A Review of Little Pappas Seafood Restaurant in Houston, TX

The Pappas chain is extremely popular in Houston, TX but after dining at Little Pappas Seafood in River Oaks I'm wondering why people love this restaurant so much. My husband and his co-workers dine at the Pappas Seafood on highway 45 on a regular basis so after hearing him rave about his meals there, I was so excited to try the Pappas Seafood in the Houston loop.

We arrived on a Sunday night around 8 p.m. and could not believe how crowded the restaurant was but then again it was Memorial Day weekend. We only had to wait a few minutes but shortly after we were seated, more and more customers came flowing through the doors. So much for Americans not eating out late at night.

Our waiter was friendly but noticeably busy. We had to wait a tad too long for our fresh baked bread but it was worth the wait because it was delicious. For our appetizers I ordered the shrimp gumbo and my husband had the New England clam chowder soup. I actually enjoyed my shrimp gumbo very much and thought it had a real kick to it so if you don't like spicy food, avoid the gumbo. I thought it had a nice blend of shrimp with vegetables and seasoning but it cost a whopping $6.95 for a small cup. My husband didn't rave about his soup so I guess he won't be trying the New England clam chowder the next time he goes out with his co-workers. Hopefully he'll try the gumbo.

For my entree I ordered the mesquite grilled shrimp which came with linguine and marinara sauce - an odd pairing if you ask me. I think mesquite grilled shrimp should be paired with rice. The shrimp was a tad dry and much too salty to really enjoy the flavor of the mesquite but there was no way I was going to leave any shrimp leftover since my dish cost $21.95 so I ate all of it except the tails - which they leave on. I took the linguine with marinara sauce home and had it the next day. The sauce tasted homemade which was a good sign but the linguine was nothing special.

My husband had the blackened mahi matina which is apparently their specialty but my husband wasn't in love with this dish which was served with seared shrimp and jumbo scallop. It also came with green beans and sliced butternut squash but he didn't eat those which meant I got to try them the next day and they were flavorless. My husband also thought his fish was dry which was disappointing since his meal cost $19.95.

Overall I think the gumbo and the bread were fabulous but everything else was not worth the money so we won't be returning. For non seafood lovers Little Pappas restaurant also has steak, chicken and salads.

The Little Pappas Seafood restaurant is located at 3001 S. Shepherd, Houston, TX, 77098. Their phone number is (713) 522-4595.