Waterloo Ice House

Felt welcomed by the awesome staff and migas plate was so full of flavors. Be careful with taco orders, they are huge and can’t finish two. Will be back for sure next time in Austin

Don’t be fooled. Run down outside and in. Walked in no hostess seating seat your self and wait and wait and wait and wait till u decide to leave (that’s our experience). Sad that owners allow this to be the image of their work. It’s a BAR. Take off the grill part. Do not recommend.

Came here for brunch one Sunday. Place was packed and we had to wait a few minutes to get a table but the wait was worth it. Fairly reasonably priced and everything was delicious! Service was also good.

Thank goodness there are still quirky places in Austin. No frills here — only friendly service and good, homestyle food. Banana pancakes were delish as well as the grits and eggs. No migas ordered but will next time.

Good burger, nothing amazing. Decent portion and great atmosphere.

I came to this location for the first time a few weeks ago after having a long Saturday at work. We were driving through the area and didn’t know where to eat, but we came across Waterloo. I’d had great experiences before at the Southpark Meadows location, plus after my day, I had a hankering for a frozen margarita.
We walk in, seat ourselves as directed, pick up a menu and wait. And wait. A woman drops off food at a table parallel to ours, but no acknowledgement. After a couple more minutes, a woman greets us and takes our drink order. He had a Shiner and I opted for a margarita, frozen, and made it a sangria margarita for a dollar more, as suggested by my menu. She puts in our drink order, we sit and wait, as one expects to do. Except a bit longer than you would expect for a restaurant with no more than 6 other tables seated.
Eventually, a different woman comes and drops off his Shiner but informs me that they don’t have a sangria mixer. Not that they were out, but didn’t have one? Maybe my menu was a misprint? I didn’t question it with her, opting for a strawberry margarita instead.
At this point I’m surprised no one has offered us water, nor to take our food order. So we politely wait, until another 10 minutes has gone by, he’s finished his beer, I’ve yet to receive my margarita and no one has asked us for our food order. So we left cash on the table to cover the beer and tip.
To sum up my experience: I came here because I knew I’d enjoy the menu, and they carried a drink I’d been craving on their menu. I ordered a drink from their menu, was told they didn’t have the item on their menu and then was left to read the entirety of their menu. This was not what I had in mind when I said I’d enjoy the menu.

Came to Waterloo Sunday when I got into town for the holidays. My cousin said they had a good brunch. Ended up sitting at the bar and we had a great time. Rb, the bartender took great care of us. Answered all my questions and made sure we knew about the cheap Titos Bloody Marys. Had the hill country plate with bacon and biscuits. All tasted great. Next time I want to try the chicken fried steak and eggs. Place was packed but the food was hot and the service was friendly all around. Another girl brought our food and made sure we had everything. It was a good way to start off my trip.

Tried their breakfast. The biscuits are great. Pancakes even better. Our server Sara was super nice. Can’t wait to go back.

It’s my favorite no-​frills diner-​like place to go. I like it best for breakfast or weekend brunch, but Waterloo is a good place to go for a burger too.
This one is a good location for me since I live nearby. I like the staff, although sometimes the service is really slow. Just go there with the understanding that it’s not a quick bite to eat and you’re out the door, and then you’ll have a good time.

I had breakfast here this morning with a friend who has dined here before. I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak Breakfast and my friend ordered the Texas All-​Star (4 eggs, hash browns, biscuit or toast and a choice of meats). When our food was brought to our table, my friend thought they had brought the wrong order since the plate had only 2 poached eggs instead of 4 and only 2 sausage patties instead of 4. The server took back her plate but returned a minute later saying that it WAS the correct order minus 2 eggs and 2 sausage patties. Then the server brought the 2 additional poached eggs and 2 sausage patties a few minutes later. My friend told me that the serving of hash browns were half the amount they used to serve.
As for my chicken fried steak, it looked good but was very tough. I ate a couple of bites but didn’t want to finish it. My eggs over easy and the gravy and biscuit was pretty tasty. I asked for more gravy and the server brought another small bowl (but did not tell me that it would be an additional $ 1.95). I don’t mind paying for more gravy but it would have been nice if the server had advised me of that.
The service was pleasant otherwise. The 2 servers kept our coffee cups filled. Overall, this was a decent breakfast but for $ 29.66, I would expect the chicken fried steak to be more tender since their menu described it as «tender».

I came back for breakfast over the weekend, and I was blown away by the wonderful service and perfect food. Waterloo Ice House is back at the top of our list for breakfast!
I often wonder what the other food here is like, but I just can’t pass up that Chicken Fried Steak Breakfast. Likewise, my husband is hooked on the Migas with chorizo.
The kitchen is great about making adjustments (like my extra-​crispy hashbrowns and my husband’s extra-​crisp bacon), but I think that has a lot to do with how busy they are. We are always here pretty early and they are always great about accommodating.
See you soon, Waterloo!

Went here for my birthday before, that is how much I adore this place. It a southern food type of place, rustic but with sports always on their tvs. I prefer to come in for dinner as you can seat yourself and get the happy hour deals but I have been in here a lot for lunch and have not been let down.
The menu has gotten bigger and better (now serving breakfast!) and it is still as good as ever. Everything I have had from here from the savory Turkey meatloaf to the umami turkey burger has been fantastic! Their platters are usually some sort of take on a southern dish but better and boy they are big servings. Their burgers are pretty darn delish and their salad are large and filled with the type of lettuce you don’t have to pick at and, of course, topped with fresh veggies. They have great beers both on tap and in the kitchen/​check out line. As far as apps go i like their quesadillas and fried mushrooms the best. The staff is very friendly and the food is good-​what else do you need to hear?

We went to the Burnet Rd location. Blue cheese burger was delish. My drink did have a weird taste f to r some reason. Service was alright. We did have to wait a while for our waiter to come back and it wasn’t at a busy time. Also we did not get our chips and queso until the end which we were supposed to get at the beginning.

I been here several times already. They always serve good food, but the service is always bad! You have to seat yourself, wait 5 minutes for menus, and another 10 to 15 for them to take your order. This time I ate an omlette with cheese, sausage, and tiny pieces of bacon. The hashbrowns were ok, I just had a taste or two along with some fluffy biscuits. Next time I will have to come for happy hour, now that this location serves booze!

Waterloo Ice House is a great Austin staple! We went to the Burnet road location and I was very impressed with our dinner, the expansive menu, and the great happy hour options. I even loved the casual western, diner environment and think it would be a great place for families or to watch a game.
The menu had tons of options and the happy hour specials were great! We weren’t drinking with dinner but I’ll definitely be back for happy hour specials another night. Happy hour is 4−7pm M-​F with $ 2.50 shiner on tap, $ 2.00 small frozen margaritas, $ 2.00 small Titos lemonade, $ 2.00 off cocktails, $ 2.00 off appetizers, and 50 cent wings. They also have special deals on specific nights of the week too.
I had a difficult time deciding what to order because the menu looked so good! I was torn between the Texas Catfish Platter and the Pan Roasted Chicken, but opted for the chicken for a healthier meal. Both were marked as one of their specialty dishes. The chicken was so juicy and flavorful and was absolutely a great choice. I’ll just have to come back to try the catfish and possibly pair it with a Titos drink another time!

Waterloo Ice House is one of those places that knows what it is, doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t, and is successful and tasty as a result.
The menu is expansive which allows you to find something for anyone in your party. Additionally the prices are reasonable, especially if you are looking for Happy Hour drinks. Waterloo also does a great job of having multiple locations but makes it feels like it is a unique establishment. We both had the chicken dish when we went and we would both recommend it enthusiastically. However the next time we return we will undoubtedly try something different simply because the rest of the menu looked delicious.

I came and had breakfast. I ordered the biscuits and gravy with a side of ham. The total was $ 8.06. The biscuits were stunning. But unfortunately the sausage gravy was bland. I was setting at the bar when I saw the gm. It was blatantly obvious that she was the gm. I spoke to her and told her about the gravy very politely. She got extremely defensive and told me that I must have a different taste then other people because she sells alot of it. Ok. Then she walked away. I was sitting at the bar writing this review it had two stars until the waitress after I already paid for the meal and left a tip with my debit card came up to me and asked what I was doing. I replied drinking my water. She walked away and came back and said we are comped your meal and I can get you a water to go.

The manager JoAnn took any issues I had to heart which is all you can really ask for when it comes to corporate stores. Good job JoAnn!
Thank you for the sincerity.

Went for happy hour. Ordered the chips with salsa and a side of queso. OMG, needed seasoning. There was no flavor at all. I guess that’s what I get for going to an americanized burger/​sandwich joint and ordering chips and queso. I ended up ordering a meal that came with salad, chili, and veggies. The broccoli was absolutely the best thing I ate. Everything else was just okay, but the broccoli was cooked to perfection and had a wonderful and light grilled flavor. .. but it wasn’t good enough to make me want go to back.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember the last time I was at a Waterloo Ice House. I remember the hamburger being pretty alright. It may have even been better than that, but I’ve eaten plenty of awesome burgers since then, so I’d have to try this one again to be sure.
This was my first visit to this location and I’m learning that to visit one is to visit any of them. The service is friendly and decent, the food comes quickly enough, and you can expect some sort of sporting event to be on TV at all times.
I ordered the spinach and mushroom omelette, which comes covered in jack cheese and a side of hash browns and your choice of biscuits or toast. The omelette was satisfying and the portion was perfect for me. A lot of places serve huge omelettes and I have yet to learn the fine art of reheating them (I like my omelette filling to be really hot, so reheating it always dries out the egg to the point where it’s not worth it), so I was happy that Waterloo served me something I could eat in one go. The hash browns were good, though I’d have liked more of the crispy shreds.
All in all, it’s an okay place to stop in if you’re hungry and nearby. I’d like to try some of their other dishes sometime, but to be honest with all of the great places constantly popping up around town I’d be lying if I said I felt a huge need to make Waterloo a priority.