Always wondered if there was a place to stop and eat from Houston to Dallas and stumbled on this…read moreplace when I did a search on our way. Decent food and drink. Good Service. More Mexican than American when it comes to the menu. Served its purpose in a pinch!

Really good food with incredible service. Everyone was ordering food and the portions are huge I…read moreknew we would have way too much food if I ordered a plate. We were traveling so we were not keeping leftovers and they allowed me to order from the kids menu. Super nice. Great kids burger also!

Went for happy hour. Great food and drinks! Would definitely return. Can't wait to sit on their…read morepatio

I cannot believe we just discovered Ilusión--what a gem. The atmosphere is stylish and relaxed with…read morea cool speakeasy vibe that makes it feel like a hidden find. The food was outstanding. I had the huevos divorciados, which were absolutely delicious--the sauces were rich and flavorful and everything was perfectly balanced. My husband ordered the breakfast burrito, which was huge and packed with flavor. And the truffle fries...wow. My daughter ordered them, but they were so good we all ended up sharing. Crispy, perfectly seasoned, and easily some of the best fries we've had anywhere. The drinks were just as impressive. I ordered the Icaro spicy margarita, which had the perfect balance of heat, citrus, and sweetness. Definitely a standout cocktail. But the highlight of the experience was our waitress, Nataliya. She was warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming--her service made the whole meal feel special. Great food, great drinks, great service, and a really cool atmosphere. We'll absolutely be back and can't believe it took us this long to find this place.

The appetizers are amazing. Cauliflower is the bomb!! And every time the train passes by they have…read morea $2 small beer you can purchase. Great customer service. I just hope one day they can sell pizza by the slice, it would make it awesome

I finally made it here the place has a super chill vibe which is nice. We sat at the bar. They gave…read moreus menus and wanted a drink order right now, sorta odd for a place that has many cocktails. Drinks were good, the fried pickles were good, but the only time they checked on us was when our drinks were half way full and never came to ask us for anything else, so when we did we just got our check and left. The end. Kinda disappointed really there was at least 4-6 staff there..

Returned to The Whistlestop for the first time in a long time. This was my first visit since…read morefinding out I am allergic to gluten. The staff was incredibly helpful with finding things that I could have on the menu. Our server was very willing to ask the chef any questions I had about ingredients and sauces. You can get any of the pasta dishes they can make them with gluten free pasta upon request along with getting any handhelds on a gluten free bun. I landed on the Poke Bowl, I subtracted the aioli and ponzu because they were not gluten free. I removed the picked ginger out of my personal preference. To replace the sauces I removed I asked for a cup of their apple vinaigrette and it paired incredibly well with everything in the bowl.

Food could have been better. Cold just wasn't good…read more Waitress was accommodating and replaced my food since it was cold. It was disappointing because it was extremely slow had one other couple in the building so it wasn't busy. Not a great 1st visit impression. This visit was in Trinidad Tx

Love the vibe, it's a bit divey but still trendy. Service at the start wasn't friendly and…read morewelcoming but it got better towards the end. Maybe because a different staff checked on us. He was more attentive and he kept checking on us throughout the night. They got busy around 9 pm. And it seemed to be a local favorite. Their cocktails are creative but it's still budget-friendly. I enjoyed my cocktails but some were more tart than others. Still, If we were ever to come back to Waco this is the place I would like to come back to.

Such a cute little cocktail bar! We had the pink mojito and the frozen horchata. Let me tell you…read morethat frozen horchata was SO. GOOD. Will absolutely be back for more!

I had no idea this bar had been downtown for over 2 years! We were leaving another bar and stumbled…read moreupon this one. Very nice bar. Modern. Clean. Great atmosphere. Great drinks. I will be back.

Does this place have a vibe? Absolutely. Would I ever go back? Not a chance. Their cocktail menu…read morefeatures some neat flavor combos, price pointed in the $16-$20 range per cocktail. The man and I were in the mood for something simpler and ordered 2 double Tito's with plain water and lime. Simple, easy, cheap. So we thought. Maybe bad on me for not confirming how much each drink would be when we ordered, but when we tabbed out we were SHOCKED that our two drinks were $82+. I still tipped because I'm a good patron. But we literally had the same drink order at two other locations downtown with totals in the $20-26 range for both drinks.

Personable, genuine, excellent service. Fantastic atmosphere! Will be back for certain!read more

Great service! Neat place - take the tour! I was looking for a place that made great cocktails…read more Found it!!

Came here after dinner nearby and what a gem of a spot. The decor and ambiance gives you that old…read moreworld charm with dim lighting and folks enjoying conversations. Forewarning, if you are someone who doesn't like cigar smoke, this won't be the spot for you. There are some nice lounge type seating in the back to relax with a cocktail while smoking your cigar of choice. While I'm not one to partake in cigars all that often, I can appreciate them on a special occasion. I can't speak to that experience here as I came strictly for cocktails and to enjoy the outdoor patio as the weather was fantastic. I'll also say that with how busy it was, it was a bit loud inside, but nothing out of the ordinary of a busy crowd. Let's jump in. Service - 5* Immediately upon entering and approaching the bar, I was greeted with a friendly acknowledgement and asked what I was looking for. I had an idea but was curious to see their menu. After placing an order, the drinks came out quite quick as they have a good balance of bartenders, I believe three were behind the counter so running drinks to tables and getting them seemed to flow well. Overall, the bartenders are attentive and the wait time for a drink isn't terrible at all. Cocktails - 4* The cocktails themselves are very typical classics. Their spirit selection is robust and definitely worth a look if you're seeking a clean, straight spirit to sip. All solid choices and there's a range for what taste profile you're wanting to have. As for execution and delivery, I didn't find the cocktails to be amazing by any means, but for the pricing, we were quite happy. Pricing - 5* I think with where prices have trended this place is keeping it consumer friendly and delivering. Overall - 4.5* I'd come back, I found the cocktails selection, spirit options, ambiance and patio seating options, and service to all land. If you're ever in the downtown Bryan area, I highly recommend stopping by here!

We were looking for a nice place to go before dinner for a couple of drinks. West End has a great…read moreatmosphere with dark paneling and an old school ambiance. But more importantly they serve excellent cocktails! They have over 100 different cocktails and from what I could judge from the couple that I had, they must all be excellent. I started out with a caipirinha which just how I like it - not too sweet. My next drink was a pisco sour. It too was excellent and both were super-refreshing! But the kicker for me was that they have cigar smoking section. Since it's not a cigar lounge, they have a tiny cabinet humidor, but their policy is that as long as you drink you can smoke your own cigars. I came prepared with my own cigars and that made the experience that much more enjoyable. Next time I'm in town, this will definitely be a stop! Finally, they have a sister lounge that is a speakeasy that doesn't even have a name. We went to the speakeasy after dinner and the drinks there were also excellent. If you go to West End, ask them about the speakeasy!

If qualifying as a speakeasy means you're hidden and hard to find then this is truly a speakeasy!…read moreThe only down side is that with the downtown revitalization there's some trash cans overflowing in the back. So enter through Heritage East Culture at ETX. Give them the password if they ask (see social media). Cozy small speakeasy. My wife ordered some kind of S'more marshmallow Old Fashioned and I had a wonderful drink as well. Worth the treat.

so. much. fun! -- I was in Tyler for work and wanted to see what the area had to offer. I stumbled…read moreup in this speakeasy + the locals were so fun and friendly, we ended up chatting for hours! drinks were okay -- for an east texas speakeasy, I expected them to be stronger. I felt like I stepped into a country social club when I entered-- in a good way! The atmosphere was inviting and social, which I loved. I ordered the frog lets and omg! I planned to have some left over to take togo but they weee just too good, I finished them! If work ever brings me back to tyler, I know where to go for a good time.

After dinner on The Square, we made a pit stop at Black Pearl, a small, narrow bar attached to…read moreRick's On the Square. We all ordered a drink. My friend and my girlfriend both ordered their espresso martini that my friend claimed was the best espresso martini in town, while I got the bartender's recommendation of the Animal Style, a pineapple and jalapeño infused tequila with strawberries, cardamom bitters, and a lemon peel garnish. Normally, I hate any drink that is spicy. I cannot stand a Bloody Mary because I don't believe drinks should be allowed to be spicy, but this one, for having jalapeño, is not spicy at all. If anything, it's slightly savory with its tropical flavor. The bartender was great. They have appetizers and tapas as well and as my girlfriend sat down, she really wanted just one of their fresh oysters. I ordered her just one to try and it was $4.25. They gave us the smallest one they could find. The tiniest oyster of all time. I guess size really didn't matter because according to her it was very good. I would go back and have a few more cocktails, but it is a nice place to hang out on the square on a Friday night. A good time to be had by all. RIYL: The finest, most $15ish cocktail you can find.

Top notch in every department. Animal style is my favorite drink in East Texas. Bartenders are…read moreknowledgeable and personable. Great music and atmosphere. Oysters are always fresh. Only thing that I would change is that I wish they sold bags of their homemade chips. These chips will blow your socks off.