West Alabama Ice House

Laid back, neighborhood bars like West Alabama are why I’m starting to love Houston so much. Outdoor seating (dogs welcome!), ping pong table, basketball hoop, corn hole… and of course the amazing taco truck across the street! The place also has crawfish during peak season.
It’s typically not too hard to find seating with plenty of tables around for groups of people. Beer selection includes a lot of Texas favorites and often includes seasonals. Just wish they had beer on tap.

Very laid back place, all kinds of beers. You can bring your own food, the best taco truck is across the street. Like it!

Best dog gone ice house there is! Really chill crowd — all types of folks. There’s a basketball half court, ping pong table, pool table, jukebox, taco truck, random food truck, and everyone can bring their dogs!
They will sometimes have on sports on the projector out front. They don’t make micheladas (wahhhh) and they don’t have liquor or any beer on tap. Just your good ol awesome neighborhood bar.
I love this place.

Awesome place to grab a beer and the taco truck across the road was nominated THE BEST IN HOUSTON this year. They have basketball, ping pong, corn hole and loads of outdoor seating. Pet friendly!

A great neighborhood bar with a large variety of canned/​bottled beers. They have a huge «backyard bbq» style seating area, with a basketball hoop, cornole, jenga, and a number of other games. While I don’t believe they serve food there, it was great to have a food truck right next door (see Tacos Tierra Caliente).
As a fan of stout and porters, the staff knew exactly what to suggest and were very friendly! I thought the price was a bit high for specific beers ($ 6/​can of 8^th wonder vietnamese coffee porter), but I suppose that’s what you pay for the environment, etc. They had a beer called «Sex Panther,» so I was obligated to try it as well– per a nod to one of my favorite movies, Anchorman. In case you’re curious, it was a delicious double chocolate coffee porter!

Love this place, easy to find parking, cheap drinks and great atmosphere! I get tacos from Terra Caliente and a drink from here. There is even a super chill dog that hangs out here you can pet.

I would move back to Houston for this place. Words cannot describe how nostalgic I am for this place.
Everyone knows this is an awesome day drinking spot. No need to mention that. The tacos are amazing!
My recommendation is go to central market for a Monday wine tasting ($ 10 bucks when I lived here) and then come here. It’s awesome to go classy to trashy. (Not really trashy, but it rhymed)

An 88 year old Texas Ice House in Montrose with great beer, relaxing patio and a basically permanent taco truck. Special guests include the Montrose tamale man and a local bar pooch

Great place for brews, dogs, and food truck snacks. The bartenders we attentive and the beer was cold in the glass and bottle it came in. They had an awesome selection of beer to choose from too. Come here on a sunny day with some friends and enjoy the laid back atmosphere.

Racist angry white lady at the bar. I mistakenly walked into this place trying to find the restaurant right next to it. Instead of redirecting me politely the whole experience was rather embarrassing for this establishment. She first skipped me and answered this white guy who came after me. She then said she couldn’t understand me when I finally did speak to her and just walked off. Like super awkward. And then she came back again later when I was still standing there and a bunch of people started waiting behind me. She answered finally In a very rude dismissive way and just laughed along with another random Customer I guess about bow hilarious it if someone walks into the wrong place? It’s pretty ridiculous people still treat people like that. The bar tender was just full of hatred .
The manager of this place contacted me and apologized, none the less racist business are gonna get a one star from me

This place is very different, in a good way. West Alabama Ice House goes for a more old-​school, country-​style vibe than the typical Houston bar, with a divey interior and large dog-​friendly patio filled with red picnic tables. It’s a great place to chill, grab local bottled/​canned beers with buddies or out-​of-​towners, and shoot some hoops (just leave your ID at the bar to rent a basketball) or play cornhole. All the employees are kind and laid back. If you find yourself getting hungry, grab some grub from the food trucks nearby (special shout out to Tacos Tierra Caliente right across the street). Definitely a fantastic change of pace from the frenetic energy and occasional douchiness of Midtown and Downtown bars/​clubs.

I went here one night for a little birthday get together for a friend of mine. There’s plenty of picnic table seating — covered and uncovered. Order your drinks and sit, chill, and mingle or get tacos/​quesadillas from a food truck across the street — Tacos Tierra Caliente (cash only) and/​or whatever food truck is parked on their lot for the day. There’s a couple of TVs to watch the games at the bar, a pool table inside, and a makeshift basketball area. This ice house is pet friendly, so if you’ve got a dog phobia, I probably wouldn’t recommend it or just keep your distance. The place is run down because it’s been here forever, but the atmosphere is very carefree if you just want to drink, socialize, and listen to music.

One of the last authentic bars in the city of Houston. This is where you take your friends when then visit. It’s just the real deal. They serve ice cold beer, you have your choice of food from some great food trucks, and they have tons of bar games in a cool outdoor setting.
Best place to go during the daytime and be sure to bring your dog!

This is one of Houston’s most famous spots to grab a beer. What more could you want, they have a little of everything you would ever need. Water fountain, basketball goal, plenty of picnic tables, pool tables, outside and semi-​inside seating, live music on certain nights, free hot dogs on some fridays, great bar staff, pretty clean restrooms, good selection of beers and some wines, reasonable prices, casual atmosphere, dog and even kid friendly.
There are usually 2 taco trucks parked outside, depending on which night. Don’t miss tacos tierra caliente parked permanently across the street if you want some great pastor tacos.
I would give it 5 stars, but it’s hard to avoid the smoke here sometimes since most of the seating is covered, but open air.

As far as ice-​houses go, this is probably my go to in Houston. Lots of outdoor seating, a large selection of cheap beer, and most importantly, great food trucks.
I definitely recommend stopping by Tacos Tierra Caliente which has some of the best street tacos in the city.

I visited on a Tuesday night in October and the Ice House was mostly empty but that offered a nice opportunity to catch up with a friend, and even better, we quickly found parking!
Seating offered in the form of large picnic tables with areas to play corn hole, ping pong and basketball. I particularly enjoyed that the Ice House was dog friendly and that we could bring outside food in to enjoy along with our beers. The bartender even came out from behind the bar to chat with patrons and socialize with dogs during our visit. The beers we ordered with a standard $ 5 which is a little steep considering I ordered a Buffalo Bayou and my friend ordered a Blue Moon, these are two very different beers so I was surprised they didn’t come at a different price point but whatevs.

What a great dive bar! How have I waited four years to get a beer here?!
Great beer. Great outdoor seating. Projector screen and TVs for watching beers. Corn Hole. Twinkly lights. Taco truck parks right next to it — so food is available right there, too!
West Alabama Ice House has been doing its thing since 1928 — and it’s still a chill, cool place that draws a very diverse crowd — bikers, hipsters, frat guys, older groups, younger groups. Seems like everyone likes West Alabama Ice House.

I know this place because they are known for cold beers, dog-​friendly environment, casual surroundings, and a convenient place to chow down the tacos you bought across the street. It’s really a nice chill spot to hang away from the bulk of the Montrose bars.
Being an icehouse, this place only serves beer. Honestly, I’m not much of a beer drinker, and I only come here when I order tacos from Tacos Tierra Caliente next door and need a place to devour my meal. I order a refreshing beer to wash down the magic. Beer prices are about average it seems, and there is no draft beer offered. Lot of people in their early twenties linger around here. Sometimes I see someone at a grill offering food. There’s also a basketball hoop and a volleyball net in the back you can use. There’s lots of space so you don’t feel cramped. Probably the best thing about this bar is much appreciated the numerous fans pointing in every direction to combat the summer heat and keep away mosquitos as one is watching a game. There’s plenty of street parking and a small lot across the street.
So stop by with some pals for some outdoor suds. Doggie optional.

Five stars for the grunge factor. Hands down a place I want to be a regular at. This place rocks for all the reasons you might normally think a place should suck.
–Outdoor area with picnic tables covered in sweat from the previous bottles and cans. Shows people legit come here. I don’t need pristine stained wood tables.
–The owners (?) dog running around without a leash means this place is friendly. Man’s best friend is a tie between canine and beer.
–Fuzzy static on the TV while the game is on gives it character. I don’t need high def, I am purposefully and knowingly NOT at the game itself.
–Cheap beers out of a convenience store cooler makes me feel alright coming back for more, I’m just tying to stay refreshed.
On top of all that awesomeness you can shoot hoops, but tacos across the street, and get called out on the mic to challenge the owner (?) to a dance of for free beer. Nuff said.

After buying tacos from Taco Tierra Caliente, we walked over to West Alabama Ice House to sit and eat. I was unsure if we could sit there without drinking, but it turns out you can.
This is a very friendly dive bar. Everyone appears to know each other and it’s a very welcoming environment. It’s an open concept with picnic tables and benches surrounding the bar area. In addition, there is a pool table, basketball court, ping pong table and corn hole.
The bar only serves beer and wine. Dos Equis are extremely overpriced ($ 10 for 2), so I would suggest ordering a beer written in purple on the white board as they are only $ 3.50 each or whatever is offered for the daily special.
Happy hour is from 10am-​5pm Mon-​Fri. I look forward to visiting this bar again with a group of friends.

Único!!! El local SIN RIVAL en todo Houston! Un lugar para unir con amigos cuando regreso a mi ciudad natal.
Colin prepara (los viernes cuando el clima en Houston esta a gusto) dogos buenos solo necesitas dar propina. El puesto (todos los días, todo el año) Tierra Caliente son muy recomendables para acompañar tu cerveza bien fría.
Hay varias cervezas pero SOLO BOTELLAS/​LATAS.
La música en vivo es siempre interesante.
Puedes traer tu perro (con correa)!
Estacionamiento es limitado y ten cuidado por que los vecinos usan grúa! Hay estacionamiento atrás de la tienda Hollywood y tiene un siglo de carton.
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An institution!!! The icehouse against which all others are measured! A place to catch up with friends whenever I am back in my hometown.
Colin makes great hotdogs (when the weather permits on Friday nights) and the nearby tacos (every day, all year) from Tierra Caliente are mighty, mighty fine when knocking back some cold ones.
They have a nice beer selection (alas) ONLY BOTTLES.
Live music always interesting.
Dog friendly!
Parking can be a headache so take care not to get towed! Use the nearby lot behind the convenience store that is marked with a plain paper sign.