The Best Places to Eat and Do in Dallas
Sections
- Eat , on. Turn off 648 Only Eat
- Drink , off. Turn on 100 Only Drink
- Stay , off. Turn on 21 Only Stay
- Do , on. Turn off 22 Only Do
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The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Breakfast · Best of Dallas
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Rank 198. Armoury D.E.
Cocktail Bar
Hungarian comfort food in a Deep Ellum cocktail bar is a combination nobody asked for and nobody wants to question. Armoury D.E. runs a casual, lived-in room where the drinks are serious, the kitchen leans into paprika-forward territory, and there's usually a free live show happening out back. The burger of the week has a following. Dallas Observer named it home to the city's best Bloody Mary and best bar food, which checks out.
The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Bar Food · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2023 · Best Bloody Mary · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Bar Food · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Bloody Mary · Best of Dallas
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Brewery · Best of Dallas
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Rank 198. Barbara's Pavillion
Dive Bar
Oak Cliff locals have been calling it "Barb's" for decades, which tells you everything about what kind of place this is. A low-key dive bar with a retro-cool vibe, it runs karaoke on Thursdays and Sundays and burlesque on the third Wednesday of every month, so there's always a reason the room is full. Between sets, the jukebox swings from disco to hip-hop without apology. Your bartender probably drinks here on their nights off.
The awards
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Hole-in-the-Wall Gay Bar · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Hole-in-the-Wall Gay Bar · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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Thirty bar stations, live bull riding, and a floor big enough that two-steppers never have to negotiate for elbow room: Billy Bob's Texas is the kind of honky tonk that makes the word feel undersized. The building spent earlier lives as a cattle barn and an airplane factory before finding its calling as a live music and dancing venue. Willie Nelson's Fourth of July picnic has landed here. Wear boots; you'll feel underdressed without them.
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A sprawling music shop on the Carpenter Freeway that stocks everything from orchestral French horns to electric guitars, Brook Mays/H&H Music is the kind of place where a parent buying a student's first rental flute ends up next to someone hunting a vintage find. The repair shop keeps it practical. If your kid is starting band this fall, this is probably where the school director pointed you.
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Central Market is a grocery store that programs its sound system the way a record collector programs a party, pulling obscure B-sides and local finds between the funk grooves and jazzy lo-fi. The mix shifts with in-store themes, so the playlist on a given Tuesday is not an accident. It won a Dallas Observer Best of Dallas nod for it, which says something about how low the bar is everywhere else.
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Dim lighting and espresso martinis set the mood at this Fitzhugh Avenue lounge, where the booths are deep enough to hide in but the vibe is too convivial for anyone to bother. Clifton Club lands somewhere between chic cocktail bar and neighborhood regular haunt, sophisticated without making you feel underdressed. The Dallas Observer named it the best place to meet your next ex, which is either a warning or an itinerary depending on your recent history.
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Rank 198. Coupes
Champagne Wine Bar
A U-shaped bar, gold touches, and pink drapery tucked inside a Highland Park strip mall, which is either charming or deeply on-brand depending on your feelings about Highland Park. Coupes is a Champagne and wine bar with a serious poured-glass selection covering French bottles, Crémant, Blanc de Noirs, and Texas pours alongside cocktails for anyone not yet ready to commit to bubbles entirely.
The awards
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Champagne Bar · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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A scruffy, beloved Deep Ellum music venue that's been around forever, Club Dada runs on a DIY ethos that still feels earned rather than curated. The room is small enough that a 15-minute set from an unknown local act can genuinely change someone's night. If you want to find the next interesting Dallas musician before everyone else does, this is where you start looking.
The awards
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Rank 198. Dallasite Billiards
Dive Bar
The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Dive Bar · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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- D Magazine D Magazine: The Best New Restaurants in Dallas
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Korean · Best of Big D
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Cigar Lounge · Best of Dallas
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Bistro · Best of Dallas
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A record store that decided to become a hardcore and heavy metal venue, and the local scene decided right back. The space is small, the sound is loud, and the crowd shows up ready to mosh. Bands like Tactosa and Implosive Disgorgence have played here alongside local acts, and the annual Sweat Fest TX does exactly what the name suggests. Gritty, consistent, and absolutely not for the noise-averse.
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Sports Bar · Best of Dallas
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Rank 198. Lee Harvey's
Dive Bar
Wood-paneled walls and old neon beer signs set the tone at Lee Harvey's, a classic Dallas dive bar that's been knocking the edge off long weeks for as long as anyone can remember. The patio is roomy enough to bring the dog, and the onion rings with chipotle aioli are the kind of thing you eat standing up and then immediately order again. Cold beer, no pretense, no dress code.
The awards
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Dive Bar · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Wine Bar · Best of Dallas
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Rank 198. Mike’s Gemini Twin
Dive Bar
The stripper pole is decorative, full stop. That's the first thing to know about this Cedars bar, the second being that management wears suits while you eat a roller-grill hot dog next to a cigarette machine. It's dark and a little flirty, with pool and darts keeping things grounded. The dirty martini, made with fresh-pressed olive juice and an anchovy-stuffed olive, does a lot of heavy lifting for a place that also sells boxed candy.
The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Bar With a Stripper Pole · Best of Dallas
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Dallas
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Bar With a Stripper Pole · Best of Dallas
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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Rank 198. Milo Butterfingers
Dive Bar
Pool tables in the back, a fireplace den up front, and a patio pulling double duty as meeting spot for both SMU students and regulars who've been coming since the place was one of Dallas' oldest bars. Under new ownership with a fresh look, Milo Butterfingers is a sports bar and neighborhood hangout that hasn't lost its original ease. Homestyle daily specials run cheap, and the booths are big enough that nobody has to go home.
The awards
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Bar Upgrade · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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Nature of Things is a nomadic gallery that doesn't stay anywhere long enough to get comfortable, which seems to be the whole point. The curator plants shows inside borrowed spaces around Dallas, from a small Oak Lawn house to the upstairs loft at the Texas Theatre, each one built around a specific idea or figure. The Texas blues show honoring Lightnin' Hopkins gives you a sense of the ambition. Free admission, no fixed address.
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Coffee Roaster · Best of Dallas
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Diner · Best of Dallas
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Music Store · Best of Dallas
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Perched above the old Lakewood Theater, this dimly lit jazz bar has the kind of second-floor intimacy that makes the rest of Dallas feel very far away. The dance floor leaves just enough room for cheek-to-cheek, which is either charming or a fire hazard depending on your mood. Bring someone you want to know better, because the room will do the rest of the work. D Magazine named it the city's top jazz bar in 2025.
The awards
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Jazz Bar · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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Rank 257. The Old Monk
Fish & Chips
Pendant lights salvaged from a European monastery hang over the bar, which tells you everything about how seriously this place takes atmosphere. An old-school beer bar and pub on Henderson Avenue, The Old Monk pours drafts from around the world alongside a rotating cast of locals, with fish and chips that regulars treat as a birthright. Weekday happy hour runs until seven and has a reputation for extending the evening considerably past anyone's original plan.
The awards
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2024 · Best Bar for Beer · Best of Big D
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Dallas
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Bar for Beer · Best of Big D
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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Rank 258. Bar Colette
Cocktail Bar
Some of the cocktails here took days to develop, which you can either find charming or slightly alarming depending on your relationship with drinks. Bar Colette is a reservation-only cocktail bar in Uptown Dallas where reinterpreted classics share the menu with exotic spirits, global wines, and sashimi. A James Beard nominee for Best New Bar, it draws the kind of crowd that dresses like they Googled the place first, which, honestly, they probably did.
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Nominee · Best New Bar
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Cocktail Bar · Best of Dallas
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Dallas
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best New Bar
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Cocktail Bar · Best of Dallas
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Dallas
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- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Italian Market · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Downtown Market · Best of Big D
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- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Smashburger · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Grilled Cheese · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Smashburger · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Grilled Cheese · Best of Dallas
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Rank 259. Katy Trail Ice House
Texas Beer Bar
A sprawling patio bar right off the Katy Trail, the kind of place cyclists arrive at with good intentions and leave an hour later than planned. Nearly thirty Texas beers on draft and a solid lineup of Texas whiskeys keep things local, while the kitchen handles dark-beer venison chili for anyone who needs ballast. The patio is large and loud in the best communal way. Exactly what Dallas was missing before it existed.
The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Bar Patio · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Spot on the Katy Trail · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Bar Patio · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Spot on the Katy Trail · Best of Dallas
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- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Donuts · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Doughnuts · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Donuts · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Doughnuts · Best of Dallas
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- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Japanese · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Ramen · Best of Dallas
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Liquor Store · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2023 · Best Liquor Store · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Place to Buy Booze · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Liquor Store · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Liquor Store · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Place to Buy Booze · Best of Big D
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- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Espresso Martini · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Inedible Menu Item: The Teddy Bears · Best of Big D
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2023 · Best Café · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2024 · Best Coffeehouse · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Café · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Coffeehouse · Best of Big D
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- D Magazine D Magazine: 2023 · Best Brewery · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Local Brewery · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Brewery · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Local Brewery · Best of Dallas
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- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Italian Market · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Neighborhood Market · Best of Big D
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The awards
- D Magazine D Magazine: The Best New Restaurants in Dallas
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Indonesian · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine The Best New Restaurants in Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Indonesian · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- D Magazine D Magazine: The Best New Restaurants in Dallas
- Phoenix New Times Phoenix New Times: 2024 · Best Chopped Cheese · Best of Phoenix
- D Magazine The Best New Restaurants in Dallas
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Chopped Cheese · Best of Phoenix
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A sign above the bathroom explicitly bans cocaine, which tells you most of what you need to know about The Grapevine's charms. This sprawling neighborhood bar and kitchen moved from its beloved pink adobe on Maple Avenue a couple years back, and the regulars followed, along with most of the staff. Strong drinks, plenty of outdoor space, boudin balls from the new kitchen, basketball on screens, and karaoke when the mood strikes.
The awards
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2024 · BEst Bar Resurrection · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Come Back · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2024 · BEst Bar Resurrection · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Come Back · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Chinese · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Dumplings · Best of Big D
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2024 · Best Dumplings · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Chinese · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Dumplings · Best of Big D
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Dumplings · Best of Big D
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Diner · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Chicken-Fried Steak · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Diner · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Chicken-Fried Steak · Best of Dallas
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2023 · Best Chocolate · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2024 · Best Chocolatier · Best of Big D
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2023 · Best Chocolatier · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Chocolate · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Chocolatier · Best of Big D
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Chocolatier · Best of Big D
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The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2023 · Best Chinese · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2023 · Best Dumplings · Best of Big D
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Late-Night Eats · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Chinese · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Dumplings · Best of Big D
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Late-Night Eats · Best of Big D
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- D Magazine 2023 · Best Place to Skip a Speakeasy · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Speakeasy · Best of Dallas
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- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Coffee Shop · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Place to Have Coffee and Not Work · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Place to Have Coffee and Not Work · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Coffee Shop · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Place to Have Coffee and Not Work · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Coffee Shop · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Place to Have Coffee and Not Work · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Coffee Shop · Best of Dallas
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- D Magazine D Magazine: 2023 · Best Fried Chicken · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Fried Chicken · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2023 · Best Fried Chicken · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Fried Chicken · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Fried Chicken · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Fried Chicken · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Restaurant Doing Good · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2023 · Best Diner · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Restaurant Doing Good · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Diner · Best of Dallas
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2023 · Best Cheese Selection · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2024 · Best Cheese Shop · Best of Big D
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Cheese Shop · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Cheese Selection · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Cheese Shop · Best of Big D
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Cheese Shop · Best of Big D
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The weathered wood and dim light on Gaston Avenue look exactly right for a place where the blues actually shows up. The Goat is a bar and music venue where talented blues acts take the stage most nights and weekends, with karaoke folded in when the mood shifts. D Magazine gave it Best Place to Get a Beer Before 8 AM, which tells you something about the hours and the regulars.
The awards
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Place to Get a Beer Before 8 AM · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Karaoke · Best of Big D
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Rank 273. Three Links
Beer Bar
The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Bathroom · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2023 · Best Live Music Venue · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Bathroom · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Live Music Venue · Best of Big D
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The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Cocktail Vessel · Best of Dallas
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Rank 287. Angry Dog
Dive Bar
The Venn diagram of bar and restaurant has Angry Dog planted right in the overlap, and nobody seems to mind. Cold beer, a game on, chili cheese dogs, burgers, and salads that have no business being this good for a place that smells like fried onions. Close enough to the American Airlines Center and Deep Ellum that it fills up fast on event nights, but regular enough that it works on a Tuesday with nothing going on.
The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Hot Dog · Best of Dallas
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- D Magazine D Magazine: 2025 · Best Thai · Best of Big D
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- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Wine Bar · Best of Dallas
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Rank 287. Brick & Bones
Cocktail Bar
The fried chicken gets a 24-hour brine before it hits the fryer, which tells you something about the kitchen's priorities at this Deep Ellum cocktail bar. Six house cocktails are priced like they want you to order a second round, and the vibe is the kind of loose, unhurried thing that feels increasingly rare on Commerce Street. The Dallas Observer handed it Best Fried Chicken in 2024, so the secret is somewhat out, but the room still has its own quiet momentum.
The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Late-Night Grub · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Fried Chicken · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Late-Night Grub · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Fried Chicken · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Cajun · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Breakfast Sandwich · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Breakfast Sandwich · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Breakfast Sandwich · Best of Dallas
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The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Breakfast Sandwich · Best of Dallas