We had an early dinner here one evening after doing some antique shopping around town. It was between 5-6pm on a Friday evening and the place was pretty dead. We were sat right away and our server came over promptly to take our drink order. She was friendly and helped us with the drink menu since there are a ton of options! They have a gluten free bun option (yay) but the server also offered to make additional substitutions for me on the sandwich I wanted to order, which I really appreciated. My husband's burger was just okay he said - not too much flavor in the meat. My chicken sandwich was delicious and the gluten free bun was surprisingly good as well. We did the half and half fries and I liked the regular fries more than the sweet potato fries. Overall a good experience! read more

Great place!!!! Food was awesome, my husband and I shared a cheeseburger (chihuahua cheese, YUM!) and a club sandwich w half and half fries. Soooo yummy!!! Great service and atmosphere!! Next time we're in Waco we will def be back!! read more

I have had the pleasure of eating here since it opened. I used to work right down the street. Since then it has gone completely downhill. I'd even bet there is a new owner. When ordering a hamburger, I always like mine Medium with a little pink center. They said, Our hamburgers have no temperature. I said, Medium is not a temperature. When the burger came, the meat was hard and over cooked. This is the mark of either a bad cook, or an owner who doesnt know how to run their business. Either way, I'll never spend a penny there again. A previous time, we were told they couldnt seat us (2) because the cook couldnt handle 2 more people. We said, well just seat us and we will delay our order until he is ready, we were thirsty and tired. No sorry, we cant seat you. Wow, really? Yeah, not thanks Crickets. read more

We stopped here for dinner while in town and each had different variations of the buttermilk chicken salad. The food was great - we definitely recommend the salad! Our waitress was so helpful & knew the menu well. Even the host was extremely friendly- luring us in as we considered walking past. We're glad we stopped! The restaurant has plenty of seating to accommodate big groups even at a busy hour! read more

Old Fashioned. Overly sweet and only filled half of glass. Plain wings overfried...dry and tasteless. Onion rings were more batter than anything, little seasoning. Nice lively friendly environment but bad food. Only drink if you're into beer. Bleh. read more

They do brunch now! Sunday mornings, they were open at 10:30 when we walked by, so we chanced it. I hadn't been back since 2004, but it looked exactly the same inside as it did over a decade ago. Massive beer menu is obviously the highlight, but at 10:30 am the Ribeye Bloody Mary was calling. Bacon, ribeye ends, pickle, and enough peppers to satisfy my spicy Bloody Mary craving. Had a bacon/egg/avocado/toast brunch, named (appropriately) "The Hipster." It was decent, although I'd probably go for their Migas if I went back for brunch. A fairly iconic Baylor hangout, probably does pretty well for itself with major events in town, in addition to the downtown upswing ala Magnolia. It you like Texas craft beer, and don't mind the louder ambiance this place can feature in the evenings, then this is a great spot to anchor and sample good beer. read more

Laid back spot where the kids (teenagers) could play pool and arcade/bar games while we waiting for dinner. Super close to our Airbnb and easy for us to feed the family while passing through Waco. Food was decent, pretty standard pub food. Brussel sprout app was good and kids loved the fries. Salad with steak was good as well. read more

Cricket's is not the kind of place I would hang out at in Austin, where I live. In fact, the only reason I ended up there Sunday night was because it was directly across the parking lot from our hotel (the Hilton--or as I call it 'the iLton because the letter 'H' was burned out on the sign and i felt the hotel was definitely 'iLLin' and not in a good way) in Waco. We had a group of about 40 people that wanted somewhere that was close (i.e. we saw it as we were pulling in and could walk over) and wanted somewhere that had food and drinks (and we heard they had both). Sold! Everyone in our group had a great time. As mentioned in previous reviews, they have over 100 beers on tap, and a full bar. Can't go wrong there for a film crew in town ready to drink! They also had great bar food that was two steps above normal bar food. A bunch of us had the philly cheesesteak, which I really liked, and some other people in our group got buffalo chicken sandwiches, nachos, etc. It was better than expected, and the fried stuff that some people ordered wasn't deep fried--and then fried AGAIN like a lot of bars' food. I think I even spotted some rice and broccoli on one of our wardrobe girls' plates. So you can be healthy too. Probably most importantly, the staff at Cricket's wasn't overwhelmed when the first 20 of us walked in at once and started demanding shit at the bar. We were throwing it all on our producer's AMEX, so perhaps the one tab set them at ease. The food was made-to-order, but came out quickly. I never had to wait to get a drink. (I think there were 3 bartenders taking food/drink orders) So that was a huge plus. Cricket's had several pool tables, shuffleboard tables, and darts, and was big enough for our whole group to spread out. We had a hilarious time playing shuffleboard, and this is where some of us kicked into highly animated mode. I didn't even notice some of our peeps had shown up until I was walking out the door to go back to the hotel. Basically, we pretty much took over this whole place on Sunday night, and I know some people went back Monday and shut the place down, but I was too tired. I give this place 4 stars for being a great place to hang if you are from out of town and staying at the Hilton across the street, or the other hotel (can't remember the name). Don't think I would necessarily come here if I lived in Waco, but shit, I don't really know Waco, maybe it is the best thing to do there. I wouldn't go out of my way to go to this place if it was in Austin, but that's cuz I have plenty of place I enjoy more. GREAT beer on tap selection, full bar, good food, and all the other fun shit I mentioned. read more

Unfortunately this accusatory response from the owner/manager further demonstrates the establishment's lack of professionalism. How disappointing that the problem will not be corrected going forward. Such a shame that poor service will continue at what was once a great bar in Waco! read more

Awful waiting time. Waited over 15 minutes for one beer, and over an hour for food. Terrible experience.

Service and atmosphere was great!!! They went above and beyond for our group! We had a large group and they accommodated for us so we could all sit together! read more

Both impressed and disappointed with this place. Cool atmosphere and the Brussels sprout app was AMAZING! The best thing about our visit to Crickets. My boyfriend got the cheddar bacon burger and it was average along with the brisket fries. The fries had loads of cheddar cheese and by the time it got to us the cheese had already slightly cooled so it was just a big block of cooled not gooey cheese so a little bit of a let down. The brisket on it was totally different from the pictures we saw we thought it would be pulled brisket with a BBQ sauce or something to really bring he fries together but it wasn't. I got the hipster avocado toast and added the egg. The description sounded tastier than the actual dish but it was good. A little let down by the truffle tots- totally lacked the truffle flavor, but they were super crispy so that was a plus. read more

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Me and my family where in Waco for the weekend. Went to Crickets Saturday night with our group. There were 32 of us and everyone there was awesome, Connor was just one of the servers that took care of the group and he was on point. Food was great and the bill wasn't bad. I would go back if was ever in Waco again. Kenny read more

Disclaimer: I worked here, but it was 10 years ago. I felt nostalgic last time I drove through Waco, so my husband and I stopped at Cricket's, a place we used to go in college. It hadn't changed much, and that's a good thing. When I worked there, I used to love the pizzas, and the salads were always fresh, but I just wasn't in the mood for that this time. So I tried the Philly Cheese Steak because I'd never had it before, and it was pretty good. The only slight problem was the smoke, and I do think Cricket's has an above average ventilation system, it's just that I'm spoiled from being in Dallas and Austin where the anti-smoking laws are a bit more stringent. If you just want food, this isn't the best place in town, but Crickets makes for a fun evening with friends since they have pool, shuffleboard and tons of cool games in the back. If you like sports, you can watch the big games on one of the many TVs available throughout the establishment. Oh, I forgot to mention the BEER! I'm sure they have over 100 on draft and many bottled available, too (the selection rivals Flying Saucer and Ginger Man). The Texas Micros are a novelty if you have guests from out of town! Crickets has reasonable prices: approx $3 (Coors, Bud, Miller), $3.75 for lots of Texas beers, and around $5 for some Belgian ales. I believe happy hour lasts till 7pm and you can get 50 cents off pints. read more

This is a bar & grill type place near Baylor that a man-friend (as Melody would say ;)) took me to 'cuz I told him "no chains please!" Anyway, looked pretty good walking in, we were greeted by the hostess, sat right next to the waiter stand where the loitered the entire time we were eating. Anyway, I originally ordered the Pit until the waitress asked "how would you like that cooked?" and I realized it was pulled pork on top of a hamburger and she referred me to a sandwich instead so I ordered it up! MF had chili fries. My sandwich arrived and it looked pretty good. Lightly toasted bread, lots of fries, and half of a real pickle. I bit into the sandwich and it was tasty. Sweet bbq sauce dripping out every side and the sandwich started to fall apart pretty quickly. When I set it down to wipe my hands I realized there was something in the sandwich I wasn't expecting...sliced ham?! What? Lunch meat is not pulled pork. It was weird that they put this filling in here, kind of deceptive in my opinion. Also the so-called Texas toast seemed like some other states toast to me--not thick or thin, kinda medium. Fries were nothing special. Before we left I noticed the pool tables and shuffle board which looked kind of cool. Overall it seems like a chill college hangout, just not impressed by the pork sandwich. read more

Cricket's is probably the only place in Waco that I know of that has around 100 beers on tap. You're stuck with the domestics in most bars and restaurants in this city: Coors Light, Miller Light, Bud Light, Blah Light. Thank goodness I at least know of this place to get something decent not made by Anheuser Busch. Cricket's is a larger than average bar that serves beer & food and offers games like darts & pool. It's a great place to hang out with friends. In regards to the food, well...it's nothing special. On my last visit I ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich and fries. The sandwich lacked a sufficient amount of buffalo sauce, so it tasted more like a breaded chicken sandwich. My bowl of fries were mostly overcooked. Maybe some people like them this way, but I don't. Maybe the food tastes better after drinking several beers. That was probably my mistake. I'd give Cricket's 4 for the beer and atmosphere, but the food knocks them down to 3. read more

Like Jill, I feel a little nostalgia when I walk thru the doors at Crickets. This was a hangout when I was in college and the destination for a couple of first dates. Cricket's was the first place I ever had a "beer" that I actually drank more than a few sips. I admit, I don't like beer, I don't like wine. Luckily one of those first dates knew what to do, (in just about every situation), in this strictly-beer joint and ordered me a Ace Pear Cider. I was hooked, to the beer & the date. My mom works in downtown Waco and her office visits Crickets for lunch sometimes. I have mentioned eating there a couple of times the last few times I was in town. The last time I mentioned it ... I was told that it would be too much trouble with my grandfather (and his walker) in tow. Friday evening, my mom and I got out for a little window shopping and decided we were going to grab a bite to eat before heading home. We both ordered the Chicken & White Wine/Olive Oil pasta dish. Linquine with garlic, artichokes, mushrooms in a white wine/olive oil sauce and grilled chicken and two slices of garlic toast. We both had a glass of water with lemon (a must with smelly Waco water). The music was good and loud, TVs showing every basketball game a Texan would want to see, and surprisingly, there wasn't any smoke in our area. Our waitress was attentive but did not pester us. The only reason I gave this visit 4 stars instead of 5... is because the grilled chicken strips on top of our pasta was cooked until it was throughouly dead and dry. My mom says this is a common problem, even on the Ceasar salads. If you are in Waco, come check out Crickets, try one of their 170something types of beers on tap and have a good meal. read more

This was a pretty cool place! I liked the decor. They have TONS of beers on tap which is awesome and fun as well. I had the Hoegarden, which really isn't that special, but it was great anyways. For food, the only thing that we had was the chips, and they were really perfectly thin and crispy! I thought it was a little too crowded, and that I would have preferred more seating. But, it was a really good time, and I would go back! read more

A roach was in my Bahama drink! A roach!!! Yuck!!! I will never recommend this place, and will never go there again. I called the manager & he said he will get Orkin out more often? Ok! There was a roach in my drink! A cricket I could understand, but a roach? read more

The food and atmosphere are alright, but if you are hungry go for the Montecristo. Yes, it comes deep fried with raspberry preserves and powdered sugar. Other food is tolerable, but I go back for the Montecristo. They have some beer specials during the week, but you pay for the fact that they have many different beers on tap. They have pool and shuffleboard, so go get little pieces of sand all over your hands. The night life here is okay I guess. The fact that the building is so large and it is just so open makes it so everyone crowds around the bar and just stays there, if anyone is even here. I have gone on busy nights when it was nearly impossible to get a drink, and I have been on Friday and Saturday nights when there were less than 10 people in the entire place, counting the bartenders. The parking lot is the same one as Ninfa's, Gratziano's, Diamondbacks, and Trojan Cork and Keg, so enjoy the adventure of finding a parking spot! read more

They had some great Brussels sprouts! The Greek chicken skewers were very good. Companions had chips and queso, salads, and burgers. Everyone was happy. I'd definitely come back! read more

Came here last night with the family, visiting from LA. Overall, 4 stars because: 1. They had a great selection of drafts on tap, similar to the rock bottom franchise in California. 2. Their steak and chicken quesadillas were great! 3. Fried mushrooms were also delicious (first time having these) 4. Customer service was above average. Overall, it was pretty empty because it was a Friday, but definitely could see the potential of a fun energy filled place for a Saturday or Sunday for college and nfl. Will definitely hit this place up again in my next visit. read more

Great bar for a weekend night out, especially after a Baylor game. Huge bar with well over 100 beers on tap and some stout frozen margaritas. The place gets crowded and it has its regulars. Bar staff is friendly. Music is mainly 90's rock and pop so you're definitely not getting any complaints from me in that department. There are flatscreens EVERYWHERE - even over the pool tables - so it is a good place for catching the end of all the other games while out celebrating a Baylor win. The menu is a lot like Texas weather - if you don't like it, wait a week and it'll change. They have a nice burger selection (the Kitchen Sink is greatness) and I'm partial to the queso. There is an abundance of pool tables and they are generally somewhere in between fair and good condition. They could stand to repair and restock their cue racks. On one visit near the beginning of the summer, we got a pool table that had two of its pockets slashed. One word of advice: Keep your eye on your tab, and make sure you get your correct card and/or ID back. They have slipped up a couple of different times on me. read more

This place did have a huge selection of beers on tap, but sadly not all of them were available (Boddington's Pub Ale) which was a bit of a let down, but the atmosphere was nice and the bar tender was cool and entertained my questions about Waco. They also have pool and other bar games including that game with the pucks and the sand...not sure what it's called and I'm not going to google it either. I ate the buffalo sandwich and it was pretty good but a little on the pricey side for just a sandwich. read more

I went in at 5:50 and left at 6:09...sat at the bar that only had 3/4 of the chairs filled at a time when the majority of the restaurant was empty. Was acknowledged once, told she'd be right back to help me, I left 10 mins later. She walked by me at least 7 times, refusing to make eye contact. I left and went two doors down to Ninfa's where the service was much better. read more

Food was unexpectedly good....beer selection was outstanding....wait staff adequate....all in all, 4 stars! read more

Cricket's Grill & Draft House - The bar at Crickets! In Waco, Tx - American Near Me - Waco, Texas

Great food and an amazing number of draft beers! Always fun to join! Once you have been in you'll always return. More than 100 beers on draft and very good food made from scratch - not the frozen food you normally get! read more

Hi, I took my mom to Waco for a quick girls trip to go see the Silos before Mother's Day weekend and found ourselves at Crickets for lunch. I always like to let an establishment know when I receive great service so I wanted to be sure and tell y'all that we had the best time while we were at Crickets. Our server, Liz was very attentive and was super friendly. Even the manager, Tina came by a couple of times and had my mom and me in stitches! Just super nice people! Our burgers came out perfectly and we loved the seasoned fries and onion rings we had. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for friendly, fun and fast service along with great food! It made our trip even better, especially after walking around for a few hours shopping. Thanks again for a great lunch! Bailey Rains Wichita Falls, TX read more

Not impressed with the place. You order a sandwich and thats what you get no sides. Cheese fries as an appetizer were good. Service slow we got more attention from another server walking by. I also fell down in the restaurant and asked for ice to put on my elbow. The server brought it in a large glass, when i looked around for something to hold it on my bruised elbow he looked at me and said you want a bag? He knew what it was for, i just think he was bored and did not want to be there. His attentiveness was ho hum. As for the food nothing to get excited about. But i believe if you want a beer this out is the place to come. read more

I dropped in for a meal after a flight into Dallas and drive in to Waco. My waiter Avery suggested the Peanut butter and bacon burger. I must admit I am generally conservative when eating out, but decided to go for it and Am I happy I did. The flavors were fantastic, never would i have thought that peanut butter coupled with pickles and bacon on a burger would be such a delicious combo, but they surprising were great!! I also had the 512 pecan nitro porter and that was pretty darn good as well! Will be coming back here on my next trip to Waco! read more

Cricket's! I was really looking forward to going back here as a more mature beer drinking adult. See this was a hangout when I was in Waco but I did not have the budget or palette for drinking good beer so I spent most of my time drinking Bud Light and not caring about any of the on-tap beers. Fast forward 10 years and I am back in town for the Baylor v Texas game (HOOK EM HORNS) and when I wanted a good beer I knew exactly where to go. Now seeing how I have been in Austin for 8.5 of those 10 years I have become more of a beer connoisseur and have grown to love the Austin Craft Beer selection so I was excited when they had a couple of obscure beers from the (512) Brewery that I had never seen outside of Austin. The (512) Black IPA and the (512) Wit. If you like a good IPA that is not too hoppy (by IPA standards) then the Black might be right up your alley. If you are a fan of Hefes or even Belgium Whites I would definitely recommend that you try the (512) Wit. The best way I can describe it is as a pure, crisp Hefe. Well worth a pint. I saw a sign in the bar for Bosque Brewery but I did not see their beer on the tap wall, if this is a Waco brewery I would be intrigued to try it. If you are under 25 just keep drinking Bud Light and playing pool, you will appreciate the selection later. If you are over 25 and want a better beer stop by and you will make this your go to bar in town. read more

10 out of 10 would NOT recommend. Staff was super rude...I was ID'd at the door. Nbd. Then ID'd by the bartender. Nbd. But then he said my ID is fake and he wouldn't serve me. I am 36 years old...so I tried to be chill since I was with a friend so they could have a drink. We stayed awhile and asked for the food menu. It was 30min before their kitchen closed so he said he wouldn't put the order in. It's 30min before?!?! So then later I go upstairs to smoke a cigarette on their balcony and another employee says they are closing it for the night even though they had it open for another 2 hours...not sure why I was treated so rudely but everyone working their was a jerk that night. I don't understand why anyone goes there. It was extremely dark and dirty, my feet literally stuck to the floor as I walked around. Not a great time to grab a drink with a friend like I wanted. read more

Stopped by Crickets for the first time after the Baylor game. The atmosphere was what we were looking for considering we were wanting to celebrate the win. There were plenty of beers on tap and they were very gracious on their pour for my double crown and coke. The brisket fries were awesome make sure to ask for a side of ranch and bbq sauce. Love this place and will make sure to stop by next time were in Waco. read more

Cricket's Grill & Draft House - The ambience was definitely what we were looking for after the BU game. The brisket fries were the bomb! - American Near Me - Waco, Texas

Went in for mom's 70th birthday. She wanted to try a verity of beers and the bartenders helped with getting her samples of several. They spread the word that she was turning 70 and how impressed they were about her wanting to try all these brews. Several people came over to wish her well and that made for a great experience. They went out of their way to make our party enjoyable. The food was really good and the beer was very cold. Thank you and I for one will be back again and again. read more

Holeeeee crap. You want a place that has amazing food, games, and beers? Look no further. This is a venue that will make those from away jealous and locals know it. Between all the beer choices and truly gourmet style pub food you will be a satisfied camper if you stop by. The location is great, with plenty of parking. Sometimes it gets a bit full when there is an event going on downtown but you'll get over that pretty fast. Greet staff was friendly, as were the bartenders and waiters. Service speed was above average but not lightning fast. That's ok because they actually make your food to order. Imagine that huh? Other venues in town take note, this is the benchmark. Enjoy your life, be kind to your foodie soul and get in here. It's that good. read more

I had a great time here the other night one of the bartenders named Alexy did a great job!

Ya know, when I was a Baylor student years ago, I sort of loathed this place on Friday/Saturday nights, because the 2000 just-turned-21 students would smush against the bar and it would take 10 years for the overwhelmed bar staff to get your order. However, having gotten older and more into good beer rather than just ordering shot-after-shot with the rest of the college kiddos, and visiting Crickets during the week at more respectable hours...I really, really like this place. The best deal in Waco, hands down, is Texas Tuesdays. Waco is in DESPERATE need of a good beer scene, and Cricket's offering of 2-dollar pints of all Texas craft beers is OUTSTANDING, and the main reason I find myself there nearly every Tuesday. I hope they keep it forever. Food is...ok, but I don't show up for the food really. A lot of feels like it's been under-the-heating-lamps for a while, and doesn't always feel as made-to-order as I'd prefer, but I'm there for the liquid diet anyway. TEXAS TUESDAY, MAY YOU LIVE FOREVER. Really a great place to sit down and catch up with friends while enjoying GOOD beer, particularly if you catch their specials. read more

Been here twice. Sat at bar both times. Very chill place. Massive beer collection. I just had the Habanero Burger. Unbelievably hot. It takes a few minutes but then... BAM! Had to order a side of fries half way in to cool off the tongue. I suggested to the bartender that they should give out and award for finishing one. She said the award is I get to keep my manhood. Awesome response. ROFLMAO. Very nice atmosphere and lots to do in the area. Great TV set ups. read more

service at the bar was horrible!!! Bartenders routinely walked by customers looking to order drinks. To top the night off they gave my card to another customer and they attempted to use it at another bar!!! Sounds fishy that another guy wasn't looking for his card also. read more

Good dinner. Had beer and sandwiches and the loaded tots. Price was great, ant the beer selection was absolutely fantastic!