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!

Fun little nano brewery, directly next to a super great Airbnb (Opa's). Very nice and helpful…read morepeople working here, she gave me some local recommendations. We had such a fun time, there are some games, snacks, and fun brew flavors. My fave was the pickled beet sour. There was a pretty good turn out for the Thursday night trivia game. Very relaxed atmosphere, had some bags and giant Jenga outside and a fire pit. Definitely recommend this.

This place is a no brainer. A small brewery in a backyard, with a very well done taproom (small but…read morevery cool). Parking in the back, with Cornhole, washers, and a fire pit. This place is simple and amazing. Usually about 8 beers on tap, a few small bar food items (flatbreads, popcorn, etc). The beers are delicious and the owner is usually hanging around. Trivia is also available on Thursdays at 6pm which is a really good time. Recommend...all the beers! Literally haven't had a bad one here and I've tried a fair amount. Great place to go for a post dinner beer, or on a nice night to sit outside.

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.

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.

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!

Wide selections & great customer service! They always have a smile on when I walk in.read more

No greeting when we walked in, and turned us away when all 5 of us didn't have our ID's. We're all…read moreclearly above the age of 30. Absolutely ridiculous. "We can't make this sale" With a rude tone.

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.