Bigger, roomy, and has wine. These are a few of my favorite things about the Olmos Lighthouse restaurant when compared with the original at Stone Oak. Still a welcoming atmosphere and excellent attention to cleanliness, it is a comfortable place for comfort food. While this visit was for lunch, I saw that they have wine specials, including half-price bottles of wine with dinner on Tuesday and Saturday evenings.
We started with Spicy Popcorn Shrimp. They were hot and plentiful, though the breading was a bit much for the size of the shrimp. It came with two dipping sauces, one forgettable with the shrimp, more of a thin salad dressing, and the other a great cocktail sauce that had the advertised spice.
Food: 2.5
Service: 3.5
Value: 2.5
Rating scale:
5: Extraordinary
4: Excellent
3: Good
2: Fair
1: Poor
Pam had the Salad & a Half Sandwich option, choosing the chicken salad sandwich to go with her spinach salad. The salad had a nice mix of greens, boiled eggs, and a very light dressing. The chicken salad, though, needed more than the tomato and bacon added to give it a spark. Still, an attractive sandwich with salad for $9.95.
I opted to go with the Caesar Salad. I know that the original in Mexico was a much milder salad than what we typically expect today, and that is show biz. What we expect in a Caesar today is a rich dressing that may include fresh egg, anchovy, garlic, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. The salad sometimes has the anchovies separate from the dressing and this is the style that they plan at the Lighthouse. Indeed, they say on the menu they have “crispy” anchovies on the salad. When the salad came out sans anchovies, I asked our server and he eventually brought a small bowl of anchovies that really made the salad nice.
The dining room is attractive in a coffee shop way, which makes sense, since the Lighthouse sells lots of different, delicious coffees. There are also cases with dessert cakes and muffins to cater to your sweet tooth.
The Lighthouse at Olmos Park
4212 McCullough Ave.
(210) 805-9229
Monday-Thursday 7 a.m.- 10 p.m. Friday & Saturday 7a.m.- 11 p.m.
Sunday 8 a.m.- 3 p.m.
