This place is just great. Dipped in for happy hour on a Wednesday. Nice size crowd, a group in…read morethe lounge and a birthday party set up on the high tops. I found my way to the bar and pulled up a seat. Immediately created by Amber, the bartender. I don't know how she feels about being called a mixologist( is that cool anymore?) but she knew her way around some spirits! For my first drink she mixed me up a classic old fashioned. Nice balanced drink. I ventured through some of their other specialty cocktails. I just couldn't get enough! A few hours in and it was time for dinner. The hot honey pepperoni pizza hit the spot ! This is a great addition to the soda district. Come with friends or make some new ones when you get there ! Can't recommend this enough, Abilene

Service and ambience were top notch! Caleb (bartender) was phenomenal! Amazing craft cocktails,…read moregood vibes, and fantastic service! 1000 out of 10! Check it out!

Great fine Loved the atmosphere and wait staff. Go to go…read moreretro with bologna sandwich with shiner bock

This was my first visit to the Ice House. I'm going to call it a brew pub. We were here to try…read moretheir speciality hamburger for the downtown Burger Brawl. They have 8 to 10 different beers on tap, and however many in cans. They have appetizers, burgers, and sandwiches on the menu. I think a couple of salads too. The burger we tried was called the Peanut Butter Smash. A bacon cheeseburger with peanut butter and house made strawberry jam. It was very good! And the French fries were some of the best I've ever had! The best burger we have tried in the Burger Brawl so far! Whether you need a drink or something to eat, give Ice House a try!

They no longer serve food just a FYI. The service was slow and they were not busy when I went. Sat…read morethere with an empty glass until I could catch the waitresses attention. To top it all off, when I went to pay the bill, the auto tip options started with 30% and up to 45%, no thank you, custom tip please. There are much better spots downtown, avoid this one.

They no longer serve food...any food. It wasn't horrible just hoped for some food and ambiance.read more

Last night, Vagabond had an amazing win that they weren't even aware of…read more We're friends with a couple who just had their second baby yesterday. The husband is stationed out of Dyess. Neither one of them really knows anything really about what is uniquely available to eat in Abilene. My wife and I were on our way to the hospital after picking up their kid from daycare when we were asked to pick up some dinner. We had offered to get them anything in town to eat while at the hospital. Given how they were new to town, their regular from Dominoes was requested. It was at this point I suggested Vagabond, telling the couple how for years it's been the best. The wife saw the menu and was impressed, eager to try it out. (We ordered 1 Lucia, 1 Carnivore, 2 Crawfish Hand Pies) The order was placed online, right as we left our driveway, I received a text confirming the order, which was followed up 15-20mins later by another one stating it was ready for pickup. It felt fast. As I walked in, I saw the traditional sights: the owner at the front welcoming everyone in, a filled up room with various parties enjoy their food and conversations, a staff working hard and yet ready to serve. I was told by the owner to go up to the bar where my order was waiting for me. I was in and out so quickly that I could feel the warm air coming off the pizza as I took it outside to my car. My one regret was not telling the owner on my way out how this meal would be the first meal for a mom who just gave birth. When I got to the hospital, the food was still warm. When both the mother and father had their first bite of the Lucia, they both had that 'wow' reaction to how amazing the taste was. Everything ordered honestly received a 'wow.' It was perfect. I have had Vagabond ever since they were out of a food trailer. Since then, it has been the place I always bring people to, particularly if they are visiting from out of town. It was the place where my wife and I brought our kid for his first restaurant meal. The consistent experience of it all is simply the best. I don't review places often, but last night was special. Never a bad thing to say thank you to a group of people who unknowingly wowed a father and mother in a hospital room. Thank you.

The last stop during my Abilene day trip was the wood-fire pizzeria Vagabond. We arrived at…read moreVagabond exactly at 6:00 pm, impressed by their cork decor outside the shop. We were immediately greeted by the server and seated just as quickly. The place was pretty busy, as one would expect on a Saturday at 6 pm, so it was great to be seated right away. The table was already set with two water cups, two plates, two sets of silverware, and two napkins, so we didn't have to set the area ourselves. Our server came shortly after with a large glass bottle of water and took our drink orders. My girlfriend got a bottled Dr. Pepper while I stuck to water. I also noticed they serve plenty of wines as well as a good selection of craft beers. They have ten different specialty pizzas, and we settled on their most expensive: the Carnivore. I say most expensive, but it was $20 for a pizza that fed two. It took about 10-15 minutes before the pizza came out, which is impressively fast. All pizzas are about 12 inches and are sliced into sixes. If you're hungry, consider an appetizer or a dessert, but to us, it was a perfect size with plenty of meat. The crust is thin and crispy, as one would expect from a wood-fire pizza. It was really excellent. For dessert, my girlfriend and I ordered their Saturday Morning Cartoons, which is a panna cotta with Fruity Pebbles that I enjoyed but she adored (I let her eat most of it). All in all, the meal was around $30 plus the tip I added. We were in and out in under 40 minutes, which was quite impressive for a sit-down pizza restaurant. I highly recommend this to anyone living in or visiting Abilene. P.S. My girlfriend wanted my Yelp review to note that their women's bathroom has hair ties, bobby pins, a Tide pen, and other items that you never know you'll need until you do, which gives Vagabond extra brownie points for going above and beyond. RIYL: An affordable meal for two.

Wow, this place really impressed us. Trendy design and great food -- I spent 10 years in Abilene…read moreback in the 80s, and a spot like the Cork & Pig was not what I expected to find here. My wife had the asian salad, and she says it was the best she'd ever had. I had the fish tacos with mac and cheese, and both were unusually flavorful and had a great texture (I rarely eat much mac and cheese, but I finished all of this). Service was good, friendly and helpful. I appreciated the decor and general vibe of the place, inside and out, including the music. My only quibble might be that parking was a bit tighter than expected, but not a problem. Great place overall, and we were discussing how we might find an excuse to return, plus wishing a branch would open closer to Houston.

I always forget pics b/c it's so tasty!…read more The steak salad is 100% fantastic- the dressing in the salad is the right kind of sweet and tart and the steak is cooked to perfection and flavorful. We ended up ordering a set of the deviled eggs (as dessert? ) because the one that came with our entree was so good (and the salad was a bit smaller than expected). Overall, good service, GREAT food. Worth the detour on our trip thru.

Came in for a very brief business trip and enjoyed my short dining experience at the bar. The…read moresmoked wings were fantastic, and the bartenders were super friendly and attentive. It's a very cool atmosphere, as well, especially for being essentially "just" a hotel lobby bar. It's not the cheapest place by any stretch, but honestly, a plate of good wings, a soda, and a glass of good bourbon for around $30 (pre-tax and tip) definitely works for me.

From the owner: Cattlemen's Exchange welcomes visitors to the heart of downtown Abilene, Texas. Located inside…read moreDoubleTree by Hilton Abilene Downtown Convention Center, Cattlemen's Exchange features a curated beverage menu of refreshing cocktails, spirits, and more alongside daily lunch and dinner selections — all served from an open bar with comfortable lounge seating. Valet and self-parking is validated for all guests who dine in.

This is a very nice patio and bar. The building was formerly a funeral home, but the interior has…read morebeen beautifully redesigned and remodeled. Even the restrooms are stylish, with gold fixtures that add a touch of elegance. Drinks are affordably priced between $7-$9. I had the Whiskey Sour, and Gabe--our bartender--prepared it with egg whites, which was a great touch. I also tried the Old Fashioned, which is a pre‑batched pour. I'm perfectly fine with that given the reasonable price point. They use the Toast POS system, so checkout is quick and organized. The business is also within easy walking distance of the DoubleTree--less than five minutes, right in the hotel's backyard. I will definitely return when passing through.

2 other couples and I sitting in the patio area waiting for the door to open. Hours say 3:00pm…read moretill 1 am. It's now 3:15. The couples left. My first visit, not

We went to Abilene for a night and stopped at The Taylor County Taphouse since this place was…read morerecommended by locals on various social media. Ambiance: Bar/pub vibes - heavy wood decor. Casual. We sat at the bar and our bartender was amazing! He was funny and attentive despite being very busy! Service: The restaurant was so busy with diners even at 8:30 PM on a Saturday evening. I did not expect it to be this busy in my head. My husband and I sat at the bar since that was open seating and there were no sit down tables available inside or on the patio. The restaurant will add you to the waitlist if you'd like! Food: My husband and I shared the deviled eggs appetizer, and "the burger" with grilled jalapeños and pepper jack cheese. The deviled wggs (satan's huevos) were good, and spicy because we chose the "hellfire" option. The burger was huge! I'm glad my husband I split it because there was no way I'd finish that burger on my own! We both left content and not stuffed.

My wife and I came here on a Saturday early afternoon. We were sat and handed brunch menus which…read moredidn't have the Philly cheese steak on it. We looked at the menu online prior to coming and knew that we both wanted to try the cheese steak, so this was a bit of a bummer. They waitress who was very attentive told us that we can't order from the full menu for another 30 minutes so we decided to wait rather than leave. Listen, I get it the idea of having a different menu for brunch, but why not post it on your website and state the specific times for each menu? Also, what difference does 30 minutes make? They couldn't fire up the grill 30 minutes early? It wasn't very busy. Anyways, now for the good part: When we were finally allowed to order our sandwiches they were absolutely amazing. The steak was high quality and the gooey cheese had a ton of flavor. What wasn't amazing however was the bill. $20 for a sandwich and a small portion of fries in Abilene is absolute insanity. What's even crazier is we were charged extra for a side of ranch! I understand you get what you pay for, and there's no arguing the quality of the sandwich was top notch, but at the end of the day it's still just a sandwich. If you're good with dropping nearly $60 (including tip) on lunch, then this is your spot. For me, I'll take my business elsewhere.