The idea for Captain Brad’s Coastal Kitchen stemmed from Brad Aplin—father of restaurant owner Brittney Aplin—and his career as a commercial crabber, shrimper and oysterman, Brittney said.
“We lived along the Southern coasts like Florida, Louisiana and Texas. I’ve lived in Corpus Christi, Rockport and San Leon [in Texas],” Brittney said. “We were raised on the water, you know?”
Brad spent most of his life in the commercial fishing industry, Brittney said; however, she said it is a dangerous job to do. Her father opened his first seafood restaurant in 1996 without any prior restaurant industry knowledge, she said.
“He never even washed dishes [in a restaurant], and he had never been in a restaurant kitchen. He just knew seafood,” Brittney said.
With the help of family and friends, Brad opened three seafood restaurants in the Houston area before he was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, Brittney said.
He died in 2017, but 31 of his employees came with Brittney to open Captain Brad’s Coastal Kitchen in Tomball in January 2019 in honor of her father, she said.
The restaurant is located in the Northpointe area.
“I’ve worked with my dad since I was a kid. He taught me everything I know,” Brittney said. “Now some of the people I’ve worked with for my whole life have children working for me here. Our lives have really come full circle.”
Captain Brad’s serves a variety of fresh, locally caught seafood dishes as well as salads, burgers, quesadillas, tacos and sandwiches. Brittney said a few top sellers include the boudin quesadillas; the crawfish pistolet—a deep-fried French roll stuffed with cheese and crawfish tails; and the Mahi Irene, named after Brad’s mother.
Brittney said the restaurant will also have both boiled and live crawfish during peak crawfish season from March to April.
“I think what makes us different is that my dad was a fisherman, so he was literally raised around seafood. I was raised in it, too. ... I didn’t go to school for this,” Brittney said. “We know what good seafood is, and we know what good Southern hospitality is. You just don’t get better than Captain Brad’s.”
Captain Brad’s Coastal Kitchen
24435 Hwy. 249, Tomball
832-761-5668
www.captainbrads.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
