When it comes to high-profile restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth, bars have always been part of that discussion. But in 2023 more than ever, Dallas saw an influx of interesting cocktail lounges, breweries, speakeasies and dives.
At nearly all of these bars, low-proof or zero-alcohol cocktails are intentionally included. That’s worth some reflection: 2023 is the first year in North Texas history when the taste of a drink and the atmosphere of a bar is just as valued as the buzz you might — or might not — have when you leave.
I’ve always loved bars in North Texas. Maybe it’s the welcoming staff or it’s the seat that sits just right. Surely it’s the memories that keep me coming back to old favorites. This holiday season, I encourage you to visit your old favorites and add a new bar to your rotation. Truly, it’s never been a better time to bar-hop in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Saint Valentine in Old East Dallas
It’s Nov. 24, 2023, and Saint Valentine is officially open for drinks in Old East Dallas. The bar comes from Gabe Sanchez and Ryan Payne, two well-known Dallas bartenders who want Saint Valentine to feel like a “home away from home,” as Sanchez puts it. When I go, I’m immediately ordering the Big Booty Trudi because it’ll be fun to say.
Across the menu, expect a mix of surprising and familiar cocktails.
Saint Valentine is at 4800 Bryan St., Dallas. It opened in late November 2023.
Bar Colette in Dallas’ West Village
If you’re trying to impress a date, a friend or a colleague, take them to Bar Colette in Dallas’ West Village for a cocktail. We’re dazzled by Michelin award-winning bartender Ruben Rolon’s approach to drinks: He likes a “quiet bar,” meaning that most of the cocktail science experiments are done in the back. I especially enjoyed the Provence cocktail, a clarified milk punch with wine-poached pears. For those going easy on the booze, Rolon’s “two sip” cocktails have 1 ounce of alcohol instead of 2.
If you sit up at Rolon’s bar, and you should, feel free to ask questions. Every piece of this bar’s beautiful glassware has a story.
Bar Colette is at 3699 McKinney Ave., Suite 306 (in West Village, in place of the former Pok the Raw Bar), Dallas. It opened in mid-November 2023. Open six days a week starting at 5 p.m.; closed Mondays.
Wriggly Tin in Fair Park
We love the name, first of all. Wriggly Tin is a pizza joint, patio, bar and brewery, all situated in a 1940s-era Quonset hut near a corner of Fair Park. If that seems like too many things, it isn’t: This easy, breezy bar can be whatever you want it to be. Some will come for the brewery, which is a reincarnation of Small Brew Pub. Others might be lured in by executive chef Desmon “Dez” Coleman, who made a name for himself during the pandemic for his pop-up pizza shop. Still others will grab a seat on the pretty patio with dogs or kids, or inside the funky bar, for batched cocktails in a come-as-you-are space. The Pink Cadillac Margarita with prickly pear is a winner.
Wriggly Tin is at 1906 S. Haskell, Dallas. It opened Nov. 1, 2023.
The Stache in Dallas’ Preston Hollow
The Stache is our first speakeasy on this list, but it isn’t the last. Speakeasies are having a moment in Dallas-Fort Worth right now. You’ll never forget The Stache’s name if you remember its rule: To get in, you’ll solve a riddle about historical people who had incredible mustaches. The Stache is located at the back of Renny’s, a new restaurant tucked near the back of a strip center at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Forest Lane. Guests can enjoy the food from Renny’s at The Stache until 10 p.m., or go for special bar snacks like ahi tuna nachos and spicy Korean meatballs.
The Stache is at 11661 Preston Road, Unit 153 (in the back of Renny’s), Dallas. Open Wednesdays through Saturdays. Note that Fridays and Saturdays are invitation-only for now. The Stache opened in November 2023.
The Sandy Pickle in East Dallas
Sporty* folks should check out the new pickleball bar, The Sandy Pickle, at The Village in East Dallas. You’ll find pickleball, sand volleyball, golf and bar games like cornhole. A retro food truck is selling burgers, Luscher’s hot dogs and — hey, cute! — fried pickles. Those should pair nicely with a cocktail or an ice-cold beer. If you want to go all out, dress in short shorts and tall tube socks, as some of the servers do. It’s a throwback theme here, and great for a group.
*The thing about pickleball is that you don’t have to be too athletic. Come one, come all.
The Sandy Pickle is at 5683 Village Glen Drive, Dallas (inside The Village apartment development). It opened in late October 2023. Pickleball and sand volleyball courts are rentable by the hour; book a court here. Leagues and clinics are also available.
The Grapevine Bar in Dallas’ Medical District
One of Dallas’ best dive bars, The Grapevine Bar, closed after 27 years on Maple Avenue. People cried! But unlike most sad bar stories, where a place closes and that’s the end, the Grapevine Bar’s owners promised it would live on. They’re scrappy. So in mid-October 2023, the Grapevine reopened less than 2 miles away, serving the same drinks in the same mis-matched barware. Long live the Grapevine, one of the best spots for a drink with long-lost friends.
The Grapevine Bar is at 2213 Butler St., Dallas. It relocated and reopened in mid-October 2023.
The Wilfred in Plano
The Wilfred is one of the more approachable hidden bars in Dallas-Fort Worth, a place where you don’t have to be wearing sparkles or whatever to get in. Owner Ryan Oruch, a chef and bartender, opened the restaurant next-door to his family’s suburban seafood restaurant, Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill. The drinks are thoughtful and the room is secluded, but none of it feels elitist.
It would be a great place to grab a drink after a holiday meal with family or friends.
The Wilfred is at 4017 Preston Road, Plano, next to Sea Breeze. It opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The Wilfred opened in mid-September 2023. Find the passcode to get in the door here.
Surf Camp in downtown Dallas
On warmer-weather days this season, head to a rooftop in downtown Dallas where one of the city’s most unique cocktail bars has sprung up. Surf Camp is a temporary bar with a surf theme — think light appetizers, cute drinks with twisty straws, and couches with tie-dyed pillows. (It’s all outdoors, so dress appropriately.) We think it would be a good meet-up spot with friends you haven’t seen since high school. And if you’re, ahem, not that close to high-school age anymore, start the evening in the restaurants below Surf Camp: National Anthem for reliable American food or Brass Ram for a fancy steak or prime rib.
Surf Camp is on the third floor of 2130 Commerce St., Dallas. Open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only, in the evenings. Surf Camp opened in mid-September 2023.
Regines in Uptown Dallas
Get dressed up and have a flashy night on the town at new Uptown Dallas speakeasy Regines. Unlike most speakeasies, Regines is big — it can fit a few hundred people — and it has that jazz-and-liquor feel, like you can get away with something in here. Some will go for cocktails only, but consider dinner, too. Options range from a few bites of house-made dumplings … to tempura-fried lobster … to $888 of premium caviar. Wear your fancy shoes.
Regines is at 4152 Cole Ave., Suite 104, Dallas. It opened in early September 2023. Reservations are recommended but not required. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Regines has a dress code.
Ginger’s in downtown Dallas
When new omakase restaurant Sushi | Bar opens Dec. 1, 2023 in a basement in downtown Dallas, it’ll have a cocktail lounge called Ginger’s. For some, Ginger’s will be a stop-in after enjoying 17 courses of food at Sushi | Bar. For others, it’ll be a spot to tuck into for serious cocktails and a tiny glimpse into the high-profile restaurant next-door.
We haven’t been inside Ginger’s yet, but a press release describes it as a “refined” and “glamorous” place for “ladies and gentlemen.” It’s a place for martinis, Manhattans and Old Fashioneds.
Ginger’s will be at 2115 Jackson St., Dallas. It opens Dec. 1, 2023; reservations not required. Serves drinks seven days a week, evenings only. Follow it on Instagram here.
And 2 bonus bars
Your time might be limited on Veritas Wine Room and Strangeways, two unrelated Dallas bars we don’t want you to forget.
- Veritas Wine Room is expected to close in December 2023 after a more-than-15-year run on East Dallas’ Henderson Avenue. There will be lots of great holiday wines to buy and take home — or to buy and sip in store. Veritas Wine Room is at 2323 N. Henderson Ave., Dallas. It will remain open until mid- or late-December 2023.
- Fitzhugh Avenue beer bar Strangeways has not closed yet; the 12-year-old company is fighting to stay in its current spot. The owners are selling holiday tamales alongside their usual drinks. Go get at least one more drink. Strangeways is at 2429 N. Fitzhugh Ave., Dallas.
