Waterloo Ice House

Sad, sad, sad news! Just called and Waterloo is no more! Ahhhh! CHRISTINA! This was my favorite location but I’m sure the other locations will be as great!

Of the couple locations of the Austin original. this one is my favorite. Service & food are both good, but not great, but they are local spot, and those are getting RARE these days. The burgers are good, the fries are better. The triple decker quesadilla is pretty good too. The queso blanco is surprisingly flavorful, the salsa is not good though. Don’t bother. The wings are popular, and tasty, though I’m not a wing fan. They have pretty good sweet potato fries.

Okay, this review is written from the perspective of a native Austinite who has been enjoying Waterloo Icehouse for over 20 years. I’ve never had a bad meal at Waterloo. Their original chicken sandwich is still my favorite but most of the menu items will please me. The plates are generous portions of local comfort foods including turkey meatloaf, enchiladas, and fried catfish to name a few. They also serve Maine Root cane sugar sodas on tap. The orange and cream flavors mixed to make a creamsicle is yummy. Just ask the server to mix you one up. The fries are fresh cut and yummy. And they are open until 2:00am.
Don’t miss this Austin original for some good comfort food.

I do not know what it is about this spot that makes me want to never return, the bar-​tending service was friendly, but after going to a few Waterloo’s. I feel they are always empty. No matter when I go or where. last time was the Trivia night and there were about 5 people inside. I just can never vibe with the atmosphere I guess, the food is your generic cheap grub, wings are decent. beers are cold. You get 25 percent off your bill for checking in on Unilocal.I just feel bad for Kate D’s story on this one…
I have tried to many times.
Ohh, and lets not mention the dude playing with an Out the Front Automatic Switch Blade at the bar who appeared heavily intoxicated and kept touching my jacket saying it was «sooo soft» — lets keep pouring him shots of Jameson since he is your friend… GREAT IDEA.
I’m all set with you, Waterloo…

«Meh it’s just okay here, the burgers are your best bet»
At the corner of Medical parkway and 38^th street their lives a Waterloo where you basically seat yourself and can occasionally watch a cover band in the evening. The staff is friendly, making sure you constantly have what you need (if it’s slow… although I’ve never really been here when it’s packed since I usually come for lunch).
If you order a chicken item on the menu, be prepared for a lot of chicken. I’m always in shock by the amount of poultry splayed out in front of me. Personally, burgers are the way to go here, especially for dinner. They’re nothing spectacular, but far better than some of the other menu items. On a lighter and more healthy note, the salads are decent.
As far as lunch goes, the tacos are pretty tasty. Don’t forget to order some queso and salsa. One of the few things I’m impressed with at this location is the salsa. It actually has some spice versus the numerous restaurants that should advertise their stuff as Pace or jalapeño-​less salsa.
If you’re nearby, this is a decent lunch place to meet up with a few friends. There’s usually always parking and you can count on quick service.

Free beer for new daddies, free food poisoning for their pregnant sisters!
I took my brother here for dinner after the stressful birth of his first daughter (are any births NOT stressful?) He wolfed down his chili cheeseburger, as someone who hasn’t eaten real food in days is wont to do, and I had half of a burger with a fried egg and bacon on it. I thought the only problem was that the meat had ZERO flavor, but I was so wrong. Luckily, new daddy escaped with just a tummy rumble, but I spent a good amount of time on the toilet regretting my decision. It was either the egg or the tater tots (not the tots!). Hopefully new mommy’s baked potato and milkshake wasn’t similarly contaminated. Thanks a lot, Waterloo.

Farm Burger with Onion Rings and a great Hefe-​wesien…
.what? I need to say more? Okay… we come here for meetings every now and then and we are never let down on the great service and the local specials on the menu.
Happy hour is a blast and the bands are always great. I watch little kids dance like adults and adults dance like.uhhh. little kids.
The staff is always helpful and attentive to details, specifically, someone in our group ordered the roasted chicken and the waitress was great enough to explain that this entrée would take longer to prepare and cook. My friend did not mind waiting and he appreciated the honesty. (it was better than holding up ALL of our meals and not telling us why)
We tipped well and left FULL. in case you missed it: Farm Burger with Onion Rings and a great Hefe-​wesien… (try it)

Had an excellent Bloody Mary and bowl of tortilla soup. Our waiter was so hospitable and the manager even came to check on us and say hello. My husband enjoyed his cup of chili and all of the food around us looked and smelled wonderful. We will definitely come back again. We also saw advertisements or poker, open mic and Beatles night?!

So I’ve decided to boost my rating by a star and thats because it takes a lot to earn a 5 star and usually goes to those expensive places, lol. We were invited back, based on my last review and we gladly accepted. I always have more respect for places when they reach out to their reviewers, be it good or bad. Kudos to a responsive management.
I will admit that the Frozen Margs are really, really good! I had two.
The staff was also still very friendly and quick. The place was more busy than last time, quite a bit more actually, but the staff was right on top of all of our needs.
I imagine we will be back again to celebrate another happy hour.

I’ve been here two times recently and haven’t been impressed either way. We always seem to find a table that is the least dirty, but still features mystery globs of whatnot and condensation from the previous diners’ drinks. The last tme we went, our server seemed annoyed we asked to have it wiped down.
I don’t mind places where you seat yourself, but both times it was confusing which server was taking care of us– like we were in the middle of some kind of turf war. I’m not sure if they have designated sections or if they «look out» for each others’ sections, but we’ve been caught in the whole, «Oh. She already took our order,» kind of mess.
The food is all right. The breaded and fried stuff can be a little too greasy at times. The burgers are pretty tasty. We’ve also had some of the breakfast items. Again, not much to write home about.
It is a decent place for a quick in and out meal– you just have to get over the fact it is like going over to a friend’s house with messy roommates. Ample parking, ample seating. Your food comes quick once you order, if you can figure out who you’re ordering from in the first place.

I stopped in with a friend because we were looking for a Bloody Mary on a Saturday afternoon. We ordered a couple and an order of cheese fries. The bloody Mary/​ies were adequate, but for whatever reason this place doesn’t have Tabasco and they could have been spicier. The cheese fries were a joke. Over five bucks for a small portion of old fries. Better than nothing, I guess, but I can’t really suggest this place.
Oh, they have a giant Jenga set, we saw some kids playing with it. I guess that is cool.

Waterloo is not a restaurant. It tricks you into thinking it is a restaurant, but the grub that comes out of the kitchen is not of edible quality. I went in for happy hour to see what the $ 2 off appetizers was all about. I also noticed that the service was slow as could be.
Then, I ordered up some queso and salsa. At $ 6+, tip etc. additional, I found it to be quite overpriced and of low quality. The queso was not bad, a little small and boring, though I did like the white cheese. The salsa was extremely bland, and all I tasted was a throat-​burning spice. No complexity and undoubtedly watered down.
The chicken taco salad, running at $ 9.50, is absolutely outrageous… in a BAD way. Outrageous usually connotes «great!» in food terms, but not in this case. There were some dried grilled chicken chunks, tiny garnishes of pico, black beans, and a dab of guac. Yikes.
I was just so displeased with the slow service, lack of seasoning, and overall unengaged kitchen. Mediocrity at its finest.
Waterloo, I would not eat you with a fork, I would not eat you with a spork. I would not eat you with a deal, I would not eat you for a meal.

I have been here a total of three times. Mainly just as unplanned visits, though now I think I will be coming more often. The food is pretty good and they make a strong push for live music, trivia night, karaōke, and open mic nights.
If you tried going to Kerbey Lane Café for breakfast and is too crowded/​long wait, Waterloo is really close and good to have in the area. Vice versa if Waterloo gets crowded.
The parking is easy to get in and out, and on to 38^th or Medical.
Big patio wraps around the building, make sure you speak to a server first so they know youre out there. The indoor/​outdoor patio has a glass garage door which can be opened up in good weather or closed off when its hot or windy. Nice feature.
Some crazies mill about the hospital across the street and are fun to people watch from the safety of this patio.

For some strange reason, it appears that the Unilocal editing engine refuses to let you use all caps right off the bat and throughout an entire review. I have no idea how it decides what is the proper usage of caps, but apparently it’s ok to do as I have done below as long as I preempted my witty repartee with this nice mostly-​lowercase paragraph here. Ergo —
E: ARE THESE TORTILLAS CORN?
R: I ASKED FOR FRIES, NOT TATER TOTS
E: ARE THERE ANY FORKS IN THIS JOINT?
R: DID YOU SAY «FREAKS?»
E: NO, I SAID… NEVERMIND.
R: HE’S A GREAT GUITARIST, ISN’T HE?
E: YES, I THINK SO TOO.
R: DID YOU ASK FOR CORN TORTILLAS?
E: «TURTLES?»
R: NO, I SAID… NEVERMIND.
E: CHECK, PLEASE.

Service, very good. Food not bad. Prices very reasonable — entrée, salad and side of real mashed potatoes and steamed veggies (broccoli and carrots were steamed perfectly) was just under $ 10.00.
Atmosphere is casual and friendly, with classic rock on the PA, TVs spread around for watching games, and local art and photography on the walls. There is indoor, outdoor and covered seating in an area with overhead doors which can be opened to accommodate the weather.
It seems like there is a lot of bagging on the service here in the Unilocal!reviews. I have always had good service here. Today, I was greeted before I sat down even though it was self serve seating and I sat at a less than obvious spot. The server was friendly and brought my food at just the right times. My drink was never empty but I never felt hovered over. If I could rate service separately, it would be 4 stars.
I’m giving it 3 stars because it is a three star kind of place. I don’t need award-​winning every time I go out to eat. Sometimes, Waterloo is exactly what I want.

Here’s what I like about this Waterloo Ice House location:
1) Convenience… it’s right in the heart of the medical center, so it makes a great place to stop off after a medical appointment for a self-​indulgent reward for good behavior, or on your way home from work for happy hour (possibly for the same reason?);
2) Live music… tonight (and every Wednesday night currently, according to a tent placard) the Eggmen (popular local Beatles cover band) were playing an all acoustic set of Beatles tunes. They host a lot of singer-​songwriter types as well;
3) Quirk factor… this location is tiny, with an enclosed patio, but is one of the Austin original locations, decorated with chewed apart boats from Town Lake on the outside, & old photos of local musicians & fun people on the inside. It used to be big enough to hold everyone it needed to, until everyone moved to Austin. Furniture is early Austin rustic;
4) Variety of food on the menu… basically, a hamburger & Austin style taco place with a decent variety of beers on tap. They have veggie burgers and onion rings made with real whole onions, not some chopped & formed garbage. The rest of my family eats the variety of «real» burgers with cut fries & likes them.
Fellow Unilocalers on here have been complaining about the food & service lately, but tonight, both were great. This isn’t supposed to be foodie heaven; it’s supposed to be a neighborhood burger & music hangout. Just sayin’. ;-)

Another Austin experience. Since I last played here 3 years ago, the restaurant renovated and the staff of course experienced major turnover. I arrived at 7 PM, ready to hang out with my bandmates, friends, and nosh before we played at 8. We took over the middle of the restaurant as another band wrapped up its set, and I indulged in my terribly bad for me but delicious chicken stuffed fried jalapenos for dinner.
Meanwhile, the group trickled in and we had our little cheering section. I picked up my flute and played with Ptarmigan for the first time in so long and it was just incredible to hear those Irish jigs and folk tunes again. I really miss being here every week like I was when I lived in Austin. If you are ever in the area on a Wednesday at 8 PM, ride on over for 2 hours of beautiful and sometimes lively music while you have a tasty meal.

Waterloo, go back to your old (good) ways. The new ‘table service’ format ain’t working.
I’ve been eating at this Waterloo for well over a decade. Since the owners painted the place and spruced it up a bit, it’s been horrible. One thing they eliminated at this location was walking up to the counter to order and pick up your food. Now there are waitpeople that take your order and serve you. It ISN’T working. Went there twice in the past week — waited and waited for a server on both occasions. Last visit we had to ask someone walking around who seemed officious to get our waiter.
He took our order wrong — and didn’t care to mention that they were our of a side order. Just brought what he thought we would like! We had to ask for silverware. The food was OK — lukewarm chicken sandwiches. Oh and no refills on our teas. Nice!
C’mon. Training your people is part of running a decent business. Get it together!

Enormous menu selection but totally pedestrian food.
I asked the waitress if the macaroni was good — she said it was great — it’s watery and awful.

Walked in and headed to the front counter to order. Whoops. No more front counter ordering. Turned around and headed to a booth. Got a menu. Looked inside. Everything was either fried or heavy food.
Asked for tortilla soup thinking that would be a light meal. Server said okay. I asked what comes with the soup. Server said nothing but a few tortilla strips. I asked about cheese, pico de gallo and diced avocados. Nope. It is a cream based soup. What the f**k? Get a rope. This is not the tortilla soup I grew up with in Texas. Ended up with a plate of black beans, broccoli and onion rings.
Meh.