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Four people sit at a bar in black faux-leather stools. Behind the bar is a red shelf with a neon sign that reads “beer.”
Belly up to the bar at Twilite Lounge in Deep Ellum.

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An Anything Goes Day of Drinking and Eating in Deep Ellum

From coffee to a late night cocktail, here’s the itinerary for an ideal day spent eating, drinking, and snacking in Deep Ellum

by Daniel Rockey
Photography by Kathy Tran

Deep Ellum has seen its fair share of places come and go since its heyday as home of the blues. With culture unlike any other neighborhood in Dallas, Deep Ellum brings in folks looking for a good time. The local businesses have something for the hungry, thirsty, and bored denizens in search of a quintessential Dallas experience.

A marble coffee bar with a wrought iron top sits on a blonde wood floor in a well-lighted space. People wait on the baristas in the service area.
Fiction Coffee, serving up the caffeine that makes Deep Ellum run.

Rise and shine at Fiction Coffee

Start the day with a cup of coffee. The renovated Continental Gin Building off Elm Street not only houses polished offices and co-working spaces, but the latest iteration of this Dallas-native coffee shop that has expanded to multiple locations. Fiction has always had a knack for making the spaces that serve its coffee feel as important as the coffee itself.

Two lattes in black cups are served, one topped with Cap’n Crunch ceral and one with red sprinkles.
A man in a hat sits with an open laptop and a latte.
A coffee shop interior with a green velveteen couch and several working and sitting areas.

The comfy seating at Fiction.

This outpost has loads of mixed seating along with polished blond wood, marble, and exposed brick that is a distinguishing feature of the neighborhood. With special seasonal drinks and a welcoming vibe for even a plain old cup of drip coffee, there’s a little something to wake up anyone here. It also offers a selection of breakfast burritos provided by Tacodeli and fresh pastries from nearby bakery Commissary.

Lunch at Angry Dog, a neighborhood institution

On a table sit a hot dog and a hamburger, each with fries. Behind them, people sit at a crowded bar.
The mouthwatering hamburger and hot dog combo at Angry Dog.

It’s been said that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Angry Dog follows this mantra by dropping all the excess and giving the people what they want: old-fashioned burgers and hot dogs that are crave-worthy. Highly regarded by locals for capturing that straight-off-a-Fourth-of-July-grill vibe, everything on the menu, including the ice-cold beers, is down-to-earth.

Cool off at Picole Pops

A pair of hands hold up three popsicles.
Icy cold boozy pops from Picole Pops.
A man orders at an ice cream counter as a woman in a mask prepares it. On the background is an exposed brick wall with colorful cutouts.
Order up!

Picole Pops offers a considerable selection of popsicles that not only keep one cool under the Texas sun, but have a boozy boost with flavors including rumchata and mango margarita. The nonalcoholic flavors are equally worthy of praise; they range from a creamy toasted coconut to decadently filled strawberry cheesecake and banana Nutella.

Goof around at Electric Shuffle

A group of young people hold drinks and chat at a table in front of a wall of flashing lights.
When it’s time to party hard, Electric Shuffle heeds the call.

Electric Shuffle brings shuffleboard into the 21st century, and Deep Ellum is home to the chain’s first location in the U.S. Electric Shuffle features multiple game modes, assisted by modern tech to entertain players as they try their hand at sliding their puck to victory.

A bar room with high top tables, a bar, and a spinning wheel in the center of the bar back is lit by soft yellow light.
A shuffleboard table sits in the middle of a long, narrow room. Around it are hanging plants and at the end is a large TV screen.
A table holds a burger, a salad, appetizers, and three cocktails.

Snacks and drinks abound.

Between turns at the board, enjoy a huge selection of drinks or snacks, including the Spicy Lucy (a margarita made with jalapeno-infused tequila), Old Fashioned, espresso martini, frozen watermelon margarita, and frozen Aperol spritz. If you prefer to wander, Electric Shuffle is a veritable Instagrammers’ playground with vintage electronics and posters from the 1950s and onward.

Snag Japanese barbecue at NIWA

A table full of raw meat and side dishes that are typical at Japanese barbecue.
Order for the table at NIWA.

Be sure to be at the doors of NIWA right at 6 p.m., because it fills up fast. Setting up a reservation in advance is always a good idea. NIWA offers a yakiniku experience where diners grill their food at the table. This Japanese restaurant has been thrilling guests with its incredible assortment of meats and veggies since 2016. In addition to meat that spans the gamut from pork jowl to A5 Japanese wagyu, it has a breathtaking assortment of sake.

Sip and browse at Off the Record

Beneath an exposed brick wall, shelves with records sit and wait to be explored.
Scan the racks at Off the Record.
A bartender servers a sunrise cocktail in a short, clear plastic glass on black bar mats.
Off the Record’s bartender serves up a cocktail.

Deep Ellum wouldn’t be where it is today without music, and there’s no better place to score some one-of-a-kind vinyl than at Off the Record. Located off the main hustle and bustle of Elm Street, Off the Record never seems to have a shortage of live music, listening parties, or well-known DJs on its events calendar. Even if you don’t own a record player, the bar’s giant selection of local beers on tap can keep you entertained while you flick through the endless rows of album covers.

Get a little tequila-rowdy at Ruins and the Limbo Room

In a divey bar, several people sit at high top tables and drink.
A crowd sits and drinks in Ruins.

Split into distinct venues, Ruins fills two critical needs for any Deep Ellum tour: loud music and good tequila. For a more relaxed and social cocktail experience, the main room at Ruins is the spot. Overflowing with art in a beautifully chaotic way, the space has influence from Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. This extends to the food and drink, with the kitchen serving items such as nopalitos fritos and pippin rojo until 2 a.m.

A quartet of tropical-looking cocktails are served, two in round cocktail glasses, one in a collins glass, and one in a tiki glass. All are adorned with tropical flowers.
A bartender mixes a cocktail from a flower-infused bottle, with copper colored mixers sitting in front of her.
A table full of classic Tex-Mex dishes, including birria tacos and tortas.

Tex-Mex is on hand for any late night cravings.

The bar follows suit, with a tequila and mezcal bar with well over 100 selections spanning multiple regions of Mexico, and dozens of different species of agave. They aren’t shy about showcasing their selection, either, with cocktails that range from refreshing and fruity to downright wild, like the Diabolico, containing mezcal, Lunazul blanco tequila, Strega, lime, passionfruit, chicha morada, and Fuego bitters.

A stage sits in the left corner of the picture and behind it is a sign that reads: “The Limbo Room.”
The Limbo Room.

Stepping next door into Ruin’s live music venue, the Limbo Room, is a surefire way to get the blood pumping. Bands and musicians, both local and regional, are almost always playing in the ambient, highly stylized room.

Finish the night off right at Twilite Lounge

A bartender pours from a bottle of Ruby Red Grapefruit beer into a cocktail.
Order up a Ruby Twilite.

When it’s late, all the loud music from other bars is still ringing in your ears, and you want a place to wind down with friends, go to Twilite Lounge. This relaxed dive bar has a good assortment of cocktails and drinks served in a New Orleans-inspired space. The live music is (generally) more muted, allowing for conversation, and the back patio is a relaxing oasis in the concrete sprawl of Deep Ellum.

Daytime interior of a bar, with a crowd filling the stools next to the bar.
The bar is a hot space in Twilite Lounge.
An outdoor patio holds black furniture and a mural on the wall is painted navy blue with the words “Twilite Lounge” in yellow.
Or grab a seat on the patio.
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