Sunday’s at Lovers Seafood & Market run from 11 in the morning until 8 at night, one long stretch where lunch and dinner just blend into each other. That’s really brunch here, not a separate menu with a name on it, just the regular lineup served early enough that mimosas make sense with it.
The place sits at 5200 West Lover’s Lane, and the name isn’t a coincidence, it’s a straight nod to the street. Inside, you’ve got the oyster bar if you want to sit and watch someone shuck, the dining room if you’re bringing people, and a climate-controlled patio if the weather’s actually behaving.
Start at the raw and chilled side of the menu. Deviled eggs come with bacon jam. Brynn’s smoked salmon gets a lemon dill crema and horseradish cream with a house crostini. There’s a half dozen oysters Rockefeller if you want something baked instead of raw, and ahi tartare and crudo both show up too, cold and clean while you’re still deciding what else to order.
From the starters and shareables, the charred corn jalapeño hush puppies come with a chipotle dipping sauce, and the crispy coconut crusted shrimp gets a sweet soy glaze, toasted sesame, and sriracha aioli. One Lynae’s jumbo lump crab cake is a menu regular worth ordering solo or splitting as two. There’s also a wagyu jalapeño cheddar sausage with house-made yellow mustard, bacon-wrapped shrimp stuffed jalapeños with spicy remoulade, and shrimp corn dogs, which are exactly what they sound like and better than they have any right to be.
For something heartier, Mr. Bray’s shrimp and grits sits on roasted poblano-jack grits with a cilantro butter sauce. The Maine lobster roll comes dressed in lemon aioli on a toasted brioche bun with fries on the side, and there’s also a Connecticut-style lobster roll for anyone who wants it warm and buttery instead. Aaron’s fish tacos come loaded with chipotle mayo, jicama green apple slaw, and pickled onions. The Chilean sea bass is the kitchen’s go-to for anyone wanting something a little more composed. And if seafood isn’t the ask that day, there’s a straightforward Texas beef burger with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, and pickles, served with Lovers fries.
On the soup and salad side, gumbo yaya is worth ordering as a starter even if you’re not that hungry yet, and the seafood salad, built on crab, shrimp, and lobster with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette and cotija, works well split at the table. Truffle fries and mac and cheese both make solid sides if you’re sharing plates instead of ordering a full entrée each.
Happy hour runs Monday through Friday, 3 to 5, and it’s a good one if you’re ever there outside the Sunday window: four dollars off wine by the glass, four off cocktails, cheeseburgers for ten bucks. Not brunch hours, but worth knowing for next time.
End with the key lime pie if it’s on that day. Simple, doesn’t try to be anything else, which after a table full of seafood is usually exactly right.
