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.

Slow wait staff. Limited brunch menu and no substitutions. Example flour tortillas instead of…read morecorn. Same goes for the sandwich bread. Our food was cold. Eggs must have been sitting for awhile and were cold as could be. Bacon was not cooked and looked like it barely saw the grill.. There are better options for brunch. Won't be back!

Great bartender!! Good drinks! We were large group & we had so much fun. Thank you & we will be…read moreback.

What a find here. Drinks were wonderful with a great selection to choose from off the happy hour…read moremenu. Service was outstanding. Our bar tender, Michael was very attentive and personable. This place has an upscale feel without the price. Whiskey sour with egg whites, Old fashion, New York Sour were all excellent. Had to have two of everything minimum to make sure they were that good and they were.

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 bar in downtown Abilene with a great blend of sophistication, but friendly, non-pretentious…read moredisposition in gothic, historic confines. Servers friendly, hip and stimulating. This is a gem. We will return.

Really liked my campfire old fashioned. Plenty of cush seating, nice bar area, and good tunes…read moreplaying. Great selection of cocktails.

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!

Gave them another try! Service was a bit slow initially, which I think is due to the seat yourself…read moreatmosphere. Live music! Kitchen closes by 9, so if you're there for food like I am then make sure you make it in time! Tried their burger and fried pickles this time. Their sourdough bun was great, fresh toppings, the pepper jack cheese was perfectly melted on the burger! I'd honestly happily come back and order this! They are a part of a local burger contest, and I can understand why. Loved the Cajun seasoning on the fried pickles. The fried macaroni I tried last time gave a bad impression, but the food here is enjoyable!

I arrived at the Abilene location with a sense of familiarity and quiet optimism, the kind that…read morecomes from years of loyalty dating back to the brand's earlier days in Florida. Unfortunately, what followed felt less like a return to a favorite and more like a reminder of how far a once-reliable experience can drift. The dining room was modestly busy primarily four-top tables already filled yet the pace at the entrance suggested a restaurant operating beyond its rhythm. I waited to be seated while the staff moved with the weary urgency of a team stretched thin. When I was finally shown to my table, the tone was set: my server appeared courteous, but understandably worn, as though the evening had already asked too much. The meal itself mirrored the atmosphere. The shrimp appetizer arrived first -- competent, but uninspired. Perfectly acceptable, yet lacking the brightness or seasoning that might make it memorable. It did its job, but no more. The chicken sandwich followed, and here the disappointment settled in. It was serviceable, but noticeably removed from the quality and character I remembered. The texture, the flavor, the overall execution all felt diminished, as if the recipe remained but the care had quietly left the kitchen. By the end of the visit, the experience began to explain the lower online reviews. Nothing was outright poor, yet nothing rose above ordinary. And for a brand that once stood out, ordinary feels like a missed opportunity. There is clearly a strong foundation here, one built over years and loyal customers who remember when the food and service carried more energy and consistency. Perhaps the path forward isn't reinvention, but a return. A return to the standards, the recipes, and the attention that made this location worth the visit in the first place. But then again, what do I know? I'm just someone who's been coming back since the Florida days, hoping to taste what made it special.

I now understand why Hooters filed bankruptcy. I was in Abilene on business and stopped by to get…read morea beer and some wings. First, they were out of Blue Moon beer. How does any serious restaurant run out of a key product? That's an issue of poor management. Secondly, it took about twelve minutes for me to finally get a menu from Ambria. Just ridiculously bad service. The food finally arrived and it was good. One other thing- someone had a dog with them in the restaurant that barked and barked and barked. I love dogs but this was just silly. I will never return to this unit.

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

Outsider I got in to town late and was looking for some good…read moreeats on a Monday evening. Blue Barrel was close by. When I pulled in it looked like they were closed due to little signage and low lighting. There are a few people dining and I grabbed a spot at the bar. Ordered a drink to start and it was so-so. I got the carnitas fries as that seemed to be a popular item. They were mediocre as well. Staff was friendly but not too attentative. Service was quick. I'd check out other spots if back in town.

Looking for a place to watch the game in Abilene? Look no further, Blu Barrel is the spot!…read more We stayed in Abilene for 1 night on a road trip and were looking for a place to watch some football and wow we were impressed with this place! If only it was here during my ACU years. Dozens of TVs , quick and friendly service, and good food! I don't like pickles usually but their fried pickles my husband ordered were quite good and I couldn't stop grabbing more. I got the club sandwich which was just perfect. Highly recommend this establishment.

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.

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.

Just driving through Abilene and serendipitously discovered this amazing place. I wasn't expecting…read moresuch good and reasonably priced pizza in this little corner of Texas. The jalapeno pepper jelly condiment hit the spot! At least one of the employees here is from the East Bay in California. They have a large selection of Californian wines here. I mean that's all they have on their wine menu - California. No wines from anywhere else. Not that I'm complaining.