I drive the Vegas - Austin commute at least once a year, and I've always dreaded the distance…read morebetween Albuquerque and Austin... a long boring stretch with no interesting stops in between to give my weary body a break. I usually avoid going through Abilene but when I saw Grain Theory pop up on an online search, I was sufficiently hungry and needing a rest so I decided to take a different route and headed to downtown Abilene. I was pleasantly surprised at the cute downtown, even more excited to find a fashionable brewery with good food and chill vibes after a long day of driving. I had dinner in the outdoor area as the sun set, and this was a lovely way wrap my day.

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

Pretty good - easy atmosphere - didn't really like the food options and beer wasn't as cold as we…read moreremembered from our first time. But we would go back.

I saw a special the BCBG was running. Every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at lunch, sandwiches…read moreare BOGO free. Off we go! The dining room and full bar are very nice. A large covered patio and outdoor stage are great for live music. Some Sunday nights are blues jam, which I intend to go to! Anyway, the food was great. We tried the club, chicken sandwich, and the Bahn Mi. Excellent! We will definitely be back!

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.

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!

The food was beyond amazing. We ordered a couple of sirloins and the spinach dip all of it was…read moredelicious. The service was amazing, we never had to ask for anything.

Every was Delicious. Prime Rib was fantastic. The steak fries were different but very good…read more Fried mushrooms were excellent. Fried shrimp also great. Chicken fried steak very good. The backed potatoes were perfect. Over all excellent meal. Great server but I don't remember her name. Nice ambiance.

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!

Food was surprisingly very good! Always a little wary when it comes to hotel restaurants, but this…read moreplace exceeded our expectations. I will say that you could probably get away with sharing the 12 oz brisket between two people. The sides are designed to be shareable so it's pretty much built in. Brisket was tender, and sides complimented the meat. The server was very kind. Highly recommend as a date night spot.

This was the Thanksgiving buffet and it was horrible! Cold food tasting leftover with all the same…read moreflavor. Desserts were not set up properly. Was mixed up with cornbread display and not properly grouped and labeled. Tea was not refilled. Waitress never attentive. Employees visited each other mostly. Immediately got stomach cramps after eating I do not recommend this place.

Service: The baristas were friendly, but overwhelmed with the orders ahead of me. We waited about…read moremaybe 10 minutes for my lavender latte. Food: The signature Lavender Oat Milk Latte was really good. I felt like the latte was a tad too sweet for me, but my husband enjoyed it. The cafe has baked goods, but they're all purchased from Sam's Club (Member's Mark). They have a few frozen options in the freezer (Jimmy Dean's breakfast sandwich, corn dogs, etc.). Ambiance: Plenty of tables large and small to work on.

Sometimes you visit a city for the first time and are surprised by its charm. Abilene is closer…read morethan you think. My girlfriend and I are tragically long distance, so we decided to meet in the middle for our first halfway date. I never thought I'd take a day trip to Abilene, but for her and for us, I gladly drove the two and a half hours. Our first stop was at a beautiful coffee shop in downtown Abilene called Majestic Coffee Shop. It was our meet-up spot. The outside has a green rustic sign reading "MAJESTIC" that really grabs your eye, alongside the red bricks wrapping around the building. Inside, the space is beautiful. The dark brown wood walls give the place a sense of warmth, mixed with the abundance of potted plants and the black magnetic menu board listing all their options. There was also a chalkboard sign decorated with Halloween characters that showcased their fall menu. The space even had a few tabletop arcade machines, which enhanced the vibe quite a bit. My girlfriend and I both ordered a hot cinnamon roll latte, mine with oat milk. After we paid, we sat down and waited a few minutes longer than expected, even though no one was ahead of us. I thought it was fine. I don't think anything about this latte grabbed me in any direction. It was sugary, and the flavors definitely overpowered the coffee, but it wasn't bad by any means. I think Majestic has a really cool space overall, but I wasn't super impressed by their coffee. I'd come back just for the atmosphere, though. RIYL: Tabletop arcade games

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.

While walking through downtown Abilene and exploring all the incredible storybook statues, we…read morestopped for an afternoon pick-me-up. Monks wasn't on our busy afternoon itinerary, but once we saw its cute storefront, we knew we had to stop. Outside is their tarp sign, and on their windows was a touch of Halloween-themed decor. We immediately detoured to Monks and got in line. For a Saturday during midterms season, it was packed and there wasn't a single table available. There is plenty of seating at Monks, but it was truly full. Their coffee bar is long and narrow with touches of dark brown wood and black. My girlfriend, unsure what she wanted, asked the working barista what she recommended, and she suggested her current special (I love when specialty drinks are curated by individuals on the team). Her selection was an Irish Cream Mocha with a Caffè Ristretto shot, which she got iced. I ordered my standard lavender oat milk latte, but iced, which is abnormal for me. Being out in the sun made me want something more refreshing than a hot beverage could bring. They offered two sizes for iced coffee: 16 and 20 oz. My coffee was pretty good. I'm a huge fan of nugget ice, which is what they serve their iced coffee with, so I was already a fan. I also really enjoyed the flavors of my girlfriend's coffee after having a few sips. She seemed to really enjoy it. The merchandise section was really cool, with unique mugs and coffee-themed candles made in partnership with Abilene Candle Co. Monks will be a must-stop next time we are in Abilene. We were impressed by the staff's attentiveness, the excellent vibes of the coffee shop, and, of course, the high-quality flavors of the coffee. RIYL: Well-decorated coffee shops

One of my favorite coffee shops in Abilene! I've been here a few times and have loved each drink…read moreI've ordered. I have also come here to study and they had quick wifi and seats available with outlets. The staff are all super friendly as well. My favorite drink is an iced latte with toasted marshmallow and coconut syrup. Rate: 4:8/5