I have been out of work for some time due to ongoing medical issues. Issues I hope will be resolved in the in the next few months. This hiatus, if you will, has afforded me the opportunity to grow a most bodacious beard. Unfortunately the beard is covered, to protect others and myself, when I go to public places.
The beard grows so wild that I have to go to Kings Barbers so Claudia can tame it. As I was leaving King’s one day, I noticed a place named Ice House had opened shop next door. The exact location is 173 Walnut St. in Abilene, Texas. It does not show on Apple Maps yet. You find it two ways: 1) put Kings Barbers in Maps as it is next door or 2) drive to the corner of Walnut and North Second Streets.
The bar has floor to ceiling windows on two sides. The windows are retractable for access to the patio. The below picture is courtesy if Ice House’s Facebook Page.
I hobbled in to have a drink so I could check the place out. There are four entrances to Ice House, but most guests use the two main entrances along the street. One of the entrances has “Service Entrance Only” on the door. I was told to ignore it and use it as a normal door. This was a brief a visit as I had other obligations.
I decided to visit the following week on a Saturday, which happened to be $2.50 Shiner beer night. The visit occurred because I wanted to go out for a beer before Texas opened. The opening fo Texas made it seem as if the pandemic was not an ongoing thing. So here is the review of my second visit to the Ice House at Lone Star Dry Goods.
I entered the Ice House through the Walnut St. entrance. There were quite a few people inside, but the level of noise was not overwhelming. This could be due to the bar being separated into two huge rooms. NOTE: Ice House has open seating.
The room on the left was the main bar area. It included various seating options. There was bar and high top seating, along with a Texas shaped table in the middle of the room. The table was so nice, I need to order one for my future man cave.
The room on the right was more intimate. There was huge painting on the wall, although i am not sure how it played into the overall décor of the bar. I would love to know the back story though. There was some high and low top seating available. It was the perfect area to take a date or have a drink while getting some work done.
I made my way to a seat at the end of the bar, closest to North Second St. and the “Service Entrance Only” door. There were at three bartenders working. Each bartender introduced themselves and welcomed me to the Ice House. If only I was not so bad with and could remember their names. Two of bartenders remembered me from the brief stop I made a week or so prior, which is something I appreciated. I was provided a specialty cocktail/snack menu.
Ice House has quite the compliment of liquor and canned beer but I, and I am sure many others, appreciate the various Shiner Beer’s on draft. If you are looking to try a Texas beer, Shiner should be near the top of the list. The Shiner Bock is one of my favorite beers so I went with it.
The snacks served at the Ice house are local, as in, made in Texas. A guest next to me was chomping on the hatch chile sunflower seeds and offered me a few. I am not exaggerating when I say this, but the sunflower seeds were some of the best I had ever eaten. The seeds were fresh and the seasoning was not overwhelming.
Final Word
The Ice House is a chill, kickback spot. It is perfect for a beer after work or a stop prior to going to dinner. The bartenders and waitresses were some of the friendliest people I have met while living in Abilene. The previous sentence does not do them justice, I really appreciated the conversation and attentiveness. If you are downtown, stop in at the Ice House at Lone Star Dry Goods for a beer, you may never leave.
