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What took us so long to get here? Dallas has a long history with the frozen margarita. In 1971, Mariano Martinez walked into a 7-Eleven, saw a Slurpee machine and had an epiphany: What if we put tequila in that? Fifty-five years later, it seems like someone looked at a soft-serve machine and asked the very same thing.
Recently, the soft-serve marg started trending online. It seems to have started in Ohio (we weren’t expecting that either).
These drinks are super smooth, not icy but also not like “soft serve” in the dairy sense. It’s like a Dole Whip, the famous Disneyland drink, an ultra-smooth pineapple cloud-like slushie.
We tried a soft-serve marg at Apothecary. It was not too sweet nor too strong, with a subtle flavor. The only debate here is how to drink/eat it, as it sits somewhere between a solid and a liquid. This is Dallas, so we have no doubt you’ll all figure it out. We’ve not been so excited about a drink since they started putting decent wine in boxes with spouts.
If there are more places serving soft-serve margs, let me know at lauren.daniels@dallasobserver.com.
Surburban Yacht Club
5872 TX-121, Plano
Get a soft serve margarita and a “Yacht rock-inspired girl dinner.” No idea what that is, but I’ll have two.
Dee’s Table
3685 The Star Blvd., Frisco
This restaurant at The Star in Frisco is serving soft-serve margs in pineapple, strawberry and swirl for $15 each.
Apothecary
1922 Greenville Ave., Lower Greenville
Apothecary 2.0 opened this week (it basically swallowed its sister concept, Michelin-recognized Rye, in a friendly takeover). Co-owner Tannar Agar added a soft-serve margarita to the drink menu. The tequila-based cocktail is glossed up with grilled pineapple and a touch of mezcal. Oh-so-yum. These are served with little spoons, and you won’t be able to shovel them in fast enough. Get the beef cheek tacos to go with. It may be the best meal you’ll have all year. Bet me on it.
Bourbon Street Bar and Grill
1833 Airport Freeway, Bedford
Bourbon Street Bar and Grill is your mid-cities connection. They originally sold these at their sister concept, Barrel and Bones, but due to demand, moved it over to this spot. I dunno. Here, they spin tequila, agave and citrus into a dairy-free soft-serve margarita. These come with a Tajin rim, and flavor choices include mango, peach, strawberry, dark cherry or passionfruit. Each is just $10. Get a Grand Marnier floater for $3. Throwing some Big Easy vibes at these could be dangerous.
Gigi’s Plano
Gigi’s Plano
7300 Lone Star Dr., The Shops at Plano
Based on Instagram, Gigi’s Bar and Lounge has a soft serve margarita that has mango, chamoy and tajin.
Hendy’s on Henderson
2401 N. Henderson Ave.
This Henderson Avenue hotspot has just added soft-serve margs to their wild menu of cocktails (they have an Orange Julius made with Tito’s, coconut, orange juice and vanilla).
The Chef’s Grind
5804 Windhaven Parkway
The Chef’s Grind (formerly Dirty Burger Bar) in The Colony has a soft serve with Tajin and chamoy.
Manny’s Mexican Kitchen
1250 State St., Richardson
This upscale Mexican spot at CityLine has guava, pineapple and a swirl, with a heavy Tajin rim.
Joe Leo’s Fine Tex-Mex
2722 N. Fitzhugh Ave.
Joe Leo’s soft-serve house frozen margarita is topped with popping boba and finished with a sugar-and-salt rim.
Dos Charros
180 S. Collins, Sunnyvale
A bit east of Mesquite is Sunnyvale, where Dos Charros Tex-Mex is thriving. This spot originally opened in Richardson in 1993 and has expanded across North Texas. The same family is still running it, serving upscale Tex-Mex. The new soft-serve margs are available in strawberry and pineapple — or as a swirl.
