WAVES Approved Island Eats!

By Tom Valliere & Charlie Bresenhan - 61st Street is a major commercial corridor running North to South in Galveston. It is mostly familiar to visitors as a primary link between Interstate 45 and Seawall Boulevard for holiday beach seekers. For island residents, it also serves as the casual boundary between Galveston’s east side and the western portion of our island. 

Primarily residential and not as densely populated as the east side, this area has been largely underserved for dining establishments and other food services. Fortunately, that is rapidly changing and several new and exciting venues have recently opened. One of the finest is the Lil’ Buffalo Grille in the small community of Evia.

A planned development, Evia is a delightful neighborhood of clear freshwater lakes and uniform resort architecture. It features numerous amenities including a city center anchored by our featured restaurant - Lil Buffalo Grille.

If you turn west onto Avenue S at 61st street you will leave the commercial development and congestion behind as you veer onto Stewart Road and pass by the Galveston Scholes International airport. Out of the city now, you turn right onto 99th Street and pass along the Moody Gardens Golf Course. There you will turn left into the Evia neighborhood. The Buffalo Grille is one block in on your left in the town center. A beautiful waterfront setting on the lake sets the tone for a pleasant meal and relaxing evening.

 A part of a small Houston-based chain, Buffalo Grille first opened in Houston in 1984 on Buffalo Speedway next door to the Buffalo Pharmacy, hence the name Buffalo Grille. Originally serving only breakfast and lunch, they thought after 18 years it was time to branch out and serve dinner when they opened their 3rd location in Galveston. Owned and operated by a 7th-generation Texas family, you are guaranteed a pleasant meal and down-home Texas hospitality.

Opening in mid-2022, the restaurant was immediately popular and draws customers from across Galveston. An incredibly pretty and relaxing setting perfectly complements their food and beverage selections.

True to their roots, breakfast is a busy time here. Their extensive menu skews to Southwest and Mexican flavors, but also offers traditional American-style breakfasts. They offer an everyday breakfast that includes eggs, pancakes, and bacon or sausage for a bargain price. Huevos Rancheros is a dish I use to benchmark Mexican breakfasts and their version rates very high, even offering a green chile sauce as an alternative to the normal red rancheros sauce.

Many other dishes are available including a memorable biscuits and gravy and tasty omelets. Not to be forgotten is their coffee. Custom roasted and delicious, it is offered for sale in their gift shop.

Lunch and dinner bring a different crowd and a different menu. Although breakfast is offered all day, the lunch and dinner menu offers another dimension of casual, yet upscale dining.

A couple of good seafood entrees lead a menu of mostly diner-style food anchored by some solid Texas favorites. I am talking about fried jumbo shrimp, chicken enchiladas, fried pork chops, and of course a darned good chicken fried steak!

A real Buffalo burger leads the burger and sandwich offerings with a nice open-faced chili burger and a mighty fine BLT. A soup of the day pairs with the always-available bowl of chili.

A few nice salads and a bevy of sides and baked potatoes complete the offerings. I confess I have barely scratched the menu but everything I have had has been delicious and served in generous portions.

Alas, counter service prevails here and is seemingly becoming pervasive on our island. Not my favorite model, but it is done quite well here. You place your order at the clearly marked counter. There is a large wall-mounted menu to guide you and a pleasant employee to assist if you have questions. After you place your order, you grab your drink from the large cooler and select a table. When your order is ready you return to the counter to retrieve it. 

You may find a table inside or even better, outside on their waterfront patio, weather permitting. It is difficult to describe how peaceful and beautiful their patio setting is. In fact, the entire community is upscale, manicured, and extremely inviting.

For visitors that think Galveston is just cruise ships, parties, and traffic, a venture into this and adjacent mid-island suburban neighborhoods is a real eye-opener. You are encouraged to stroll through the neighborhood and you may be tempted to talk to a realtor. There are many that specialize in this area, but I digress.

This is a busy restaurant during mealtimes and for good reasons. Their food is good and the prices are reasonable. They have recently started offering prime rib specials on certain weeknights and generally sell out as the prime rib is expertly cooked and perfectly seasoned for a bargain price.

Adult beverages are limited to a fairly small selection of beer and wine - all reasonably priced - along with soft drinks and the aforementioned delicious custom coffee.

This is a family-owned and operated restaurant that is very friendly and welcoming. Children are welcome and there is a special kiddie menu to keep it affordable for families.

I urge island vacationers and residents alike to stop by, have a nice meal, and enjoy an island lifestyle that many do not know exists.

I am going to rate this as average for handicapped accessibility due to some curbs and the counter service model which complicates things for mobility-impaired customers. However, the employees are very helpful.

Hours of Operation:

Tuesday through Saturday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Sunday and Monday 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Lil’ Buffalo Grille

13 Evia Main

Galveston, Texas 77554

(409) 974-4473

www.thebuffalogrille.com