Papa’s Ice House

OK listen… if the bar is an ‘Ice House’ than it is a biker bar of sorts. Therefore you should not bring children there… and we don’t know what one reviewer said about the bathrooms being ‘joined’ together? They look like the bathrooms in the new Costco. Maybe a fired employee?
Anyway, they have volleyball, horse shoes and pool tables, good fun when you are riding around.
The only 2 things I noticed which other reviewers have said, the staff was cold and I had to wait for a beer. We sat around like we weren’t there. And I think it was the female owner. Even if you own a biker bar, doesn’t mean you have no people skills. We have been to ‘Ice Houses’ just North of The Woodlands and the ‘bar maids’ were so awesome and friendly and talked to you. Hello, that is how you bring people back to your bar to spend money.
And two… $ 6.00 for a plastic cup of local IPA is way too stiff for a biker bar. Even for The Woodlands. With a minimal tip, that is $ 7.00 a beer.
We can’t say this will be on our ‘local bar list’ at this time.
Maybe they don’t need locals. We might try it again in a few months.

Becareful when using their restrooms!!! The woman’s and men’s restrooms connect!!! It’s crazy, I have seen children there during the day. All it takes is 1 child molester to hurt your child. Or even a stupid drunk. Owner should put a wall up to separate the two restrooms.

Great, laid back environment. You’ll see every type of person… so it’s super fun to go and people watch. I’ve always had decent service and prices are reasonable. Not downtown or waterway prices. Steak night is fantastic-Wednesday’s. Karaōke is entertaining to say the least.
It’s worth checking out. One of the best patios, and volleyball courts (sand.)

Papas you DISGUST me morally and service wise. A fundraiser/​memorial was held here recently for a very dear friend of mine who recently passed away. Friends of mine holding the event paid $ 400 to have it held there. They provided non working equipment, let our band play barely 2 songs because the very few regulars that were there disliked the music. Since we had no mic, the raffle numbers for the auction had to be yelled and they complained about that too. Even though it was established we were having to yell them because of their failure to have working equipment as promised. We were told that EVERYTHING we were doing at their venue for this memorial/​fundraiser was 100% okay beforehand and we would be provided working equipment etc. We brought well over 50+ people to their establishment. The food they catered was ok. Pretty much 99% of the attendees of this event purchased alcohol. I am HIGHLY disappointed that Papa’s would take $ 400 from us rather than say they couldn’t cater to the event we had planned out. We could have taken out business elsewhere. The ONLY way to make this right is to refund the $ 400 so we can put it towards our dear friend who just died, put it towards his son’s college fund

Friend held a benefit here for the cremation of his friend a for the childs college fund. Paid 400 bucks notified management of events (raffle, auction band playing. etc) took their money and said ok. Brought in about 50 people all of whom bought food and drink. Management first made them turn volume on tiny amp down below half even for auction. Mic that was provided was broke and barely worked. Eventually management shut to down and told them to go talk quietly at their table. So after ruining a benefit for a kids dead father and his college fund kept money anyway. Just because «his regulars didnt like it» Disgusting. Ive been here before but never again and neither should you.

Nice ambience for an ice house. Friendly, attentive service. The music (not the live band) was a poor selection in our opinion. Radio with commercials on a rap station doesn’t fit the place. Otherwise, a nice little oasis!

Very laid back and chill atmosphere. Cheap drinks and industry specials. Karaōke wed, thurs, and fri nights. Bands or Djs sat nights. This bar reminds me if my favorite neighborhood bar in Nashville. Almost like cheers where the regulars become family. A place where everyone is welcome and can be themselves. All ages until 10pm then 21+

I use to like this place… but never again will I frequent it. The bar stools are way too short for one. I went there two weeks in a row, both times they did not have limes for my Dos X. But here lies the true problem… The «manager,» Katie (apparently) has no business in the hospitality business.
Both times I went she explained (like I care) that she is trying to make a living. I guess after I work 60+ hours myself and am able to go out and try and kick back, relax, have a few brews, and hang out with my friends; is a hindrance to her.
After she so BOLDLY gave me the cold shoulder the first week with her «I’m trying to make a living statement,» I brushed it off… Her statement was after I questioned the fact they had no limes, and that Mexican Lime Cartels were to blame… Personally I found this to be so comical, so I had to find out about this story… at which time she proclaimed the statement above.
The next week she went off on my friend 2-​times once with her «trying to make a living dialog, again.» Then she put herself in my friends conversation with another person there, took his beer and told him he was not wanted there.
I asked for my bill twice before I got it, and she went off on me after I $ 0.00 tipped her. I wrote on the check my real tip, which was advice on how to «make a living.»
I do not need, nor does anyone, to feel as if she is doing me a favor by letting me frequent their establishment. No wonder the place was a ghost town that night. Katie (if that is her name) has no business in the business, other than to destroy one.
I will find some other icehouse around town with better servers, people who make me feel appreciated, after I work my a$$ off after 60+ hours while I «try to make a living.»

Very laid back. Me and my boyfriend enjoyed our stay. It was mostly an older crowd, so there are no problems or chaos. Very quiet and not crazy packed! We went on a Saturday, we sat in our own little area away from the crowd. Very quiet and HIDDEN bar!!!

Okay, so let’s say you are driving South on the service road for I-​45 South of Rayford-​Sawdust and you think you need to double back somewhere but using the back roads… and so you see a gas station and barely see a street name sign and turn and start down a road that goes dark (at night) and then you see a weird sign (whose LED lights are quite working right) and you hear a low murmur and see cars parked near a large workshop looking place with garage doors and it’s lit and people are wandering around and cars are parked everywhere…
it’s a vampire movie and you’re gonna die… right???
Located in the weirdest of spots, this is the epitome of a destination location.
Open aired design, bar stools that are too short for a tall bar, old wooden lineman like wire spools as tables in one area, plastic chairs and tables in the other. A stage in the corner (with 4 stage lights with CLEAR gels on them) shining down on it. A patio area and a sand volleyball court.
And did I mention it’s HUGE? It is.
I know, your mind is thinking… WHA THE FUH?
This is Papa’s Ice House.
Where bands open for Karaōke night (what?)
Where they play country music during the set break of an all African American R&B band.
Where you’re just as likely to be sitting next to a white collar success story as a hick who isn’t sure about how this whole Sun/​Moon thing works.
It’s a conundrum.
So it’s AMAZING for people watching.
Two of the times I’ve been there, I’ve seen people almost get into a fight. I haven’t actually seen one yet, so, there’s that.
Where I have had several drinks with friends over the course of a night and even ordered a beer or two on my tab and had no tab yet go over $ 15. I don’t know what the drinks cost, but that seems kind of odd… yet is the reason I’ll go back (I love economical). They do a «strong» pour, too… well, most of them. One or two folks there will do something akin to «ooops, I spilled vodka on your cranberry juice» as well.
The food was typical bar food done well.
I dunno… I mean, I go back to just see what will happen next and because it’s open until late and CHEAP!
But it’s hard to tell people «you gotta go». It’s good to have around if you need to go.

This is one cool bar. It looks as if it used to be shop with big garage doors. They open the doors and allow people to go in and out at will. They have a volley ball court as well. Great place for big groups.

Pretty TX of a spot ~ Roll doors, wire spools for tables, live band, karaōke, as well as volleyball courts? Weird right?
For some reason though, it works ~ Cheap beer, nice folks for the most part and a nice open air feel. They were easily able to accommodate our group of 40+!!
* for the volleyball court
* for the cheap beer
* for the fact that they have pool tables, arcades, and also some decent karaōke!

Don’t Do It. It looked like a promising place to hang out and have a beer, but we simply couldn’t get served. At all.
We stood at the bar. Nothing. We sat at a table. Nothing. Waitresses looked at us. Nothing.
It wasn’t for lack of staff as there were several hovered in a crowd together — just not interacting with potential customers,
We finally left without having any response at all. So sad as it looked like it had potential. Maybe it;s one of those places you have to know someone first. In any case, it failed us and we won’t be back.

I love this place. It is just so Texas, and such a fun place to hang out with your friends for a casual laid back night with friends, a beer, and some karaōke, It is a huge bar that is left open air when warm, and is closed off when cold. When its chilly, wear something warm, because you will get cold. I frequented this bar when I was living in the Woodlands, and it is definitely one of my favorite spots in the area. Drinks are cheap! They have a nice selection of beers on tap, and they make a really good upside down pineapple cake shot… GET ONE, you will thank me later. Definitely come here if you are in the Houston area!

Papa Chips are yay! Ranch is fab!
Appetizer plates are really over priced…
1 server for the whole place, that was not working out so well… bless her heart though she was nice and service was good, they just need about 2 more people…
Big shady area… not too bad.

When I have friends visit from out of state, and they ask me to show them some local flavor, I take them here. Part of it is because I am too lazy to drive all the way across town to Blanco’s, but mostly because I do kinda like this place for cheap beer, biker show offs and wannabe-​redneck karaōke. I mean, really, there is nothing funnier than drunken white trash singing rap songs.
The service here is hit or miss, but the atmosphere is comfortable and even with the smoke, there’s plenty of circulation to keep you smelling like a tobacconist. You can usually strike up a conversation with somebody here without getting your ass kicked, which is not really surprising when you suddenly realize you’re actually in the middle of suburbia and not in Hell’s Angel’s territory.
Grab a pitcher of Shiner, light up a stogie and enjoy the ensuing entertainment.

For a short while I DJ’ed at this place. I mostly played classic rock and 80s, but every once in a while I’d get to play some «Booty music» and make the girls dance.
The owner has a proclivity for hiring really good looking waitresses, so the eye candy is always plenty.
The kitchen makes a pretty decent Cheeseburger, and they have quite a variety of appetizers and plenty of beer on tap, especially Shiner Bock.
Make sure you go during Crawfish season! If they still do it, it was one of the best places to get crawfish on the north side, and the potatoes they served with were perfect.

For The Woodlands, a good ice house is mostly non-​existent. Papa’s Ice House caters to mostly country music fans and local yahoos who think an ice house is the only place to be.
With that said, it is a nice, shaded setting with plenty of places to be alone with a small group. The service is inconsistent. The burgers are really good. They have Shiner on tap (always a plus) and they carry Red Stripe (one of my favorites). Most food is your average ice house fare.
If you’re in the area and want a cheap ($ 2.75) draft beer, and you have no issues with country music, humidity or rednecks, this place doesn’t completely suck.
Goose’s Acre is my crème de la crème of pubs. Papa’s Ice house is just a place to meet someone nearby. Yes, the beer keeps my inner critic in check. There are few occasions that I would ask friends to meet me at Papa’s. If you must go, it doesn’t completely suck.