th. Talked to them ahead of time about call-ahead and were seated right away, but this was at 5:30. They were serious about health protocals, hand sanitizer, pick up your own paper menu and napkin/silverware. Staff wore masks and gloves, tables were about 15 feet apart. wind/air flow moved from front to sea side. We got house Margaritas at happy hour price $6. Small ceviche more then enough for two. I had redfish/shrimp combo, my wife had shrimp tacos. Both were good. Desert try the Mango Key Lime pie, really good. Moe was our server, promp friendly service and food came very fast. This is the only time my wife and I felt comfortable actually eating at a restaurant since Feb. Kudos to the staff and management.

Great fresh food and beautiful views. Ordered the Cajun blackened fish and it was amazing

Pictures were a little misleading. This place is an upscale seaside bar and grill with no inside seating. They do a great job of moving the heaters around to accommodate. Food and service was good as well.Black beards or his cousin dirty al would be a better choice if you are looking for authentic south padre cuisine.

The Blackenwd Red Fish with Rice Pilaf and Vegetables was over cooked. The restaurant was cute had a nice view of the water and boat docks.

The service is attentive, the atmosphere is wonderful, and the view can't be beat. But I come here for the food. The beer battered fish and cottage fries are my favorite, but I've never had a dish I didn't care for. The food is fresh and well prepared. Oh, and try the key lime pie. You'll thank me.

Our experience was amazing even amidst the pandemic!! Food is amazing!!!! Service was incredible!!! Carlos the manager and his staff take care of the guests like family !!! Margs are fantastic !

Good food. Good drinks. Little hot but that’s all part of the outdoor feel!

It was different. They were very customer oriented. There food was good. There service was great.

O love this place the avocado fries are the best in the world. Staff is awesome. I eat here everyday

Perhaps it’s because we did takeout. However, the battered fish was waaaaay overcooked, almost inedible. My daughter said HEB frozen fish was much better and I heartily agree. Her kids quesadilla was soggy from the steamed vegetable side and inedible. We tried to dry it out and even then it was disgusting. The chipotle guava mahi bowl was actually fairly good but so over-sauced you couldn’t taste the fish. Perhaps that’s the point. It’s not one star as we were actually able to eat some of the food. However, we will never go there again. If you want to go there for the view, go for it, just have a drink and don’t waste your money on the food.

It was love from first bite) Amazing place on the bay with colorful interior, charming music and fast serving. Food was so delicious that I can’t it describe, you need come and try🙃Almost forgot about my new discovery here - Mango Key Lime Pie - it was so good that I grabbed one more for to go (and forgot to make a picture))If I knew this spot from my first vacation day I’ll spend here every night

Good food and friendly service. Fish and chips was delicious. My husband ordered the fried seafood combo with Cole slaw and onion rings. I tried one if his onion rings. It was great. Crispy not greasy and onion was sweet. So good. Hush puppies were surprisingly good. Crispy and moist inside. Very good indeed.

The ambiance at this restaurant was amazing. Beautiful scenery and shaded cool patio. Pina Coloda was great! I was a little disappointed in the Thai Peanut Shrimp pasta was not as flavorful as I would have expected. I would go here again but maybe try the shrimp tacos.

Good service Good view Good food...get there early, no reservations. Also good covid practices!

Tonight (7-5-2020 during the Covid 2nd spike) we went to the painted Marlin Grille for the first time. Our aggressive, up-selling server took our orders for apps and drinks. I then went in the restroom. Our server was at a urinal next to me, and surprisingly enough- his apron was wadded up on the floor! I made a joke about must be time for a new apron, and he picked it up and PUT IT BACK ON and went back to work. I told him how nasty that was, but he went right back to serving. Once out of the restroom, I went straight to the manager and asked for (and got) a different server. The manager stopped by later to tell us the guy had changed into a fresh apron. He never quit waiting tables and the rest of his tables had no clue what had gone on. The food was good (but not great) except the ceviche, which was EXCELLENT. We won’t be back. Just can’t risk it.

Great potential based on location and menu choices. We got there at 5:30 and were seated right away. Staff was friendly, but not enough to cover even the reduced number of tables. Tried Rockefeller Redfish & Etoufee Pasta. Apps were reduced in price for happy hour. They gave us the mango key lime pie for free. It was cloudy, but they say the sunset is spectacular there!

Brought in my fresh catch of two red snapper today. Chef did a phenomenal job preparing them - one grilled and one fried “Cuban style”. Excellent end to the day and great value!

Great atmosphere, food was good, service was the BEST. Victora and Ted were our servers. We were there for a wedding rehearsal and they were on point with drinks and service. The apps we ordered were shrimp cocktail, shrimp cakes and the fried avocados. All were very very tasty. We ordered three muscle pasta dish and mahi tacos. Really really good flavors.

Pretty good place. Fresh food and a nice nice view of the bay. They just need to bring the drinks a little less watered down. Go have fun!

I wore a mask to pick up some food and was ridicule by one of the employees. I assume he was a manager or owner since he was able to do that infront of his employees. Heavy set Hispanic dude. If you work there you know who he is.

It was good, not great. The positives were Great views, our waitress was excellent, and some really good shrimp cakes on the appetizer menu. The spicy mushroom burger was solid as was the fish and chips. The gulf shrimp cocktail was lacking, only 5 whole shrimp on the large order and the shrimp were not very large. My wife and I got the same thing - shrimp tacos, I thought mine were good, hers were not as good, not sure if shrimp were old or seasoning was off, but her plate was definitely a step back from mine. Same with the happy hour Margaritas. Hers was not as strong as mine. Our price for 4 people (2 appetizers, 4 meals, 2 margaritas, and we split a piece of pie) was almost $120, which I did not think was bad, but the lack of consistency made this visit feel lacking.Not sure I would recommend eating here, but I would also be willing to give it another shot IF people in my party wanted to eat there.

Had the redfish with hollandaise. Daughter had veggie burger ( the best we've ever had!). Had shrimp cocktail and avacado fries as appetizers, omg!!! Couldn't have been better!

Great food, great atmosphere, and even better service! Thanks Carlos and your crew for all your hard work!

Came in from Colorado and decided to try this place out. The blue Hawaiian drink tasted like water, and the food was not good at all. The kids did not like their chicken strips that were burnt. It looked like they were frozen not fresh or homemade. Not a good selection on menu either for Kids. I absolutely would not recommend this place at all. Out of the 5 meals that we ordered and drinks the only one that was alright was The Local Cajun Combo. If your looking for some good seafood or burgers or better menu go to Blackbeard’s. Blackbeard’s is also cheaper and you get really good portions there. The Blue Hawaiian drink at Blackbeard’s literally is the best! And the servers are more friendly there. The only thing I enjoyed about this grille was the view, but it’s outside eating so it’s pretty windy.

Love, love, loved! Can't wait to go back.