Coastal wetland restoration projects often employ beneficial uses of dredge material techniques to bring degraded areas to an elevation appropriate for emergent marsh vegetation. Frequently, plant coverage increases quickly in these areas through seed dispersal and vegetative spread, but this outcome does not necessarily improve the ecological value of the habitat for coastal birds. We assessed the potential value of beneficial uses restoration sites for shorebirds on the upper Texas coast (USA) based on direct bird counts and assessments of habitat quality. Camera and audio recordings did not reveal high intensity shorebird use in the restored sites. Comparisons to surveys conducted in 2013 indicated that many restored sites had become heavily vegetated since construction, and that there was little suitable tidal flat and pond habitat for foraging shorebirds. The more heterogeneous topography of reference sites included ponds and tidal creeks, which were frequently used by waders and waterfowl. Assessments of trophic resources for shorebirds revealed substantial spatial and temporal variability. Broadly, macroinfaunal abundance and community composition were similar between reference and restored areas. Other basal food sources, such as diatoms and benthic organic matter slurries, were more abundant in reference sites. These findings indicate that integrating nonvegetated aquatic features such as ponds and tidal creeks into restoration site design are likely to attract wading birds and waterfowl. The inclusion of tidal flat features is necessary to support shorebirds, though soil characteristics and benthic trophic resources may take several years to approach reference conditions.