Found this on a mini road trip. Nice cold beer always hits the spot…read more No food service, but does have a few bagged snacks to purchase if needed.

I kicked things off last Thursday night, At Bandera…read moreBrewery... something wasn't right. I gave their beers a hopeful toast... But it tasted like soap, with a hint of... ghost? First up: Ice Haus Ultra Lite, Which somehow managed to clean my palate... out of spite. It tasted like soap - no exaggeration - Like someone dry-hopped it with hotel sanitation. Then came the Mexican Lager, full of fizz, But the flavor? Honest to God - horse piss. Sharp on the nose, rough on the tongue, A cruel joke in a pint-sized stein slung. Last, the Strawberry Blond - a sweet little pour, That smacked of Runtz candy and lab-made decor. Artificial as a neon tan, More chemistry than strawberry jam. Now look, the staff was nice, the space was fine, The outdoor area? A decent time. But you go to a brewery for beer worth the sip, Not a ghostly, soapy, fruit-flavored trip. I wanted to love it - truly, I tried. But each glass left me a little more fried. Two stars for the effort, the charm, and the crew... But next round? We'll be drinking somewhere new.

This review is for other bands that might be thinking about playing at this venue…read more Directions: Finding the place from San Antonio is not difficult. Directions on the web appear to be accurate. When looking it up online, make sure you use the current address, 715 Main Street. Otherwise, you may get the old address, 702 TX-16. Simply take Route 16N to Bandera. When 16N meets Main St. in Bandera, turn right and go about five blocks. The venue isn't marked so you'll have to look for it by address, which is 715 Main St. That will be on the left side of the road. It's actually in the Best Western Motel. Load-In: We love this venue and the crowd is excellent. However, load-in ranks among the more difficult clubs. There are no tandem parking spots, so if you have a truck and trailer, you'll have to park horizontally across multiple parking spaces. If you're lucky, there will be sufficient empty spaces to allow you to park directly in front of the entrance. If not, you'll have to park along one of the side streets like Oak Street. You'll want to have some sort of cart to move your gear because there's a long switch-back ramp leading from the street to the entrance. If you are fortunate enough to get to park directly in front of the club, you will have to move your vehicle before you start the gig. We parked at the end of Oak Street on the left side. Note that there is parking behind the motel, but none of it is tandem. Stage: The stage is about six inches high and is about 8 feet deep and perhaps 12 feet wide. For some unfathomable reason, about a third of the stage on stage left has been sacrificed for a ramp leading from the floor to the stage level. Why you would need a ramp for a six-inch high stage escapes me. I'd much rather have the additional stage real estate than a useless ramp. But in spite of the tiny stage we managed to get the drums, the PA racks, the bassist and the guitar player on the stage. The PA stacks and monitors we set on the floor in front of the stage. I imagine any band with more than three pieces would have some difficulty fitting on the stage. Lighting: The venue does have a few stage lights. These will probably give you enough illumination at night to see what you're doing, but I suspect you'll want to use your own lights since you have no control over the venue's lights and they're not very atmospheric. Sound System: The club does have two small speakers suspended from the ceiling above the stage. Not sure if these are plugged into some sort of PA system, but we used our own PA since the ceiling speakers are much too small for a classic rock band. They would be fine for a single or duo acoustic act. Acoustics are about average. We noticed no serious echo or feedback issues. There were no problematic resonances. Layout: This is a very small venue and the band faces directly toward the bar, which is placed against the opposite wall, so you will want to watch your volume. The room is essentially a rectangle. Volume: We were able to bring our volume up to what we considered a comfortable level for a classic rock band with no issues. Comfort: The room has good air conditioning but the venue likes to leave the two front doors open to the outside so that people lounging in front of the club can hear the music. This reduces the effectiveness of the A/C as well as raising the humidity in the club to somewhat uncomfortable levels. Don't know if they continue this practice into the winter months. Miscellaneous: We broadcasted this gig via Facebook Live and had no trouble maintaining an Internet connection during the broadcast. Parking: As long as you're not trying to park a tandem unit, parking isn't much of a problem. However, as we mentioned above, tandem parking is non-existent. Venue Management: Pleasant and easy to work with. They're good people and we look forward to our next gig here. Overall: We had a very good gig. The crowd was enthusiastic and responsive. We are excited about the prospect of returning for another engagement.

Smoke free which is nice in Bandera. Good bands but dance floor needs work. Concrete but no wax so…read morehard to dance on. Could be a nice place to dance hope they make improvements.

Came here again to hear some live music! Singer songwriter style. Walker Hicks was playing and he…read morewas great. Service was super friendly! Plus they are dog friendly! Nice selection of beers and wine. All around great, low key bar to sit back and sip a few, chat with your neighbors and enjoy.

When in Bandera, stop by The First National Ice Hause for some great cold beer from The Bandera…read moreBrewery and some great music. All the vinyl records you can imagine! A nice place to relax with your friends and take a step back in time. This is a historic building that's definitely worth a stop while in Bandera!

Very unique place. Was told it was weird and don't go there so I immediately went. Drinks were…read moregreat bartenders were friendly. Definitely will go back.

The bar itself is cool and the outside patio looks very nice. BUT......the area where the band…read moreplayed Saturday night is cramped, which wouldn't have been bad if it wasn't super hot. Everyone was sweating and uncomfortable. Now for the bartender, Bryan. He was VERY sarcastic and rude!!! I've never experienced anything like it. Steer clear of this obnoxious guy!

This bar is the personification of a good ole honky tonk / biker bar should look and feel like…read more Great cold beer and always good conversation with the locals and visa/ versa. Live music is always a plus and it's 3 nights. Cutest shop in the bank bar. Such beautiful jewelry, hats, belts, T- shirts.

I must admit that I was taken aback when my friend said he was taking me to a place and I would…read morehave to cook my own meat. I could not have had a more pleasant experience. The place was packed but we still found a place to sit. Everyone was so friendly as we cooked our meal over the huge fire pits. It was fun to get a quick dance in while our meal was cooking. The band was great!

Great icehouse. Staff is awesome. Beer is ice cold. Very clean and upscale inside. Would definitely…read morego back!

This venue is so much fun. We are 40-45 and the crowd is typically older, but still a blast with…read moredancing and good old country live music. We definitely recommend everyone checking it out especially if you want to chill and people watch or dance the night away!!

Great place! Best bar food in Bandera! Good drinks, good food, great owners! Sit on the porch and…read moreenjoy!

Alana was rude, ignored a customer when they clearly told her I was before them. She needs to be…read moremore professional!

Exceptional service, beautiful ambiance and amazing experience for it to be our first time. The…read morefood is absolutely delicious . The owner and Michael made sure to come around and make sure we were enjoying our time. Highly recommend!!!

I've been a member here for almost two years. The club is something special in Boerne. The…read moreclientele are mostly business owners or prior business owners (men and woman). So, conversations are always meaningful and the drinks served both alcoholic and non are made by talented bar tenders. There is no food but ask and they will give you some peanut butter filled pretzels. See their Instagram page for latest events. The owner installed multiple smoke eaters which really helps with the cigar smoke. Every room just spills "classy" all over it.