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Where to drink, from highbrow to lowbrow and everywhere in between
Dallas is blessed with bars for every type of drinker, from those who desire thoughtful cocktails in an upscale setting to others who prefer domestic beers and the game on TV. But even with dozens of great watering holes across town, certain bars stand out for their history, quality, or service.
These are Dallas’s essential bars, across a range of styles and neighborhoods. Revisit an old favorite or find a new go-to as you check off each spot on the list.
Read MoreOpen since 1964, Inwood Tavern brings low-key sensibilities to Inwood Village. The staff is friendly, the patio’s comfortable, and there’s a surprisingly good beer list. Best of all, happy hour runs daily from 11am to 7pm ($3 domestics and $5 wells), so you can spend all day here and still save some cash.
A longtime Lower Greenville favorite, the Libertine is a casual, friendly bar with a well-curated beer list, reliable bar food, and classic cocktails. Crowds gather after work for Hog Wings (pork shanks tossed in Buffalo sauce) and Belgian beers, and then again during brunch for biscuits, eggs, and discounted Champagne drinks.
Part bar, part mad scientist’s laboratory, Hide deftly uses immersion circulators and centrifuges to infuse flavors and clarify ingredients — but it’s not precious about it. The bar, which recently moved from Deep Ellum to a two-story space on Lower Greenville, is still a fun spot for happy hour or late-night drinks, whether you’re going all-in with the Turbo Quaker (bourbon, cream sherry, milk-washed applejack, steel-cut oats, cinnamon, pecan, whole egg) or just want a beer and a shot.
Apothecary is one of Dallas’ new guard cocktail bars, employing centrifuges, liquid nitrogen, and pyrolysis to make avant-garde drinks in a sultry lounge setting. The creative bartenders pair DIY ingredients like sous vide green apple mezcal with scallop bottarga and, somehow, it all works.
A central figure in Dallas’ LGBTQ community, this intimate Oak Lawn bar and music venue pours classic cocktails, spotlights local singers, and hosts Sunday Cher-e-oke (Cher-themed karaoke).
This home from 1874 is one of the best and coziest spots to get a drink. Grab a seat by the fire during winter or on the patio when the weather’s nice, then fill your table with whiskey- and gin-spiked cocktails and better-than-expected food, such as the double cheeseburger, steak tartare, or cacio e pepe.
Opened by barman Lucky Campbell in 2014, Parliament has been one of Uptown’s best cocktail destinations ever since. The warm interior has Prohibition-era vibes, and the extensive drinks menu spans classics and originals, from an Old Fashioned to the Parliament Royale, with gin, yuzu, apple, bitters, and Champagne.
This Black-owned bar sports one of the state’s best whiskey selections. Scan the back bar, and you’ll see hundreds of bottles ranging from the usual suspects to several hard-to-find bourbon releases and private barrel picks, so there’s always something new to try.
One of the country’s best mezcalerias sits just outside of Fair Park. Las Almas curates an incredible selection of mezcals and other agave-based spirits, serving them solo, as flights, or mixed into cocktails. Those efforts have been rewarded by consistent accolades, including a James Beard nomination for Outstanding Bar Program.
Located beneath the Joule, Midnight Rambler is a classy haven for well-made cocktails, warm hospitality, and great music, and it’s regularly noted as one of the best hotel bars in America. The menu features creative drinks, including the Neon Lilikoi (scotch, passionfruit, cacao, amontillado sherry, black cardamom) and the Purgatory Lost (gin, Strega liqueur, lime, pineapple, poblano, and orgeat).
A Downtown fixture since the ‘80s, Rodeo Bar closed in 2018 before making its long-awaited encore at the start of 2022. The newly revamped bar leans hard into nostalgia and saved many of the neon beer signs and vintage rodeo posters from the original. However, it updated the menu with chicken fried steak, burgers featuring 44 Farms beef, and boilermakers including the Mexican Handshake, which pairs a local hazy IPA with a shot of mezcal.
Lee Harvey’s is a Cedars institution whose small and divy interior is joined by a spacious patio dotted with picnic tables and fire pits. Stop by early (happy hour begins at 3pm),bring your dog, and settle in with a Lone Star and a burger.
Packing a lot of goodness into a small space, the 1,000-square-foot Tiny Victories has become one of Oak Cliff’s best bars. Craft cocktail aficionados will get what they came for, but anyone can enjoy this unpretentious bar, which also serves beers, seltzers, and a $5 vodka-and-strawberry shot dubbed Spring Break ‘99.
Designed around an “around the world” theme, Atlas and its head bartender, Reid Lewis, are racking up awards left and right. Their Atlas Shrugged cocktail, a smoked rum old fashioned with spiced black tea syrup, is presented in a literal statue and made for 2 to 3 people. And make sure you pop into the “secret” back room.
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Open since 1964, Inwood Tavern brings low-key sensibilities to Inwood Village. The staff is friendly, the patio’s comfortable, and there’s a surprisingly good beer list. Best of all, happy hour runs daily from 11am to 7pm ($3 domestics and $5 wells), so you can spend all day here and still save some cash.
A longtime Lower Greenville favorite, the Libertine is a casual, friendly bar with a well-curated beer list, reliable bar food, and classic cocktails. Crowds gather after work for Hog Wings (pork shanks tossed in Buffalo sauce) and Belgian beers, and then again during brunch for biscuits, eggs, and discounted Champagne drinks.
Part bar, part mad scientist’s laboratory, Hide deftly uses immersion circulators and centrifuges to infuse flavors and clarify ingredients — but it’s not precious about it. The bar, which recently moved from Deep Ellum to a two-story space on Lower Greenville, is still a fun spot for happy hour or late-night drinks, whether you’re going all-in with the Turbo Quaker (bourbon, cream sherry, milk-washed applejack, steel-cut oats, cinnamon, pecan, whole egg) or just want a beer and a shot.
Apothecary is one of Dallas’ new guard cocktail bars, employing centrifuges, liquid nitrogen, and pyrolysis to make avant-garde drinks in a sultry lounge setting. The creative bartenders pair DIY ingredients like sous vide green apple mezcal with scallop bottarga and, somehow, it all works.
A central figure in Dallas’ LGBTQ community, this intimate Oak Lawn bar and music venue pours classic cocktails, spotlights local singers, and hosts Sunday Cher-e-oke (Cher-themed karaoke).
This home from 1874 is one of the best and coziest spots to get a drink. Grab a seat by the fire during winter or on the patio when the weather’s nice, then fill your table with whiskey- and gin-spiked cocktails and better-than-expected food, such as the double cheeseburger, steak tartare, or cacio e pepe.
Opened by barman Lucky Campbell in 2014, Parliament has been one of Uptown’s best cocktail destinations ever since. The warm interior has Prohibition-era vibes, and the extensive drinks menu spans classics and originals, from an Old Fashioned to the Parliament Royale, with gin, yuzu, apple, bitters, and Champagne.
This Black-owned bar sports one of the state’s best whiskey selections. Scan the back bar, and you’ll see hundreds of bottles ranging from the usual suspects to several hard-to-find bourbon releases and private barrel picks, so there’s always something new to try.
One of the country’s best mezcalerias sits just outside of Fair Park. Las Almas curates an incredible selection of mezcals and other agave-based spirits, serving them solo, as flights, or mixed into cocktails. Those efforts have been rewarded by consistent accolades, including a James Beard nomination for Outstanding Bar Program.
Located beneath the Joule, Midnight Rambler is a classy haven for well-made cocktails, warm hospitality, and great music, and it’s regularly noted as one of the best hotel bars in America. The menu features creative drinks, including the Neon Lilikoi (scotch, passionfruit, cacao, amontillado sherry, black cardamom) and the Purgatory Lost (gin, Strega liqueur, lime, pineapple, poblano, and orgeat).
A Downtown fixture since the ‘80s, Rodeo Bar closed in 2018 before making its long-awaited encore at the start of 2022. The newly revamped bar leans hard into nostalgia and saved many of the neon beer signs and vintage rodeo posters from the original. However, it updated the menu with chicken fried steak, burgers featuring 44 Farms beef, and boilermakers including the Mexican Handshake, which pairs a local hazy IPA with a shot of mezcal.
Lee Harvey’s is a Cedars institution whose small and divy interior is joined by a spacious patio dotted with picnic tables and fire pits. Stop by early (happy hour begins at 3pm),bring your dog, and settle in with a Lone Star and a burger.
Packing a lot of goodness into a small space, the 1,000-square-foot Tiny Victories has become one of Oak Cliff’s best bars. Craft cocktail aficionados will get what they came for, but anyone can enjoy this unpretentious bar, which also serves beers, seltzers, and a $5 vodka-and-strawberry shot dubbed Spring Break ‘99.
Designed around an “around the world” theme, Atlas and its head bartender, Reid Lewis, are racking up awards left and right. Their Atlas Shrugged cocktail, a smoked rum old fashioned with spiced black tea syrup, is presented in a literal statue and made for 2 to 3 people. And make sure you pop into the “secret” back room.
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