Pennies Tex Mex Take Out

My wife and I are from California and just got off our cruise. I have been dying to try some Texas BBQ and a few locals told me that I won’t find it here in Galveston. Oh how they were wrong! I kept hope and found Pennies! I wish I could give this place 10 stars. The staff is super nice and friendly and make you feel like family. On to the food. The ribs, brisket, and chicken almost made me cry. I had to stop myself from licking my fingers after every bite. The coleslaw was also so damn good. The photos I took don’t do it justice because I was already tearing it up. On top of that, Cameron blessed us with some pork tamales that were out of this world. The masa was perfectly soft and their flavor reminded me of Christmas. ON TOP OF THAT, they had this awesome chocolate dessert that my wife and I were fighting over. If you are a true chocoholic like me, you cannot skip it. I wish this place expanded to California, but if not, best believe we will be back when in Galveston. Cameron and team, thank you guys for some stellar food! Much love!

I hadn’t tried all the BBQ places on the island, but I know a good thing when I see it. This place is small and in the middle of the neighborhood. They only have outside seating, so its takeout only. It has limited space inside, so don’t be surprised if you find a line of people waiting outside. Don’t be discouraged and just assume that you’re better off going somewhere else, if you haven’t been here do yourself a favor and be patient just wait and think about what it is you want to order it’s very much worth your time and in your best interest if you wait. My favorite things are the ribs and the chicken, but I almost always order the 3 meat plate so I can get some of their brisket as well. Their tamales are the softest I’ve ever had and had great flavor. I haven’t tried the barbacoa yet, but the brisket tacos were incredible, tons of brisket and a homemade flour tortilla that was on par with the best tortillas I’ve ever had. They are very confident in their food, you’ll notice that they don’t have anything precut and sitting in a steam table waiting on the next order. If you order brisket, you can watch as they bring out the entire piece and slice yours to order and weigh it out before plating it. Also, they don’t sauce their meats. They give you sauce, but I often don’t even use it. The flavor of the smoke and juicyness of the meat is enough, and covering it up seems like an injustice. A nicer staff you couldn’t ask for. These guys are patient and helpful. I’m happy to stop by whenever I can, but they close at 3 pm or sooner if they sell out and they are closed Monday thru Wednesday to make tamales. Their menu is limited, but that’s also a strong point. They just focus on the things they do well, and it makes them better for not offering everything under the sun.

I’m not a tamale gal, but I am a Pennie’s tamale gal! My friends suggested this place after they saw it on the Texas Bucket List show. This is a tiny little tamale hut in a house looking type structure off the Seawall in Galveston. This is a pickup place only. There is no space to dine. The entrance is literally only able to hold 6-7 people, and that would be tight. The 4 of us were inside and another 2 came in, so I very well know the size of the space. We arrived right before closing so they only had the pork tamales left. The service was great even though they were about to close, and the tamales were piping hot. We ate in the car since we were all so hungry. The tamales were delicious! Like I said, I’m not a tamale fan, but I am a fan of this place! The salsa is Smokey and perfect as a topper. I will be back. Great job, guys!