Escape on 2nd Ave

No clue why this place doesn't have five stars. I am obsessed with this spot. The food is unmatched - I definitely recommend the tacos (carne is fire) as well as their flatbreads and ANY of the apps. Zero friers in this place so not your traditional bar food. You will not be disappointed by the food. Best kept secret in the Midwest. Trust me. Gooooo!

We came to Escape on 2nd while at a friend's cabin, and it's a great little spot!Looking like a small cabin on the side of the road, this joint definitely has a lot of character. On the inside are tons of random signs - from alcohol references to just the most random sayings you can find. We also loved the stocked and decorated bar to add to the ambiance. The bartender was friendly and helpful, and the food was quick! It was easy to order at the bar even though we were sitting at a table. One thing to note is Escape doesn't have a deep fryer! So no fries or cheese curds on this bar menu. It definitely sets this place apart from others in the area. We started with a round of their Bloody Marys - which is Escape's specialty! I loved that there were so many to choose from with different flavors and levels of heat. The bartender also let us sample them before ordering, which was really helpful. My table was pretty split ordering a few of the "kickle", a few of the "hot lips" and a "red neck juice" - unfortunately none of our group ordered the "escape bloody", but hopefully we will be back to try it! I had the "reck neck juice" and it was a delicious classic bloody with a little bit of a kick and a thick & chunky consistency. I loved it! Especially the Gouda and salami on top. For appetizers we ordered the Bavarian Pretzels & Parmesan Crusted Cauliflower. The pretzels were nothing out of the ordinary, but the beer cheese with them was delicious! I also really enjoyed the cheesey cauliflower, soft naan and garlic butter - a more unique offering at a bar like this. For food I just had a cheeseburger with grilled onions. It came with a side of chips, but I didn't eat many as they just came out of a bag and weren't homemade. The cheeseburger was delicious and fresh! Nothing crazy, but just a really good burger. Sets itself apart since it didn't have the deep-fried, greasy feeling. Overall, I would definitely come back if I'm in the area again to try more bloodies and more from the menu!

Interesting place - overall good - 3.5 stars.So...my buddy lives about 5 minutes away and he's been bugging me for over a year to drive to Clear Lake and checkout Escape on 2nd. He told me all about the awesome food (most made from scratch) and about the humble unpretentious atmosphere...kinda in the middle of nowhere. Yesterday, on Saturday night, 4 of us showed up to chow down and to throw back some drinks.GOOD:1. I have mixed feelings about Escape. The real stand out are the Bloody Mary's. They have a wide variety of weird & wonderful Bloodys, many are like complete meals. One has a hamburger on top. They also offer some other specialty cocktails and a few wines.2. They have a big list of casual style food with lots of flavors.3. The prices are very, very reasonable.4. The local customers are awesome.5. Our server (and the bartender) was incredible. We left her a fat tip because she was working so hard - alone - as people kept piling in the front door.NEEDS IMPROVEMENT:1. From what I can tell, hardly anything is really made from scratch, with the possible exception of the chili. I'm not sure about the artichoke dip. I liked the variety but I was disappointed in most of the quality. I guess I was mostly let down after hearing the hype from my buddy over the past year. The hype didn't match the reality.2. They were ridiculously understaffed for a Saturday night. It was busy as hell but there was only one person out front (bartending and waiting) and one person in back (cooking). It was totally inadequate. Our server was busting her ass but she couldn't really keep up. The wait times were painfully long. We wanted to get more drinks but got tired of waiting.3. There's a shortage of seating. If I was the owner, I'd dump the stupid pool table and add a few more tables. The 4 of us had to share our indoor picnic style table with 4 strangers because of the seating shortage.Interesting...worth the stop...but frankly, probably not a destination spot.-Maxx

Five stars as you have to know what to expect as the place is out of the way and not a new fancy place. Just a bar in a small town. Fun place, food and drinks were good. The bar tender knew her stuff and was very friendly. If we get in that part of town again we will definitely stop!

food is really good. price is high, especially for the area. drinks are good, but also overpriced. service is the slowest in the continental US. literally talking 1.5 hours for food. 15 between drinks. seriously. not an exaggeration in the slightest.

Relatively small menu but everything we had was outstanding. Great venue, great team, great food. Entrees are artfully presented and brilliantly conceived. Most amazing was the vegan scallops appetizer. Will definitely return.

Awesome food, creative and delicious They have Daily specials that are unique and seasonal.

Mother's Day. We decided to get a to-go order. We got to the bar at 2:30 - past the lunch rush. The bar was busy but not packed. We chatted with a couple who said the food was great that day. We had high hopes. But the bartender was rude from the minute we walked up to the bar. Ordering a drink while waiting for our order to be taken should have been appreciated. Instead, it was a bad experience in itself. The bartender took our order without a smile or a thank you, acted like we were horrible for actually giving them business, and threw out heavy sighs whenever possible. We did learn the bartender was new. No excuse for extreme rudeness. Our order was simple. Steak bites and spinach artichoke dip. We waited over an hour for the food. The bartender never asked if we wanted anything else to drink. In an hour. The bill was spendy for what we got and the quantity was sparse. I grew up in that area. I understand small town bars. But I'll never go there again and I do not recommend this place to anyone. Not worth it. At all. Not knowing if tips were split, we still left a tip. But the bartender didn't deserve a dime.