Our 5 favorite shrimp cocktails in Houston to savor year-round
A good shrimp cocktail sounds simple enough, but in reality, it’s more than just some crustaceans that have been gently poached, plopped on some ice and dipped into a zippy ketchup-meets-horseradish sauce.
When we find a good shrimp cocktail, there’s nothing better, especially when there’s a heat dome hovering over the city seemingly all summer long. But when it’s bad, it’s really bad — like the party dish where a few prawns are floating in melted ice sitting at room temperature.
These restaurants source fresh seafood (the commercial Gulf shrimp season commences this weekend), mix their own dipping sauces and pay attention to every detail — the temperature, seasoning, presentation — to make our list of some of the best shrimp cocktails in Houston.
Eugene’s
Houston Chronicle restaurant critic Alison Cook counts this shrimp cocktail among her favorites. It's a pro move to start off a meal at this family-owned, Texas Gulf Coast restaurant known for dishes like crab au gratin and seafood gumbo. The shrimp cocktail, which is served in a martini glass, is a textbook examples of the fresh seafood the kitchen sources before transforming each dish into a Cajun classic. 1985 Welch; eugeneshouston.com
Eunice
The Royal Red shrimp served at Eunice taste like a cross between lobster and scallop. Whether dipped into a remoulade or cocktail sauce, each plump shrimp tastes like it’s been plucked from the water and landed into a tray of crushed ice. Paired with a glass of rosé or refreshing cocktail (try the bramble), it makes for an idyllic summer snack. 3737 Buffalo Speedway; eunicerestaurant.com
Goode Company Seafood
It’s not the traditional recipe you’d find for an appetizer portion served at a steakhouse or seafood restaurant, but Goode Company’s campechana is a beloved Houston classic. This Mexican-style seafood cocktail packs plenty of flavor, with morsels of shrimp and crab balancing out the heat of pico de gallo and fire-roasted Anaheim peppers. A few bites and you're transported to a seaside vacation. 2621 Westpark; goodecompanyseafood.com
Guard and Grace
Guard and Grace may call itself a modern steakhouse where customers don’t have to sit in a corporate-feeling dining room full of leather and dark walls. A tradition that can’t be passed? Shrimp cocktail. Here, it’s a no-frills approach as you bite into each piece that tastes like the sea before diving into dishes such as braised wagyu beef wontons or a flight of filets. 500 Dallas; guardandgrace.com
Mastro’s
The smoke billowing from a coupe of dry ice is fitting at this buzzy steakhouse. There’s a lot going on at this Galleria-area favorite, from live music to the din of a packed dining room, but the plump shrimp are not all facade. The mammoth prawns are some of the freshest in town and look more like a main dish than a side act. 1650 W. Loop; mastrosrestaurants.com