Capt. Benny’s

Go here! So much better than Pappa’s. Crab claws, gumbo, étouffée. Will be back! Cold beer and super fast and friendly service. If you are staying at an HOU airport hotel, this is the only place to eat.

First time trying Capt Benny’s even though I’ve driven past it for years. As a newbie, I didn’t realize there were separate entrances for the bar and dining room. I didn’t want to look stupid so I went ahead and sat at the bar area.
Started with a Bombshell and cup of seafood gumbo. The roux was lighter than I prefer but the flavor was good. The okra must be frozen because there were so many pieces of stem in it. Overall, the gumbo was just ok. Not the worst but not the best either.
I had the Mate’s plate with fried shrimp and fried scallops. Hallelujah! THIS is how shrimp is supposed to be fried: butterflied and cornmeal crusted. The scallops were perfectly cooked and sweet, no fishy taste. But those shrimp were the bomb. Exactly like momma used to make. I was grinning like a Cheshire cat. I’m going back just to eat the fried shrimp until I pop.
Hubby got the stuffed shrimp and they were also amazing! He loved them.
Good experience. There’s even great outdoor area to eat in.
If you’re coming from 45 south, better exit earlier than your GPS says because the entrance is right off the exit and difficult to cross those lanes to try to get into the parking lot.

I’ve probably driven by this location over 100 times in the 30+ years I’ve noticed the boat-​shaped restaurant sitting alongside the freeway, but I never had visited it before. I’ve been to nearly every other location of the Captain Tom’s/Captain Benny’s mini-​chain of restaurants. I came on a Sunday morning to see if this location was any different. Upon pulling up, I noticed that there was the large outdoor patio to sit at, plus a side room they added on to the boat. For comparison, I don’t remember any of the Captain Tom’s to feature this additional seating.
There were only about 7 customers around 1130, which was just shortly after they opened, so there was no problem finding seating at the bar. I ordered some of my typical items on this visit, which included: a cup of gumbo, half dozen oysters, and the catfish plate. The oysters seemed a bit fresher than the Capt. Tom’s on 1960, and the gumbo and catfish tasted about the same.
One thing I noticed was this location had redfish on the menu. I don’t remember seeing that at Captain Tom’s.
Overall, an easy quick meal with excellent, prompt service, but I guess you get that when you come in at off times. I will be back again

OK, I have been a fan of Capt. Benny’s for many years. Great Oyster bar, but much more. The oysters are FRESH, cold and clean. Simple formula but too many other establishments do not use quality product or open the oysters per order. The catfish is an AMERICAN PRODUCT. Not some mystery fish from China or God know where. The shrimp are Gulf of Mexico product. The oysters are local or Louisiana product. Items that I like, Gumbo, Stuff Jalapenos, Oysters on the half shell, and Stuff Flounder. Yes, someone with me always get the fried shrimp and they are always great, and I always steal a shrimp.
Quick story: A business partner of mine had lunch at the Rankin location one day and my friend ordered the stuffed flounder. A few days later we were with a customer at a high dollar seafood restaurant near the Galleria. He again order the stuff flounder. He sent it back. It was twice the price as compared to Capt. Benny’s and looked and tasted VERY BAD. He now uses Capt Benny’s to compare other restaurants.
Do not expect fancy. Do not expect a full bar. Sit at the oyster bar and make new friends. Great place if you can enjoy yourself. Wear Blue Jeans and enjoy.

I’m a regular during the Lenten season as I like fried catfish. I also enjoy the hot fries and extra lemons along with a full bottle of hot sauce. I prefer the Main street location, but this location is closer to my home and more convenient for me. The ladies have always been really sweet and I always walk out satisfied. It is a bit run down and old, but it has its place in my life.

Came here on Sunday around 4, and it was pretty packed. I broke down my experience to the main things I look for in a restaurant.
Service: I was afraid it would be on the slow side, but our waitress was prompt and attentive. Excellent for a full house!
Atmosphere: It’s not meant to be fancy, and it’s a little worn down but the restaurant shaped as a boat was charming. I was sitting outside while it was raining and the umbrellas were accommodating enough to keep us dry.
Drinks: I got the michelada with Dos XX. Honestly the best I’ve tried so far. Would definitely go back just for that when I have the craving.
Food: Gumbo was delicious and flavorful. I also had the Parmesan baked oysters. It was a little on the salty side but enjoyable nonetheless.
Overall I would definitely go back just to try their other food and to drink those Micheladas!

This place is no better than Long John Silver. My party ordered the fried tilapia and stuffed jumbo shrimp and they were both below average. Food tasted frozen and in all honesty, blend. First time visiting the restaurant and last. Not a fresh seafood place. Two stars because customer service was excellent. Food awful. This is my personal opinion.

Seeing the cheesy, gimmicky boat that housed the front of the restaurant from the outside, I wasn’t expecting much. But that’s the only complaint I can give it. Inside, I found a bit of a divey run down vibe that felt a lot like the look of a seaside café that’s been beaten down by the salty humidity. It certainly worked for me. The service was attentive, friendly, and always smiling. I ordered the crawfish ettouffee and it was the best I’ve had. Very creamy and very spicy. Portion was large for what I paid for. I’ll be coming back for sure.

actually 4 ½ stars! amazing service, especially at the bar. always clean. awesome food. we go there at least once a week. definitely competition on like items for Pappas Seafood House. in the winter, could live off the gumbo. love the prices. laid back atmosphere for happy hour or family time.

Looks like a place right out of a movie. A little run down, but clean and a lot of character. A little worn and lots of corrugated metal used in the construction. Reminds me of some movie about the South with that stereotypical fried seafood shack. Went on a Wednesday night and it was about 30% full (mostly at the bar). There was an older asian lady security guard standing around on the patio, obviously packing heat and keeping vigilant watch. It’s not every day that little old asian ladies make me feel safer, but hey, there’s a first time for everything I guess. Speaking of first time for everything, this was the first time I tried raw oysters. Not much to speak of. Mostly tasted like horseradish, Tabasco and phlegm. Just joking… I tasted a piece of sand as well… Probably because I had no idea how to eat them. Not something I’d specifically search out, but I’ll try most anything once. The waitresses were very nice, the wait for the food seemed to take longer than it should, but hey, I have no idea how people make etoufee. I assumed they just scooped it out of a pot, but maybe I’m wrong. When it did make it to the table, the crawfish etoufee was on par with Pappadeux at the airport. (That means it was pretty much a 9 out of 10. Yeah, it was that good.) The big surprise actually though, was the french fries. I ordered it ala carte and wow! Not really too crisp, but I could taste the shrimp or beer batter or something that was also cooked in the same oil. It left a sublime flavor in the fries that beats out nearly every other french fry I’ve had. Highly recommended and quite reasonable prices!

With it’s home town atmosphere and it’s delicious gumbo, Captain Benny’s is always a good choice. The staff there is friendly and makes it a point to make you feel like you are at home. The food is good and they even serve aligator! This place is a true staple in the Southeast side of town.

I love the shrimp diablos and the shrimp étouffée here ! So delicious and fresh. This place is off of gulf freeway exit Howard.

Mediocre fried seafood. Dirty location leaves you feeling like a homesick sailor. Waitstaff is friendly enough just don’t seem to have the attention to detail one would expect from captain Benny’s.
ordered seafood gumbo, Parmesan grilled oysters, raw oysters, fried seafood sample platter, chicken fingers, fried shrimp. All were crispy yet were lacking any flavor and seemed inconsistent in levels of grease. Thinking the fryer wasn’t hot enough for some of our food and it was grease laden.
Definitely try another location as this one is subpar

Really good seafood, fish and chips are off the hook, fun place, fun people, they also serve beer which by itself is three stars!

Was in the mood for cajun seafood, I found this place on Unilocal and had a go. The waitstaff was very helpful when I informed them it was my first time there. I ordered up some sort of fried feast and a gumbo, wife got something similar. Usually, Hush-​puppies are balls of pointless, fried, tasteless starch. These were actually quite good. The stuff crab was quite interesting, not just a bunch of breading with a few shreds of crab. It was spiced well and had shrimp in the mix. The gumbo, well, i guess it was my bad, I had assumed it was the delectable dark gumbo. It was the red stuff. Still pretty good, and in the future, I’ll know to ask first. Overall, the value for money is decent, tho I don’t know if Capt. Benny’s will make it to my «rotation» of places I enjoy. The service was solid, too.

Oysters on the halfshell were $ 8/​dozen when I went last weekend. And they’re huge! Can’t beat that deal! Very reasonable prices and good service. This place just opened up so I imagine when the weather is a bit warmer, the outside deck (which looks awesome) will be a popular hangout. Definitely try it out.

I’ve had lunch here several times and it has always been good. Large fried
shrimp, cooked just right in a crispy batter. The gumbo was good too.
They also have raw oysters flown in from around the country, on occasion,
to go along with the local ones served daily.

I’m on a boat and I hope it sinks!

This place is so so so good I can’t ever resist a craving for it… and luckily I don’t have to because its so cheap! especially if I hurry over right after work for «buck-​off» happy hour when already low prices are a buck lower.
The best things to try: the specials are always the best deal if you want a lot of food… when they have a collosal shrimp special you MUST go cause you cant get jumbo shrimp any more delicious and any less expensive even in the grocery store! My favorite things are the oysters (of course), the broiled platter, hush puppies, and the micheladas. They make them SO GOOD here you will think you’re on the beach in Mexico. I absolutely love it here and the staff is stable and friendly. can’t say enough good things about it.

I will have to say that at a glance this place will look like no big deal. A hole in the wall as a matter of fact. You could drive by it and look at it and say «ehhh» but once you go in and eat, you will be in heaven. Every time I am in town, this is where I ask to be taken to straight from the airport. The seafood gumbo is to die for and the oysters are fresh, the jumbo shrimp are delicious. I am not at all a huge breaded shrimp type of a person, but their breaded shrimp and breaded oysters are so lightly battered, they are just super yummy in your mouth! And on top of it all… it is so dirt cheap, you will walk out stuffed with seafood and saying WOW! If you have not tried this place, I truly would recommend it. The staff is wonderful and the food comes out quick! Don’t be fooled just because the place is not fancy looking.