The Drungo Ice House

I tried an amazing seafood variety platter and it was amazing.
Mystery beer night was a bit odd (bunch of bottles hidden and the bartender reaches in and whatever he grabs is yours for 2 bucks, it could be a Sierra Nevada or a Nat. Light
:(

I showed up to Drungo for the Geeks Who Drink Pub Trivia last month. After ordering a few over priced drinks and a grilled cheese sammich which was entirely too greasy (though the fries were yummy), I went to pay my tab at the end of trivia. I remember thinking to myself that $ 30 seemed like a lot of money for dinner and drinks just for myself, but chalked it up to being my fault for not paying closer attention to the prices of the drinks.
Two weeks later I check my bank account to find two charges from Drungo. One for my actual tab and another for $ 10. The charges were not pending, but actually posted as debited from my bank account. Thinking this may have just been an honest mistake, I call Drungo’s and speak to a manager who feeds me a BS line about how banks sometimes pull out an extra $ 10 or $ 20 for a «preauthorization» on a tab, but that the charge would be gone in the next couple of days. I realize this is sometimes true, but that preauthorization charge only appears as pending until the charge for the actual check is posted as debited from your bank account. The manager says he’ll call the bank to find out what happened and took my name and number and says he’ll call me back before the end of the day.
Flash forward another week. I never heard back from the manager and the charge is STILL posted to my bank account. I think this may be the first time I’ll take a step beyond Unilocal and report a business to the BBB for flat out STEALING from me and doing nothing to rectify the situation.
Anything redeeming qualities about this place don’t deserve mentioning because of the shady way they do business.

POSITIVE:
Friendly staff, good food, free pool, free darts, free WI-​FI, pet friendly
NEGATIVE:
One Pool table, not alot of parking and BAD selection of music in the Jukebox — they need to REALLY update the music in there especially being so close to campus — half the UT kids wouldn’t know who Johnny Cash is…;-)

There are plenty of places in Austin where one can hang out, have a beer, and mooch wireless. But Drungo Ice House is a special place. It has a great, low-​key, local hangout vibe which makes it a nice place to grab a meal or have an afternoon drink.
There are several things that make this place special in my mind. For one thing, the food is really delicious. Yes, the menu has changed since the grand opening and they removed pizza — my favorite food ever — but I have never had a meal or appetizer there that I didn’t enjoy. I even love their tortilla chips. They’re clearly doing something right if their tortilla chips stand out in a Tex-​Mex city like Austin.
The bar has drink specials every day they do a good job of rotating available beers. I’ve never had any complaints about the staff. In fact, they seem to go out of their way to make sure you enjoy your visit.
These are all great qualities in a bar/​restaurant. But what I really love is that, most times I’ve gone, the owner has been there and socialized with customers in a really friendly, non-​marketing capacity. He introduces himself and chats but never pressures customers or stays at your table longer than he thinks is necessary. There’s something really special about owners spending time at their own businesses. It shows they really believe in the place and care about improving it.
This building has housed many businesses over the years and I’m glad to see that they’ve successfully finished their first year (plus!) and that Drungo continues to be a great place to spend time.

Things that are lovely: Trivia night is a hello of a good time, beer specials are always good, and it’s got a casual atmosphere that is great for after-​work happy hours (which is mostly when I attend). Has a decent amount of parking, as well.
Things that are not-​so-​lovely: The food has been sub-​par in my experience. The cheese fries are quite tasty, but anything more complicated than that has never been successful for me. I have only had burgers and the grilled cheese, though, and some friends of mine do enjoy the salads.
I usually go for trivia night or happy hour with friends, but get dinner elsewhere.

A solid hang out place. We actually went here to study, and maybe not the best environment for that. More hanging out and drinking, darts and pool kinda place.
A friend recommended it in place of our normal ‘hang-​out’ place The Flying Saucer, and it was a pleasant change. We will probably be back. Good beer selection, but not as good as Flying Saucer, good food (the cheese fries were awesome).
It’s hard to rank a place like this, because I am not sure what they would have to do increase the ratings. It is a solid place for what it does and in that regard, not exactly 4 stars, but at the moment, it is a-​ok. So 3 stars it is.

I have been to Drungo’s twice. The first time was New Year’s Eve, I know we are so exciting! They weren’t doing anything and were actually closing up so it was a welcome relief from what would have been had elsewhere.
I worked across the street at the time so a lot of my coworkers would go after work, its a really great spot for hanging out with friends and drinking a beer.
My experiences was great, the bartenders are really nice and laid back. I don’t drink beer so I can’t tell you about that and I honestly didn’t know they had that much food there until reading some of the other reviews. But my experience was really great staff and the most comfortable couch ever to sit and talk on.
Also since I worked nights it was always fun to sit in the window across the street and people watch, especially when they had Bike Appreciation nights because they would do tricks in the middle of Rio Grande.
Oh yeah and they have horseshoes.

I found this place here on Unilocal thanks to their weekly email. it was near where I planned to eat lunch. especially liked the lunch menu of six items under $ 6.
the place was mostly empty and you order from the bar, we sat in a booth that was too well lit, the table was sticky and a few flies kept bothering us.
I placed the order and I was given a list of side dish options, including salad. I selected salad and was given a choice of asian, house or caesar. I chose the caeser, the bartender asked me what dressing I wanted on that, «uh… caesar dressing».
the BLT&A was great. this was a really good as were the fries with old bay. my chicken sandwich was pretty good but we found a bone in the breast. caeser was decent too. also had chips and salsa/​queso. the chips were stale (too chewy)
we were reasonably satisfied with our food and decided not to issue opinion until we returned to enjoy some of the great selection of draft beers. the bill seemed larger than the $ 6 per should have offered, I found that my $ 6 chicken sandwich was $ 8.45, this was attributed to the fact that I got the caesar that was one of my choices of sides… because. the lunch came to around $ 24.
then, this morning I checked my bank balance. it said I was negative $ 674. «how could this be» I wondered. then at the top of the page was a pending debit from drongo for $ 1k, (ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS). I had to run to the bank and cough up cash to get my account to show positive.
first thing I did was call drongo. the guy on the phone seemed concerned and did apologize, asked for my phone number so he can call me back after he calls his credit card processing company. four hours later and I have not received that call. my bank said I am helpless to do anything but wait till midnight and see if it hard posts or goes away (it should go away)
(update from next morning, the charge is still on my acct)
(update from friday eve, over 48 hrs after my lunch on wed and the $ 1K debit to my account has NOT been removed…)
I hit all dollar marks on the price indicator as $ 1k is a lot to pay for lunch
update: I just received a call from the manager and he did sincerely apologize but had no real answer for the error. said they charge should drop off tonight, as well as the $ 24 for my meal.
free food always tastes better, I’ll make good on my original pledge to go back to have a black/​tan or the likes. but I’ll probably pay with cash.

I don’t live anywhere near campus but I love biking all the way out towards campus to enjoy this place. A great icehouse with good prices, bike friendly (they let you bring your bike IN the outside bar… awesome) and decent food. Lots of fried/​bar options, but also other things too. Check out the ‘special’ board, cheap beers too.
Usually if we go here it’s before or after a ride so we are usually just fueling up with drinkable carbs anyhow. Nice mixed crowd of students and folks from the neighborhood. And it doesn’t feel overall ‘sporty’ with TV’s everywhere!

I recommend the cheese fries, which are lightly battered, then fried, then sprinkled with fine cheddar cheese and baked to a perfect, melted masterpiece.
Former LoveJoy’s founder Chip Tait brought many elements of LoveJoy’s over to Drungo (great beer menu, full bar, customer oriented staff, pool, darts) but created a more relaxed, open and family friendly place in Drungo. (Kids’ menu, open space, a relaxed family atmosphere, closed porch, TV’s)
The kicker to this place? The little cabinet on the side wall that hides the kids toys! Our 4 yr old played Legos through the entire UT game.
It’s the little things. Thanks Chip!

One thing’s for sure. The Drungo Ice House definitely knows how to entice people to relax. You can sit at a table in the outdoor patio, at an indoor four-​seater, in a booth, and even a retro-​styled couch which affords you a perfect view of the CD jukebox, the pool table, and the dartboards. Next time I need a place to duck into to wait out a rain storm similar to what we had this past Tuesday I’ll look no further.
However, the food and service need to catch up to the commitment to aesthetic if it’s going to stick around much longer. For example, upon walking in the door I asked one member of the staff if I could grab a table anywhere. He confirmed that I could, and handed me a menu. I went to a booth and sat for several minutes until finally, a female member of the crew asked if I was waiting for someone. I said it was only me, which prompted her to inform me you place your order at the bar. The guy who handed me the menu could’ve informed me of that. Don’t feel like I needed to pry that piece of info out of anyone given it was my first time and I can be forgiven for not instantly knowing the concept. The lady apologized for not clarifying that for me and proceeded to take my order.
I opened with their Caesar salad. Agreeable enough offering. Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, Caesar dressing, and croutons. The croutons had an appealing taste and appearance. Definitely not like what you’d get from a box at the grocery store. Zestful cheese. Dressing had punch without spoiling the smooth taste of the other components. Nice foundation to a meal.
For the main course, since I hadn’t had one in ages, I chose the fried Gulf shrimp Po’ Boy. Their usual oyster Po’ Boy comes to $ 8.95. Tack on an added $ 2.50 for the shrimp substitution. I had to detach the shrimp from the huge toasted French roll they were presented in because, über-​doofus that I am, I neglected to account for the fact the tails were still attached. Turned into a eat the fish, pull the tail at the same time sort of activity. Slaw is nestled beneath it. Likable but I have had better in Biloxi whilst on vacation.
All burgers and sandwiches come with either Old Bay seasoned fries, Cole slaw, or potato salad. I decided on potato salad which suffered from the same fate I’ve had to endure with Cole slaw at other restaurants… a preponderance of black pepper. I know it’s supposed to lend some attitude to what might be thought of as a somewhat dull side dish but come on, does it have to be swimming in the stuff? Makes me have to be overly cautious about how much I bite into at once. Luckily I had pink lemonade to douse the tingling. Come to think of it the drink ended up being the most favorable part of the meal, which isn’t exactly a high compliment. The slaw had copious black pepper too. If you have to go to such extra effort to liven up a side dish that doesn’t make me feel like it’s all that memorable. Please allow me to taste and therefore have a chance to appreciate what I’m swallowing, ‘kay?
The meal came to a grand (or given the quality of what I just ate should I say mediocre?) total of $ 22.88. That’s a shade too much for what amounts to a funked up slacker hangout. Atmosphere’s an important start. The Drungo Ice House needs to work on follow-​through or we’ll soon be wondering what’s going to take its place in that location.

I really like this place. My spouse and I went on Sunday after seeing Wicked. They close at midnight but the kitchen closes at 11. We arrived at 1030, were not rushed to place our order. The food was delicious. I really enjoyed the crab dip and my hubby cheese fries were huge and awesome. My only problem was that the bread for the crab dip was too crisp, and the sangria too strong. It had an amazing amount of beer and I am already anticipating my next meal there.

Drungo is the unlikely Chi O that makes the final cut during rush week who turns out to be this glorious dreamer and really likes to put out. What I mean is, Drungo mos def isn’t as sexy as Cuatros, or as classic as Cain & Abel’s, or an old grinder like Hole In the Wall.
But Drungo is definitely a player in the west campus market.
Cheap buckets of beer, Live Oak Hefe on tap, half-​price apps on saturday (and the good shit too — steamed peel and eat shrimp, black bean soup, bacon and jap cheese fries, etc), and a glorious patio overlooking the bustle of the 29^th and Guadalupe intersection.
Fantastic day drinking spot in a town that virtually created day drinking.

Go on Wednesdays for Trivia Night! My friends and I always have a good time although we have yet to win, oh well!
Good beer specials, delicious burger and fries! Oh and I had an avocado BLT, or something along those lines, once, and it was amazing. I agree with Liz B., what was up with that queso? I’m pretty sure it was melted Velveeta…
I love the patio area, even in the winter it hasn’t been that cold with the heaters out there. The guy who runs the trivia is pretty entertaining. Pretty chill atmosphere, a great near campus alternative to Cain’s when you’re looking for something close but a little quieter. Go check it out!

DAMNIT!
Jebus Las Vegas, people! Pay attention!
When are restaurant owners going to learn to NOT listen to the customers?!
Ok. I was going to bump this place up to 4 – 5 stars. I’d been there a few more times and really enjoyed my food and service even more than the previous visits.
BUT, on a lovely day I took a ride and ended up at the Drungo for lunch yet again. I was terribly excited about trying the crabcake burger.
«Nope, we don’t carry that anymore.»
??
Ok. Well, Maybe I’ll try that really great-​sounding seafood pizza.
«We don’t have pizzas.»
Grrr…
Well, then, I guess I’ll just go with my go-​to for this place, the crab balls.
«Um…yeah, we don’t have those either.»
!@$%&*%(#!!
WTF?!
Are you kidding me?!
You just took away ALL the things that made you cool and different from most other beer and food joints in Austin.
Frantically, I searched over your new menu, trying to find something of a saving grace that interested me. It wasn’t there. The only thing that is on the menu that had crab anymore is the crab dip, and that ain’t lunch.
I realize that maybe the business wasn’t what you were hoping for, but these are also difficult times for all of us. Leaning back toward mediocrity because it’s what you think the customer wants isn’t the answer.
I want my Drungo’s back!

My boyfriend and I stopped by Drugo’s for a bite and a beer before heading downtown. The place has a decent patio area, but we sat inside since it was chilly out. The inside was pretty neat; makes you feel like you’re in a garage or warehouse.
They have a good selection of beers on draft (said the beer snob). Every day they have a different beer special. We tried their queso which I wouldn’t recommend (the chips were thick and awesome though– seemed homemade), but their burgers and fries were outstanding! They have some seafood items on the menu as well, which I’m tempted to try.
Free pool and free darts to keep you occupied plus a few flat panel tvs. Seems like it would be a cool place to watch a game. I’ll definitely try it again!

The upside to waking up late and eating lunch in the middle of the afternoon (besides the obvious, extra sleep)? Happy hour. Drungo’s has dollar off drinks and burgers for their happy hour specials. So, rolling in at 3:30 for lunch = sweet deal!
Crab balls are tasty, but a little bit pricey for what you get (four crab balls, slaw, and your choice of dipping sauce). The cole slaw was less than mediocre, completely lacking in any flavor… with an abundance of purple cabbage. Their margarita is made with sake instead of tequila which makes it… interesting, to say the least. It wasn’t bad, but I think i’ll stick with beer for next time.
Speaking of beer, they have close to a plethora. Lots of Texas beers on draught and many, many others in bottles. The atmosphere is how I’d imagine an ice house to be, complete with garage door «windows» that can be rolled up at any time to allow the stifling Texas heat to waft through the nicely air conditioned inside. Two flat screen tv’s are mounted above the bar, allowing for slightly less than optimal sports viewing. There’s a couple of patio areas, one on the side, off of 29^th Street and the one immediately in front of the building. Both have umbrellas and the one in front has ceiling fans.
You order at the counter and they bring your food to you. This is one of my recent culinary «issues.» I like to be waited on. When you pay before you receive your food/​beverage, the tip line is included. How are you supposed to know how much to tip BEFORE you’ve received any service?
Anyway, I’ll have to give this place another shot, perhaps.

Best Oyster Poboy I’ve had since Evangeline Café. Nothing fishy about these oysters. I’m talking big ol’ honkin things brought back to life by some pretty powerful remoulade.
Drungo has a great happy hour but even better are their daly «7pm to close» specials. $ 3 margaritas all day Saturday and Sunday too.
The staff seems a little green but they’re attentive and friendly which makes up for lack of experience in my book.
Drungo is an around good experience. Ample parking to boot!

There are a lot of things I could say about this place. But Im going to focus primarily on two things.
1. I had the best fucking pizza ever here. It had shrimp, and crab, and garlic, and some white stuff. It all tasted really fresh, and I ate it all.
2. the guy that opened Lovejoy’s opened it, therefore it cannot fail.
(see: Lovejoy’s)
This place just opened like a week ago or something, so I can understand why there weren’t too many people there, not that I have a problem with not being crowded. The staff all seemed like they were genuinely concerned with how people were enjoying themselves, and can refill water and beer like you wouldn’t fucking believe. Coming from me thats saying something, usually waitstaff can get fussy when you down twelve waters during the course of one meal. (see: Chili’s)
I don’t know what Drungo means, but ill definitely ask next time I go. Im gonna eat the shit out of a crabcake sandwich.
love, Alex

After a considerable break from the restaurant/​bar industry, local cowboy-​dressed fella/Lovejoy’s Founder/​All-​around decent Fellow Chip Tait decided it was time to get his feet wet again but this time he went a somewhat different direction.
In the previously remarked upon «cursed» location next to Juniors on 29^th and Rio Grande, Chip has opened Drungo Ice House. Named for the moderately incompetent Baltimore Orioles player Drungo Hazewood (who played in 1980) because he figured a guy like that NEEDED something named after him, Drungo’s might be a tad bit confusing to those unfamiliar with east coast seafood.
Chip, like myself, comes from the tri-​state area (Maryland, DC, Virginia) and knows that the very best crab meat in the entire world comes from the Chesapeake Bay blue crab. Unfortunately, it’s been next to impossible to get here until now. He must have some sorta sweet connection because there’s some SERIOUS crab, shrimp and clam tastiness going on here.
Unlike what we do back east, there’s no newspapers, hammers, and boxes full of crabs. I’d imagine with the shipping cost that would set us all back considerably more than any sane person would be willing to pay. Still, the delectable and sizable crab cakes and crab cake sandwich and especially the Chesapeake Pizza (with crab, shrimp, cheese and the wonders of Old Bay seasoning) would make both the seafood lover and newbie alike to groan with pleasure.
If seafood isn’t your thing, there’s lots of stuff for the non-​fishy people as well including a gourmet make-​your-​own-​pizza page. My friend had a reuben and said it was fantabulous. I look forward to going back and trying out the wide variety of choices.
If you’re just in the mood to hang with friends, Drungos has a great patio and the most sizable beer menu anywhere on or near the drag that I’m aware of. So much good stuff, both in bottles and on tap, that even as only a happy hour stop for the non-​hungry it would be an impressive choice. Damn knows you’ll find me there with a bottle of Lindemans Frambois and who knows what else probably playing some of the bad-​ass tunes on the jukebox.