3 minute read
RAILROAD SEAFOOD STATION IS ‘SHRIMPLY’ DELICIOUS
Fried jumbo shrimp is one of many favorites at the Original Railroad Seafood Station in Odem.
Evan Lewis/elewis@vicad.com
BY AMBER ALDACO aaldaco@vicad.com
ODEM — Tucked away in San Patricio County, off U.S. 77, is a seafood paradise that residents and visitors alike flock for their fried shrimp fix.
The cozy, rustic-style eatery is a busy place during the lunch hour any given day of the week, with families, friends, co-workers and visitors stopping by to get a healthy basket of onion rings and catch up over coconut shrimp.
Though former Odem school principal and superintendent Manuel Lunoff can count several favorite entrees from the menu, he decided to have the shrimp quesadillas one summer afternoon. Lunoff can be found at the restaurant at least once a week.
“The food is delicious — anything you get is going to be great,” Lunoff, 73, said. “We needed a place like this in Odem. Whenever I have family or friends visiting me, I always bring them here because I know it’s going to be good.”
The Original Railroad Seafood Station has served up shellfish and more for almost 15 years. The Hinojosa family — which includes parents Dolores and Luis Hinojosa,
IF YOU GO
RAILROAD SEAFOOD STATION
1507 Voss Ave., Odem 361-368-3200
HOURS // 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday — Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday — Saturday 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Sunday Closed on Monday, but available for private parties.
Evan Lewis/elewis@vicad.com Natalie Hinojosa, 44, checks on Kirby Brandt at the Original Railroad Seafood Station in Odem. Hinojosa and her brothers handle the day-to-day operations of the family business.
sons Nathan and Alex Hinojosa and daughter Natalie Hinojosa — bought the building, which used to house a taqueria, with plans to create a bigger restaurant.
“My parents bought the building, and it started as an investment. We were blessed to have a lot of help from people at the beginning,” said Nathan Hinojosa, manager.
The family knew they wanted a family-style seafood restaurant and expanded the venue to the 3,500 square feet that it is today. The establishment gets its rustic aesthetic from the refurbished, recycled and polished wooden beams, which made the restaurant smell like Christmas for a few weeks during the renovation, Hinojosa said.
The name stems from how Odem was a passageway for trains, Hinojosa said. The family pays homage to the train industry with paintings and sketches of railroad trains throughout the building.
Once the building was ready, the family took off their construction aprons and tied on cooking aprons and stepped into the kitchen.
Since 2004, the restaurant has served seafood in a variety of ways — grilled, blackened, fried, sauteed, and in pastas, in salads and as sides. Most order from the family-style menu, Hinojosa said, which includes fried shrimp, the most popular item on the menu.
“The family-style accommodates families and large groups so well because you can just pass around the food, and it’s ready fast,” Hinojosa said.
Other popular items include the avocado salad; onion rings; coconut shrimp; and the house tartar sauce, which is a secret family recipe, said Natalie Hinojosa.
“It tastes good with everything,” she said.
Railroad Seafood Station is also available for private parties Sunday evenings and Mondays, when it is typically closed. The restaurant also accommodates on busy days, such as high school graduation.
Hinojosa always looks forward to Valentine’s Day at the restaurant.
“There’s been several proposals here on Valentine’s Day. Those are real sweet moments that we all get to witness, and to think we are a part of that moment is just amazing,” Hinojosa said. “We’ve met so many great people through here, both our staff and customers, and we are grateful.”
Evan Lewis/elewis@vicad.com Top: Nathan Hinojosa, 45, visits with customers at the Original Railroad Seafood Station in Odem. Hinojosa and his sister handle the day-to-day operations of the family business.
Middle: Many of the dishes at the Original Railroad Seafood Station in Odem can be prepared to order from fried, grilled, blackened or boiled. Bottom: Avocado salad at the Original Railroad Seafood Station in Odem. The locally owned eatery is owned and operated by the Hinojosa family and has been at its location for 14 years.
WHARTON COUNTY
