Photos by Nick RamaFood & Drink
Eat Local: Captain Brad’s crawfish and coastal kitchen experience
In this edition of Eat Local, Nick Rama with Hello Cypress sat down with Brittney Aplin, owner of Captain Brad’s Coastal Kitchen, to dive into the flavorful world of Gulf Coast seafood and the community’s love for crawfish. From humble beginnings to becoming a local hotspot, Captain Brad’s has become a go-to for fresh, bold, and authentic coastal dishes. Brittney shares the heart behind the brand, the seasonal magic of crawfish, and what makes dining at Captain Brad’s more than just a meal—it’s an experience.
THE STORY
Capt. Brad’s Coastal Kitchen, a seafood restaurant owned by Brittney Aplin, opened in 2019 and quickly became Tomball’s favorite spot for crawfish along with all things Texas coastal seafood and so much more!
THE NAME
Hello, Cypress got to sit down with Brittney to ask her about her life of growing up in the restaurant business and how she came to own her own restaurant. Brittney said she named the restaurant after her father, Brad, who owned multiple seafood restaurants in the area for over twenty years.
Brittney’s explained, “The name is an obvious ode to him (Brad Aplin), but from the time I signed the lease to this day, I try to do things the way he taught me to. From the host stand to the kitchen to the guests. I was blessed to work under his guidance for two decades. He knew this industry and it’s important to me to carry on like he’s still watching.”
“We opened on January 19th, 2019. I never planned to open on my dad’s birthday, but we got our last permit the day before. I joke that it was his way of reminding me every year that he’s still the Captain & I’ll always be the deckhand.”
Brittney is no stranger to the restaurant business. In 1996, her dad opened his first restaurant in the Champions area where Brittney started serving tables at age 13. She then worked her way to doing the scheduling, hiring, firing, inventory, & payroll at 16. At the age of 23, she helped open a restaurant in Cypress, and she was named the GM. Unfortunately, Brad fell ill in 2016 and Brittney stepped up to manage his three restaurants until his passing. In 2019, she opened her own restaurant. “This industry is what I know. I was raised in it.”
THE VIBE
“Genuine, Authentic” We don’t try to mimic Louisiana. Brittney made sure that “Cajun” was not on her menu. She loves Cajun & Louisiana-style dishes but said, “We aren’t that.” Brad primarily fished the Texas coasts and Brittney’s family ate seafood daily, but it was always prepared in more of a Texas style. “Straying from that feels gimmicky to me.”
THE INSPIRATION
The menu is based on what the Alpin’s ate growing up, shrimp, crab, and fish. There are numerous dishes that their head Chef, Francisco, has added. Britney says he knows flavor profiles & was her dad’s trusted chef for 14 years.
Why open in Tomball? “I didn’t realize it until after we opened, but remembered that I told my dad that we needed to open a restaurant in Tomball in 2004 when I started going to Lone Star College out here.”
I looked everywhere from Humble to Sugarland but wound up right where I wanted to be and where I lived: Tomball.”
Family is an important theme here at Capt. Brad’s Coastal Kitchen. The GM, Abigail Martinez is Brittney’s sister. She started working for her dad when she was 15. She was raised in this industry, too. The Chef and Kitchen team are also long-term members; Chef Francisco Jimenez and Britney have worked together since she was 19. Francisco was Brad’s longest-running chef. “Francisco worked with my dad for 14 years, until his passing. He knows all of our vendors and tons of our guests. I think what sets us apart is that we trust each other. After working together since we were teenagers; we just have our flow.”
The assistant kitchen manager, Chano Lopez, has been with them since before they opened and he is another backbone to their team. Silvino handles all of our oysters and has worked with Brittney since she was a teenager, too. Macbeth, Capt. Brad’s shift lead has also been there since before they opened.
“Every member of our kitchen team is a pleasure to work with. After 29 years in this industry, that is pretty unheard of!”
THE CRAWFISH SEASON
One of Tomball, TX’s favorites of boiled crawfish. Available in 5 styles: Spicy, Garlic, Garlic Spicy, Old Bay, and House, which is a Tony’s blend.
What sets your boiled crawfish apart from the rest? (Brittney). “Experience.*Francisco has been boiling crawfish for so long; after 20-plus seasons, he could tell what the pot needed, like a 6th sense, and that’s how he has trained our boilers”
THE GOODS
The menu features something for everyone: delicious appetizers like Crawfish Pistolette and Boudin Balls, satisfying salads and soups, and mouth-watering Poboys and Burgers, along with an extensive seafood menu. A couple of highlights are The Brad’s Boil, a family-style boil of crab, shrimp, and crawfish. The Flounder Francisco has blackened Flounder topped with King Crab, asparagus, & cream sauce.
THE OWNERS / GM / CHEF’S FAVORITE MEAL
Brittney:
Blackened Crawfish stuffed avocado
The Fleet
Bread Pudding
Abigail:
A Crawford Bock,
Cold-boiled shrimp & Rockefeller oysters
Crab Trap with the red pepper butter we cook the Dungeness + ravioli. And a brownie sundae.
Francisco:
Moscow Mule
Crab Parmesan Oysters
Stacked Tomatoes with Lump Crab & Gouda Cheese
Flounder Francisco
Bread Pudding
WHAT THE LOCALS ARE ORDERING
Appetizers:
Stacked Green Tomatoes topped with jumbo lump blue crab, gouda cheese, and house-made remoulade.
Crawfish Pistolet – portion of a French roll lightly toasted (in the deep fryer) with cheese & crawfish tails
Soups /Salads:
Coastal Cobb – salad blend, tomatoes, grilled shrimp, bacon, shredded cheese, egg & your choice of dressing
Nacho Crab Salad – crispy tortilla shell with jumbo lump crab meat over iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, red onion, and cucumber; served with our house-made creamy lime cilantro ranch on the side
Scratch Made Seafood Gumbo with crab, shrimp, and andouille sausage
Poboys/Burgers:
Oyster Poboy – fried oysters on a French roll dressed in house-made tartar and cocktail, lettuce, and tomato. Served with fries, but awesome with coleslaw too
Surf & Turf Burger – Tri blend chuck/brisket/short rib patty burger topped with grilled shrimp and crawfish tails, queso, lettuce & tomato. Served with fries
Specially Sandwiches:
Crab Avocado Club: Two crab cakes, your choice of fried, grilled, or blackened with bacon, house-made Old Bay Mayo, avocado, lettuce and tomato on Texas toast
Fried Dinners:
Shore Thing – Fried Catfish, Shrimp, Crabcake, Crawfish Tails, and Oysters served with french fries and hushpuppies
Big Net – 3 Coconut, Fried, Crab Stuffed & Grilled Shrimp served with yellow rice, French fries and hushpuppies
Grilled Dinners:
Intracoastal – Grilled Catfish, Shrimp, Scallops, & a Crabcake served with yellow rice and your choice of mixed veggies, green beans, or a side salad
Full Fleet – Our take on seafood fajitas. Skillet Plate served with Grilled Catfish, Shrimp, Scallops, and Calamari all cooked in our red pepper butter, served with white rice, a side of flour tortillas, and a side plate of cheese, sour cream & pico de gallo
Dockside Redfish – Blackened Redfish filet over cheddar bacon mashed potatoes and topped with creamy crawfish sauce. Served with a side salad
Grilled Favorites:
Shrimp Scampi – Grilled Shrimp over angel hair pasta cooked in a house made scampi butter served with French bread
Boiled:
Brad’s Boil
2 lbs crawfish, ½ lb Snow crab, ½ lb Dungeness Crab, Shrimp, Sausage, Corn and Potato
Crab Trap
½ lb of both Dungeness & Snow Crab, Shrimp & Sausage, Corn & Potato
Off The Grill:
Rockefeller Oysters – Roasted oysters with spinach, bacon & mozzarella cheese
Fresh Shucked Oysters:
Fresh out of the Gulf of Mexico with a house-made cocktail, horseradish and lemon
Usually out of Baytown
Sides:
Brussels sprouts, crispy pan-fried
Kids Menu:
Accent Combo: 2 cheese sticks, 2 mini corn dogs, 2 chicken nuggets served with fries, strawberry yogurt, or orange slices
Dessert:
Bread Pudding with caramel, cinnamon, and vanilla ice cream
Lunch Specials:
Grilled or Fried Combo
Catfish, Shrimp, and yellow rice & toast for grilled or fries and hushpuppies for fried
Poboy & Gumbo
Your choice of catfish or shrimp poboy served with a cup of gumbo, your choice of shrimp, chicken and sausage or shrimp, crab and sausage.
THE BAR
Capt. Brad’s Coastal Kitchen offers a Full bar with mixed cocktails, beer, and wine.
The best-selling Margaritas, Martinis, Mojitos, and Signature Drinks:
Margarita Flight – 4 – 3 oz margaritas strawberry, lime, blueberry & watermelon
Champagne Supernova – Strawberry, Vodka, Lemonade inverted with Korbel Champagne bottle
Blueberry Coconut Mojito
Happy Hour is featured M-F 2-6 and Sunday ALL Day, $3 pints, $5 Talls, $5 Large Margaritas, $4 house wines, plus $5 Select Apps: Calamari, Boudin Balls, Boiled Shrimp, Wings, Fried Pickles
COMMUNITY
Brittney and the team believe in giving back to their community, “we need to support the people who support us.” Since day one, they have been involved with The Chamber of Commerce, The Rotary Club, Impact 249, Boots for Troops, Tomball High School, Tomball Memorial, Klein Cain, FFA, Magnolia West Anglers, etc.
CATERING
Office lunches, weddings, Superbowl, and holiday parties are available.
WRAPPING IT ALL UP
We asked Brittney what she attributes to the restaurant’s success so far, The man upstairs.
The success we’ve had is humbling & can’t be attributed to the location, our restaurant knowledge, or a marketing strategy.
God did this; we’re just here for the ride.”
Every day, something is special at Capt. Brad’s Coastal Kitchen. Daily lunch specials are $11.99 11-4pm, On Tuesdays, $11.99/lb boiled shrimp & $11.99 for fish or shrimp tacos served with yellow rice. Wednesday brings Happy Hour extended on wine and appetizers 2-close. Thursdays are Double Points for VIP members, and Sundays are the day for happy hour. Follow their Facebook page to see what Chef Francisco is cooking up for a special feature.
Once you are hooked on their food and hospitality, don’t forget to join their The Captain’s Club and Capt. Brad’s VIP program. The Captain’s Club – Earn 1 point for every $4 spent on food and retail. Or the VIP Click here to join The Captains Club today!
$20 to join, get $20 off on your next visit
Free Chef’s appetizer each month, plus 1 point for every dollar spent on food and retail.
5 WORDS TO DESCRIBE Capt Brad’s Coastal Kitchen: “Fresh, Authentic, Friendly, Southern Hospitality”
Address:
24435 Tomball Pkwy Tomball TX 77375
Hours:
Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm
Sat & Sun 11am-10pm
Website: http://www.captainbrads.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaptBradsCoastalKitchen/
Nick Rama is a food writer, contributor to Hello Cypress, and shares his restaurant experiences on Nick’s Local Eats at NicksLocalEats.com and on social media Facebook, Instagram, and Cypress NW Houston Eateries on Facebook. Nick enjoys helping small business owners, supporting his community by fundraising for food banks, animal shelters and plans tasting events with locally owned mom and pop restaurants.
Craving some delicious crawfish in Cypress? Look no further! Our Crawfish Guide for Cypress is your go-to resource for finding the best spots in town to enjoy this seasonal delicacy. From local Cajun eateries to seafood joints serving up flavorful boils, we’ve got you covered with all the must-visit places to satisfy your crawfish cravings. Whether you’re a seasoned crawfish lover or trying it for the first time, discover where to get your hands on this tasty treat right here in Cypress! View the Guide
