A Bar Slash Pawnshop Is Coming To Uptown Dallas This September

Just in case you were hoping someone would combine the unbridled glamour of a pawn shop with an upscale bar and restaurant, your wish is granted because this is Dallas, and anything is possible. District Entertainment Group has announced it will soon open Uptown Pawn, a hybrid pawnshop, bar and restaurant in ... you guessed it ... Uptown.

Uptown Pawn will contain a functioning pawnshop of the “fun and whimsical” variety. No word yet on whether or not your grandmother’s fake gold ring or that weed-whacker in your garage is going to be welcome in this chic setting, but the bar does have plans to sell art, guitars and furniture among other goodies alongside booze and snacks. Uptown Pawn will open in the space formerly occupied by Belly and Trumpet, the much-missed fine dining spot once cheffed by Brian Zenner.

No word yet on who the culinary mastermind behind pawnshop-inspired cuisine will be, but the menu will focus on “well-made, classic bar food” like burgers and wings. The real focus seems to be on the booze — wine, beer, Champagne and craft cocktails will all be on offer. The bar’s signature drink, the Lunch Box, is a beer (hopefully not Bud Light?) topped with orange juice and a shot of amaretto. Presumably, you won't have to sign over your most valuable piece of property in exchange for an exorbitant interest rate when you're ordering that beer. 

If you’d like to get your fancy on at Uptown Pawn, a section of the bar area will be dedicated to bottle service, and we’re guessing that they’re not going to be serving up Boone’s Farm and Old Granddad in this “exclusive” space. On weeknights, Uptown Pawn will host live music for a more relaxed experience, and invite in a DJ on weekends when the kids want to, as they say, get turnt up.

The announcement of Uptown Pawn is the second from District Entertainment Group, which just opened up the clubby steakhouse TBD on that same strip of McKinney Avenue. As co-owner Alex Marko told CultureMap in June, the restaurant management group is simply capitalizing on the changing face of nightlife. “Our food program is strong enough to be called a restaurant only, and our nightlife program is strong enough to stand on its own as well,” said Markos.

An official opening date for Uptown Pawn has not yet been announced, but the opening is tentatively scheduled for September, which means that you have plenty of time to scour through your old crap to see if they’ll take your 1994 Tandy computer in exchange for a few beers — hold the orange juice.