The Top 100 Places to Drink Near Strangeways
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Rank 1. Strangeways
Beer Bar
Strangeways is the East Dallas neighborhood beer bar that's very comfortable with the fact that you might not get it. The craft beer selection is serious, the music is whatever it is and you cannot change it, and the eclectic wall art looks like it was curated by someone with no interest in curating. Grab a spot on the patio, order something from the bar menu, and let the regulars explain everything.
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Beer Selection · Best of Dallas
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Rank 2. Saint Valentine
Cocktail Bar
East Dallas cocktail bar with the energy of someone who got dressed up and doesn't care if you noticed. The drinks lean creative and a little cheeky, the bar food punches way above its weight, and the whole room has an old-soul vibe that takes years to fake. Regulars nurse boilermakers while newcomers debate the cocktail list. Low-key one of those places you end up staying longer than planned.
- Texas Monthly 2025 · Dishes We Wanted Seconds Of: Loaded Nugs @ Rainbowcat · The Best Things in Texas
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. Central
- D Magazine 2024 · Best New Bar · Best of Big D
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Rank 3. Apothecary
Avant-Garde Cocktail Bar
A James Beard Award-winning cocktail lounge that's genuinely hard to find on purpose, which should tell you something. Inside it's dark and quiet in the best way, and the bartenders know every drink like they wrote the thesis on it, which they basically did. The menu flips entirely each season around a new theme, so regulars come back just to see what's changed. Dress like you meant to be here.
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. Central
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- Eater The 38 Essential Dallas Restaurants
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Rank 4. Bar Colette
Cocktail Bar
Bar Colette is a reservation-only cocktail bar that won a James Beard Award for Best New Bar, which should tell you something. The drinks are reworked classics that apparently take days to develop, so expect something more considered than your usual Old Fashioned situation. The crowd leans polished, the kind who actually read the cocktail menu before ordering. Small bites, exotic spirits, global wines, the whole package.
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best New Bar
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Cocktail Bar · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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Rank 5. The Skellig
Irish British Dive Bar
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Rank 7. Mayer's Garden
Cocktail Bar
A cocktail bar and hangout spot on Henderson that actually nails the indoor-outdoor thing without making it feel like a patio furniture showroom. The drinks are the reason to come, the Texas beers on tap are a solid backup plan, and the food bites are good enough to keep you there longer than you planned. The crowd is reliably easygoing, the service moves, and nobody's trying too hard, which in Dallas is basically a miracle.
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Half bar, half arcade, Barcadia is basically Chuck E. Cheese for grown-ups who've traded the token cups for draft beer. Classics like Mortal Kombat and skee-ball share space with a big front patio where someone is always losing badly at giant Jenga. It draws a loud, cheerful crowd that's not above trash-talking a stranger over Street Fighter. Cold drinks, bar bites, zero pretension.
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Dark wood, dim lighting, and just enough old-world clutter to feel like someone actually put thought into it, Spider Murphy's is an Irish pub that skips the shamrock kitsch and goes straight for cozy. The covered deck shifts the whole vibe when you want big-city air with your pint. The beer list mixes European imports with Dallas locals, and the 80s rock soundtrack alone might be reason enough to stay another round.
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Rank 10. The Old Monk
Beer Bar
A dark, cozy beer bar that's been around forever on Henderson Avenue, The Old Monk is where Dallas goes to feel like it has a soul. Pendant lights salvaged from a European monastery set the mood, the draft list pulls from around the world, and the fish and chips are genuinely worth ordering. Regulars nurse their pints like it's a religion, which honestly it kind of is.
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Bar for Beer · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Fish and Chips · Best of Dallas
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Rank 11. Truck Yard
Beer Bar
Truck Yard is an outdoor beer bar off Lowest Greenville where Dallas comes to collectively agree that adulting is overrated. The patio is massive, the vibe is loose, and the food menu is refreshingly short: a cheesesteak, a sandwich, some nachos, done. They pour beers from their own brewery, which is a nice touch. The crowd is basically everyone who needed a reason to be outside on a Tuesday, and they found one.
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Philly Cheesesteak: Steak Me Home Tonight Kitchen · Best of Dallas
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Rank 12. Ships Lounge
Dive Bar
Ships has been around forever, sitting right where Lower Greenville's nightlife bumps into an old East Dallas neighborhood, and that collision is the whole show. Old-timers who've held the same barstool for decades sit a few seats from musicians and scensters, and somehow it works. Fair warning: the regulars enforce a no-cussing rule, so save the blue material for elsewhere.
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Rank 13. The Old Crow
Dive Bar
The Old Crow is the kind of dive bar that doesn't need to impress you, and somehow that's exactly why it does. Plywood floors, Busch Light neons, cheap beers, and a dartboard are pretty much the whole pitch. The crowd is regulars in jeans who've been coming here for years, plus whoever just had a rough week and needs to not think about it. Greenville Ave has fancier options, but this one has soul.
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Rank 14. Alamo Club
American
The Alamo Club is a neighborhood bar on Lower Greenville that manages to feel like it's been there forever, even though it hasn't. The owner is usually somewhere on the floor, which tells you something about how it's run. The food punches above typical bar-snack territory, with an English chef behind the menu, so expect a few surprises. Laid-back regulars, good drinks, solid bites, no dress code stress.
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A neighborhood wine bar on Lower Greenville that somehow makes you feel like a regular on your first visit. The smart move here is the tap wine system, which keeps every pour fresh the way the winemaker intended. The global list has range without being intimidating, and the cracker-thin pizzas are genuinely good. The crowd is a little looser and more lived-in than the Uptown location, which is a compliment.
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Rank 16. Read Shop
Coffee
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Rank 17. Dallasite Billiards
Dive Bar
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Rank 18. The Libertine Bar
Beer Bar
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Rank 20. Meyboom Brasserie
Belgian Cocktail Bar
A Belgian cocktail bar on Lower Greenville that takes its drinks seriously without making you feel like you're being graded on it. The cocktails are genuinely well-made, the beer list leans old-world, and the bar bites punch above their weight. It draws a crowd that's out for a proper night rather than just a bar crawl, and the room feels cozy and put-together without trying too hard.
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Espresso Martini · Best of Dallas
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Rank 21. The Rustic
Texan American
A massive Uptown bar and restaurant that leans hard into the Texas thing, and somehow makes it feel genuine rather than theme-parky. Country music, a big outdoor stage with live acts, and enough Texas beers on tap to keep you busy all afternoon. The crowd is the kind that shows up in boots that actually get used, mixed with Uptown regulars just happy to be outside. The grilled quail is worth ordering.
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Rank 22. Midnight Rambler
Cocktail Bar
Tucked beneath the Joule Hotel, this subterranean cocktail lounge is the kind of place where people dress up a little without being asked. The art deco room is dim and mirrored, and the bartenders treat the classics with genuine respect while somehow also knowing every obscure drink you half-remember from a trip abroad. The crowd leans date-night and after-work-but-make-it-elegant. Go with a group and book ahead.
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Hotel Bar
- Food & Wine 2025 · The Top 10 Hotel Bars in the US
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Top 10 U.S. Nominee · Best U.S. Hotel Bar
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Rank 23. Rodeo Cold
Dive Bar
A Western-themed dive bar on Ross Avenue where the doorman wears a cowboy hat and the bass on the wall chugs beer. Inside it's all red neon, pool tables, and bartenders who'll learn your order fast. Out back, the Adult Playground patio hosts line dancing and, yes, actual chicken shit bingo. Order a frozen Dr Pepper spiked with vodka and try not to feel too Texan about it. You will fail.
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Rank 24. Double Wide
Dive Bar
Deep Ellum gets loud fast, and Double Wide is your pressure valve. It's a trailer park-themed dive bar where the drinks are cheap, stiff, and unapologetic, and the patio seating is made from repurposed toilets, which tells you everything about the vibe. A music venue sits across the patio and pulls in bands and DJs across genres. The crowd is flannel-and-tattoos with nowhere better to be, which honestly sounds about right.
- Wildsam The 50 Most Essential Bars in America
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Happy Hour · Best of Dallas
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Rank 25. Dubliner
Irish Beer Bar
This cozy Irish pub on Greenville has been around forever and earns its rep the honest way, with a long wooden bar, a good fireplace, and a tap list that leans heavily on Guinness, Harp, and Smithwick's. It's the kind of place where you show up for one pint and leave three hours later having made a friend at the darts board. The crowd is unpretentious, the whiskey selection is solid, and nobody here is taking a photo of their drink.
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Tucked behind a black door marked with a golden goose on Lower Greenville, this speakeasy sits inside Goodwins and has that rare quality of feeling like it's been around forever even though it hasn't. The crowd skews people who've figured out their drink order and aren't showing off about it. Warm lighting, a wry overhead mural, and cocktails that take real swings make it worth seeking out.
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Stan's Blue Note is a scrappy Lower Greenville dive bar where sports are the whole point, not an afterthought. Every screen has a game on it, the beer comes in pitchers, and the couches are soft enough to cushion the blow of another Cowboys loss. Foosball and shuffleboard keep things lively when nothing's in season. Cheap drinks, zero pretension, and a crowd that genuinely cares about the score. Exactly what a sports bar should be.
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This cocktail bar somehow nails the vibe of your most glamorous grandmother's living room, and you mean that in the best possible way. It's elegant and charming, with carpet, and they tuck an Andes mint into your tab like it's 1975. The crowd leans into it, dressed just enough to feel like they belong. Drinks aren't cheap, but the room earns it, and the crab dip quietly slaps.
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Rank 29. Catbird
Cocktail Bar
Catbird is a cocktail bar on the ninth floor of the Thompson Hotel that commits fully to the bit: you enter through a tunnel of flowers, emerge into an art deco fever dream of bold patterns and a giant bedazzled Russian doll, and eventually find your way to a wraparound rooftop. Dallas A-listers and business travelers both end up here looking equally pleased with themselves. The drinks are playful and well-made, which honestly feels like a bonus given the room.
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. Central
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. Central
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. Central
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- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Chocolate Chip Cookies · Best of Dallas
- Eater The 15 Coolest Coffee Shops in Dallas
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Rank 31. Black Swan Saloon
Cocktail Bar
A moody cocktail bar that was a Dallas institution, closed during the pandemic, then came back to East Dallas with all the same kitschy art and Clint Eastwood velvet intact. The vibe is swanky but not precious, the kind of place where regulars in vintage band tees sit next to people who actually dressed up. House cocktails are the move, and the freezer martini has quietly become a reason to come back.
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Rank 32. Cosmo's
Vietnamese
Cosmo's is a Vietnamese restaurant and bar that somehow also doubles as a time capsule, with a 60s lounge feel, walls lined with VHS tapes, and a patio that makes you forget you're in the middle of Dallas. The food is legit, the cocktails are creative, and the espresso martini is made with house-brewed Vietnamese coffee. The crowd is reliably weird in the best way. Just go, and hope the garlic noodles are on.
- D Magazine #44 · The 50 Best Restaurants
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Vietnamese · Best of Big D
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Rank 33. Lakewood Landing
Dive Bar
Lakewood Landing has been a neighborhood dive bar forever, and somehow it still feels like the real thing. Burgers, pool, a jukebox loaded with local picks, and a front patio where regulars will happily talk sports or music with a stranger. Grab the solo seat at the far end of the bar if you want a front-row view of Dallas in its natural habitat. The late-night jalapeño corn dog is non-negotiable.
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Rank 34. JuJu's Coffee
Coffee
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Rank 35. Coupes
Champagne Wine Bar
A Champagne bar tucked into a Highland Park strip mall, which sounds like a punchline until you're inside surrounded by gold fixtures, pink drapes, and a U-shaped bar full of people who look like they just came from a very successful lunch. The bubbly selection leans heavily French, but Texas wines make an appearance too, and the cocktail list gives non-Champagne people a graceful way in.
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Rank 36. Parliament
Cocktail Bar
Parliament is a cocktail bar that feels like it was styled by someone who genuinely loves the 1900s barroom aesthetic, and it works. The drinks are the point here, with over a hundred craft cocktails and a mad-scientist approach to making them. Happy hour is a real one, not an afterthought. The crowd skews stylish without trying too hard, the kind of place where people actually talk to each other instead of just posing.
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A cocktail bar in Oak Cliff with a split personality, in the best way. Inside it's dark and cozy with old Hollywood bones; outside the patio is sprawling and dog-friendly and somehow always feels like a Sunday afternoon. The drinks are legitimately well-made, happy hour runs seven days a week at prices that feel almost illegal, and the scratch kitchen punches well above bar-food expectations. The crowd is neighborhood locals who actually live here, not just passing through.
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Rank 38. Christies
Cocktail Bar
Christies is a sports bar where the game-day energy never really clocks out, and the drink menu leans hard into commitment: sangria towers, mimosas as a meal, and a bucket cocktail that basically dares you to have plans tomorrow. TVs cover every surface, the patio and rooftop fill up fast when the Cowboys or Stars are on, and the crowd is there to watch, drink, and repeat.
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Sports Bar · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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Rank 39. Opening Bell Coffee
Coffee
Opening Bell Coffee is a neighborhood coffee shop with a live music pedigree that most venues would kill for. Leon Bridges played the open mic here before anyone knew his name, and that tradition keeps going strong. Order the Black Eye if you enjoy feeling like you mainlined electricity, or grab a beer and something from the food menu if you're pacing yourself. The crowd is easygoing, the room feels lived-in, and the music is always worth staying for.
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Rank 40. Bowen House
Cocktail Bar
Bowen House is a cocktail bar tucked inside an actual old Uptown Dallas home, which means you get solid drinks and a built-in conversation starter. The menu covers everything from craft cocktails to wine to cold beers, so the group can sort itself out. The crowd tends to be relaxed and dressed up just enough. The cocktail names alone are worth the visit, and the drinks behind them hold up.
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Rank 41. Ayahuasca Cantina
Mezcal Mexican
Getting in is half the experience: you walk through a cafe, down a hallway, and through a wooden door into what feels like a different dimension. Ayahuasca is a moody, low-lit speakeasy cantina in Oak Cliff where every bottle behind the bar came from Mexico. The cocktail menu traces the history of Mexican drinking culture, and the food leans pre-Hispanic and Oaxacan. The crowd looks like they all know a secret, which, technically, they do.
- Esquire 2024 · The Best Bars in America
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- D Magazine #20 · The 50 Best Restaurants
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Sundown at Granada is a live music bar that pulls double duty as an actual destination, not just a spillover spot for the Granada Theater next door. Multiple patios, including a rooftop, mean there's always somewhere to land, and the indoor stage draws a solid mix of local and touring acts. The crowd skews young and casually dressed, the bar staff moves fast, and the food is better than it has any right to be.
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A neighborhood dive bar where the regulars have already claimed their stools and show no signs of leaving. The late-night kitchen draws service industry folks after their shifts end, and for good reason, the burgers here are genuinely hard to beat at that hour. Happy hour runs until 10 p.m. on weekdays, drinks are strong, and the jukebox swings from Lizzo to Jerry Jeff Walker without apology.
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Rank 44. Katy Trail Ice House
Texas Beer Bar
A sprawling outdoor beer bar just off the Katy Trail, this place runs almost entirely on Texas taps, close to 30 of them, plus a solid lineup of Texas whiskeys. The patio is massive and loud in the best way, packed with cyclists who just finished a ride and people who very much did not. There's a full food menu to keep you upright, which feels like the right call when you're working through that many local drafts.
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Spot on the Katy Trail · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Bar Patio · Best of Big D
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A no-frills neighborhood bar just outside Deep Ellum where the vibe is "come as you are and stay longer than you planned." The team gutted and rebuilt the whole place from the studs up, so what you get now is a clean, unpretentious spot with DJ nights, music videos, and karaoke. The crowd leans local and relaxed, which is exactly the point. Grab a frozen cherry limeade spiked with vodka or a proper Old Fashioned and settle in.
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Rank 47. Alexandre's
Cocktail Bar
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Roy G's is a rainbow-themed diner bar sitting right in the heart of the gayborhood, and it's the kind of place where nobody's taking themselves too seriously. The drinks are cheap, the food is genuinely good, and the crowd is exactly who you'd want around you on a Tuesday night. Order a burger or the pickle-brined chicken sandwich, grab a round, and settle in without worrying about your tab.
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A roomy sports bar on Maple with TVs on every wall, a game room, and Ranch Water on tap, which is about as Dallas as it gets. The crowd is college sports loyalists and Love Island devotees sharing the same square footage in surprising harmony. The food has no business being this good at a place like this, but the salads and flatbreads actually deliver. Come for a game, stay because you're winning at the claw machine.
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A jazz club tucked above the old Lakewood Theater that genuinely feels like it's running about sixty years behind schedule, and that's entirely the point. The room is small and dim enough that you'll be dancing cheek-to-cheek whether you planned to or not, which is either romantic or awkward depending on how the date is going. Bring someone you're actively trying to impress.
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Rank 52. Brick & Bones
Cocktail Bar
Deep Ellum has a way of hiding its best spots in plain sight, and this laid-back cocktail bar is one of them. The house cocktails are priced like they actually want you to have a second one, and the kitchen out back does brined, fried chicken that'll genuinely wreck you. The crowd is relaxed, the service moves fast, and the whole thing feels like the neighborhood before it got famous.
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Fried Chicken · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Late-Night Grub · Best of Dallas
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Rank 53. Cold Beer Company
Beer Bar
A laid-back beer garden on the eastern edge of Deep Ellum, where East Dallas locals argue about whether it counts as their neighborhood bar (it does). The tap list is serious without being snobby, with 24 taps and a deep can selection leaning local. The outdoor space is thoughtfully climate-managed, which in Dallas is basically an engineering achievement. Wednesday's Pony Up, a small High Life with a Jameson back, tells you everything about the vibe here.
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Place to Day Drink · Best of Big D
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Deep Ellum's best-kept secret that stopped being a secret, Off the Record is a craft beer bar and vinyl shop that accidentally became one of the hottest spots on Elm Street. The resident DJs keep the floor packed with people who came for the records and stayed to dance. If someone grinding on a stranger isn't your scene, the back patio is there to save you. Come for the beer, stay for the chaos.
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Deep Ellum energy on Main Street, The Nines is a live music and entertainment venue where the vibe swings from indie bands to burlesque to aerial performers dangling from the ceiling, sometimes all in one night. The crowd is tattooed, curious, and definitely not boring. Grab a drink and some tacos before the floor fills up, and don't be surprised when someone starts flying overhead.
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Rank 56. Armoury D.E.
Cocktail Bar
Deep Ellum's Armoury D.E. is a cocktail bar that somehow also does Hungarian comfort food, and somehow it works. The crowd is a mix of regulars who know the bartenders by name and first-timers who wandered in for live music and stayed for the drinks. Speaking of which, the free shows out back are genuinely good. Ask about the burger of the week while you're at it.
- 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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Rank 57. Three Links
Beer Bar
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Live Music Venue · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Bathroom · Best of Dallas
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Rank 58. Twilite Lounge
Cocktail Bar
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Rank 59. Louie Louie's Dueling Piano Bar
Cocktail Bar
A live music bar on Elm Street owned and run by actual musicians, which means the shows are genuinely good rather than an afterthought. Piano-driven nights are the main event, with regular jams that pull in serious local talent. The cocktail bowls, sized for a small group, are exactly as fun as they sound. It's a casual, loud, everybody's-loosening-up kind of room, and that's precisely the point.
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The Grapevine has been around forever, and when it moved to Butler Street, everyone held their breath. They nailed it. This is a proper neighborhood bar where the staff knows your drink and the crowd runs from karaoke enthusiasts to basketball fans to people who just needed somewhere comfortable to land. Strong pours, plenty of outdoor space, and a sign in the bathroom that sets expectations nicely.
- 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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Rank 61. Ruins
Latin American Mexican Dive Bar
Ruins is a Latin American dive bar on Commerce Street where the tequila and mezcal list is genuinely intimidating and the cocktails come with actual folklore attached. The crowd is creative, curious, and usually not in a hurry. Original artwork covers the walls, the food goes beyond bar snacks, and there's a small music venue in the back called The Limbo Room where the sound system is way better than the room size suggests.
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Rank 62. Dot's Hop House & Cocktail Courtyard
Cocktail Bar
Deep Ellum's Dot's is a sprawling bar and restaurant with a 10,000-square-foot dog-friendly patio that somehow never feels too precious about itself. The 99-tap craft beer list alone is worth the trip, and the cocktails are solid enough to keep you there past your original plans. Weekend brunch pulls a lively crowd that loves their dogs almost as much as their day drinking. Outdoor heaters keep the patio going when the weather turns.
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Beer Selection · Best of Dallas
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Deep Ellum's been through a lot of phases, and St. Pete's Dancing Marlin has outlasted most of them. It's a neighborhood bar and kitchen that somehow works for everyone, the kind of place where you can grab a stool and a beer or actually sit down to a proper meal. The outdoor courtyard is made for lingering. If you find yourself here more than twice, just go ahead and accept that you're a regular now.
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Angry Dog is the kind of neighborhood bar that makes you feel guilty for eating somewhere nicer. It's a proper sports bar in the best sense, cold drinks, a loud crowd, and food that actually earns its place on the menu. Burgers and chili cheese dogs do the heavy lifting, and it sits perfectly between the American Airlines Center and Deep Ellum, so it pulls in everyone from game-night regulars to concert-goers killing an hour.
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This sprawling bar near American Airlines Center doesn't do subtle: it does rooftop lounge seating, a big downstairs bar, a lawn, wall-to-wall TVs, and five feet of fried mozzarella sticks you're expected to share. It draws the pregame crowd, the watch-party crowd, and anyone who got outvoted on where to go tonight. Loud, busy, and surprisingly well-run for a place this size.
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Place to Pregame an Event at the AAC · Best of Dallas
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Adair's is a true honky tonk dive in Deep Ellum where the walls are covered in years of visitor graffiti and the live music leans hard into outlaw country. Regulars in boots share the room with anyone who wandered in off Commerce Street looking for something real. The kitchen runs late, the burgers are better than they have any right to be, and someone will hand you a pen on the way out so you can add your name to the walls.
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Rank 67. Pur Noire Urban Wineries
Wine Bar
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Rank 68. Ginger's
Cocktail Bar
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Bar Stools · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Cocktail Bar · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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A live music club across from Fair Park where the booking is genuinely special, running from reggae to jazz and everything soulful in between. Erykah Badu's band plays here regularly, and Badu herself has been known to materialize on stage unannounced, which is the kind of thing that happens at exactly one bar in Dallas. Weekends bring the whole room to life. Low-key crowd, no-frills vibe, high-fi taste.
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Milo Butterfingers is a neighborhood bar that's been around forever, recently renovated without losing any of its soul. The crowd is half college kids, half regulars who've been coming since before those college kids were born, and somehow everyone gets along fine. Patio, big booths, a fireplace den, pool tables in the back, cheap daily specials from the kitchen. It's an easy place to walk into alone and leave with plans for the weekend.
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Rank 71. Whiskeys
Beer Bar
A whiskey bar near Fair Park with around 700 bottles on the shelves, which is the kind of number that makes serious drinkers go quiet for a moment. The interior leans sultry and the music actually slaps, so it never feels like a museum. Flights are a smart way in if you don't know where to start, and the regulars who do know will happily tell you all about it whether you asked or not.
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Rank 72. Boxcar
Cocktail Bar
Boxcar is a cocktail bar designed to look like a vintage luxury train car, complete with TVs synced to passing landscapes and chandelier crystals just waiting for the right amount of turbulence. The crowd tends toward people who appreciate a good bit, dressed up enough to match the vibe. The drinks are actually excellent, not just decorative. And yes, go check out the bathrooms. Just go.
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Rank 73. Hidden Door
Dive Bar
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A glowing green landmark near SMU that's hard to miss and even harder to explain to your parents. This college bar runs on heavy bass and the collective energy of students who have nowhere better to be, which honestly makes it pretty fun. The bar food is a cut above what you'd expect. Tuesday open mic nights welcome live music, poetry, and stand-up, so come ready to perform or at least ready to pretend you were about to.
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Pegasus City Brewery's downtown taproom is a craft beer spot inside a jaw-dropping art deco department store, with original 1930s chandeliers still doing their thing overhead. Grab a seat in the old display windows and you've got a front-row view of Commerce Street plus a pint of something easy-drinking. Bring your out-of-town guests here and they'll think you planned the whole trip.
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A proper dive bar in downtown Dallas where the whiskey is cheap, the hockey is always on, and the bar food is genuinely good enough to plan around. Think smoked meatloaf with gravy and mashed potatoes, or a fancy bologna sandwich that sounds like a joke until you're halfway through it. Regulars nurse beers at the bar while everyone else argues about the game. Come hungry and a little underdressed.
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A neighborhood sports bar on Lemmon that actually feels like a neighborhood bar, not a franchise with a hundred TVs and a laminated menu the size of a newspaper. The dark interior is comfortable, but the real draw is the sprawling back patio, where misters and shade keep things survivable in the Texas heat. Bar food clears the low bar and then some, and the pizzas keep getting reordered. Regulars, Mavs jerseys, cold beer.
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Rank 78. R.L.Blues Palace 2
Dive Bar
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Rank 79. Mike’s Gemini Twin
Dive Bar
The Cedars bar that refuses to be just a dive, Mike's pulls off something genuinely weird: suited-up management, a decorative stripper pole, pool, darts, and hot dogs on a roller grill. The dirty martini, made with fresh-pressed olive juice and an anchovy-stuffed olive, is the real reason to show up. Dark, a little flirty, and somehow classy about it. The crowd feels like people who dress up but don't want to act like it.
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Bar With a Stripper Pole · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Hot Dog · Best of Dallas
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Rank 80. Four Corners Brewing Co
Beer Bar
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Bar Game Night · Best of Big D
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Taproom · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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Rank 81. Peticolas Brewing Company
Beer Bar
Peticolas is a craft brewery taproom tucked into an industrial building in West Dallas, and it's been quietly raising the bar for Dallas beer since forever. The English, Irish, and Scottish-style ales are all brewed on-site, and the split-level space draws a soccer-obsessed crowd ranging from Champions League diehards to FC Dallas fans who'd rather not make the trek to Frisco. When there's no match on, there's foosball, ping pong, and shuffleboard upstairs.
- D Magazine 2025 · Best Taproom · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Local Brewery · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Brewery · Best of Big D
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The Goat is a lived-in blues bar on Gaston that actually looks the part, which turns out to be rarer than you'd think. No bright lights, no ironic neon, just the right amount of wear on the walls and serious blues talent on the stage most nights and weekends. The crowd knows what they came for and so does the room. Jukebox and karaoke nights fill the gaps when the bands aren't on.
- 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 83. Lee Harvey's
Dive Bar
Lee Harvey's is the kind of dive bar that Dallas actually needs, wood paneling, neon beer signs, and zero pretense. It's been around forever and has the lived-in feel to prove it. The dog-friendly patio is genuinely great, so bring your pup and a friend who drinks cheap beer without making it a personality. The onion rings with chipotle aioli are dangerously good for a bar snack.
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A proper old-school music venue that's been around forever, Poor David's Pub is where Dallas goes for country, folk, and acoustic acts worth sitting still for. The room gives you a big bar, comfortable seating, and a stage with genuine history behind it, the kind of place that hosted legends before they were legends. The crowd actually listens, which says a lot about who shows up here.
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Rank 85. Ascension Coffee
Coffee
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This old-school Dallas bar has been around forever and somehow never got weird about it. The crowd tells the whole story: Highland Park day traders and regular Joes sharing the same barstools, zero pretension in sight. Local beers on tap, a deep bench of whiskeys and tequilas, daily happy hour, and a porch worth lingering on. Come as you are, order something cold, and don't stress about it.
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Rank 87. The Meteor Dallas
Coffee
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There's no sign, which is half the point. Bernie's is a cocktail bar hidden inside Preston Tower, all art deco curves and a playlist that goes deep on Quincy Jones and Stevie Nicks. The crowd is grown folks who actually talk to each other, and the bartenders pour with conviction. Order the old fashioned and let your phone stay in your pocket for once.
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Rank 92. Sugar & Sage Bakery
Coffee Shop
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Rank 93. Jettison
Cocktail Bar
Jettison is a serious cocktail bar that's been pushing the scene forward for years, doing savory and matcha drinks before everyone else caught on. It's back under a new team with the same moody, vinyl-spinning vibe and a menu that mixes clever originals with crowd-pleasing classics. The Sylvan Thirty crowd filters in dressed like they have opinions about music. No reservations now, which somehow suits the place perfectly.
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Seasonal Cocktail List · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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- D Magazine 2025 · Best Day-to-Night Combo · Best of Big D
- Eater The 15 Coolest Coffee Shops in Dallas
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Rank 95. Community Beer Co.
Beer Bar
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Taproom · Best of Big D
- Dallas Observer 2023 · Best Local Beer: Honey Citrus Blonde · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Place to Have Coffee and Not Work · Best of Dallas
- Eater The 15 Coolest Coffee Shops in Dallas
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Rank 97. The Branca Room
Argentine Cocktail Bar
Follow the red light down the alley behind Chimichurri Bistro and you'll find this Argentine cocktail bar, tucked away like it doesn't want to be found. Crystal chandeliers, art on the walls, and a menu leaning hard into amaro and vermouth give it a genuinely ceremonious vibe that somehow doesn't feel stuffy. The crowd tends toward people who got the text from a friend and feel very pleased with themselves for showing up.
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Rank 98. Hugo's Seafood Bar
Seafood
Calling Hugo's a bar or a restaurant feels like a trick question, because it's genuinely both and it's genuinely good at both. Perched on Davis Avenue in Bishop Arts, this tiny, chic-but-not-fussy seafood spot is where you linger over craft cocktails and cold oysters until the night sort of disappears. The crowd tends to settle in and stay a while, which tells you everything you need to know.
- D Magazine 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in Dallas
- Dallas Observer New Restaurants on the Observers’ Top 50 · The Top 50 Restaurants in Dallas Right Now
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
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Rank 99. LadyLove Lounge & Sound
Cocktail Bar
Tucked into a corner of Bishop Arts like it doesn't want to be found, LadyLove is a red-lit cocktail lounge that somehow nails the sweet spot between dancing and actually hearing your friend talk. The crowd is inclusive and easy, the kind of place where a stranger on the patio becomes someone you're texting by midnight. DJs spin on weekends, the cocktails are creative, and beers stay affordable. Dress however you want; everyone else is.
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Lesbian Bar That Isn’t a Lesbian Bar · Best of Dallas
- Dallas Observer The Ultimate Dallas Bar Guide
- D Magazine 2024 · Best Dance Party · Best of Big D
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A New Orleans-style jazz bar in Bishop Arts that feels like it got lost on the way to the French Quarter and decided to stay. The house big band plays loud enough to pull you off your stool, and the brass hits so hard the neighbors probably just gave up and started dancing too. Flatbreads and charcuterie keep you fed between sets. Come ready to move, not to hear yourself think.