Founded in 1911 as a sandwich shop at Seawall and 23rd Street by Italian immigrant San Giacinto "Cinto" Gaido, Gaido's became Galveston's first seafront restaurant open year round in 1920. Guided by Cinto's motto, "Learn what is wanted and then serve," it gained fame for serving the fresh seafood customers wanted. Its Seawall and 39th Street location, originally a drive-in, opened in 1936. After Cinto's death in 1939, his son Mike and daughter-in-law Kewpie, both beloved civic leaders, ran the restaurant. In 1962, Gaido's became one of Galveston's first restaurants to be integrated, and after Mike's death in 1993, his sons and their children continued to operate the business.
