Everything went well. Marvelous atmosphere. Great service and even better food. We had the Prime…read moreRib Dip. Fabulous. More than enough to satiate a hearty appetite. Two dipping sauces. The only bad thing was that we were too full for a dessert. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, "We'll be back!" (Oh yeah, they had a super looking bar as well!)

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.

I will forever be amazed by cool places, especially when they appear in unexpected cities like…read moreAbilene. Located on the second story of a beautiful building in downtown Abilene sits Grain Theory, a brewpub and coffee shop towering over the city. It is a mixed indoor-outdoor space with plenty of shaded outdoor and cooled indoor seating. Looking at their tap list, my girlfriend and I were impressed by their unique beers to try. I started with the Strawberry Peach Tonic (Fruited Hard Seltzer) and she had a Bella Rose (Rosé IPA). Both were served in cool glasses, with mine being tall and skinny and hers being almost like a wine glass. Shocking to nobody, mine was quite fruity while her Rosé IPA was hoppy with an underlying rosé flavor. Next, I ordered their Oktoberfest (German Märzen) and she had their Season's End (Belgian Dubbel). She described her drink as tasting like a Biscoff cookie. My Oktoberfest was quite malty, and I was a big fan. To close, we both ordered their Luscent (Belgian Table Beer) because small beers are back in fashion and I wanted to try it. It was obviously very light but still had a good flavor that was very bready. Nice and easy to close out our drinks with. They also have food and coffee that we didn't try, but the food looked sensational from what we saw others eating. They also have plenty of board games and card games to play while you're at the brewery and many beers available to take to-go. My only minor complaint is the lack of TVs in the brewery. Maybe it's a purposeful decision, but Texas Tech was playing football, and it would be a great place to watch the game. The bartenders are very friendly and willing to let you try and sample as many beers as you need to make your decision. Grain Theory feels like the kind of place every small Texas city wishes it had. I am very excited to come back here and try more beers, especially with how excellent the space is. RIYL: Cool-shaped beer glasses or a rooftop bar

Okay, on a whim, we stopped by after a Firefighter pension conference. The place is clean, relaxed,…read moreand the people are friendly. We ordered the buffalo chicken fries and the bratwurst. We also had the Wayfinder beer and a double express (yes, I had both). The fries were perfectly balanced with a touch of heat and a hint of blue cheese flavor. With the Wayfinder Pilsner, it was AMAZING! The bratwurst was traditional in its meat, with sweetness added to the onions. Mustard was mild but added the right amount of flavor. Altogether, I would eat here once a week if I lived in the community. Delicious and highly recommended!

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!

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.

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!

Don't judge the place when you pull up to it. Go inside and enjoy great food, great service, good…read moredrinks and interior. On July 1, I found the pork chop plate to kill for. Two good-sized chop with wonderful taste and perfect texture. Wife had Country Fried Steak that was okay but she raved about the Blu Bahama drink! Sara B was our attentive and awesome waitstaff! She was great! We will be driving over an hour to come back for more!!

Interesting place......fun atmosphere, excellent wait staff. Launa was our server and kept our…read moredrinks full like a champ! Very friendly and helpful on drink and food menu. We ordered the cheese curds which were good, no issues and the burger with bacon and egg was pretty dang solid! Fries were as fries should be as well! Salads leave a little to the imagination. All the Mixed greens were a bit much and needed a better variety of veggies with the salad. Overall a fun hangout so it seems.

I'm always eager to try a new place in Abilene! I'll start by saying the service was spectacular…read moreand it was incredibly clean inside. Our waiter truly was so personable, attentive, and kind! The outdoor atmosphere is a huge plus here as well. Overall, I'd consider this place a good option for appetizers and drinks specifically. We tried their Bacon Gouda Mac & Cheese bites with the jalopeno ranch and creole sauce to dip in and it was delicious!! Their fried pickles were also delicious! I wasn't as impressed with our meals. I really wish that the Mac & cheese side had been the same as the inside of the Mac & cheese bites and our wraps were on the smaller & dryer side. Their grilled chicken on the other hand was great! This place absolutely has the potential to be 5 stars if the meals were to get a lil extra love to them.

My wife and I tried this place on a Sunday afternoon. Is this a bar that happens to serve food, but…read moreits specialty is drinks? Or is this a restaurant with an immense bar? If the former is true, it makes sense that the food is not impressive. But if the latter is the case, then I assume there is a problem in the kitchen. If you see this place from the outside, your expectations rise since it is aesthetically pleasant. The inside could be more enchanting but needs consultation from an interior designer. There were two other families in the dining room, yet it took 42 minutes for our food to arrive at our table. How long should it take to open a mixed salad bag from HEB and put it on the plate? On the other hand, two things were fantastic: The meat over the salad (which was on point) and the chicken sandwich bread. I would try this place again because it is not overpriced, and we all deserve a second chance.

Nice staff! Great vibe and ice cold beer on tap! The Guitar Man was playing music and taking…read morerequests so it was a great night!

I got the mango halbenero wings with fries and a club sandwich tonight. It was so good! Jill was…read morethe bar tender tonight. Beat service!