Top Margarita Spots
While the origins of the margarita are still widely debated, many stories say it was invented right here in Galveston!
What pairs better than a day on Galveston Island and an ice-cold Margarita? Learn more about Galveston's historic ties to this popular cocktail and where you can grab yourself one on your next visit below.
The Margarita was Invented in Galveston, Texas?
Santos Cruz created the Texas Margarita at the Balinese Room in Galveston in 1948. The Balinese Room hosted a lot of big-name entertainers and when singer Peggy Lee came to town, Santos Cruz made a drink that Peggy Lee and her husband, Harry Barber -- fresh from a trip to Mexico -- were sure to enjoy. Lee liked the drink, and she asked what it was called. Cruz told her she could call it whatever she wanted.
Her husband, according to accounts passed down through family legend, eventually named it the "margarita" – a take on Peggy's more formal name, Margaret. The Cruz family resides in Galveston today.
Galveston Margarita Spots
East Beach Cantina is located on the far eastern tip of Galveston Island at East Beach. Head up to the bar in the pavilion during the spring/ summer for an ice-cold margarita on the beach!
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