I come to Victoria several times a year. Everytime, i check yelp for something, buy can never find anything interesting. This time around, I found The Pumphouse and was excited. Finally, something that doesn't suck in Victoria. I took the food to go, and explored the premises while i waited. The building is awesome. The view of the river is beautiful. The food was amazing. Next time I'm in town, I'll probably dine here. Definitely will be back.
Review Source:The boyfriend and I went fishing in Rockport, and decided to stay the night in Victoria. Â We found the Pumphouse on Yelp, and thought we would give it a try.
The overall atmosphere was pretty modern considering it's built on a historical site (I'm pretty sure it used to be an actual pump house). Â We decided to sit at the bar so we wouldn't have to wait for a table (Saturday night-very busy).
The bartender was really friendly and fast, no complaints there. Â The food was really incredible. Â We had the jalapeno mac and cheese bites for an appetizer. Â The boyfriend had the burger and I had the pork chop. Â It was huge, juicy, and had a delicious fruit topping, not to mention the awesome sweet potato mash.
Desert was even better-red velvet cake, banana pudding, and tres leches shooters.
The owner even greeted us to see how our meal was, she was very friendly and told us about the new restaurant they would be opening soon in Victoria--can't wait to try it!
Can't think of one thing that I didn't like about the Pumphouse, only wish they had one in Houston!
I Always get excellent food and service here. Â We were finally able to go Sunday morning for breakfast with the in laws. Â Biscuits and gravy were good and fairly priced. Everyone was very happy with their meals. Plus we had live entertainment while we ate. Â This is one of our favorite places in town to eat.
Review Source:This is some of the best food I have eaten in Victoria. Â The building is stylish and yet trendy. Â The bar area is small but there is ample seating outside if you just want to drink. Â
Our party went on a Friday Night. Â The place was very busy but the staff handled it very well and no one had to wait for anything. Â Great service.
The menu is diverse and enticing. Â
Everyone ordered salads. Â 3 "Classic" Wedge salads with Blue Cheese Dressing and a Spinach Salad. Â All were wonderful and large servings.
The sides are served "family style". Â Our table ordered Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus with hollandaise sauce and Green Beans with Almonds. Â All of the sides were very good.
Three at our table had a Ribeye Steak. Â The steaks come with a choice side of Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Caramelized Onions or Sauteed Mushrooms. Â Everyone chose the mushrooms. Â LOL Â The mushrooms were very good.
The steaks were wonderful and perfectly cooked to everyone's requested temp.
The third in our party ordered Grilled Swordfish. Â The fish came with Saffron "Israeli" Couscous. Â The dish was very pretty and the fish was cooked correctly. Â The patron liked the fish very much.
The portions for everything were quite large.
The only thing not up to par with the rest of the food was the dessert. Â German Chocolate Cake was ordered. Â It came out of a cooler as it was served "cold". Â I would have thrown it in the microwave for about 13 seconds before serving it. Â Other than that it was good.
The prices were low for what you got.
I would suggest to everyone to give this place a try!
Today after church I took my friends and family to eat brunch. Not only did we wait  20 mins to order but then we waited another 2 hours to get our food.  Time and time again we were told that it was on its way. Near the end our waiter stopped by to let us know that our food was in the widow to be picked up and served to us. Another 15mins later after we talked to the manager our food arrived of course cold. We had two children in our party that were very hungry and I had to send one of theres back. The manager comped the whole meal except the bottle of wine and gave a $50 gift cerftificate.  This was the worse service I have had in years. I had read wonderful reviews and on this website but I think I'll be re-gifting that $50 and letting someone else try there luck. I have to say I was embarrassed to have chosen to take everyone there for Sunday brunch.  I wont make that mistake again.
Review Source:Wow! That's how this review must start because nothing else would suffice.
A couple friends, my parents and I went to the Pumphouse during Bootfest to take advantage of "buy one appetizer get one free for wearing boots" promotion and completely took advantage.
The first night we went in, there was five of us with four of us wearing boots. We verified that it is per pair of boots and not per table which we were happy to hear was correct. So we went wild, we said, "One of each appetizer please." Since, according to their menu, there were 8 appetizers. Â The waiter came back and let us know they were out of the fried mac-n-cheese. SO LAME! Oh well, another order of corn fritters will do! We came back the next night for the fried mac-n-cheese.
Let's take a tour of the appetizers, shall we? As for appetizer descriptions, look them up on their website menu or in person. Here are my thoughts on each.
Bloody Mary Shrimp Shooters - A very light and clean appetizer. Very much enjoyed with our group.
Chicken Picatta Strips - Whoever is manning the fryer knows exactly what they are doing. Despite what the menu said, these are not pan seared but are deep fried but I must say they are a perfect example of how fried foods should be. Not the greasy mess we all expect but rather an appetizer that doesn't leave your hands and face greasy with excess frying oil.
Corn Fritters - We were expecting something along the lines of fried corn nuggets. Something along the lines of a ball of creamed corn deep fried, this is more like a mix between cornbread and a hushpuppy. They were OK but definitely not worth getting with the other options available to you.
Shrimp Kisses - Amazing. Shrimp with cheese and jalapeno, wrapped in bacon and flash fried served with a side of ranch? Yes, please. Anytime.
Loaded Kettle Chips - Probably one of the things that was enjoyed the most. It's not a very clean appetizer but it is definitely a big portion.
Potato Skins - Just your everyday, run of the mill, potato skins aka potato boats.
Fried Mac-N-Cheese - Holy deliciousness, Batman. Jalapeno Macaroni, deep fried, wrapped in bacon and served with jalapeno ranch? All day, every day, please. This it the MUST HAVE appetizer on their menu. Do it, don't look at me that way, just do it, fool!
At the time of our visit this was all of the appetizers on the menu, I see now that they have added a couple and will need to go back to check out their most current offerings.
My mom also got a cup of their, I believe it was, French cheese soup. That "cup" was the size of a bowl! She enjoyed it.
My dad got the grilled chicken breast and was thoroughly please with the juiciness and how well grilled it was.
I got the Baja Pasta which was amazing. Definitely worth the cost, again the chicken in it was juicy and well grilled.
People say this place is expensive but it really isn't. The food comes in large portions and the quality is above anything else I've had in Victoria. Definitely worth the prices they are charging and, in my opinion, could easily charge more than they do.
The Pumphouse offers one of the most unique experiences in Victoria. Once inside the walls, I feel like I've been transported to a very unique place. It's hard to even remember what this area of town looked like just a couple of years ago. I've been waiting for someone to utilize one of Victoria's best assets, the Guadalupe River, for a long time. They did this in a big way - the view is more stunning than I could have imagined. Taking in the view from the back deck is an amazing way to enjoy a drink or meal.
Personally, I recommend the brunch and desserts (the pastry chef is outstanding) as highlights on a very good all around menu. I've been multiple times, and the service and food have been better with each trip.
I think the Pumphouse is a gem, and Victoria is a better place with it.
WOW! What an outstanding addition to Victoria and South Texas! It's so nice to walk out on the patio after dinner and be on the river. We also enjoyed the live music at brunch this past Sunday. My favorites for dinner are: Pecan Crusted Chicken, Ahi Tuna, and the Baja Pasta. Everything on the menu is delicious and we have had great service each time! Whether it's a weekday lunch, a birthday party, or brunch with the family, the PumpHouse is a must!
Review Source:When I first dined here a few months ago, the food was below average and the service was fair. I gave the place a very poor review and was castigated by several of my friends for being too rough on a new establishment. Â So, I accepted an invitation to dine here again with dear friends on Mother"s Day. Â It appears that I was too in fact too generous with my last review. Â I waited quite a while for the "fried chicken and waffle". In retrospect, I should have been happy for the delay. Â The so-called "fried chicken" was a very flat chicken breast coated with some spicy breading and ?corn flakes that seemed precooked and then quick fried. Â The chicken was limp and bland (and lukewarm) and the coating too well done. Â It was also a miniscule portion. Â This was not fried chicken as we know it in the south. Â The waffle was actually a corner of a standard waffle and virtually inedible. Â The batter was much too thick and too well done. Â I could barely swallow the piece I was able to finally cut. The meal came with a bowl of sliced fruit that must have been fresh the day before. Â Overall, it was astonishingly bad. Â I also had the opportunity to sample the gravy from an order of biscuits and gravy and all I tasted was flour. Â I must commend the server who was friendly and attentive. As for the decor, I would call it "early factory" and hardly conducive to a fine dining experience. Finally, there was nothing special for Mother's Day, either on the menu or on the table. Â This would have been a small welcome addtion to the meal. Â Actually, anything would have helped. Â I have read all the other reviews, and I must assume I was eating at a different restaurant. Be that as it may, I will not eat here again.
Review Source:Very nice re-purpose of the old Victoria water pump house. The interior and exterior are well done with modern rustic finishes. At a much higher level than any other Victoria restaurant I've seen, giving off the air that it's much more expensive than it actually is. Which will really make you feel like you're getting a real bang for your buck.
We had a group of ten and we were sat at the main table at the entrance of the restaurant. The table seemed to be fashioned from an old warehouse type door, which I'm assuming was repurposed somewhere from the pump house. We went in for lunch on Saturday, it was maybe half-full with other patrons.
The waiter service was attentive. They made a few mistakes, but let us keep the food that came out wrong and the correct items came out minutes later. Some people were really pleased with their choices and some weren't. Many things didn't come out as nice or quite as they were explained on the menu.
French Cheese Soup -
Three of us ordered this soup, eh it sounded very interesting but didn't live up to "creamy blend of aged cheeses topped with caramelized tarragon pears." Non of us found any pears and it really reminded me of baby food, nearly tasteless yet nauseating. This one either needs to be re-imagined or taken off the menu. I don't think I have ever disliked anything so much. I felt like I was punishing myself trying to finished a spoonful.
Corn Fritters & Fried Mac and Cheese -
The Corn Fritters was more like a hushpuppy with a couple pieces of corn. Not quite as much as you would expect from the description "Fresh sweet corn nestled in a crispy batter served with spicy remoulade dipping sauce." Yummy regardless, especially with the sauce. I think it was the best thing I had. The Fried Mac and Cheese sounded like it was going to have jalapenos in it, but it may just have been jalapeno cheese. Something lost in translation.
Monte Cristo -
Usually this type of sandwich is fried, which it wasn't. It was a french toast ham and turkey sandwich, with a cherry on top. Favors were good, but I wouldn't call it a Monte Cristo. You can't put the hot fudge on the side of your ice cream and call it a sundae.
Sweet Potato Fries & Kettle Chips -
The fries would have been great if they weren't covered in pepper. geez. Opposite problem with the kettle chip. In grievous need of salt.
I can definitely tell this restaurant is trying to be the top tier in Victoria. I really think it's a great place, but the chef's menu is trying too hard and missing the mark. I do want to go back and try their dinner.
Great place for a nice date night and would be great for a party. The prices weren't as much as I had expected for the atmosphere. For lunch it was around $10 a person.
good food the Mac n cheese w jalapeño is delicious. sitting outside for dinner was a bad idea, took 2 hours to finish our meal cause waitress had to go in & out from previous tables moving inside due to the wind.
onion pear soup tasted like Alfredo...chicken breast were great but could have included rice or something besides just veggies.
the pasta was a great choice the creamy cilantro corn & beans gave it alot of flavor & the blackened shimp were seasoned perfectly
the desert is fantastic, i could have had a bowl of the banana pudding :9
can't wait to eat here again, this time indoors.
I was very impressed with the atmosphere and the decor.  I had the soup of the day and salad.  The soup was cream of asparagus and it did not have much flavor and the bread accompanying  it would be given a B-  As for my salad I loved the homemade dressing and fresh greens, very delightful.  I also sampled my sisters fish tacos- Very flavorful and a definite lunch recommendation! Our server was great and very attentive.  I love local restaurants and I will definitely go back for dinner soon!
Review Source:
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