This Galveston Taqueria Reopened With a New Owner and Chefs but Hasn’t Captured the Magic of the Original
When I spoke to Dayatra Myers-Hurt in September of last year about her restaurant, Fish Company Taco, in Galveston, I didn't expect it to close a month later. In our interview, she did mention that her small taqueria wasn't even making enough money to install air-conditioning, but the excellent food—especially the rotating catch of the day and nixtamalized tortillas—was worth the uncomfortable perspiration. When I dined there, a large family came in to celebrate a graduation from Texas A&M University at Galveston, and no one complained about the heat.
But, sadly, the operating costs were too much to handle. The small shack selling fresh fish in exquisite tortillas of heirloom corn was gone. I was saddened to see a small business close. I was also disappointed that I wouldn't be able to revisit Fish Company Taco for the 50 Best Tacos in Texas or hear Myers-Hurt's unabashed laughter in the building again. Later, she shared that she'd accepted a job at Hotel Lucine , also in Galveston.
Fish Company Taco wouldn't stay dormant for long. Shortly after its closure, Raz Halili, the owner of James Beard Award semifinalist Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House, in the nearby San Leon, announced that he had purchased the name and recipes of the restaurant. (He already happened to own the building.) A glimmer of hope for the restaurant's future shined subtly.
Halili teased the new Fish Company Taco on Instagram for months, describing it as "coastal chic." The building's renovated interior is bright and polished with pastel colors. Halili, who designed the space himself, is also a partner in restaurant design firm Coeval Studio, which worked on Mexican-inspired brunch spot Vidorra and New American restaurant Quarter Acre, both in Dallas.
It seemed like Fish Company Taco was in great hands. Halili is the son of a Galveston oysterman who emigrated from Kosovo to the Gulf Coast island in the seventies. Halili continues his father's work as vice president of Prestige Oysters, which has more than a hundred oyster boats across the Gulf and up to Maryland.
When I talked to Halili about his new restaurant, his wording seemed carefully chosen and peppered with jargon, as one might expect from a consummate businessman. He praised the "uniqueness of the flavors and the chef-driven mentality behind [the dishes]" he got from Myers-Hurt, he said. "They were very unique to anything that I have tried before. And I just felt a connection with the ideology of the brand being sourcing local, sustainable fish right here from the Gulf bounty, but also still keeping, like I said, that chef-driven mentality behind it."
Halili sees himself as that same kid from humble beginnings. "I was just a kid on the dock," he says. He purchased Fish Company Taco out of a love for his hometown of Galveston (he still lives in Galveston County) and his admiration for Myers-Hurt's mission and food, which he says he ate often.
When the taqueria finally reopened in late September of this year, I visited with both excitement and trepidation. A new coat of paint, flower-print cushioned banquettes, and air-conditioning made the environment attractive and polished. Meanwhile, the counter ordering system remained in place with aguas frescas at the side of the cashier. I ordered the mango flavor, with added carbonation, and it was face-contortingly sweet.
The Vietnamese Flavors taco I ordered with tender redfish (all tacos come with a choice of the catch of the day, shrimp, or veggie filling)—topped with sliced carrots, mint, Thai basil, onions, and cilantro—was dominated by a sticky, overpowering sauce. It left only the redfish's tender texture. The Empire, with its heavy blanket of barbecue sauce, suffered from the same issue. My previous favorite, the Dirty South—stacked with redfish, chunky corn relish, Zapp's Cajun Crawtators potato chips, and pimento cheese—was mushy. The batter on the fish was soft, the flour tortilla was gummy, and the chips were stale. The taco should be served on corn. Such a move could marry the flavors of the world's great corn cultures, Mexico and the American South, in a town that already has elements of both.
The good news is that Myers-Hurt's use of nixtamalized corn tortillas continues under Halili, which makes for a good base. The blue corn tortillas are pliant and strong, pleasantly chewy, and hold under the weight of ingredients.
As wonderful as it is to have air-conditioning in the restaurant—"I get that a lot," Halili says—the food is generally not as impressive as the original Fish Company Taco, which I described as all about integrity and flavor in my September 2023 review . There was love in the food. Now, though, the food feels a little passionless.
Former Pier 6 chefs Joe Cervantez and Lexy Garcia are in charge of the kitchen, and they were excited to move into Fish Company Taco's space and try their hands at Myers-Hurt's lineup, according to Halili. "They have both done super fine dining for a number of years," he adds. "They have a lot more freedom to express themselves, a lot more fun, and it's more rustic on the plate." (I reached out to Myers-Hurt for comment but didn't receive a response.)
Halili is happy with the first several weeks of operation and plans on expanding the menu. He's already added some new stuff, like the bluefin tuna crudo. "Those are the things that I really wanted to introduce because I enjoy eating them," he says. Later this year, Halili plans to install a raw bar. "Being an oyster guy, it's just. it doesn't feel right not having [them]," he says. I hope they'll be better than the oysters appetizer special I tried. The mollusks were served on the half shell with desiccated oyster meat whose natural salinity was crushed by a chile garnish.
Although there is a lot of room for improvement, I think there's a lot to be hopeful for, too. Since I visited in early October, mere weeks after Fish Company Taco reopened, I acknowledge that there's a good chance the kitchen hasn't found its groove yet. While I didn't get the same sense of care or love that I experienced when Myers-Hurt was at the helm, love can grow. The team currently in place just has to work on nailing the dishes that made Fish Company Taco a destination in the first place. Fingers crossed it doesn't take long.
