The chain seafood restaurant inspired by the feature film Forrest Gump will be built along South Padre’s bayside, along the Laguna Madre waterfront in the Entertainment District on the south side of the island. It’ll be nestled among other popular eateries and entertainment venues, including Louie’s Backyard, Liam’s Steakhouse & Oyster Bar, Laguna BOB and Gravity Park.
MySA first reported that Bubba Gump Shrimp was coming to South Padre Island a year and a half ago. At the time, the proposed site for the restaurant, 2301 Laguna Blvd., South Padre Island, TX 78597, was home to a locally owned eatery and live music venue called Coconut Jack’s Bar and Grill. But last month, crews began demolishing Coconuts to make way for a three-story, 18,000-square-foot restaurant that will cost at least $4.25 million to build. The site is now surrounded by construction fencing and banners that read “Pardon the dust! We’re coming soon!” with the Bubba Gump Shrimp logo featured prominently.
But reaction to the chain restaurant has been mixed. On social media, some people have expressed excitement for the seafood company, citing their eagerness to order one of Bubba Gump’s signature dishes, Mama Blue’s Shrimp Gumbo.
“They do have gumbo. Which is missing on the island. Daddy’s doesn’t count,” a man named Steve Davis commented on a post by a local influencer who goes by Explore South Padre Island. Daddy’s refers to another Cajun-inspired South Padre Island restaurant called Daddy’s Seafood & Cajun Kitchen.
“I love this for the island,” a woman named Dianna Garza replied on a different Facebook post from RGV.me, a local page that tracks new commercial and retail developments across the Valley.
But others spoke of their commitment to supporting locally owned businesses, including those that serve fresh, locally caught seafood.
“Good luck to them, but I’ll stick with Joe’s Oyster Bar,” Judy Vargas-Wooten commented on Explore South Padre Island’s post.
Joe’s Oyster Bar is a popular, decades-old restaurant and fresh seafood market located across the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway in Port Isabel. Over the past four decades, Joe’s has built a reputation for serving fish and shrimp brought in directly from the Gulf of Mexico, and offering “cook your catch” meals for anglers who bring in their own fish tale-worthy fish.
Tommy J. Saenz, a local surfer and influencer who goes by “Tiki Tommy” on social media, spent several days capturing the demolition of the former Coconut Jack’s restaurant. In his posts, many people also spoke about supporting local over chain restaurants.
“I’ve been visiting SPI for 26 years and always look forward to eating at the local restaurants not chains…” a woman named Amy Lockhart-Sylanscki commented.
“Visitors like me want to eat local… Who wants to eat frozen prepared food when your (sic) on the gulf,” her comment further reads.
In March 2025, Bubba Gump Shrimp and other seafood eateries sparked criticism after Inside Edition reported they had served customers imported, farm-raised shrimp labeled as wild-caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. The company told Inside Edition that a server had made a mistake about the shrimp’s origins and that it would never intentionally mislead diners.
Dining and Cooking