Marcel’s Restaurant

This is a must when we visit! Sometimes we go twice. Everyone is very nice, you don’t have to dress up, you don’t have to wait, & the food is fantastic! It is a hidden gem! The food is fresh & full of flavor! We can’t wait to get back!

Meh. German food, NOT seafood. And very average German food, at that. Certainly not bad, and service was friendly, but not worth the price. I would have been fine if it was a $ 40 check for two adults and two kids, but $ 70 with no apps or desserts? Nuh-​uh.

Not too friendly for large parties. The restaurant appears to be stuck in the 1970s as far as décor, as walls and ceilings look like they are stuck on when the building was probably originally built. We had a party of 11 and had to sit at two tables instead of having them pulled together. We asked for lemon for our water and never received it. The fried fish is $ 14 and you get two fairly small pieces. One in our party is allergic to some of the steamed vegetables so asked for double potatoes, they received maybe 3 – 4 more pieces of the potato chunks than a person who received the steam vegetables and potatoes. Those that ordered the German portion of the menu looked like they received a better value for the money and said it tasted well as well. The kids menu item shrimp comes with only two shrimp, so if your kid has a big appetite, better order them an adult meal as portions all the way around seem small.

Absolutely charming restaurant with delicious food and wine. I imagine everything is made from scratch, including the dessert! Every bite of the dark chocolate cheesecake was absolutely incredible. I only wish I could pronounce, let alone spell, the meals we ate at Marcel’s. Everything was so good the fist time, we came back the next day for more!

Typically the resturaunts in the beach area are average but this turned out to be a diamond in the rough. The German good was very tasty and service was great! Highly recommend eating here if you are looking for somewhere to eat in Port Aransas area.

One of my favorite places to eat ever. The German food on the menu is all fantastic. I have had every German dish and every time it is great. The home made soups are some of the best soups I have ever had in my life. And the home made bread is to die for. Service is always polite and friendly I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone. Gotta try place in port Aransas

After reading others’ good reviews, I have to say, we are completely disappointed. It’s the ‘off season’ so we didn’t make a reservation. We were ignored for quite a while in the lobby. When we were acknowledged, but didn’t have a reservation, we had to stand there and watch while the waitresses conferenced forever on how to seat us while we stood and counted over 15 empty tables. Then, we had to listen to what a crazy day it was for them because the dishwasher was broken and they just opened the restaurant after being closed while they were on vacation.
We were finally given a table near the walkway right next to one of the only other occupied tables. When we asked to move over to a different table, the waitress did not hide her irritation and said we would have to wait until they could find time to move the place settings. They did let us move to the other table, but it took over 10 minutes to get water. We were about to get up and walk out, but unfortunately the waiter arrived and we stayed.
It doesn’t end there. Not only did we feel like we were totally inconveniencing this place by showing up, the food was awful. I had fried fish that was bland and tasteless. (I have to say the fresh tarter sauce was good, though). My husband had fried shrimp, which were so salty he couldn’t eat 5 at one sitting. Then, to top it off… When my daughter said she didn’t like her chicken strips b/​c they tasted funny, I had a bite, and they were rotten!!! I’ve smelled bad chicken, and let me tell ya, it tasted just the way is smells. When I told the waiter, he confirmed they had gone bad and recooked her dinner to go, b/​c she lost her appetite… we didn’t want it, but they did not charge us for it. I cannot believe someone breaded that chicken and didn’t smell the sourness!!! Disgusting.
Our waiter was nice and prompt, but all other service and food was nothing like other reviewers. We will NEVER be back.
Ps. Check out Beach & Station Street Grill. The food at this dive was WAY better.

We rolled up to Marcel’s at 5.30pm on friday. We actually thought they may have been closed since their parking lot was empty. We cruised inside and was greeted by our waiter Alan. He showed us to a nice table in the upstairs dining area. Tables were set with linen and was pretty classy ambiance. A little old school, but very different from other places we have been in Port A so far. We were the only patrons in the place and it remained that way for awhile. Not to worry, Alan was very helpful with suggestions on the menu and drink selections.
Now, the restaurant is considered New American by Unilocal,however it definitely has a German influence, with many German wines/​beers and dishes on the menu. The owner Marcel, came by and we visited with him quite a bit. Very affable gentleman. We pursued the menu and decided to order the specials of Amberjack with chipolte aioli sauce, Israeli Couscous and steamed veggies, the Suziemeister opted for the other special Red Snapper, battered in potato chips, with new potato and spinach. These entrees came with a salad. We also ordered appetizers of crab cakes and Salmon.
Crab cakes were fine and came with two big dollops of tartar on top. I would of preferred it on the side, but it was easily scrapped off no worries. They were ok, nothing spectacular. The salmon was great. The whipped cream horseradish side was afab. It was a great serving for two to share. I also liked the little slivers of red onion and capers. Nice start. This was followed by traditional salads with shredded carrots, not my fave but very European, iceberg lettece, tomato and shredded cabbage. They were refreshing.
Entrees arrived and again I found my Amberjack served with big dollops of sauce on top of two pieces, again not a real issue since I just scrapped it to the side. This is just a personal choice, others may like a lot of sauce. It was cooked perfectly as was the veg, but the couscous was a little starchy, not little pearls and may have been overcooked a tad. Suzies Snapper was very good indeed. A big portion and she enjoyed the sauce, however the fish would of been great on it’s own. Sauteed Spinach was wilted just right with garlic and the German potatoes were fantastic.
A couple of items to note. Ask for Alan as your server if possible. He was polite, engaging and generally had a great vibe to him. Marcel is a character and loves to talk about his country and recipes he has developed. You will find the décor a little dated, but it works. It’s a non-​smoking establishment and only serves beer and wine.

We have a tradition of eating at Marcel’s for New Year’s Eve. Very festive and the food and service are wonderful. They always have something special for the holidays — and they limit the menu to a few very special items on these nights.
The food is very well prepared — and you can tell they take price in the quality, taste, and presentation of their dishes.

One of the best meals I’ve ever eaten anywhere! I had the Veal Scallopini and my wife had the Filet Mignon and both were fantastic. Excellent service by our waiter and the chef/​owner came out and checked on everyone. We’ll be back for sure.

My family and I visited on vacation. Unfortunately, every other restaurant we visited that evening was full with a 2 hour wait. We found this one only 2 minutes from our hotel. I didn’t want to go inside but we didn’t have another option. The place looks like a hole in the wall from the outside but inside it’s decent. We were immediately seated and the place had a romantic fine dining feel to it.
That’s where the good ends. We sat for an hour before the food was brought to us. It was overpriced. I paid $ 7 for a kids meal that contained 2 fried shrimp and french fries. I had a dish that had some sautee’d jumbo shrimp, pasta and vegetables. The pasta tasted like cardboard, I kid you not. The shrimp was a little tough but still good and the vegetables were just on the plate. The shrimp was the only thing fitting to eat.
My mother had a grilled chicken salad. The salad was served in a plate with 3 strips of chicken and some sprigs of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. Their wasn’t enough salad on the plate for it to be considered a salad.
Needless to say, after we finished (and paid the tab of $ 120), we waited for 30 minutes at Whataburger for food to take back to our hotel. Never again.

Oh Marcel my love… what happened to you…*sigh*
I have been going to Marcel’s in Port A for several years but haven’t been in a couple of years, which last time I took my parents and they loved it. So I was very excited the other night when my mom said «hey let’s go to that little place we went that was so good»…I was like score!
But alas, my score turned out to be a total loss…*sigh* again…
This place is a little gem tucked away in a little building that belies the goodness within. They offer a mix of nice seafood dishes along with some standard German fare. They’re food has always been wonderful… with nice ambiance and great service… sadly that seems to no longer be the case.
Food:
We started with an appetizer of crab cakes. These were not awful, but dry and mostly filler with hardly any crab.
This place has one of the better salads I’ve had. Fresh bed of greens prettily topped with shredded carrot, red cabbage, tomatoes and marinated cucumbers… topped with a hard-​to-​describe vineagrette… tart and sweet… not really creamy but not thin either… sooo good. This night the lettuce and carrots were watery, the cukes soggy, and the dressing was bland and almost like it had been watered down.
My father had a pasta dish with seafood… he said it was ok. My mother and eldest sons gf had fried shrimp… again…ok. Don’t remember what my eldest son had… doesn’t matter tho… he’ll eat anything. My 10 year old ie spoiled brat just had to have the filet mignon, the priciest item on the menu… ummm…I don’t think so! But grandmaw prevailed so said brat got his way. I have to say this was the highlight of the meal… meat was perfectly cooked… you could literally cut it with a fork. Downside was the bernaise sauce they glooped on top (I prefer mine on the side). It wasn’t awful… just really thick and glumpy and tasteless… I’ve had better from a package. He ate every bite… but I think for $ 25 you could have a decent bernaise.
Now to mine, the saurbraten. Now to be fair I must state my ex mother in law is German and makes the best saurbraten, so I hold all others to a high standard. Saurbraten is not an easy dish and I know this… which is why its my go to at Marcel’s…its not as good as ex mil… but close. It used to be nicely marinated, tender beef with a very good sweet/​sour beefy wine sauce. This nite the beef had no flavor, was on the tough side and I swear the sauce could have been from a jar :(The side of german potatoes were nicely done… crisp on the outside and tender inside and the red cabbage was good as well.
Service:
Sllooooow! Omg our server was not only slow… which is ok for a higher end restaurant… but he disappeared often and was clueless about the menu. He wasn’t rude per se… he was just blasé and not all there… I wanted to wave my hand in front of his face and say «helloooo…is there anybody in there?»
All in all a total letdown. What happened to the awesome food, great staff, owners stopping by to visit and make recomendations?
Oh Marcel… please tell me this was just an off night and not a sign of things to come. I almost gave you 2 stars… but ill let this one slide cause I love you so darn much and give you 3 *sob*

One of the 2 places in Port A that I really like for «Fine Dining» (the other is the Venetian Hot Plate). I visit Port A frequently and the service here has always been attentive and courteous, the food delicious and the wine selection very good.
Pricing is on the high side for Port A but by Austin standards (where I am from) price would be considered moderate.

The red fish was great. We liked the salad with marinated carrots & cabbage. Good German dishes everyone enjoyed their food.

ONE OF THE FEW PLACES-​ONLY PLACE-​WHERE FOOD IS CONSISTENTLY GOOD, THOUGH EXPENSIVE.
IT’S ONLY NOISY because of the bar next door-​go through the week, not noisy. Some really whiney people, arent there? ««««Smoke at the door» says one review! Well BOO HOO, IT’S A PARTY CITY… GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA OR SEATTLE IF ITS TOO «SMOKEY» HERE…
EXCELLENT FOOD… Not a good place for kids though.
I LIVE IN PORT A. I’VE BEEN IN EVERY DIVE IN TOWN. MOST ARE OVERPRICED, OVERATED, MEDIOCRE, AND UNFLAVORFUL… AND THE LOCALS HERE SEEM LIKE THEY CAME STRAIGHT FROM THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL AND THEIR MANNERS VERIFY THIS BUT MARCELS, HONESTLY, IS A STEP ABOVE THE FRAY…
THE CUISINE, THOUGH, IS NOT «AMAZING» LIKE I SAW ON ANOTHER REVIEW.
Amazing cannot even be found in Houston very much. Amazing is Andrew Zimmer or Paris (France, not Texas). Marcels very good-​nothing more, sometimes a little less. Best place in town.
WILL GO BACk.
Also, try Venetian Hot Plate, the other Marcels equivilent.

why do people give a review and only comment on the noise? its noisy because people like to go there, not because the establishment is lacking in some way. THE FOOD IS GREAT! to those who are looking to read an actual review about the FOOD, then get the crab cakes. I went here for a birthday for my girlfriend and we really enjoyed it.

Amazing cuisine, classy establishment, and service that was out of this world. It starts when you walk in to see a chalkboard with the hand written ‘special of the day’ in what looks like professional calligraphy.
The atmosphere is romantic and quiet most evenings until around 9PM, as there is a bar next door. I believe Marcel’s closes around 10PM, so there is very little time to overlap.
While I’ve never been on a major holiday, the Restaurant itself has never been packed when I’ve gone. Especially on Sunday evenings. Its nice, quiet, and cool during the hot Texas summers.
Bring cash, as the only questionable part of any trip is post meal when the waiter disappeared for a very long time after I gave him my card. I’ve been to Marcel’s about four times now and this happens on every occasion, almost like their register is next door.
Try the crème brule — it’s out of this world!

After walking out of Kody’s due to the cloud of smoke that greeted us at the door… we attempted to try Marcel’s. But apparently there is no ventilation system for this building between their space and the bar next door. We stood in the front door of the restaurant waiting to be seated, but as we waited the smell of smoke got stronger and stronger.
We ended up walking out of here too. and ended up at the only other restaurant we could find that was open at 945pm that didn’t smell like an ashtray.

This place was FAN tas TIC!
I went here for my birthday. It was very nice inside, great service and very friendly staff.
We started with a bottle of wine, crab cakes and stuffed jalepenos. The wine we chose was a shiraz, which we all enjoyed. The dipping sauce for the jalepenos was a mild dill sauce as very good. The crab cakes were not the best I’ve ever had but they were moist and yummy. We had the shrimp soup, which was creamy and yum, a great bisque.
For dinner the salad actually cake with a little bit of hummus on a cracker on the side. Nice touch and GREAT hummus!
I had the grilled shrimp in a chipotle sauce. It wasn’t at all spicy in terms of heat but had a great flavor. The sides were nice as well and I really enjoyed the grilled veggies.
Another member of the party had the veal, and she gave it two thumbs up. Though the side of grilled veggies definitely pushed the second thumb up!
We considered dessert but alas we were stuffed! All in all a wonderful night.
I’d really recommend this place for a nice night out. Great for celebrating or for a romantic night for two.

Marcel’s doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside is pretty classy. I was in for dinner tonight for the first time in over a decade and was glad I came back. I had the fried oysters, crab cakes and house made crab stuffed fried jalapenos and everything was tasty. The menu is about half seafood dishes and half German and eastern European specialties. I think next time I’m in I’ll check out some of the continental fare, which is a welcome break from the typical Port A food. Good service and pleasant décor.