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Travel Guides

Best Bars in Dallas

Best Bars in Dallas: Dallas has a thriving eating scene, but it also has a thriving bar scene. There are lots of wonderful venues for wine and beer fans as well as an amazing assortment of stylish cocktail bars.

Wanting to sip premium brews and eat delicious food while people-watching on a bustling patio? The Old Monk, a small local tavern with a terrific variety of local and foreign beers, is the place to be. If you like to drink wine, go to Veritas Wine Room. Wine lovers flock to this wine bar retail shop for its worldwide collection of limited-production wines as well as its rotating craft beer and cider assortment.  

Sure, everyone can make a specialty cocktail nowadays, but not everyone can brew fine libations like Parliament, a stylish drink establishment that serves anything from creative cocktails to prohibition-style classics. Midnight Rambler, a sultry underground area in the Joule Hotel, is another drinking den. And some of the best booze action in town is additionally taking shape at Hide in Deep Ellum, where they’ve actually mastered the art of cocktail crafting.

Do you require other recommendations? Then keep reading because there’s a bar on this 10-best list for everyone.

 HIDE

This elegant Deep Ellum bar is one of the top popular drinking dens in the city. And it’s understandable why: it’s a welcoming local pub with a beverage menu that explores the limits of the drink experience. The majority of the ingredients in their drinks are handcrafted using special machinery like centrifuges and roto-vaporizers, including sodas, syrups, beverages, tinctures, bitters, and garnishes. It goes without saying that choosing what cocktail to order won’t be an easy task given the tempting selection available. However, there is no need to worry because they provide a variety of menus based on your preferences and attitude, including a testing section for those seeking a little more adventure. 

Suggested for Bars because Hide is the spot to go if you are interested in improving your cocktail experience.

 MIDNIGHT RAMBLER

Prohibition-style joins twenty-first-century cool at this private underground hideaway in the Joule Hotel. The neo-classical handmade cocktails, designed by a pair of the country’s top mixologists, Chad Solomon and Christy Pope, founders of New York’s famous cocktail consulting company, Cuffs & Buttons, are equally stunning. From updated standards to modern creations (consider wheat vodka, sherry, lime juice, and beef stock filled with roasted ginger, anise, and cardamom), punches, housemade sodas, and everything in between, the beverage selection have it all. They also offer a delicious variety of bar food (courtesy of CBD Provisions upstairs), If you need something solid to soak up the alcohol.

Suggested Bars because Midnight Rambler has some of Dallas’ most creative cocktails.

 PARLIAMENT

Dallas is overflowing with drink bars, but this Uptown hotspot is widely regarded as one of the finest in town, and for good cause. It’s an attractive moodily lit spot with a comfortable atmosphere and a wide beverage list (over 100 libations) that includes everything from creative cocktails to prohibition-style standards. Greatest of all, it has an extremely excellent happy hour deal (all day Mondays and from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday), where many of these tipples are only $4-$7. Not only that, but Parliament has happy hour specials whenever it rains, and it holds free handmade drink sampling several times a month. As you might imagine, the place quickly fills up, so arrive early if you wish to get a seat.

Preferred for Bars because If you enjoy excellent tipples, Parliament is a must-visit cocktail bar.

 LIBRARY BAR

If you’re in the mood for delicious drinks in a romantic setting or a chance to reconnect with colleagues, you’ve arrived at the ideal spot. Situated inside the entrance of the Warwick Melrose Hotel (a famous Dallas landmark since 1924), this suave, shelf-lined beverage den represents possibly the city’s coziest spot to sip a glass of wine. Not to point out that it’s where you can hear a variety of jazz artists tickle the ivories six evenings a week. Though you’re unlikely to pick up any of the books on the shelves, you should read the drinks menu, which includes all that from handmade tipples to over 27 choices of wine by the bottle. Oh, and arrive hungry because the bar cuisine here is also excellent.

Preferred for Bars because The Library is a sophisticated location for handmade cocktails as well as live music.

 THE BALCONY CLUB

As the saying goes, “the best goods exist in tiny packages,” and this 1,400-square-foot beauty of a music spot is certainly one of them. What exactly this comfortable drinking establishment lacks in living space, it makes up for in mood and, most significantly, musical entertainment, which can be enjoyed seven days a week. Local and national jazz musicians performing at the club include Lucky Peterson, Dave Zoller, Linny Nance, and even the phenomenal Filter Kings. And it’s not just jazz on offer here, the musical styles range from R&B and soul to funk, classic rock, and even country on occasion. Special activities such as the outdoor blues jam and jazz artist series are not to be ignored.

Suggested for Bars because What’s not attractive about strong drinks and an amazing selection of musicians seven evenings a week?

 CROSSFADED BARBERSHOP

Say hey to this classic barbershop that provides haircuts during the day and hair-raising drinks at nighttime in a prohibition-inspired club tucked away in the rear. After all, who is interested in a stiff cocktail while shaving? While the store shutters at 9 p.m. (11 p.m. on weekdays), the bar stays open until the wee hours of the next day with cheap live music, free mic nights, and some truly tasty drinks. In terms of drinks, the selection ranges from inventive mixtures and prohibition-era standards to potent mist shots consumed through a straw. Talk about feeling boosted and nervous.

Preferred for Bars because High & Tight Barbershop is the finest place to go for craft cocktails in a unique environment.

 ADAIR’S SALOON

Sure, the beverages are cheap and the burgers are famous, but what draws most people to this Deep Ellum bar is its casual atmosphere and weekly live music selection. But it’s not just any public music, Adair’s attracts the cream of the nation’s music crop in terms of indie musicians and singer-songwriter performers. Did we say that everything is free? Heavy hitters like Jack Ingram, the Dixie Chicks, and Miranda Lambert have all performed on Adair’s tiny platform at some point. And an old jukebox packed with Bob Wills and Hank Williams, as well as floor-to-ceiling graffiti and sufficient holiday decorations to last a lifetime, just added to the place’s retro feel. 

Adair’s is suggested for Bars because it has cheap live country music performances every night of the week./

 TRUCK YARD

When being encircled by four walls fails to satisfy, this 15,000-square-foot urban playroom filled with food trucks, flatbeds, and strange lawn equipment might be just what the doctor prescribed. The restaurant is so famous that it was featured on the Travel Channel’s “101 Additional Stunning Spots to Chow Down.” And chow down: Steak Me Home Tonight, the yard’s permanent eatery, serves cheese steaks, and there are 3-4 rotating food trucks that remain parked at all times. But there’s more to it than just nutrition. The Yard has several bars, one of which is situated in a tree and a different one inside an ancient Airstream trailer.

Suggested for Bars because The Truck Yard is one of Dallas’ coolest open-air consuming, dining, and partying locations.

 THE OLD MONK

It’s easy to understand why The Old Monk has become one of Dallas’ best drinking establishments. The space is filled with ecclesiastical antiquities, such as lamps from an ancient abbey, reclaimed dark wood flooring from private booths, and a turn-of-the-century altar door. It also serves an extensive selection of beer, including Trappist brews such as Dubbal and Chimay, as well as draught and packaged beers from England, Holland, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and the United States. In addition to beer, there is a selection of whiskeys, wine, and specialty cocktails. There’s a sizable menu of food on offer to maintain the spiritual bliss going, including wurst boards, stilton burgers, and Belgian-style cooked shellfish.

Preferred for Bars because The Old Monk is a brew lover’s paradise.

 VERITAS WINE ROOM

The wine and snacks are great at this quiet wine bar retail store, and the setting is superb as well. A lot of dark timber, comfortable seating, and a stoned-in inside fireplace lend a low-key, nearly rural feel to the space. And if it’s a romantic night or a get-together with companions, there’s no better spot to hang out. Add to that a wine record with 400 labels and over 30 selections offered by the glass. They also have about twenty-five different types of craft beer from all over the globe. There’s also a good variety of bar food to help you soak up the booze. Expect a selection of specialty cheeses, charcuterie, and chocolate. Check for supper clubs, tastings, and other special activities.

Veritas Wine Bar is a top pick for Bars because it is the ideal destination for oenophiles.