Hays City Store Ice House - DRIFTWOOD

We went on the weekend, First time we try the restaurant ! It was a really nice experience, Alex MOD treated us so well, he explain us a little about the place, we wen on our anniversary date, he got us seats, he introduced us to the bartender girl, I forgot her name, she took care of us, she was so nice!! Really nice place, 100% recommend! We’re definitely coming back!

Honestly I was pretty disappointed. We pass this place frequently and it's always packed, so I guess we had high expectations. Especially when it seems to be related to Taste on main, which we love. The outside smelled terribly like sewage. It wasn't a great start combined with the smell of fried food. Everyone seems annoyed to be working, or at least that night. Service wasn't bad, but it felt like we were an annoyance. The food was... Interesting. The cheese curds were great. I got the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese. The Mac tasted like noodles. No cheese, no spices. I was confused and my wife said the same thing. The mashed was good, but was like two spoonfuls. I was most disappointed with the chicken fried steak. The steak itself was pretty good, gravy was good, but it was bland. And then the breading on the steak was the saltiest thing I've ever eaten. I literally couldn't finish the steak because I ran out of my drink to wash down the salt. I would have got more of my drink but our waiter, while nice, came by once and never refilled our drinks. On top of it, the steak was nearly $25, and it was maybe a $15 portion. My wife got the cheese steak sandwich and there was a handful of slices of beef and a few peppers. We spent $80 on two meals and an app and didn't finish either meal... I probably won't be back again.

It was a nice eclectic place. It looks like they have grown the place as business has grown. We were there around 3. Lots of indoor/outdoors seating and parking. We were quickly seated indoors.

Braved the heat to sit in the icehouse to catch up with a dear friend today. Service was great! The server had great recommendations kept our tea fill while we chatted about all the things! We appreciated that she left us alone and still spoiled us! The corn pizza was different, but the home run Dips were all spectacular. The bacon jam burger and onion rings were the star though!

The restaurant inside is very dark and not inviting but the outside eating area was great. It was well shaded and comfortable in spite of the heat. It was my first time meeting a friend there for lunch. I had the steak salad. The greens were fresh and crispy, but the steak didn't taste seasoned at all. It was palatable with all the other ingredients, but it was very bland. My friend ordered the chicken breasts. They looked so juicy. I was pleasantly surprised. I plan to come back in the fall and try the chicken fried steak.