Dantons Gulf Coast Seafood Kitchen

We've had dinner there a couple of times. They have great gumbo and the best fried oysters I've ever had. They have good food, nice atmosphere, and very good service.

Pros: Best fried oysters in town.

Posted 10/07/09

Great gumbo / oysters / shrimp / scallops / salads / wine specials. We prefer the bar setting - great atmosphere and personal knowledgable service. We applaud Dan, Kyle, and staff for obvious love and commitment to customers.

Pros: No better Gumbo

Cons: never had one!

Posted 10/07/09

I have been to Danton's several times. I love the menu and the daily specials are always intriguing. Everything I have had has been cooked to perfection. I am pretty picky about my seafood and as a cajun I'm pretty critical. The food is phenomenal. The garlic remoulade sauce is a good enough reason to go alone! A lot of people have been saying that it's closed on Sunday but i have been a couple times to their Sunday Blues Brunch! You don't want to miss it! The music is fantastic with one of te most diverse and pleasing brunch buffets I have ever had... I highly recommend checking it out!

Pros: great food, awesome blues brunch

Cons: None!

Posted 08/16/09

My husband and I had been at a festival all afternoon and were wanting good seafood. Danton's was recommended by a friend. We were not dressed fancy but decided to go anyway. We were seated in the bar area at a table. Since we had a glass of wine at the festival, and had been in the sun, we were parched and just wanted water. The bartender/waitress kept trying to push cocktails on us, but we insisted we just wanted water. The server whispered to the manager something and he began eyeballing us. We noticed this, so of course looked at him back. He came by to ask if we needed something, but this just made us more uncomfortable. We were trying to have a relaxing dinner after a long day. I figured since we were dressed very casually they thought we were going to ditch out tab. My fish plate with crab was soaked in butter and bland. My husband's steak was overcooked. The server continually asked if we wanted anything besides water, while she smaked her gum at our table, and was playing with her hair behind the bar. I honestly expected a more professional atmosphere since the recommendation was from a friend in the industry, but will never return. We should have just gone to Trulucks.

Pros: location

Cons: judgmental server

Posted 07/21/09

This week we visited this place. First thing I noticed was a 16 ft aluminum ladder laying on the sidewalk up next to the front door....WHY..??? . we walked in, & got seated by a nice hostess and was promptly greeted by waitress...very pleasant....ordered our drinks...fast service...

The atmosphere is too bright....too many white walls... Not cozzy, you can see the workers in the kitchen though a open door big enough to drive a car through....food came rather quickly....good, but not great...womens restroom not as clean as it should have been......dessert was ok....

We will wait to go back for a while. Hopefully it will improve.

Pros: ok service

Cons: average food

Posted 02/20/09

I LOVE seafood & eat it quite often, however, I'm not sure if I will be eating it at Danton's again anytime soon. Last night, I made my first visit to this establishment only to be very disappointed. Upon entering the restaurant, I noticed a framed newspaper article behind the hostess stand that stated something to the effect of "Danton's has some kinks, but it's seafood sings". "Kinks" = understatement.

We were seated by our very polite hostess & began looking over the menu. After making our wine & dinner selections, we sat looking around for whomever would be our waiter for the evening. *10* minutes later, when no one had arrived & we felt we had been forgotten, a gentleman who was helping the hostess prep a table for a large party noticed we were staring at him & approached our table. As soon as he found out we had not been taken care of, he took our wine order & a waitress promptly arrived. She was obviously not in a good mood; lacking any portrayal of someone who actually wanted to be there serving guests. During the wait for our entrees, we re-filled our own wine glasses, ate semi-decent bisque (good flavor but tasted more like over-darkened roux mixed in with regular bisque), & watched as other patrons were brought baskets of crackers to tide them over (we didn't get any). When our food arrived, it looked great... however, the snapper menuire (while cooked to perfection) really lacked flavor and was in dire need of some salt. Additionally, the lump crab topping tasted as though it had been cooked in not-so-fresh water. My friend had asked for his filet mignon to be cooked medium, but it was *very* medium rare. Following dinner, our waitress brought us our ticket without offering to serve any dessert at all. Needless to say, we decided to end our evening at Dantons at that point.

I went ahead and gave them 3 stars because I can tell the owners really are trying. However, service **really** stinks, and (our) food was *not* tasty.

Pros: Beautiful place, a LOT of potential, good ambience

Cons: Very bad service, inattention to correctly seasoned/cooked food

Posted 02/14/09

The food was excellant. And the drinks were great as well. The service was a little spotty but forgivable.

Pros: Can park w/o doing valet and the food obviously

Posted 02/12/09

My husband and I have gone to Danton's a number of times for Happy Hour. We have always enjoyed the service in the oyster bar as well as the oysters, shrimp and gumbo. Last night we had dinner in the dining room at Danton's for the first time. The service was very good and our waiter very attentive. Unfortunately there was some confusion with our appetizer, the Oysters Kyle. Our entrees were served to us before the appetizer portion of Oysters Kyle that we ordered. As it turned out, another table had been served our Oysters Kyle. The waiter quickly apologized for the mistake and brought our appetizer but again, it was after our entrees were served. We wanted to sample a few things from Danton's extensive dinner menu so we shared the gulf coast seafood combo platter of grilled scallops and fried catfish with red beans and rice. We also ordered the gumbo and half an oyster Po' Boy. The scallops had a very strange taste, not as though they were wood fired as the menu indicated. My husband agreed that the scallops did not have a pleasant taste. The catfish was crispy and tasty as you would expect. The best part of the meal was the Po' Boy. It was loaded with oysters so much that is was difficult to contain them in the crusty delicious french bread. As usual, the gumbo had a very dark roux and was loaded with shrimp, oysters and crab. You can never go wrong with the gumbo at Danton's. It's consistently delicious. We agreed we would go back for the gumbo, Po' Boy and Oysters Kyle, but the remainder of our meal was average.

Pros: Prompt Service, Parking, Location, relaxing atmosphere

Cons: Closed on Sunday

Posted 01/07/09

Delicious stuff shrimp, who would have thought just typing my mouth would water. My family goes in quite frequently, however being at school out of state I don't get to the join them. I have talked to my mom recently and all I can ask for is to make sure they make a reservation to come in while I'm home for Thanksgiving break. I crave stuffed shrimp and crab burgers. I truly miss Danton's warm and friendly environment. If you get a chance go in. You will not regret it! ALSO TRY THE PEANUT BUTTER PIE! I hear that Danton makes it for his Goddaughter for her Birthdays, Christmas and other holidays. It is super GREAT!

Pros: Great Food, Service and Music!

Cons: NONE!

Posted 11/08/08

I love seafood and prepare most myself just because usually restaurants are not as good as what I can do in my own kitchen. But, Danton's is the exception and hands down the best Gulf Coast seafood in town for two reasons: Simple, tasteful recipes and very fresh fish and ingredients. Debris sandwich brings a great New Orleans flavor to the menu along with the BBQ shrimp. Everything from the appetizers to the desserts are top notch.

Pros: Great food that is very fresh

Cons: Not exactly the lively atmosphere it could be

Posted 10/27/08

I have never written a review on CitySearch....always a little suspect of who is doing the writing...is it a competitor trying to knock the competition...is it a friend or family member of the owner trying to build it up? I have had my doubts. That said - I feel completely compelled to write about our fabulous fabulous meal at Danton's. EVERYTHING was amazing....tasted down to earth....attention to subtle details. Sort of a southern seafood rather than overly cajun.

Appetizers. We had stuffed jalapenos - perfect. Crabcakes - very good. Boil Shrimp - I personally didn't have one but everyone said they were great. My favorite (my sister lived in New Orleans so I knew what to expect....) BBQ'd Shrimp - wonderful!

My husband had the stuffed shrimp - he said the best he has ever had. I had the grilled red fish topped with a mixture of fresh crab/cut-from-the-cob corn/tomatoes their special rice topped with green onions and pecans. Also a side of stewed okra and tomatoes. Loved it all but brought most of it home as I was stuffed with bbq'd shrimp. Others in our party raved about their meal throughout the entire dinner.

Dessert was a peanut butter pie and a key lime pie - both fantastic. My personal favorite was the pecan ball with hot fudge. Service was great - tea glasses filled promptly - attentive to the table in general.

Our new favorite restaurant!!!

Pros: Genuine food. Great background soulful jazzy music. Attentive service. NOT A CHAIN!!

Cons: Not open on Sunday!

Posted 09/23/08

I had lunch at Danton's this week. I can get pretty jaded about another seafood restaurant. Being 58 I have eaten in more than a few seafood restaurants. I was served one dozen oysters to start. They were chilled to almost icey. It added to the taste of "freshness" and was an oustanding start. My next surprise was being offered oyster stew. I do not remember the last time a menu offered this dish. It was full of oysters(Galveston Bay) and was easily as good and maybe a better stew than I have ever had. After finishing the stew I begin to realize I was possibily going to have one of those dining experiences you always hope for but seldom get.
From there I ordered stuffed flounder with a crab meat topping. It had a stuffing that was freshly made and definely was not an "after thought" but had the taste of a chef who knew what good stuffing tasted like. The amount of crab meat made you think someone use a big laddle to pile the crab on the fish. (Very generous)The fish had a slight taste of a spice that had been lightly shaken on top of the flounder. It gave the fish a very small "bite" that was a nice touch. I really tried to finish it but I could not as it was such a large serving. The side dish choices had to number at least 10 or more including a soup/stew of tomatoes and fresh okra. With the flounder I ordered candied yams. The yams were served like mashed potatoes and were very smooth and creamy.
I'm trying to understand why this particular restaurant had made for an unforgetable dining experience. My best guess is this is a restaurant where the owners from the very beginning decided to have food that was cooked the way they wanted it to taste. Everything seemed to be cooked from "scratch" with obsessive attention to everything done their way. I could find no area where they compromised. How often to you experience "excellence" in any area of your life? Nice decor and good service was evident. This restaurant was EXCELLENT!

David Beverly

Posted 08/20/08

Great food, great drinks, great prizes and the wonderful services has made Daton's one of the best dining experiences in Houston. I found this to be true for both lunch and dinner.

Pros: Ambiencs, Service, Bar drinks

Posted 08/02/08

Howdy Danton's!.. Gotta say Danton's has become a staple for us about once a week over the last few months. We sit in the oyster bar - haven't made it into the dining room yet. We love the service (saludos Fallon!) and always give our compliments to the chef.

Pros: Homestyle Food;Great Bar

Cons: None so far

Posted 07/29/08

i live around the corner from the chelsea market, so naturally, when i saw that danton's had moved in, i was overjoyed. since its inception, i have been countless times, and have ALWAYS had great service, exceptional food, and a wonderful time. the people take the time to learn your name and really care about how you are doing and what's going on in your life. i love it there, and i pray every night that danton's becomes a permanent fixture on montrose. it's about time.

Posted 07/29/08

Tucked away in Houston's museum district Danton's is always very good for lunch or dinner. Seems to be a place one can always count on for good to delicious food.
This evaluation is arrived at after several months of meals there periodically. My spouse believes they serve the best fried shrimp in Houston. The oyster stew can go head to head with the best from Maine. A place where you can have a private conversation over a meal and not be bothered. Don't really have to ponder where to go and always eat terrific seafood. 5 Stars for sure.

Pros: Fresh food. Well prepped. Reasonably priced. Clean environm

Cons: Service ?

Posted 07/25/08

Where to start on Danton's Gulf Coast Seafood Kitchen? The atmosphere? Dark rich hardwoods and a delightful wait staff set the perfect mood. The oysters? Fresh, delicious, juicy, rich, flavorful... the list goes on and on. The gumbo? Simply put, the most divine Cajun treat I have tasted since leaving my native Louisiana five years ago. As an entree, my husband and I shared the stuffed flounder and the oysters Kyle. Both were wonderfully fresh, the flounder accompanied by whipped yams and sauteed vegetables and the oysters by ample garlic bread to mop up every last drop of delicious garlic butter. And when the check came, my husband almost fell out of his chair! The meal was so reasonably priced, we were sure there must have been some mistake. Following that initial experience, we have made it a tradition to cap off each week with a meal at this fine establishment. One word: exquisite.

Pros: Wait staff, exquisite food, and the list goes on!

Cons: None!

Posted 07/08/08

I've been here 3 times total, and most of the stuff we've had has been really good. Have had oysters (both on the half shell and the Oysters Kyle, I think they call their special), shrimp creole, crawfish, and many sides. All were good. The gumbo is okay, but I think there are a lot of variations of gumbo and everyone has their own spin on it. I think the only thing they could improve on is their dessert menu, which seems a bit limited.

Pros: Good food, good service

Cons: Limited dessert menu

Posted 04/15/08

Very nice upscale atmosphere, with super attentive staff. We had 2 waiters (one was a trainee) and they were both friendly and helpful. Ordered the gumbo, stuffed jalapenos, and the debris sandwich. The gumbo was very good. Really dark and rich, but a bit overpriced around $10 a bowl. The stuffed jalapenos (cheese and crab) were tasty and came with a nice remoulade, but the cheese overwhelmed the crab. I would skip these and go for crab fingers or something similar. The debris sandwich was fantastic! It was a bargain at $8.95. I understand they have a soup and sandwich plate. 1/2 debris and 1/2 gumbo, awesome combo. You have your choice of sides with the sandwich, and I chose poorly. The french fries were subpar, but I wasn't there for the fries. I was surprised they did not have potato salad, since that really goes with gumbo.

Pros: Great food, service, and atmosphere

Cons: a little overpriced

Posted 03/25/08

I am a little slow in posting this review, but my wife and I had a disappointing first and last meal here on a Saturday evening a few weeks ago. Our first clue should have been that we were able to get a reservation on a Saturday night just a coupIe of hours beforehand.

I agree with other reviews which noted(1) a limited menu with (2) virtually everything fried and (3) an amateur waiter. Having enjoyed this location as the Redwood Grill for many years before its painful reincarnations into what currently is essentially a fried food cafe, we were expecting a more upscale dining experience. Our waiter was of no assistance with the limited and very mediocre wine list and was difficult to flag down, just to place our order. Our food was mediocre (I can't even remember what I had, other than the blah gumbo) and we were in and out in 45 minutes. There is no way this restaurant will survive in Montrose.

Pros: Nice decor

Cons: Plastic chain food in what should be a nice destination

Posted 03/17/08

We've been coming to Danton's since it opened...even wwrote a review a year ago. Since then they have never dissappointed and seem to come up with excellant new Specials everytime we go. That said, last weekend we tried the Sunday Blues Brunch for the 1st time. We had been told that the performers Earl Gilliam and IJ Gosey were true Houston Blues legends and that they would put on a memorable show. Well knowing how good the food is we decided it was a no lose proposition; and man were we RIGHT!
1st the food - a buffet that literally lines the Oyster Bar. I'm not normally a big fan of buffets, but this is like nothing I've ever been to. From fresh pastries, home made biscuits and migas, to blackened catfish enchiladas, crawfish efouffe, yams and okra&tomatoes to bread pudding....Fantastic.
Second- What an incredible show! If these guys aren't true legends they should be! My whole family was in to it. Kyle and Danton have told us about how wonderful and special their Sunday musician "rotation" is and Sunday made a beleiver out of all of us. Like they say,"This is the real deal"!
Danton's has really got it going on!

Pros: Food,, entertainment, service, commitment and parking

Cons: None

Posted 03/15/08

5 of us went for dinner on a Friday night and were seated promptly in the dining room. We were impressed with how quiet the room remained throughout the evening even though it was probably 90% full by the time we left. Due to the open nature and hard walls and floors we were worried about sound but it was not an issue once they turned down the music.

Their wine selection is limited and even though our waiter said they had all the beers in the world their beer selection is limited unless you like Mexican or big name American beers. I did not go to the bar to verify selection so it may be more varied than our waiter said.

We started with 3 types of Oysters; on the Half Shell, Oysters Dan which has crab and breadcrumbs, and Oysters Tasso with has a Tasso Pork piece on the oyster. Of the three the Tasso one was the favorite but all three we would recommend again. We also order the Shrimp Campechana and really enjoyed.

Our main courses were Scallops, Alaskan Halibut, Crab Cakes, Red Beans and Rice with fried catfish and Shrimp. The dishes were good but not great. Specifically, the red beans and rice were good but the catfish definitely needing some spices in the batter. The halibut was fresh, tasty and well cooked while the other dishes were good.

Service was spotty and we are not sure exactly what bothered us but we all commented how we wish we would have had a different waiter.

Overall the basic menu has very few choices if you are looking for fish that is not farm raised (personal pet peeve) or fried. We liked the atmosphere but this restaurant seems more appropriate for Galveston Island or Seabrook than Montrose. It's the kinds place that is perfect to go with friends to drink beer and eat oysters, crawfish and shrimp after a long day on the beach or at work.

Pros: Atmosphere, Oysters

Cons: Service, lack of beer selection

Posted 03/14/08

I went there with a friend on a Sat. night and was not impressed. The food was average at best. I had the Shrimp Creole which wasn't Creole at all. It was basically shrimp sauted with a can of tomato sauce. It tasted like they completely forgot the spices. The worst part of the evening was the service. Our waiter was very inexperienced and lacked any enthusiasm. There are a lot of other seafood restaurants in Houston that offer a much better dining experience - several for less money too.

Posted 03/07/08

We have tried to dine here twice and both times found it closed. The first time, it was closed on Sunday. The last time, we arrived on a Friday early in the evening only to find it was closed for a private party.

Posted 02/08/08

The location of this place is very convenient, the decor was nice and the staff was very friendly. We went for lunch on a rainy day so there wasn't a huge crowd. Being that 2 in our party are transplants from Cajun country in Louisiana, we all jumped on the chance to have fried shrimp Po' boys. Overall the sandwhiches were pretty good. If they could have fried the shrimp a bit longer and had more condiment on the bread, it would be greatly improved. We are picky about the actually bread and Dantons did very well with theirs, light and airy on the inside and just a little crusty / hard on the outside. All in all, a decent meal for 3 at $45 (including tip). Again though, if they could just bread and fry the shrimp a little bit longer, they would have a home run.

Posted 01/20/08

We went there on a Friday evening and expected the place to be packed. We sat in the oyster bar area to the left when you first walk in and the deocor was gorgeous. We had a party of 8 people and they quickly seated us and got our beverage orders. Our waitress (a short haired red head) was really alot of fun and cut up with our group throughout our meal. She paid close attention to our party and the food was great. We had everything from calamari, gumbo, caesar salads to fried fish & shrimp. Everything was terrific & I would recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting good seafood. Great job, Danton's!

Pros: Great food, good decor, terrific service

Posted 12/30/07

We tried Danton's last night and loved the fried seafood, gumbo and authentic dirty rice! No waiting for a table - yet - since they're just getting started. The decor is comfortable and classy and we chose a comfy booth but will return for the Oyster Bar happy hour! I ordered stuffed fried shrimp entree and gumbo appetizer. Gosh the gumbo is even better than my Maw Maws with thick oysters, shrimp,crab and more importantly, dark authentic roux! I had to try their fried gulf oysters which were delicious and not over-fried. Hubby had the fried butterflied shrimp but felt the dirty rice was too spicy for his taste. I will never eat at Pappadeaux's again after discovering Danton's gulf coast cooking at old-school prices!

Pros: Superb southern gulf coast seafood and oysters!

Cons: no Shiner Bock

Posted 12/15/07

Talk about putting your money where your mouth is, which is exactly what Dantons? owners have done. This new restaurant in the museum district was opened by two childhood friends who shared a passion and desire for fresh southern seafood, (which incidentally is all caught locally), and wanted to create a relaxed and friendly establishment. Many restaurants claim to have the ?best chef in town? but none cook a gumbo for 12 hours before serving it to their customers at a price which is not only good value but astonishingly and amazingly low. In fact their prices are so good, you are left wondering how they can break-even let alone make a profit. The owners have stumped up their own cash and gambled that their skills as restaurateurs and cooks will pay off and based on the delectable menu, that is a distinct possibility. Inside Dantons? one is confronted with black and white photo?s of days gone by, scenes that are reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. A separate oyster bar hosts patrons before they are whisked off to enjoy food whose preparation is second to none and a check that will literally leave you gob-smacked. So head along to Dantons? and take a date, friend or yourself and taste what real Texas seafood should be like.

Pros: quality food, price is perfect

Cons: limited menu selection

Posted 12/03/07

Once again I have to rave about the food at Danton's. Not only have we been in more then eight times now but we have friends that adore it!

My boyfriend and I took my little brother who doesn't eat anything. (Being Picky) And the waiter actually had Danton, the actual cheif come out and speak to him. Being so intriging to my brother some how Danton convince him to try the fried Calamari... Believe it or not he loved it. In return for trying it Danton cooked him a really great grilled cheese. It was very appealing to see that there was a variety of choices for kids to eat. Even the extremely picky ones.

On the other hand ....my boyfriend and I enjoyed ourselves with crab fingers and for our entrees, I ordered the stuff redfish which is to die for! Rich with just enough spice and kick to make the fish mouth watering. My boyfriend ordered a crab burger which was possibly the most interesting thing to me. It was so great! We come in every Friday just so he can get one. We even got one to go to bring back to my father. As usual we had Pat's Monkey chocolate cake which... has had me come in for just a snack its so delicious! And my brother and boyfriend each had a piece of Key Lime Pie. According to both of them it beats our grandmothers secret recipe. But she doesn't need to know that... haha

The people working there are so enjoyable to be around. Now, being a regular customer we have all the waiters coming to our tables just to say hello and see how we are doing. The environment of any restaurant is important and Danton's hits the spot.

Our first night in we didn't get to sit in the oyster bar. But, we took our friends in for cocktails and oysters before we went clubbing another night and the environment in there is so upbeat and fun we ended up staying there and not going to clubs!

Honestly, If you have any doubts about going to this restaurant...clear them out! It doesn't get much better then Gulf Coast Seafood, especially from Danton's!

Pros: food and atmosphere

Cons: none

Posted 11/17/07

Danton's is the latest incarnation of a restaurant in this location which has seen a succession of restaurants open and fail within a short time and Danton's is most likely to maintain the tradition. Not that the food is bad mind you, in fact, it is just the opposite; the food is excellent, well-prepared, fresh and very tasty. What is wrong is the extremely limited menu. If Houston needed another pseudo-Cajun watering hole - which incidentally, it does not, then their menu needs to have more to offer than gumbo, cole-slaw, dirty rice, french-fries, rice and beans and the usual parade of breaded and fried fare found anywhere from Popeye's to Long John Silver's or Red Lobster. We had the only "special" of the evening - a superbly fresh and perfectly grilled red snapper and the grilled shrimp which too were done to perfection. The sauteed vegetables were done just right. The service was a tad on the amateurish side but polite. I would love to recommend this place to my friends but fear their recriminations over the limited menu. If the management of Dantons can change course before hitting the rocks, we might have a really good seafood restaurant in the Montrose.

Pros: Fresh fish

Cons: Limited menu

Posted 11/16/07

Being a southern gal that grew up on the Gulf Coast ? I just need the occasional fried seafood fix. My cousin and I tried Danton?s. It was quiet ? the restaurant is just getting started. The place is nice ? the oyster bar looked like fun, and the main dining room, where we ate, is comfy. My fried seafood was just right (you can screw up fried seafood), and my cousin had the shrimp poboy with gumbo ? she said it was really good and the price was affordable enough for regular visits. Nice hostesses too. Really good location for Museum / Montrose / Midtown people. Worth a stop.

Pros: good quality seafood at affordable prices

Cons: none - the parking is easy too - at least when Main St Theater isn't doing anything

Posted 11/09/07

We tried Danton's last night for the first time and can't wait to go back!
After being told it would be a short wait for a table we opted to sit in the bar area that was full service.
What a suprise I had after opening the menu an seeing the pricing was actually realistic for the Museum area!
The Gumbo had incredible flavor and was LOADED with crab and shrimp, the stuffed Jalapenos were crispy and full of flavors..
Between the 4 of us we tried a pretty good cross section of the menu and everything was quite good, and the portions were decent as well..
Living in the Gulf Coast area I don't think you should have to pay through the nose for seafood that is caught less than 40 miles away, and apparently the folks at Danton's agree...

Pros: Great location,service,Oyster bar

Cons: None

Posted 11/09/07