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Junior's Grill and Icehouse • Round Rock

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By Teresa Pione Friday, 07 November 2008

For some, Junior’s Grill and Icehouse is “the neighborhood Cheers,” general manager Lori Carlin said. Nicer than the Boston below-ground bar from TV, Round Rock’s Junior’s touts a beer garden, game room and a menu featuring contest-winning burgers with homemade seasoning. Situated on Main Street just east of Mays Street, Junior’s offers live music Tuesday through Saturday nights. I visited on a Saturday evening, and the 11 outdoor picnic tables filled up quickly. Stone walls on each side of the wood-beamed patio, lights strung above the beer garden and trees reaching over the stage create an old-town, intimate ambience.

The back patio at Junior's Grill and Icehouse is an intimate live music venue featuring 11 picnic tables and a stage.

A few guests and I found a table and ordered margaritas, Shiner beer and some fried specialties. Copious amounts of chip-style fried pickles ($4) kept their juicy, savory flavor inside the generous, seasoned batter and were served in a paper-lined red plastic basket. The pickles were tart and crispy — a medley complemented by the Ranch and Southwestern Ranch dips.

As the band warmed up on stage, our main course was served. The fried crawfish po-boy ($7.30) featured ample pieces of crawfish with pickles, diced tomatoes and that delectable Southwestern Ranch sauce served in a soft and lightly toasted hoagie bun. The meal came with homemade potato chips. Crispy with a hint of spice, the fried crawfish washed down nicely with a draft brew. The chips, dark with a medium thickness, made a pretty good crunch. A diversion from the more typical beef carnitas dish, Junior’s carnitas (with onion rings, $6.90) coupled shredded pork with onion-cilantro coleslaw all topped on puffy tacos. Such a combination of textures pleased the palate. Again striking a nice balance between crispy battering and soft but firm vegetable inside, the onion rings had a sweet and full flavor. Dark greens and fresh vegetables flooded a dinner-sized chef salad ($5.90) with fried chicken ($3). Mixed together with honey mustard dressing, the salad both filled and satisfied. The margarita, though not too strong, was inspiring enough to tempt one to dance — and there was room to do so. One couple near our table two-stepped to the tunes of local musician Earl Hinton’s band, adding to the casual, upbeat and friendly atmosphere.

One of the many burgers on the menu, the bacon cheeseburger ($9.30 with steak fries), cooked to the standard “medium,” also received a thumb’s up from my friend. Served with thick potato steak fries, the juicy burger, onion and tomato in a sesame seed bun proved to be nearly too much to consume.

Owner J.D. Torain reopened the downtown Round Rock restaurant and bar, previously The Hole the Wall, in March 2006. He also owns Austin Pizza, which has locations in Round Rock, Pflugerville, Austin and Cedar Park. Carlin, the general manager, has been with Junior’s since it opened and said she is planning to expand the menu to include breakfast and daily specials.

With a background in law enforcement, Carlin said she enjoys the social climate at Junior’s.

“It doesn’t even feel like work,” she said, “I love coming in.”

Although lacking the black bean burger listed on the website, Junior’s serves up a sound icehouse-style menu, including items for children. Customers will not feel rushed by the service and may need to notify the staff if in a hurry.