Waco Review Roundup

My brother-in-law’s wedding took me to the Lonestar State for the first time and gave me a slew of things to review, so here goes. Hours and locations can be found by following the businesses' links.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

A large airport with seemingly endless runways, DFW has a few bright spots but overall did not make for a particularly pleasant experience. The airport seems to be in good shape and looked neither dated nor depressing. The terminal-connecting Skylink train ran reliably every two minutes. Each terminal that we visited had a variety of shopping and dining options.

Like other large airports, foot traffic can be intense at times, and that much was to be expected. Less expected was our outgoing flight changing gates and terminals multiple times in quick succession or sniffing dogs handled by police in tactical gear, both of which made for a stressful layover.

 

Waco Regional Airport

The antithesis of DFW, ACT is a tiny regional airport that manages maybe three commercial flights per day. It offers no amenities – expected given its size – but the few folks working here are friendly. That said, TSA certainly took its time opening the security line for our outgoing flight, which made clearing security longer and less efficient than it could have been.

 

Springhill Suites Waco Woodway

Located a short distance away from Waco proper, this Springhill Suites location made for a comfortable home base during our trip. The front desk staff, housekeeping staff, and Jim the bartender were all pleasant and courteous. The room was spacious and the bed comfortable, and everything worked as intended. Aside from a brief spell of what sounded like hammering, the building was mercifully quiet. The nightly rate wasn’t unreasonable, either. The bathroom lacked a ceiling fan, but otherwise, there was little fault to be found here, and I’m glad that we went with Springhill.

 

Union Grove

Coming from a city where “food hall” is synonymous with “overpriced,” I found UnionGrove to be a breath of fresh air. That isn’t to say that the offerings here were dirt cheap but rather that I didn’t feel like the food hall setting was a license to jack up prices.

Union Grove boasts a respectable variety of vendors for its size, and the offerings range from Cajun to Asian to pizza and wings and more. I opted for the ironically named Health Camp, the Woodway outpost of a longstanding Waco burger-and-shake joint. While the shake selections looked tempting, I limited myself to a Health Burger (cheeseburger), tots, and a drink.

At the risk of courting pitchforks, the burger was a bit underwhelming. It was a fast food style single patty, very thin, and though tasty enough when dressed (lettuce, tomato, mustard, ketchup), not really worth $7. I realize that for locals, nostalgia is a powerful lure (Greensboro’s Beef-Burger had similar adherents), but if you didn’t grow up with Health Camp’s burgers, I’d have to believe that you could do better. To their credit, the tots were perfectly crisp and priced right.

One final note: Union Grove has plenty of seating, but it can also get rather loud. There’s an adjoining arcade, so expect kids running around. If the acoustics don’t bother you, however, then the warehouse atmosphere can be fun.

 

Common Grounds Woodway

The Woodway branch of this Waco coffee vendor is everything you’d want in a local coffee shop. There’s a drive-thru for patrons on the go, but there’s also plenty of room inside. With Slow Rise housed in the same building, you needn’t look far to find food to go with your drink.

Common Grounds’ menu is surprisingly deep and varied. You can get a classic drip coffee or espresso drink here, take on a fun flavor from one of the house specialties, or go with a multi-shot selection from the Sleep is Overrated section if you need an extra pick-me-up.  Common Grounds’ calling card is a housemade “Secret Sauce” syrup (spoiler alert: you can buy it by the bottle and ingredients are listed if you’re curious) and the Cowboy Coffee concoctions that feature it. If that isn’t enough, there’s also a rotating seasonal menu. Fortunately, the staff here are patient while you make up your mind, and they’ll promptly prep whatever you order.

I ended up getting an iced Caramel Coffee Crunch: a latte with caramel and Secret Sauce. It was rather sweet (owing to the aforementioned sauce), but on a hot day when I was somewhat frazzled, it was exactly what I needed. Were I a local, I could see making Common Grounds a regular stop. It offers too many options to pass up.

 

R & S Barbecue

Named for its owners Richard and Shannon, this tiny hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint is the real deal. It offers sandwiches, meats (chicken, brisket, ribs, sausage, chopped beef, ham, or turkey) by the pound or in combination plates, and desserts. From slaw and mac n cheese to peach cobbler and banana pudding, the accompaniments are BBQ classics though you can also get nachos and tacos here too.

I stopped by for a brisket sandwich. At $14 with chips included, it wasn’t cheap, but it was absolutely worth it. For starters, the sandwich was sizeable, a two-hander if there ever was one. It was also very tasty. The moist, smoky brisket was among the best I’ve ever had, and it paired well with pickles and onions. Though the meat delivered plenty of flavor, the housemade sauce added a welcome tang.

 

R & S may not be as big, as storied, or as well-known as some of Waco’s other BBQ establishments, but if you’re coming for the food above all, you can’t go wrong here.

 

Waco Mammoth National Monument

Home to a dig site featuring a slew of Columbian mammoth fossils, the Waco Mammoth National Monument is good for a quick diversion. $6 gets you a guided tour of the dig site. It isn’t particularly large, but it’s a welcome reprieve from the sun on a hot day, and the work undertaken to unearth and preserve the fossils is impressive. Guides are friendly and knowledgeable.

 

Fabled Bookshop & Café

This quaint downtown Waco bookshop offers a strong selection of books, bites, and beverages. It’s easy to lose track of time here taking in all they have to offer. While books are the primary focus, Fabled also features games, puzzles, stationery, and more. Shelves are clearly labeled, and staff seem upbeat.

 

Union Hall

The OG older brother to Woodway’s Union Grove, Union Hall is a bigger operation in downtown Waco. It boasts an impressive selection of vendors, including those specializing in Cajun, Cambodian, Thai, sushi, pho, Mexican, burgers, wings, pizza, juices, teas, and edible cookie dough, among others. As befits its size, Union Hall draws plenty of foot traffic though there is enough seating to go around.

My wife and I split a barbacoa pupusa plate from Pupusa Paradise and a tamale bowl from Wacool Tacos & Tamales. We then followed that up with iced matchas from Zuke’s Tea Bar and chocolate chip cookie dough from Cookie Dough Bliss. The pupusas were thin, crisp, and quite tasty, and the accompanying slaw was wonderfully tangy. The tamale bowl went heavy on the cheese and sauce, but the actual tamales themselves did not disappoint. The teas were refreshing though one was ordered with boba, which they forgot to include.

 

Nothing at Union Hall was terribly expensive ($7 for the pupusa plate and under $5 for a 24 ounce matcha), and the variety makes it hard to pass up. It may not offer the best of anything, but if you want to try several different cuisines in one spot, look no further.

 

Pivovar

A combination Czech brewery/restaurant/hotel/beer spa, Pivovar offers a one-of-a-kind experience. We paid the restaurant side of the operation a dinner visit and had an all-around terrific meal.

The ambiance here is attractive, blending wood and green leather with a view of the brewery. Our server for the evening (Ian?) was also tending bar, and he handled both roles capably without breaking a sweat. A manager later came around to check on us, which speaks to a dedication to customer satisfaction.

Pivovar’s drinks menu features pilsners and lagers brewed in-house while the food offerings have a Germanic bent. You can still eat lighter here (salads and sandwiches), but anyone looking to indulge in sausage, schnitzel, or steak will be pleased with what’s available.

My wife and I split a pretzel starter and then opted for the sausage platter and the classic pocket schnitzel, respectively. The pretzel was large, soft, and well-salted, and it came with a trio of dips. Of them, the beer mustard was commendably robust, but the honey mustard and beer cheese were more enjoyable. The sausage platter included what appeared to be a bratwurst and two other sausages alongside corn ribs and sauerkraut. All of the sausages were tasty and offered a firm bite while the corn tasted fresh from the grill. While the schnitzel would have benefitted from a vegetable pairing, everything on the plate was excellent, from the garlicky mashed potatoes to the schnitzel’s crisp batter, juicy pork, and cheesy filling. Dessert options included a crème brulee cheesecake that I couldn’t pass up, and I’m glad that I had enough room for it. The graham cracker crust had spice notes that reminded me of carrot cake, and the thin layer of sugar topping was very satisfying. My wife also spoke highly of the dark lager.

 

Pivovar isn’t cheap, and some of the menu offerings seem like reaches (i.e. $18 for a meatless salad). However, our entrees ($21 and $19) were reasonable for the quality of the food.

That Pivovar offers a kind of cuisine I don’t usually find made it attractive, but the combination of ambiance, service, and well-executed food made it memorable. Do yourself a favor and Czech it out.