Sawyer Ice House

Sawyer Ice House is a gem of a neighborhood bar! The chicken strip basket tossed in sauce is an absolute must try. Fresh, crispy, juicy. What really sets this place apart is the warm, friendly service. The staff makes you feel like a regular from the moment you walk in, with genuine smiles and attentive care. The cozy vibe and welcoming atmosphere make it the perfect spot to unwind. Highly recommend!

Awesome place to hang out. The food and service were excellent. Mikey was our server and busser. That kid is an absolute asset to this bar and grill. A friendly, salt of the earth young man who made our dining and drinking experience all the better! The food, drinks, ombiance, and location were all perfect. It's definitely a great place to watch sports, hang out with friends, and grab a burger and beer. They also have an awesome concert lineup. Indoor stage for music and a huge big screen scoreboard TV for sports.

This is perhaps one of the best experiences I’ve had at an ice house in a while. To me an ice house should be very calm, lots of open space, friendly staff and of course a good selection of drinks (food is always a plus). The gentleman at the bar today was just amazing; very easygoing and approachable.. made the whole ordering process super easy. Got a couple of beers and some seltzers which were priced fairly. The star of the show has to be the buffalo wings pictured below. The chicken was beyond juicy and tender, and let’s not forget that they are still crispy.. they are not stingy with the sauce. Definitely recommend this item, plus their drinks. Broad selection of beer/drinks.. and overall great environment!

Great place for a late afternoon beer and snack. Lots of variety on tap and bottle, as well as frozen drinks and bucket specials. Solid basic menu - the hamburger and fries was great, with tasty seasoned patty and all the fixings. The Frito pie was a delicious starter - fritos, chili without beans, queso. The space was ample and clean and comfortable, with indoor and outdoor seating available. Staff was attentive and friendly.

Go anywhere but here. The bartender could have just said he was understaffed and/or was working alone, instead we waited for 30 minutes before finding him and when I had a question about the menu he replied with, “can you read? Descriptions are on menu.” So my party of 6 left immediately. Guy was having a bad day and while I understand that happens to everyone, it was unnecessary rudeness.

Atmosphere is great bartender today was being cheap maybe because I know he is not paying for the liquor. My usual bartender is not here, some new guy never seen.. asked for a Malibu and he added like a hint of Malibu and extra extra pineapple, I usually spend $75 plus tip... I stopped at $20 and that's because I bout 2 drinks.

Service was outstanding. The bar keep was doing a great job even though she was alone with the two helpers delivering food and cleaning. The people had great customer service attitude The food was very good for bar food. We had philly steak sandwiches and it was good. Prices are reasonable for the area and again the service was great The outside area could use more shade. Please install more cover

“It’s a matter of opinion” is what you’ll get if you let them know you’ve been waiting for more than 10+ minutes at the bar to close your tap. Even if you see them taking orders from other patrons that got to the bar after you did. Like the food and the ambience, but the service, it could be better

We needed a place to catch the half time show during the Super Bowl. We tried Social Junkie but it was way too crowded and they were charging $40 for valet. It was an immediate turn off so we left expeditiously. As we scoped around to find a low stakes bar, we stumbled on Sawyer Ice House. There was plenty of FREE parking, and it wasn't overly crowded. They also had a nice outdoor area where most patrons were. We sat at the bar and ordered fries and some mocktails. The bartender was friendly and so were the other patrons. They had plenty of televisions both inside and outside, along with a decent happy hour menu. Only hiccup was the bartenders switched because the original one went on break and there was some confusion on if we closed out our tab. Besides that, Sawyer is a nice spot to catch a game or enjoy a subtle bar scene.

I love Sawyer. They're pet friendly. They're people friendly. The food is absolutely delicious bar food and the beer is cold. It's our neighborhood bar and on any given night there's various activities going on. There are various tvs showing a little bit of everything and I've never left disappointed!

My husband and I popped by Sawyer Ice House for the first time last month. We came for the live entertainment in the evening and a couple of drinks. The parking lot was large and practically full but we lucked up and found a great spot. At the bar we were amazed at how busy the bartenders were hustling! The staff were pretty friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed some wings ( my husband loved them ) and met some very friendly patrons. We will most surely be back. I appreciated that it was a more mature crowd ( at least from what I observed on that night ) and although it was packed that evening everyone was having a great time and acting civilized. I definitely recommend visiting Sawyer Ice House for a casual date night.

I had been curious about this place since during the pandemic when everything was shut down and I was spending hours riding my bike around the city and was curious what they were going to build there. The area has really changed in the last 10-15 years from the being more of an industrial area with some bohemian art studios to the yuppie/hipster wonderland it is today and while normally I am not a huge fan of gentrifying places that I once remembered fondly when they had character, seeing how sad the area was during the pandemic and what it's turned to now made me happy. Parking kind of sucks in this area during busy times but if you're willing to walk for a bit, it's not that bad. The good thing is once you are here, there are a lot of other places to walk to so you're not just stuck in one place. The bar itself is a pretty standard ice house with some indoor seating and a dog friendly patio. They have board games that you can take too if you're into that. Service was a bit slow on the day I was there with one bartender being a little overwhelmed. Given that they are a gastropub, it would be nice if they had some brewed iced tea too for people who don't want to just drink beer. The biggest pet peeve I have though is that big TV over the bar - namely the lights around it. The lights are so bright that it hurts your eyes to watch the TV so I wouldn't want to come here to watch a big game.

Intro: After an event in the area, I stopped by with a group on a weekday evening. Located in Sawyer Heights, my car was already parked on the street so I didn't notice if they have a parking lot or not. Service (2/5): This is where things faltered, unfortunately. A decent number of people were at Sawyer Ice House for a weekday. They had trivia night going on. For a good hour or so, they only had one bartender working. Given the number of people that were there, she did her best but she was unable to handle the volume. I had to wait 15 minutes or so to put in a food and drink order . . . which is longer than I can remember ever waiting at a bar. A second bartender arrived an hour later but they were severely understaffed for a good chunk of time. Ambiance (3.5/5): Your typical ice house. A large patio that makes for a fun spot to hang out when the weather cooperates. A large U-shaped bar (this is where we hung out). A casual watering hole. Drinks (4/5): Full bar and they had a deal going for buckets of beer. We did a bucket of Dos Equis. The bartender asked us if we wanted limes. Always a nice touch. Food (4/5): I was looking for an appetizer and decided on the fried pickles. They were served piping hot (it would have been better for them to wait a minute or two before bringing them out). Some quality fried pickles though. Crisp pickle chips and a generous portion size. Along with a dipping sauce. Exactly what I was hoping for. Overall: Some bad logistics soured the experience for me but Sawyer Ice House has the potential to be much better with proper coverage. Perhaps I just caught them on an off night.

What do a bunch of people do when they have time to kill before a YES event? We go to happy hour. And boy was it. When came in around 4:30, and Melinda was solo at the bar. She checked in on us regularly. Our drinks came out perfectly, and the food was quick and hot. HH special is $5 Wells, and some other stuff. I stuck to the G&T on well. it was good! She also noted she loves her job, and we can easily see that by how well she takes care of her customers. She was excellent! We came back after the YES event at Mainely Sandwiches next door, and closed out our night with Emily, also again solo-ing behind the bar. They had a trivia night going, and a pretty good rush right around 8p, and Emily still made sure we were taken care of whilst balancing the needs of everyone else. She also made a BOMB Maple Smoked Old Fashioned. The food was very solid bar food, good quality, good quantity: Chips and Queso - Solid. They appear to make their own chips, and the queso was solid. It also comes with two small salsa cups, but I focused on the cheese. Fried Pickles - Yes. The batter was thick, and it comes with two dips. Onion Rings - Also a yes. Solid batter similar to the pickles, comes with some dip. The place was pretty spacious with indoor and outdoor seating. I'm glad to have such great service, I imagine the place can be busy, and with one person at the bar that could be rough. The parking lot adjacent to the bar was pretty small, but they may have more parking beyond it. Definitely a great spot to chill out if you're in the area. I will go back here.

I've been to Sawyer for several company happy hours. We had reserved tables this time but the atmosphere is still really loud. When I came in, there were no servers to help direct me to my party. Eventually a waitress came by to take drink orders. My group ordered some of the queso nachos and the fried pickles and fries. Everything was ok, but pretty spicy. Typical bar food. It wasn't anything special. Other than proximity, I'm not sure why we keep coming here as I feel like there are better happy hour places like Torch's tacos.

OMG!! WTF??! An ice house trying to be a boojie brunch spot. With a DJ playing definitely not brunch music so effing loud you can't hear yourself think, let alone have a conversation. The "regulars" just want to watch the game, have a cold beer and a burger, and enjoy some friendship. Now you can't even get bar food until after 3. Apparently "Dawn" thinks this a good idea to Jack with the standard fare of an ice house. STUPID! One drink and I left. If this is the new format, I won't be back. Used to be a cool spot...now it sucks!

After driving by Sawyer Ice House a few times when exploring the Houston Heights area, my friend and I decided to stop in for dinner and drinks. They had a parking lot right next to the restaurant that wasn't too crowded which was great. Once inside, we went to the bar to order. My friend asked for a lager suggestion and the bartender seemed to have no clue which lagers they even had and ended up bringing a beer that wasn't a lager. I also asked a question about a beer and the bartender couldn't answer it... I would hope they'd know what they sell a bit better. I ended up going with a glass of Prosecco. For food, we ordered: - Swiss Onion Mushroom Burger: Below average and pretty flavorless. Didn't think this could be messed up but I wouldn't order it again. The fries it was served with were also not great. - Nashville Hot Chicken: Not very hot and just an average chicken sandwich Overall, the ambiance was great but this isn't a place we'd visit again as the food was meh and the service was just Ok.

Stopped by this place after a short night bicycle ride. I've been here a few times, but only during the weekday and somehow always right before closing. We always usually just get a beer or two when hanging out here. I know they have cocktails -regular and frozen and a big selection of draft beers. As far as food, they do have a kitchen but unsure how late they are open. Service here is always good - never had problems. There's a big bar area with decent amount of indoor seating: there is also a huge tv right above the bar. Speaking of tv's, there's plenty inside and outside although I did notice that the outside tv's are only open during the weekend or when there's a big game. No big deal though, I could literally see the huge tv from the outside. The outside area is nice with plenty of tables. They also encourage your fur buddies to hang out in the patio which is always a plus! The beer I got tonight was from a local brewery and it was nearly $8.00. Maybe I should've gotten a lone star or something for cheaper, but for a post-ride beer that seems a little too steep for me. Overall, I like this place for the dog friendly patio and laid back atmosphere. Will have to try the food options next time!

You must have me confused with someone who does not know the difference between Spring and Houston. I know EXACTLY what location I am reviewing, and where I was when I experienced your inferior service - SAWYER ICE HOUSE at 1420 Sawyer Street, Houston, Texas 77007. So, I kindly ask that you do not underestimate my intelligence. Please feel free to contact me for additional clarification, until then I will keep posting my reviews highlighting your horrible service and lack of professional follow up. As of 6.16.2024 at 7:28 PM no one has acknowledged my request for follow up - very sad.

Affirmations are real. I put into the universe I wanted Chicken Fried Steak that reminded me of my elementary cafeteria days, and the universe came through. I ordered the Southern Fried Steak Frites Basket and was not disappointed. Gravy, fries, fingers... Sawyer Ice House understood the assignment and killed it. Also, they serve SMASH BURGERS here, and y'all know how much I'm a sucker for smash burgers, especially when they are only $8. Check out their weekly specials before you go!

Cute little spot with several beer options. We stopped here once for burgers and a beer and found it quite charming. This is walking distance for us so can't speak much on parking but seating inside and on the patio was plenty. The burgers were great and came out fast. One of the bartenders was kind enough to bring us napkins, condiments, and check on us while seating outside. TVs we're showing some games and I noticed the patio had different options of entertainment outside like corn hole and connect four. Cocktails were on the menu but we did not have any. Looks like they had a decent menu as well. We will definitely be back.

I've been to Sawyer Ice House multiple times and there's a few reasons I keep going back. Food: OMG. Not your typical bar/patio food that all tastes the same. The pretzel...... no words. I dream about it. Everything else is great too, but specifically the pretzel. Drinks: Good! Their cocktails are fun and tasty. Lots of beer and cider on tap. Parking: Decent. There's a little lot but with the drink prices and tight lot you're probably better off ubering or walking. Service: Bar service is hit or miss. A little slow sometimes. All the services are incredibly kind. Ambiance: There are TVS!! And outdoor or indoor seating. If I lived walking distance this would be my number 1 hang out spot.

I'm a big fan of Sawyer Ice House! I don't understand their mediocre rating. They have a huge selection of taps, ample seating, ample parking, and a gorgeous outdoor area. Their food is pretty good too! They also have card games/board games you can play while you hang out.

Last week was the first time my wife and I had a chance to visit. good menu, reasonably priced given the cost of things. plenty of TVs/Big screens to watch sports. Really nice patio of good weather days. The bartender was all by them self so it you're expecting a fast paced afternoon you will need to be reasonable. Overall good spot, diverse drink menu and beers on tap. Go check it out if you're interested in getting out.

I love their fried pickles. They also have great list of beers for an IPA lover like I am. Servers are very friendly. It's a hidden gem.

Stopped in just to the a drink before meeting for dinner and love the industrial type aesthetics of the place. They have well over 40 type of beers on draft and reasonably priced. Def would come back for a beer and downtown views on their patio with my dog. Didn't get to try the food but on the next time I'll give it a try but below you will see the menu for the food and drinks. Enjoy!

Oof I don't even know where to start. Such a bad experience all around. I know they're in their soft opening phase, but it doesn't even seem like they are even ready to be open. We came on a Saturday afternoon. Parking was difficult-it's a small parking lot so if it's full you will have to circle around and find parking on the street or maybe even park in the lot across the street with all the other businesses. There was 1 bartender for the entire place. She was clearly in no rush to make any drinks. We waited about 20 minutes to place an order and immediately closed our tab since it would prob take a while to have her come back around to us. It was the worst French 75 I've ever had. She just poured a bunch of stuff into the glass, no mixing or anything and took the pulp out of a lemon slice and put it in the glass. We won't be back here anytime soon-prob best to wait until they're ready to be fully open.

So, I know there are quite a few negative reviews at this establishment; however, all I can attest to was my own personal experience. I have to say, the bartender who served us was absolutely amazing and My husband and I came by here on a Sunday evening for a bite to eat and a drink. This review is a couple weeks late but hey, more time for the experience we had to marinate! To make a long story short, let your own experience speak for itself. I say this as this establishment has multiple negative reviews blasting customer service. While I am not discrediting anybody's personal experience, I think it is important to voice our own personal experience so consumers have a diverse range of reviews to make their determination on whether or not to come to a certain place of business or not. Food: 5 Stars ~ The food was absolutely delicious and I was actually pleasantly surprised with the quantity as well as the quality of the food. Since this is an ice house, I didn't set my expectations too high, but the wings were great and the nachos were full of flavor. The serving size was pretty large too, for the price considering what area it's located in. Service: 5 STARS ~ The service was fabulous in every way shape and form. HUGE SHOUT OUT TO ALEHSA, she took care of my husband and I and even though it was busy, she was so kind, helpful and overall pleasant to converse with. I have been in the service industry, so I know how it can be and I must say, she appeared to know how to manage the crowd while still giving top notch service. Atmosphere: 5 Stars ~ Based on the two times I've been here, the atmosphere has been chill and enjoyable. Definitely enjoyed my time here. All in all, please come by and try this place out for yourself, I know I enjoyed my time here, you might too.

Great spot and good menu. I enjoy the outdoor seating. Drinks are very good and the have a lot of in the can offerings too

This one was a tough one to rate. Honestly, the drinks added a star to my original though. We love the frozen Jim & Coke's. The food was sub-par. We have been here twice, the first we only had drinks. Today we also ordered food. Both times the drinks have been good! They have a large selection of beers and 3 frozen drinks that are delicious. Their food, however, left a lot to be desired. We ordered the Millionaire bacon which was (as pictured) just strips of cooked bacon. I tried to order the onion rings but they were out. We instead ordered to Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. It wasn't bad, but honestly I have better at some fast food/chain restaurants. We put our bacon on the sandwich which I think helped! Their fries were hand cut and well-cooked! Again, not a place I would pass up. They have a lot of TVs and patio space. However, I would probably not be back for the food! (P.S. parking in their lot can be tough, but it is the Heights so isn't everywhere like that?....)

Amazing service!!! The chicken tenders were out of this world and the fries were super crispy. Jason also makes the best Moscow mules in Houston.

First off let me start by saying Steven and Melinda are wonderful. Very informative on the menu and personable. When I come back it would be to see the two of them. Now let's redirect this conversation to Gerry. Which just let me say that for someone who needs jail time he shouldn't give his name out so willingly, but also confirming it's spelled G-E-R-R-Y. He not only caused a scene, but made my sister and I incredibly uncomfortable. We made several attempts to ignore him but my god was Gerry persistent. If we saw him here in the future we would immediately leave.

I had been eyeing this place for what felt like years and today was their soft opening. Location, Parking, Decor - 5* The location is in the heart of the Art District right off Sawyer. There are a couple of entry points right off Edwards and Sawyer. There is a private parking lot as while, but it it small so I'd suggest walking, biking, or ride sharing here. The front has an area with tables perfect for great patio weather with a large group of friends. We headed inside since it was a bit chilly and they do not have patio heaters or anything enclosed for colder temps. Inside there is a large central bar area with wrap around seating with TVs all over. To the left and right of the bar area are tables spritzed everywhere, mostly four top seating. This place screams sports pub for a great game. Service - 2* There is no wait service to the tables at this time so one must wait in line at the bar if you choose to sit away from it. When we first entered we waited wondering if we should seat ourself or find a seat. We were able to flag someone down and they said open seating. Suggest they add a sign as we saw others doing the same wondering. Once we grabbed a table we headed to the bar to order. We waited a good 5-7 minutes for the bartender to finish with the two in front of us, but he never acknowledged our presence or that we had waited sometime. We finally managed to get his attention to order and given the time we waited we knew exactly what we wanted. We ordered and we're immediately told the kitchen was closed. Ok, that's cool, but if that's the case take the food menu away so it isn't available. It must have just closed (8 pm) because people around us were being served food still. Food / Drink - 3* Look, we truly wanted to try the food, but I guess we'll have to wait. As for drinks, they have a basic cocktail menu and a pretty decent selection of beer from national brands to local craft. Cost - 4* Their prices for food seem quite reasonable while the drinks are what you'd come to expect anywhere. Overall - 3* I will definitely come back to try the food given how close it is for me. The service is certainly its largest area of improvement t from what we witnessed. I mean, while we were waiting to order during our visit there was a point the entire staff went into the kitchen to eat food. I think everyone understands that on a soft opening there will be hiccups and it was certainly present today, but I'd say this place has a lot of potential if they can iron out the service. It can serve as another great option in the area for a sports bar.

We stopped here in a whim because we didn't want to keep driving aimlessly looking for a lunch spot. The patio looked nice but the weather was hot so we stayed inside. The bartender was very nice and the food (just wings) came quick. There was plenty of TVs for my husband to watch sports.

We celebrated a recent birthday here where I had provided advance notice that included a time and quantity of people. When our reservation came, the bar was fairly empty minus our large party. We had a decently good time until a few incidents with a staff member really turned the night as a whole into a poor experience. The first interaction with this staff member (the blonde bartender that's been cited as rude in many reviews previously) was when food we never ordered got dropped off at our table. We told the staff, it wasn't for our table and no staff did anything but later rudely reprimanded our table for eating it 2 hours later. The blonde bartender spoke with mean words about a mistake the staff made. The other incident happened while she was working behind the bar. She was in general extremely curt and rude to everyone she served and that coupled with slow service, mediocre food, bad cocktails made for a poor celebration. I had reached out to the manager, Ian, ahead of us getting there to make the reservation and he had always responded within a few days. I privately messaged him about these incidents and haven't heard back in over three weeks. The "five star" reviews of this place are the employees/management reviews, so stick to the others for the truth. We will not be back to Sawyer Ice House and it's unfortunate since we were looking forward to a place like this in our neighborhood. Without major staff training, Sawyer Ice House will continue to be a black mark on an otherwise awesome neighborhood. The breweries around here (Platypus, Holler, buff bayou etc) are awesome with great food, drinks and courteous staff, so spend your money to keep them in our neighborhood.

My friend and I finally managed to make it out and it did not disappoint. Parking was abundant at the time we arrived around 7 and we were promptly greeted and had our orders taken once we sat at the bar. The nachos were good and flavorful but lacked toppings on chips in the middle and bottom of the stack. The beers were perfect - my friend downed a few Michelob Ultras and myself a Stella Artois and Eureka Heights Brew Buckle Bunny, all of which were ice cold. If you're like me and need to widen out with new beer selections, they have you covered. The atmosphere inside and out was great and we look forward to coming back again soon!

Holy crap! The burger is on my top 5 list. Great staff, clean. Friendly clientele. Dog friendly.

Such amazing potential. Huge spot, tons of TVs, huge draft list, outdoor space, etc. And just a fail. Bartenders aren't necessarily unfriendly, but it's like talking to a brick wall...beers are generally overpriced, barstools are insanely uncomfortable pieces of metal sh*t, and service just isn't there. Music also pretty bad and doesn't belong to any genre. Should have partnered with the "other" ice house guys in the city.

30 + minutes wait time just for a piece of pretzel??? Never coming back here again. Awful service. Don't waste your time here. ‍

Steven and Ten were our bartenders for the day and we had an absolute blast with them!!! The burger was one of the best that we have had in a long time. My wife had an amazing birthday thanks to them

severely understaffed. not the best place to get an overpriced drink in a timely manner. good location, but i'd go elsewhere in the area for my time, money, and energy.

Came here for the Super Bowl. Decent bar food with a nice atmosphere. Great drink selection, and super friendly staff who took care of us all night. Would definitely go again, great chill spot to watch the game.

We stopped by while walking our dogs for their soft opening. Sawyer Ice House is a modern take on the traditional Texas neighborhood ice house. As opposed to a traditional ice house like West Alabama, Sawyer has a huge draft list (40 beers on tap) as well as a food menu with appetizers, salads, and sandwiches plus a few treats for our four-legged friends. This is a cool place with outdoor and indoor seating and plenty of parking in the Sawyer Yards complex next door and across the street.

This place has the worst service ever. Waited in line for 20 minutes and the bartender did not even try to take my order... would purposely take other orders before mine because I was not WHITE... anyway do better.. be better

Love this place! The patio is awesome and the beer selection is great. It's a modern twist on an ice house. The view of downtown is pretty sweet and it's in close proximity to the art gallery and other shops. Suggestion for owners: put corn hole sets on the patio! There's plenty of space between the picnic tables and the fence!

The vibe of this place is really nice. Great indoor and outdoor seating. The food is also very good. However, the service needs some work. We've been here 4 times and never had a great experience at the bar. They lack awareness of when customers walk up for service and show little enthusiasm to be doing their job.

Cool place! Huge variety of beers. Huge! Bar area is nice and there's a huge outdoor area. Food menu is basic but I will say the burger was good. (Lotta TVs for the games too!)