Border Bounty in the Rio Grande Valley

The under-the-radar, culturally layered, and fusion-rich food scene of the Rio Grande Valley is ready for its culinary closeup.

Having once been relegated to a “pass-through” area, Texas’ Rio Grande Valley (aka RGV) region has been quietly and steadily making the case for an identity as a bona fide destination for deliciously elevated culinary experiences. In particular, South Padre Island (SPI) and Brownsville, less than an hour apart, are positioning themselves as delectable destinations.

Between the recent SPI influx of everything from Japanese teppanyaki to Peruvian delights, and the Brownsville boom of recognition as the Taco Capital of Texas and major accolades from the professional culinary world, these two cities are ready for the epicurean spotlight.

Start Your Engines

Immediately after landing at Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport, jump into your rental and head straight for Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que for a celebrated Rio Grande Valley heritage dish. Selected as a 2020 James Beard America’s Classics restaurant, Vera’s is widely regarded as the last remaining place in Texas to get authentic barbacoa en pozo, in which beef cabeza (whole head), beef cheeks (cachete), tongue (lengua), lamb (borrego), or goat is prepared using the traditional Mexican pit-in-the-ground cooking method. Order the carne y mixta, wrap it in a warm tortilla, top it with cilantro, onions, and a tart squeeze of lime, and prepare to enter smoky, earthy, luscious nirvana.

Book a room at the chain hotel of your choice to regroup and refresh before heading out for some predinner relaxation at Resaca de la Palma State Park (once the site of an 1846 battle of the same name), a semitropical paradise where flora and fauna abound. Hop a ride on one of the park’s trams to get up close and personal with white-tipped doves and black-bellied whistling ducks, or hang out on one of the four observaion decks to watch butterflies twirl and flutter over the water as the sun sets.

Between the endorphin boost from spending quality time with Mother Nature and the money saved from a cost-effective lunch at Vera’s, the stage is set to treat yourself at a restaurant serving cuisine that’s delightfully unexpected in the region. Le Rêve French-American Restaurant, open for just two years and already the recipient of a James Beard Best Chef: Texas semifinalist nod, is serving up a Euro French menu with a touch of Americana. Escargot, caviar, and 100-percent acorn-fed jamón Ibérico de Bellota coexist harmoniously with braised oxtail, roasted East Coast oysters with habanero hollandaise, chiocciole Bolognese, and tête de cochon: crispy pig head, capers, cornichons, and sauce ravigote. Pair your decadence with something from the outstanding 70-plus-bottle wine list.

Instead of dessert, save room for a nightcap at nearby two-time James Beard Award Outstanding Bar semifinalist and Le Rêve sister concept Las Ramblas at Market Square. While this elegantly moody spot has a fantastic bar program, taking themselves too seriously is not on the menu. Think drinks made with in-house infusions and
names like Willy Wonka Is the Worst, a blueberry-infused gin, lemon, and lavender-honey concoction. Bubbly lovers shouldn’t miss the Metallicus made with mezcal, Italicus liqueur, lemon, simple syrup, and sparkling wine.

[Food] Fantasy Island

The next morning, get an early start for part two of your journey. Hop on Texas Highway 48 East for 48 minutes into Port Isabel, and you’ll see a view that never gets old: the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge Causeway. This 2.37-mile ride over the Laguna Madre (one of only six hypersaline lagoons/bays in the entire world) is the sole connector to South Padre Island, and the views along this stretch are always lovely to behold. Once across, you’re just three minutes from Margaritaville Beach Resort, the ideal spot for “wastin’ away” in this tropical destination. After a $30 million renovation completed in 2023, the resort boasts a full-service spa where road-weary travelers can avail themselves of massages, facials, and body treatments, plus 200 rooms and 50 condo units with full kitchens, multiple bedrooms, and plenty of room to spread out.

Check-in isn’t until 4 p.m., but the purpose of the early start was to get right down to business of good eats. So, drop off those bags with the concierge and head to breakfast at Josephine’s Kitchen, where the servings are always generous: three-egg omelets brimming with ingredients, crepes overflowing with bananas, berries, and Nutella, and a decadent spin on the Benedict that swaps out a toasted croissant for the traditional English Muffin. Leaning more toward brunch? Grab a Cubano sandwich with ham and juicy pulled pork or Creole-inspired shrimp and grits.

Now is the perfect time to work off some calories with a little shopping, and Charmed Boutique’s free-spirited boho ethos gives off the vacay vibes with a variety of beach-apropos clothing and hats, as well as jewelry, candles, trinkets, and books. They also offer in-store activities where crafty patrons can create a unique keepsake bracelet or get one of Charmed’s henna tattoos.

Next, spend some time exploring an open secret: South Padre as a natural ecosystem. Make a visit to Sea Turtle, Inc., a nonprofit that runs the world’s largest enclosed sea turtle hospital, for a private sea turtle feeding experience.

Serious shopping and sightseeing can work up a serious appetite, and lunch at Viva SPI will satisfy it. Viva’s menu specializes in fun cultural culinary twists like Spanish aguachile steak or teryaki ribeye, Japanese crispy rice with tuna, or the Italian-rooted yellowfin crudo topped with mandarin oranges, truffle oil, and soy ponzu. But wait, there’s more: Anglers rejoyce, because Viva will clean the fish you catch and cook it to your desired preparation, with your choice of two sides. For an extra $5 they’ll include all the accoutrements to make fish tacos.

Now that your room is ready, head back to the hotel to grab a short nap– with the sliding doors to the balcony flung open to sounds of the ocean, of course— before a beachfront sunset dinner at Café on the Beach at The Palms Resort. Don’t be fooled by the vintage, ’70s tiki-esque appearance— there are some seriously good eats here. Start the meal with the crispy oyster tapas (housemade potato chips, fried oysters, mango pico, and citrus aïoli) before moving on to a creamy bouillabaisse-style seafood bisque filled with salmon, shrimp, and red snapper. The grilled chicken Rockefeller layered with bacon, creamed spinach, and hollandaise is a can’t-miss entrée with the option to add a lobster tail. For a final flourish, choose a boozy frozen brandy Alexander or a hot Cafe Amore with cognac and amaretto.

Get Into the Groove

The second day in South Padre demands indulging in what the hotel has to offer and putting in some dedicated beach time. Start the morning at LandShark Bar & Grill at Margaritaville, which has some of the most serene ocean views on the island. The patio’s proximity to the beach makes it the spot for catching the sunrise over a plate of banana-stuffed french toast or a carne asada bowl with steak, scrambled eggs, rice, black beans, pico de gallo, queso fresco, avocado, and crispy corn tortilla strips. The imbibe-at-breakfast set will be pleased to see breakfast cocktails like the bacon salt-rimmed mango habanero bloody mary or a Havana Day Dreamin’ bloody mary made with Havana Club Añejo Rum, candied bacon, lime, and pineapple wedges.

After breakfast grab your tote, snag some beach chairs, and spend the morning soaking in all that glorious South Texas sun. After taking a dip in the ocean, thumbing through some magazines, and indulging in a well-earned nap, your stomach may be grumbling, but thankfully there are plenty of options. The simplest? The hotel’s poolside and beachside food-and-drink service spot, LandShark.

The more strategic? Order delivery from Gabriella’s, five minutes from the hotel. Choose from pizzas with perfectly blistered crusts; traditional marsala or saltimbocca (both chicken and veal); buttery mussels Italiano with bacon, shallots, poblano peppers, and white wine; deep-fried calzones; pasta alla tonno with yellowfin tuna and pink sauce; crispy battered fried shrimp with mango chutney; or a massive bone-in ribeye Florentina—all delivered right to you so you can indulge in your room or take your meal to the beach (but beware of food-stalking seagulls).

If you choose lodging with a kitchen and love to cook while on vacation, a third lunchtime option is Joe’s Osyter Bar seafood market for fresh-from-the-sea provisions like king crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, and and clams, plus whole red snapper, flounder, and black drum that you can select right from the case. A bonus is their adjacent full-service restaurant where to-go sides can be secured to round out a seafood boil or fish fry.

Dinner plans for your last night on the island are a no-brainer. The stunning new “laidback luxe” of Henrietta’s Bayfront is exactly what South Padre needed. The tacos are made with scallop and crispy calamari and the burger gets a Wellington nod with mushroom duxelles. Take the dining experience up another notch with roasted bone marrow, a Duroc pork shank, grilled lobster, or a steak with gochujang butter. The menu cleverly lists wine pairings for multiple dishes, eliminating guesswork.

Cross the Border

The final day of this festive frolic will keep the adventurous energy going until the very end, and your next escapade will require a passport. Check out of the hotel early, then make a quick stop at Isla Balli to pick up a brioche breakfast sandwich with scrambled eggs, provolone, and chipotle aïoli, and a strawberry matcha to-go to fuel the drive to downtown Brownsville, where a real shopping adventure is waiting just a short walk across the border bridge into Matamoros, Mexico. The requisite first stop: Garcia’s Framacia & Gift Shop, a tourist-friendly gift shop that has amassed a fantastic collection of high-quality gifts, textiles, pottery, and spirits from all over Mexico (there’s a well-stocked pharmacy, too). Energy expended from shopping can be replenished just a single flight of stairs away at Bar Garcia, where a frosty margarita and big bowl of queso await before you make the short trek back across the border.

Why not end this culinary quest on a high note? Before flying out, enjoy your last RGV meal at Gazpacho’s for a hard-to-find regional dish: creamy, garlicky espagueti verde, aka green spaghetti. The dish swaps out red sauce for smoky fire-roasted green poblano sauce with cojita cheese or queso fresca, garlic, onions, and cilantro. To indulge in this off-the-menu treat, order the linguini alla Toscana but ask to swap the white wine chipotle sauce for green poblano sauce. A most satisfying adios to close out a road trip to remember.

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