Each month, Galveston Monthly compiles a list to keep its readers up to date on what’s new and cool on the island. What’s new in the neighborhood this month?
A new Irish-pub-style restaurant with ties to Plano is opening a location on Seawall Blvd. A one-of-a-kind art gallery featuring museum-quality printouts and jewelry made from your personal, “eye-catching” photographs has opened downtown. And a unique boutique offering custom-designed clothing and accessories has opened in the 1895 Hutchings, Sealy & Company Building.
Whether you live here, or you plan to travel down the causeway for a visit, all three of these new businesses offer a unique experience for customers.
McNeal’s Tavern & Eatery
The owners of McNeal’s Tavern and Eatery, Tom McGill and Chris O’Neal, initially met in a bar over a meal and a beer. The food was good, the service was remarkable, and the conversation led to a partnership that sparked the opening of two restaurants, one in Plano, Texas, and their newest eatery on Galveston Island.
This new restaurant and bar is located at 6612 Seawall Boulevard in the space formerly occupied by Texas Pit Stop BBQ. McGill and O’Neal have scheduled a soft opening for their Galveston location in January.
McNeal’s Tavern and Eatery will have a different vibe from any other restaurant in Galveston, McGill said.
The building, both inside and out, will resemble the highly successful McNeal’s Tavern in Plano. Customers will enjoy an upscale, pub-like sports bar atmosphere inside and have a front-row view of the Gulf of Mexico on the patio outside.
The brand-new, 36-foot mahogany bar will be a great place for locals and tourists to mingle in an “Irish sports bar atmosphere,” McGill said.
There will be sixteen 75-inch televisions throughout the restaurant, showcasing sports like live soccer, NFL, MLB, and NBA games around the clock.
The décor will be similar to their Plano location with the addition of the outdoor, Gulf-front patio.
“Between Chris [O’Neal] and I, we have 60 years’ worth of hands-on restaurant experience,” he said. “I will be at the restaurant daily, running day-to-day operations for as long as it takes until we find the right person to manage.”
The new Galveston location can accommodate up to 140 customers. Seating options include high cocktail tables in the bar area, dining room tables and roomy booths.
The outdoor patio will feature 14 customized tall picnic tables that are bar high so that customers will have an unobstructed view of the Gulf.
The inside décor is a mix of exposed brick and wood and colors similar to their Plano location. Guinness is a high-volume seller at McNeal’s, so look for their signs and umbrellas throughout the restaurant.
Although they will welcome and expect tourist activity throughout the busier months, McGill said their focus would be on attracting and servicing locals.
“We want to create an atmosphere where everybody really does know your name,” McGill said.
To that end, they will be offering specials to Galveston residents. Locals will be offered plastic, engraved customer-appreciation cards with an automatic discount for the total bill.
“We know our meat-and-potatoes business is going to be from locals, and we can’t wait for our families to meet all y’all’s families.”
Although O’Neal will be running the Plano restaurant, he will be down on long weekends while McGill will be residing in Galveston full-time.
The two partners opened the Plano eatery in 2021 and have had great success with their menu, McGill said. The menu at the new Galveston location will resemble the original restaurant while adding a few new items made with Gulf-fresh seafood.
Full breakfasts will be available seven days a week including eggs, pancakes, French toast, omelets, and their famous breakfast tacos.
“We went for quality and quantity with our breakfast tacos. They are huge and filled with prime ingredients. We offered them at a catering gig and our customers requested them so often, we added them to the menu,” McGill said.
Popular lunch and dinner items include their chicken fried steak and pub-style sandwiches like NY-style sausage and pepper brats, meatball subs, Reubens, Philly cheesesteaks and gourmet burgers.
Scotch eggs, shepherd's pie, fish and chips, and bangers and mash round out the Irish-pub style offerings. The chef will be adding daily specials with fresh Gulf catch to the menu as well, utilizing fish procured locally.
O’Neal is a native Texan, born and raised here. He married his high school sweetheart, and they are raising two boys. His wife is an art teacher in Richardson.
McGill is a native New Yorker who moved to Texas in 1996. His daughter was born in Fort Worth and the family frequently visited Galveston.
“I’d put the family in the suburban, and by the time we got across the causeway, the sun was coming up and we had the whole day on the beach. Never, did I ever, think I would be opening my dream restaurant in my favorite Texas vacation spot,” McGill said.
He is excited about the circle of life this restaurant is going to provide for his family. “I used to take my daughter, Kennedy, for walks along the Seawall. Now, I will be having a glass of wine with her at our own place on the Seawall.”
The soft opening is scheduled for mid-January and the grand opening and hours of operation will be set once the initial kinks are worked out, said McGill.
McNeal’s Tavern and Eatery is a dine-in and take-out restaurant. Deliveries will be available from Uber Eats as well. Check social media for more information on their grand opening or Superbowl and Mardi Gras parties and specials.
Eyemazy
Hugo Jimenez and his wife were first introduced to Eyemazy while visiting Ireland and Iceland on vacation. Shops selling this unique, high-quality iris photography were available in both locations, but the couple had never seen anything like it back home.
“The uniqueness and the excellent quality of the photographs spurred my interest. So, I researched the business, and at that time, there was only one Eyemazy in the United States,” said Jimenez.
“By the time we got back and submitted all the paperwork, there were already three franchises sold in the states. We became the fourth U.S.-based franchise location, and we were the first and only in Texas.”
Eyemazy’s mission is not just to capture images but to tell stories, evoke emotions, and reveal identities, said Jimenez. “Every iris has a unique tale, and we are privileged to unveil its narrative through our lens.”
Jimenez uses a customized photo box to delicately photograph the unique beauty of irises, ensuring every detail is captured flawlessly. The photograph itself takes from 7-10 minutes to procure.
He then turns your eye into a personalized art form with cutting-edge editing technology, enhancing colors and refining details with precision.
Customers can choose from a wide variety of magazine-quality printouts. The whole process from photo to finished product takes less than half an hour.
“You can’t get this kind of stunning, personal art for your home on premium print paper anywhere else.”
Group pictures form truly personalized family artwork and are available in a myriad of frames, backdrops, and mountings. And a group photo, with the iris of each family member, makes a wonderful gift idea, said Jiminez.
Jimenez first opened an Eyemazy kiosk in the Baybrook Mall in April of 2024. A resident of Friendswood, and a frequent visitor to the island, he decided Galveston was the best place for his first brick-and-mortar shop. He opened in downtown Galveston last November and then opened a third location, another kiosk, in Austin on Black Friday.
Hours of operation for the Galveston location are Monday through Thursday from 11am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 9pm, and Sunday from 12pm to 6pm.
Eyemazy is located at 210 21st Street, Unit 5. For more information, please call 409.877.2185 or visit www.Eyemazy.com.
SoHo Zoe on the Strand
More than a dozen businesses now call the historic 1895 Hutchings, Sealy & Company Building home. Two individual but connected structures designed by Nicholas J. Clayton for George Ball, John Henry Hutchings, and John Sealy, the building is located at 2326-2328 Strand Street, near 24th Street, in downtown Galveston.
Shoppers will find a new chic boutique on the second-floor atrium called SoHo Zoe on the Strand. Owned and operated by partners in life and business, Zoe and Philippe Bryant, this clothing and accessory shop features a curated collection of casual elegance and quiet luxury inspired by island life.
“We embrace the attitude of ‘making an entrance’,” Zoe said. “Our custom designs capture the exhilarating feeling of living the good life here.”
“We specialize in blending an urban aesthetic with the relaxed energy of the beach. And we give a nod towards the quiet luxury and lavish style of the island’s history.”
SoHo Zoe on the Strand offers a private label collection of kaftans inspired by “old Hollywood, new minimalism, and old graphic design,” she said.
Designed by Zoe, these size-inclusive kaftans are versatile enough to wear at the beach or for a night out. Each one is handmade in the garment district in New York City.
SoHo Zoe also offers “easy stylin’ on the island” retro-inspired bowling shirts that are fun for men and women that pair with authentic Panama hats in three classic styles.
Hat styles include the ‘Sly Trilby’ with a snap brim, the ‘Confident Gambler’ that is reminiscent of Clark Gable in “Gone with the Wind,” and the film noir classic Fedora. All hats are woven in Ecuador, shaped and finished in the United States, and available in sizes small to extra-large.
Additional merchandise includes exotic throw pillows with a big attitude and a bold personality. And, just for the colder months, fabulous faux fur coats that are sultry and sexy.
The Bryants fell in love with Galveston and purchased a historic East End home built in 1915 that they moved into and have been refurbishing since 2017.
Zoe has 40 years of experience as a professional graphic and packaging designer. Philippe, otherwise known as Mr. Z, is an award-winning teacher and transplanted New Yorker who has found “bliss in glorious Galveston.”
Customers looking for custom-designed sequin cloaks for Mardi Gras should be sure to check out the new line coming soon. A new collection is also in the works for their “classic Cary Grant Beach Coat” with a luxury French terrycloth lining - perfect for comfy cocktails poolside or cozy cuddles after a jump in the Gulf.
SoHo Zoe on the Strand opened in December 2024. Hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm. For more information, please call Zoe at 929.358.6645 or follow them on social media.