What a shame. When I first came to town five years ago, this was one of my favorite places to eat and drink. Knowledgable staff, great beer selection, good solid menu of bar food, generous portions, TVs for sports, and reasonable prices. In five years the menu has changed three times--each time shrinking and getting more expensive. The food quality has suffered as well; the knowledgable staff is gone. They have cut back on their cable bill (I guess),; on a recent Saturday they did not have the Baylor game available (other restaurants in town did). The staff now seem befuddled by any beer selection remotely out of the ordinary.
But really the food--its kind of a travesty what they now charge for what you get, both in quality and quantity. My wife and I recently went there only to overpay for what was mediocre food we could have gotten at any place in Waco.
On a side note, I have never had the trouble with crowding mentioned in the other reviews.
I'm fairly new in Waco and really enjoyed Cricket's. I've been three times now and have yet to have a bad experience. I'm a middle of the road beer drinker. I love trying all kinds of beer and know my way around a good brew, but I wouldn't call myself a snob. Most of the reviews so far have been about Cricket's decline, but I've not been around long enough to experience it.
They have a fantastic selection of beer (Over 100 on tap I believe) with a great menu divided into categories to help you navigate the ocean of taps. The bar tenders were very knowledgeable, answered all my questions and even had some fantastic recommendations based on beers I already knew I liked.
The food isn't too bad. I haven't fully explored the menu yet but what I have eaten has been good. (I highly recommend the "Pit Burger" which is a hamburger topped with pulled pork.) The prices are reasonable and they even have daily specials.
I highly recommend Cricket's if you are looking for decent food and the chance to try a new beer.
Good place to drop in for a late lunch or an early beer.
Crickets is the first place I visited in Waco, and I have gone back regularly since. I've only lived in Waco for about a year and a half, so I can't speak to a decline mentioned in the other reviews.
This place is really a bar. Don't go in here with an unrealistic expectations of how good pub grub should be. Stick to the burgers/sandwiches. As far as appetizers check out the loaded cheddar fries. The nachos are also good, as they make real, individual nachos. That is, they don't just pour cheese sauce on a pile of chips like it's a tortilla-chip pie, which seems to pass for nachos around here.
But let's get to the real reason to go to Cricket's: the beer. This place has the best beer selection in town and generally the beers are very fresh. Good smattering of styles and regions with a thoughtful emphasis on central Texas beers.
If only the rest of it was as awesome as the beer list...
All right, just to get it out of the way: the beer list at Cricket's is phenomenal. I, like many others, got my first legally-purchased drink at 21 here and still have the mug I bought shortly thereafter.
I like the food, and during the day it's even calm enough to take your parents to lunch there.
The only problem with Cricket's is that I, like the other reviewers, have noticed prices going up and quality going down. That's not good. Almost every time I've been lately, it seems like they're out of at least one or two of the beers I pick. Either I like really popular beers or the big wall is an illusion. I don't seem to get a good foamy head on beers that should have it on a regular basis, like they're not cleaning the glasses well enough or pouring it right.
I *so* wish I could still like Cricket's, but they've made it hard.
When I first moved here, I was super excited to go to Crickets. The food was pretty affordable. They had interesting choices of beer (and a lot of them), and the service was always very friendly.
Over the last two years, I've been consistently disappointed with all three of these aspects of Cricket's. The menu has changed to become cheap. (Really?! I order 'Nachos' and get six to eight chips with mediocre toppings on them. That's what you call 'Nachos'...in Central Texas...Really?!) The burgers are not as consistent in quality of preparation or ingredients. The beer lines are not cleaned regularly, and the staff often does not have any information about the beers on tap.
Furthermore, I've found the general service to be in decline...That is unless you are a larger group of Baylor dudes or babes who flash your cash. Enough money or good looks, and the server will ALWAYS be there when you need them. If you just go in with your family or a couple friends, prepare to wait or feel like you are infringing on the server's REAL job.
Have nothing to do on any night of the week? Then you'll probably find some other people with the same issue at Cricket's. It's nothing too special, but the food is good and the beers are too. Their selection of beers is not too shabby. They happen to carry Ace Pear on Draft and this makes me very,very happy. The bartenders are good about making a specialty drink if you know how to make it, which is good. Personally, I like that they have a few activities, like shuffleboard.
I am somewhat annoyed that they still allow smokers (I thought that's why they made the 2nd enclosed bar...) but whatever.
The food is fine, nothing amazing but a variety for all types. The menu changes a lot which is annoying when something you like is no longer available.
Beer selection is great, when the one you want is actually in stock. It's better to go there for beer/apps or dinner than late at night, the bartenders tend to ignore you and it takes too long to get a drink from them. Having a table will help a little to get what you want in a reasonable time.
The food is good and beer is cold. The main reason I come here is to play pool with friends on the weekends. I love shooting pool, but don't want to go to Clicks or what ever the pool hall is called over on Valley Mills. Crickets is a good fit for this for me.
It gets crowded but I don't typically mind a lot of people.
The beer selection here really is on par with gastropubs in the bigger cities in Texas. It is a really good mix of different styles of beer. I appreciate that. I do think that when you have that kind of beer selection that you should try and up your game on the menu. Its true that the more verschnickered you get, the less that you can tell fine cuisine, but at least make an effort. The food honestly is sub par. If the food would have been better I would eaten there a lot more. I feel like you can creatively match specific styles of beer with specific foods that really compliment. At Crickets you just kind of feel like they photocopied the Bennigan's menu and called it good. So if your just drinkin, great place. If you want food don't waste your time or money.
When I was twenty-one, I had my free shot there, and that was kind of cool. But that's the thing--there's always someone there getting a free birthday shot/having a bachelorette party/living it up in drunken debauchery. Even if you could somehow reach the counter where beer abounds like milk and honey, you will definitely be bumped by someone you don't want to be bumped by as you attempt to shout over someone yelling, "DO IT! DO IT!" in order to order your humble drink. I don't know what "it" is, but I wish he/she would just do it so I could order mah beer.
The food is pretty typical, but maybe it gets better with the more drinks you have. Maybe I just don't like Cricket's because I'm a chill person and I don't like the fratority vibe that it has. Either way, not my favorite. By far.
The selection of beers is impressive to look at. And that's about it. I used to love cricket's and was even a member of the Mug Club for 3 years. Once some key members of staff left things started going down hill. Unclean lines causing dirty tasting beer. Glasses that have been half rinsed leaving a soapy taste. And a staff that doesn't know a Belgian from a stout. I know people who still love it an I keep giving them a shot at redemption once or twice a year. I want to like Crickets, but I just can't right now.
Mixed drinks are probablyly alright but I can't say for sure.
