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2224 Elm St. Dallas, TX 75201
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2500 Victory Ave. Dallas, TX 75219-7601
214-665-4535
http://www.americanairlinescenter.com
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2912 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204
214-220-2872
http://www.avenulounge.com You might want to dress to impress before heading out to this Uptown lounge or you might not make it past the doormen on a busy night. A posh lounge with plenty of room to dance if you're there to shake it on the floor and plenty of elevated lounge seating if you're just there to watch. There's valet parking up front, bottle service and loads of featured specialty drinks to sip on. Inside, the club is spacious and dark and makes good use of state-of-the-art mood lighting. Aura is only open Thursdays through Sundays, 9 p.m. to 2a.m., but is available for private parties the rest of the week. More >>
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2621 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204
214-953-0599
http://www.blackfriarpub.com Located on McKinney Avenue, this popular restaurant and bar attracts bustling Uptown crowds and folks who live in the surrounding neighborhood. Serving up a delicious selection of food from appetizers to cheese boards to burgers and sandwiches as well as an abundant beer selection, BlackFriar's menu adds up to one serious pub and grub. BlackFriar provides plenty of seating inside and out, and has one of the best patios in Dallas -- with decorative heat lamps, assorted seating, warm lighting and a full bar. Inside, the atmosphere is dimly lit and appropriately warm, with dark woods and lots of pub-style seating. Happy hour runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Sundays, brunch is available from noon to 4 p.m. More >>
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1404 Main St. Dallas, TX 75202
214-741-2811
http://www.thechesterfielddallas.com The Chesterfield, located downtown, is a tiny, narrow space, darkly lit and plushly furnished, with a feel and tone from a long-lost era. But it’s not the bar’s atmosphere that brings people through the doors. It’s Eddy “Lucky” Campbell and his team of bartenders. The attention to detail paid to each cocktail, including hand-chipped ice, and careful balance gives each drink a personality of its own. Food is competent at times, brilliant others, and occasionally misses the mark, but you came for the booze anyway. When a competent bartender blends fine spirits with passion, skill and balance, the tapestry of flavors to be experienced is as infinite as it is inspiring. More >>
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2811 Mckinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204-8600
214-954-1511
http://www.christiesportsbar.com This family-owned and operated "Cheers of Uptown" watering hole has all it needs to fit the sports bar bill -- big-screen TVs everywhere the eye can see (even on the covered patio!), two pool tables as well as mahogany and brass appointments. The latter gives it a classier feel befitting the location. That extends to the menu. The house specials include the teriyaki steak, pasta with garlic chicken or shrimp and chicken-fried steak. For those in need for a more "authentic" sports bar grub there are chicken wings. The burgers, like the Italian, come big, sloppy and juicy. Teetotalers can enjoy root beer floats.Happy hour runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, but Christies also features nightly drink specials. More >>
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2026 Commerce St. Dallas, TX 75201
214-742-7822
The facade at Pure is white with the name of the club stretched all the way across the front of it, highlighted with neon lights. The neon lights continue on the inside the club, pulsing with the deep bass as the crowd makes good use of the dancefloor. The club, located on Commerce Street, is a moderately sized venue with enough room for a few hundred patrons. On a recent visit, the VIP section was empty but the dance floor was full as two DJs spun from atop a high stage and, inexplicably, an episode of Friends played on all the bar’s televisions. More >>
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2917 Fairmount St. Dallas, TX 75201-1455
214-880-7414
http://www.thecommontable.com It’s a hophead's heaven at Uptown’s The Common Table, thanks to the bar and restaurant’s expertly curated craft beer menu. The bar is located in an old remodeled house on Fairmont, offering a cozy, wide open feel inside and a huge patio in the front where some of the area’s best bands play on Thursday nights. But really, it’s all about the beer. Rotator taps bring in local beers and exotic rarities, weekly. More >>
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3636 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204
214-780-0373
http://www.corkwines.com Located in the West Village, four doors from the corner of McKinney Avenue and Cityplace West, this tasting lounge puts a modern spin on the average wine bar. Cork has six different themed state-of-the-art tasting stations, all of which are categorized--some by region or grape, others by rarity. After purchasing a "Cork Card" (a pre-loaded ATM-ish card for wine purchases) patrons can swipe their cards, and experience a taste or glass of the wine. Tastes are one-ounce samples, and glasses are five-ounces; prices vary depending on the type of wine chosen, which means you can taste some of the rarest wines for just a couple bucks. Cork also provides wide variety in its retail selection, and a basic menu of appetizers consisting primarily of cheeses and tasty crackers. Oh, and its chic backroom can be rented out. More >>
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3699 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204
214-526-9463
http://www.cruawinebar.com Floor-to-ceiling wine racks set into the walls combined with purples and autumnal tones darken this swanky wine aficionados' destination. The low lighting adds a sense of chic and romance to Patrick Colombo's (of Sfuzzi and Ferré fame) West Village wine bar, open since 2002. Crú and its staff stock more than 300 bottles of wine, 50 high-end wines available by the glass, pairings with pizzas, cheese fondue and small plates as well as 14 daily wine flights. The latter include vertical tastings (samples of several vintages of the same varietals), which allow the patron to get an idea of how the changing seasons and weather patterns affect any given year's harvest. A dinner entrée menu is also offered. Among the executive chef Paul Singhapong's specialties are pan-seared diver sea scallops with spinach risotto and sun-dried tomato vinaigrette and beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes and wild mushroom sauce. More >>
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2101 Cedar Springs Road Dallas, TX 75201
214-979-9463
Dee Lincoln has a rich culinary history in Dallas, but not as a chef. The founder of Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, her business prowess has made her a local dining superpower for over 20 years. Recently, though, Lincoln stepped away from her position as a purveyor of rib-eyes and started hawking Champagne to the Uptown set. Her Tasting Room & Bubble Bar offers a wide selection of bubbles by the glass or bottle, ranging in price from reasonable to stratospheric. Patrons enjoy their drinks on white leather lounge seats in the center of the room and at the pearly white bar-a stark contrast to the dark wood of Del Frisco's. The Tasting Room in the title doesn't just refer to wine; there are plenty of dinner options on the menu as well. But the wine takes center stage. More >>
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4123 Cedar Springs Road Dallas, TX 75219-3535
214-522-3474
http://www.dish-dallas.com Modern, plush and inviting doesn't begin to describe this hot spot that hits all the concepts in the chic restaurant-lounge instruction manual. The 5500 square-foot Dish is bedazzled. It has lighting fit for a club; coves for intimate rendezvous; geometric bump-outs on the walls; chain-mail drapery; and a patio that channels an island getaway. The affordable menu includes selections with locally sourced items (barbecue braised short ribs with Lucky Layla buttery mash) as well as unique cocktails (strawberry basil margarita). It's as if nightlife impresario Tim McEneny (LIFT and Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa) and his partner/chef Doug Brown (Beyond the Box) were gunning for a sure thing. More >>
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2204 N. Pearl St. Dallas, TX 75201
214-741-0000
Looking at the front of the shoddy building, it’s difficult to know what occupies the white building on Elm Street and Pearl. But at night, a short trip around the back of the building reveals two open doors, from which neon purple lights and pounding bass emanate. If you look out of place, the security guard working the door is quick to let you know that “it’s a gay bar.” Inside, the layout is just as campy as the exterior. A plywood staircase leads to a small balcony overlooking the bar. More >>
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3636 Mckinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204-1422
214-522-0071
http://www.fishhouston.com/site/dallas-home At this sushi and sashimi house, diners get two things: glitz and fish. High ceilings; a red and black color scheme; a tremendous glass wine cage; an aquarium behind the bar; and mosaic tile walls that give this eatery a swanky, mod ambience. The offerings run the gamut from seasonal crawfish and giant clam to the unexpected (e.g., cheeseburger roll, which contains no beef). The chefs also venture into sci-fi/fantasy-inspired rolls. Such examples of this adventurous cookery are the fiery Godzilla (fresh salmon with chopped onions, jalapeño and green Tabasco). More >>
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2418 Allen St. Dallas, TX 75204
214-871-2626
http://www.thefourloungedallas.com Warm-hued tapestries line the walls of this cozy Uptown lounge, located within walking distance of a number of popular eateries. And with the lounge's dessert-and-drink hours -- open Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. -- you can sample specialty after-dinner drinks like the Butter Caramel Martini, the Key Lime Pie Tini or the complete-with-sprinkles-on-top Cupcake Martini. And you can sip these fancy concoctions in the comfy lounge area inside or on the patio outside. Keith LaBonte, partner and general manager of the Four Lounge, defines the cocktail trend behind the bar's creations as "molecular mixology," which involves the use of powders, gels, foams, sprays and other methods to alter the flavor, appearance or general presentation of drinks. The lounge is located in an area surrounded by Uptown residences and its patrons are often regulars living in the walkable neighborhood. More >>
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3227 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204
214-999-8932
http://www.frankiesbar.com This sports bar in the former Spasso's space at Hall Street isn't content to stay within the boundaries of the athletics-and-suds-joint mold, although you wouldn't know it from the gargantuan portions of the kitchen's offerings, which a national newspaper called "a menu on steroids." The 30 HD plasma TVs, among them a pair of 10-foot HD-TV projection screens and a 42-inch HD plasma TV on each of the two patios, offering everything from B-ball to UFC matches enforce the sports-bar stereotype. What separates Frankie's from other bars in town is the menu. The raw bar, with its yellow fin tuna sashimi and oysters on the half shell, is one example. Other off-kilter (for a sports bar) items are the "Cardinals" Sriracha chicken wings -- the menu is packed with athletic witticisms -- and Kobe Bryant Best Damn Chicken Salad sliders. More >>
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2440 Victory Park Lane Dallas, TX 75219
214-720-9919
http://www.n9negroup.com Ghostbar draws beautiful, stylish, young and utterly empty professionals, though to its credit the crowd is usually ethnically diverse. The ultra-lounge sits on the 33rd floor of the W hotel and offers a beautiful view of the city. With its white tile interior, the place would resemble a hangar-sized public restroom if it wasn't so dark. Drinks are generally expensive, especially if you opt for a reserved table with bottle service. But hey, that's the price you pay to impress the top-heavy bleach-blond nitwits. Closed on Sundays. More >>
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2718 Boll St. Dallas, TX 75204
214-754-8771
http://www.gingermanpub.com This Ginger Man location in an old two-story house really takes the "public house" origins of the word seriously. The pub offers up picnic style seating in the beer garden out back, an upstairs lounge with its own bar, and a balcony with still more picnic tables under a covered patio. This Ginger Man has been serving patrons in the Uptown area for nearly 20 years. Today, the bar has more than 80 draft beers to choose from, with another 100 or so bottled beer offerings. Downstairs, there's a spacious dog-friendly patio, but Ginger Man tends to fill up quickly -- inside and out -- during happy hours, as do all the nearby parking spots. If you like a good ghost story, just ask the bar staff or one of the servers, as there are rumors the old house-turned-pub is haunted. More >>
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1899 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75201
214-740-1899
http://www.glassuptown.com In the world of ultra lounges, bigger is better - at least according to Walter Minhoto, manager of Uptown's massive club Glass. He claims that the 58-foot bar is the largest in the city, and the chandelier that hangs in the adjacent room is the largest in any Texas club. Outfitted with sleek marble floors and walls, Glass would feel like a museum were it not for the neon lasers shooting from the ceiling. The VIP sections offer bottle service and sit in the center of the main room, divided from the not-so-VIP area by hanging beads. The beads don't offer much privacy, but who doesn't want to be seen at a place called Glass? More >>
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3902 Maple Ave. Dallas, TX 75219
214-522-8466
http://www.grapevinebar.com Not even Greg Louganis in his prime combined "gay" and "dive" as seamlessly as The Grapevine--featured in "Dallas's Most Authentic Dive Bars"--does now. With a Web site that actually brags about its mismatched chairs and glassware, the place veers perilously close to the pitfall of pre-fabrication. But thanks to the cheap drinks and screwball clientele, the bar manages to carve out its own niche in the realm of authentic dives in its own flamboyant way.
Take, for example, the pink-railed, black-felt pool table. Paired with the stained-glass table light above it, the thing would seem tacky anywhere else. But in this bar, whose design motif of decorative skulls and plastic beads is about as subtle as a Bourbon Street whorehouse, the pool table fits right in.
And then there's the basketball half-court on the asphalt patio outside. Local straight bars could certainly take a cue from The Grapevine on that one: Who wouldn't want to have a few brews and then engage in a game of three-on-three? That said, the "No Physical Play Allowed" sign has probably drawn a few laughs.
Whether it's gay, straight or just not sure, The Grapevine sticks out in the Dallas dive bar scene. And, perhaps unlike the Adam's apple on the girl you're chatting up at the bar, that's a good thing. More >>
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2719 Mckinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204-8601
214-720-9229
http://www.guirestaurant.com This Korean Japanese hybrid is more Japanese than Korean, more bar than bistro. But the food is mostly well executed, even if the Korean fare is throttled back for an ostensibly less-than-adventurous Uptown palate. Respectable sushi. Mostly terrific salads. Damn good fried soft-shell crab (spider on a leaf). Great kimchi, but you must ask for it, as it is strangely absent from the menu. More >>
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4006 Cedar Springs Road Dallas, TX 75219
214-526-9494
http://www.myspace.com/havanafresas Havana brings a touch of Miami's South Beach to Cedar Springs, serving up pumping dance beats inside a white stucco building lit with multicolored lights. The club is deceptively larger than it appears from the street, with a spacious dance floor separating the bar from a set of high-backed booths along the building's south wall. An elevated booth cloaked in dangling beads keeps the DJs perched just above the dance floor. Expect to see a well-dressed crowed dancing to Latin, hip-hop and Top 40. Parking is scarce on Cedar Springs, so either bring cash for a valet or prepare for a stroll. More >>
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3030 Olive St. Dallas, TX 75219-7690
214-303-0544
http://www.havanasocialclub.net
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2614 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75204
214-965-9926
http://www.idlerichpub.com Turns out the term "Idle Rich" has a double meaning, as it is a slang name for beggars in owner Feargal McKinney's native Ireland. In the case of the bar, it's a coy way of saying all are welcome. That was indeed the case on a recent visit. There were millionaires, sure--both the real deal and the $30,000 version. But there was also a guy sporting a foot-tall mohawk who didn't get a second glance. The menu lists a few fancy-pants items like pate and the aforementioned cheese boards, but there's plenty of meaty, deep-fried and greasy grub too: calamari, cheese fries, burgers and fish and chips. In fact, such stomach-coating fare is pretty much all that's available after 11 p.m. Steamed mussels were a highlight--largely due to the accompanying "frites" (French fries in American) and spicy mayonnaise. The beer and whiskey selection is extensive, with even premium offerings reasonably priced. Added bonus: the menu's helpful and occasionally smart-ass descriptions. Example: "Corona-Miles away from unusual." The crowd tends to be somewhat douche-friendly. But the music--Pixies, Nirvana, Pavement, Beastie Boys and the occasional contemporary indie-rock hit--will drown out their inane conversations. And the food makes it more than worthwhile. More >>
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3923 Cedar Springs Road Dallas, TX 75219
214-528-1004
http://www.caven.com Located on Cedar Springs in the Oak Lawn area, this popular bar has been remodeled and expanded three times since its opening in 1980. J.R's boasts three full bars -- two downstairs and another upstairs on its usually bustling covered patio/balcony. The patio makes for a great place to watch the basic hustle and bustle of a Friday or Saturday night on Cedar Springs as folks visit other nearby clubs, bars and restaurants, but expect huge crowds upstairs during events like the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Pride Parade and Festival. There are happy hour specials every day of the week; check the bar's website for details. More >>
