Willie’s Grill & Icehouse

If you’re looking for a chill spot to grab a bite and maybe a beer or two, this is the spot. I stopped on my way to class for a quick dinner to go completely by chance but I’m glad I did. They have an outdoor patio that’s a cool little hang out if you want a place to meet some friends on a Sunday Funday. Although I didn’t get to experience much of the waitstaff, everyone one that saw me acknowledged me and I felt taken care of. My food was ready 10 mins tops! I will definitely be back…

This would have been 5 star visit but the chili for the Chili Willie burger was thinner than soup. Couldn’t put on burger because it was like water. Waiter said new owners changed recipe which was a huge disservice to their quality. Don’t get that burger. Said owners changed balsamic vinegar dressing too so fair warning to all the salad lovers.

**FOOD POISONING! DO NOT EAT HERE!** My husband’s office ordered Willie’s Ice House for lunch and he got terrible food poisoning! I called to report it, with the intent of saving other customers from violent stomach pains and throwing up. The manager said, «Well we just got a clean bill of health.» He definitely did not throw away any of the contaminated shrimp.

I have been coming to Willie’s for several years now never to be disappointed! Iove their fish and shrimp platters, burgers, shrimp po boys and most of their House Rita! My hubby alwats gets the Big Willie, but that’s way too much alcohol for me! I’m telling you that House Rita (swirl or strawberry) is on point! We love the relaxed environment it offers. Many highschool sports teams frequent thr establishment; especially on Fridays. Always lively!

Found a tape worm in the chicken fried steak
It was disgusting. And have not returned since.
Please check your food The meat is low quality

We are sssoooo torn. I mean, you guys just can’t be consistent. Our relationship goes like this: We rock along really well, and then, we crash and burn. Either our order is ALL there or our order is missing SOMETHING! We really do like Willies. Really… Chicken Fried Chicken, Burgers, Catfish. so good. Your close by our house and yet, so far away.
The previous time we ordered pretty much what we always do… Chicken Fried Chicken, Burger, catfish Po-​boy, fries, mashed Potatoes and 2 side salads. When we got home, they missed the spicy slaw, the tarter sauce and red sauce for the catfish… damn, I Kinda like those sides with my fried catfish.
Tonight, we ordered pretty much the same: «Willie Burger, plain and dry burger with American cheese, 2 Chicken Fried Chickens, one mashed potato, one fries, 2 side salads, Ranch & honey mustard, and the favorite of mine, the catfish Po-​boy. Well, we get home and: no mashed potatoes, BUT double fries (?) for the chicken fried chicken! omg! nnnnoooo!!! I mean, that’s pretty much disappointing. Adding insult to injury, there was no cheese on the burger. guess plain and dry threw them off? So, tonight I have to say to: Amber, phone order, To Go Order girl, act like your paying attention. I had a feeling when you were taking our order that you were too… Uninterested/​distracted with our order. AND Amber, I told you about the previous order mishap. Nisha honey, check and double check, to go orders, so you don’t get the short end of the stick. Mashed potatoes and gravy come in similar packages, BUT,…and manager Kristen, my apologies for not wanting to hear your «2 things we could do for us». Nobody wants to drive back to the restaurant… this just gets old…

They replaced the local Houston brewery Karbach tap, with boring macrobew Blue Moon (owned my Miller/​Coors). All their bottle selection is also macro-​brew. That brings them back to a 3-​star. Everything else, same old same old.

Just no. Everything was WAY too salty. Gumbo was horrible, I would call it vegetable soup with chopped up grilled chicken. More veggies than anything else. The batter for the fried pickles and the chicken fried chicken tasted like nothing but garlic and salt. I love both garlic and salt, so if takes a lot for me to say it’s too much. The only good thing I can say is that the mozzarella sticks were pretty good. Mashed potatoes were instant and dry. Just don’t go.

If you are looking for good quality food and willing to pay a little extra, go to pappas burger on westheimer. Pretty much the same exact system/​setup, except food is better and service is a little more welcoming.
That being said, it wasn’t awful. I may just be spoiled from experiencing pappas burger. Solid 3 stars.

Not really sure it deserves 3 or 2 stars but it’s a nice chill spot to bring kids and enjoy the game food is descent if fried goods are your type of delicacy lol just joking the server Trevor was very friendly and I truly enjoyed my experience even with all the kids yelling around me the other servers (female) follow the norm of a high school popular contest instead of working they want to socialize
But they were nice

The food was amazing! When my fiancé and I arrived we found the place packed. I give it 4 stars because the staff could have been slightly more attentive.

I have enjoyed Willies since the 90’s. This is my favorite location in Houston and I’ve been to most of them. I like the catfish/​shrimp combo with the catfish blackened.
Their Onion rings are the best, but make sure to order a small if its just a couple of people. Huge orders.

Five star all the way. The food is amazing. I’ve never had anything I didn’t like. I love the patio. Be sure to try the queso… With anything. The waitstaff is helpful and friendly. One of my favorite lunch spots and they have a lunch reward program too

I have had to separate bad experiences here.
The first I made a very big mistake which I kind of blame myself for it. I went to eat crawfish and I straight off the bat ordered 10 pounds. They were seven fifty a pound but I didn’t care I was fixin to grub up some crawfish. The problem was that when they came out they were awful. I’m pretty sure they didn’t let them soak at all they had no flavor at all. I am very good at cooking crawfish they taste awesome when I do it. So I asked to speak to the manager and I let him know that if they were going to sell crawfish specially for that price they should probably cook them the correct way. I wasn’t looking for anything free just an apology. All his reply was «we have a lot of people so we’re trying to get him out fast» and he walked off. That’s bull Shit.
Second bad experience was when we went and it was 2 adults 1 teenage girl and my 5 year old son. When we ordered our food we didn’t get an appetizer but as we sat down we decided we wanted one so we asked our waitress about the appetizer that was like $ 20 and I quote I said «will this be ok for us»? Her answer was yes it will be. When it came out it was gigantic and probably could have fed 10 people. How the hell when I’m asking about serving size do you not disclose that this thing is gigantic? I hate this place I really don’t ever want to go here I only do if others basically make me.

Food is good, but Unilocal tried to send us to a different address on the opposite side of the freeway. ¡No esta bien!
We finally found the restaurant. Its near the corner of Cypresswood Drive and Hwy 249, on the northbound side.
I highly recommend this restaurant. We arrived hungry and were very satisfied. The burgers are just like Granny made us on Saturdays when we were newlyweds. Very juicy –not preformed patties. The fried mushrooms were very good as well. The batter tasted like Granny’s chicken fried steak.
The server, Trevor, was very attentive. He made sure that we never ran low on our sods. And they have Diet Dr Pepper!
All of this added together makes this my new favorite burger place.
Oh, and by the way, they have catfish and shrimp, both fried. I’ve tried them at their FM 1960 location. And they are great too!
I’ll be back!

Good experience this visit food was great, fresh, hot, and the service was right on the money. They have excellent cheeseburgers and onion rings. The top shelf margaritas are a 9 on the 1 – 10 scale. A big thumbs up to the crew. Thx!!!

A while back, I wrote a positive review of the 290 @ Jones Willie’s, saying it surprised me, given my past disappointments with Willie’s food. Well, a recent meal at the 249 @ Cypresswood lived down to my earlier expectations. Again, no food was BAD — it just wasn’t particularly good. I ordered a straightforward burger, and it was undersized and undertasty. Fries tasted straight from Sysco. Again, nothing terrible, and the service was fine, but for me, the value just isn’t there, particularly when there are so many other great burgers in the area to choose from. For having a cold one while your little kiddos play in the sandbox, Willie’s will work just fine — otherwise, keep driving…

Think of it as your average ice house you would go for a burger, chicken, or a healthy steak if you’d want. I’ve been coming here for about 6 years and have always enjoyed their establishment.
The menu options are decent once you get up to the counter to order. On the way in, you can grab a beer before you order in the coolers. I usually get the chicken tenders or the seafood dishes they provide. Once you have placed your order, you can sit yourself at any place inside or outside.
If it’s warm we sit outside for a nice day. There’s a sandbox outside on the patio for little kids to enjoy and they’ve just added some booths for indoor seating which are nice to sit in. When there’s cold weather they keep the heaters going outside. Love that!
Now to the food. The chicken tenders I have when I get them are breaded nice and always good to have with the honey mustard. It’s cooked to a nice and crispy flavor which I love personally. The fries that come with it could be better but I wouldn’t call them terrible. The seafood platters that I sometimes order are really great and I would recommend them to a lover of seafood. The shrimp is breaded nice and cooked to perfection. There are other seafood dishes which I should try next time I’m there.
Finally, parking can be a pain outside. When it’s crowded in the evening we would suggest going somewhere else since options for seating will be limited. But if you want a nice meal at a decent icehouse, go for it!
Why 4 stars and not 5? Because one teeny tiny issue I had was the bathrooms could’ve been cleaner. When I was there it was not as fresh as you’d expect and could use some cleaning.
Other than that one issue, Willie’s is a great family restaurant and nice for a night out.

Had a great time visiting for the second time. The crowd was very rowdy because the Rockets are fighting for their life and everyone wants to root them on while enjoying a cold one!
Food was good and service did their best considering how crowded it was for the game. Would have loved to see more televisions on a little lower levels — small TVs in the pub tables perhaps?

When it comes to restaurants that bring back childhood memories, no place breathes more nostalgia to me than Willie’s Grill & Icehouse. I’ve been visiting this location for the past 13 years and even though my orders have shifted from the childrens menu to the adult menu, my feelings about Willie’s remain the same.
The service is fast and friendly, and the atmosphere is very casual and relaxed. If you come in here often enough, you’ll be greeted by name from the staff and they may even remember your regular order!
The menu offers what you would expect from your standard american restaurant, but Willie’s executes it better than several national chains. Their boneless buffalo bites basket is by far my favorite order on the menu. Their sauce is high on flavor and heat, and low on heavy greasiness. Some boneless buffalo wings are too greasy to polish off a whole basket, but I can always finish these gems with great pleasure!
Their french fries are also good, as every side of fries has a perfect ratio of both crispy fries and soft fries, so no matter which type of fry you fancy, you’ll be happy. I prefer my french fries not to have that mealy, potato texture that several national chain french fries do, and these definitely suit my preference.
As for the rest of their food, it’s pretty good. They have good burgers, a tasty Philly cheesesteak, and nachos worthy of some finger-​licking action (they’re actually my favorite!!).
Willie’s is a dependable restaurant, and I will always carry a soft spot for it!