Bankhead Brewpub in Farmers Branch Is a Must-Visit Hootenanny

For nearly a decade, Dallas’ neighbors in Rowlett and Fort Worth have regularly enjoyed Bankhead Brewpub. It’s easily a 30-plus minute drive on a good day to either location from Dallas proper. Owner Viviek Rajbahak shortened that drive just a bit in December 2023.

Bankhead Brewpub opened in Farmers Branch’s bustling The Shops at Mustang Station on Dec. 15, 2023. The award-winning brewpub took over the 6,000-square-foot Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery.

Bankhead Brewpub is the creation of Rockwall chef Kevin Lefere and longtime brewmaster Ryan Pyle. Lefere, known for Rockwall’s Italian-Mediterranean restaurant Zanata, and Pyle envisioned a small-town vibes brewery pouring premium beers backed by a chef-driven kitchen.

The brewpub, named after one of America’s first transcontinental highways, became an instant hit and the first of its kind in Rowlett when Lefere and Pyle launched it in 2016. Rajbahak opened the spin-off Fort Worth location in 2021.

The Observer stopped by Bankhead Brewpub on a late February weekend. To our surprise, the brewpub is and serves a darn good hootenanny.

The two-story brewery was jam-packed with an easygoing crowd. We were seated immediately in the upscale industrial dining room, but asked if we had just gotten off the two-hour-long waitlist by our waitress. No, but noted!

The food-forward brewery is Prohibition-era themed, with dim lighting, brick walls, branded barrels, sleek black tufted leather booths, dark green modern dining chairs, vintage table lamps and sconce-lined walls. It’s the kind of place you can immediately envision becoming a regular, and by the looks of it, we were surrounded by many.

Wait staff shuffled across the circular dining room carrying trays filled with pillowy-soft head-sized pretzels, thick battered pickle spears and foamy beers.

Drinks include Bankhead Brewing Co.’s 18 beers brewed onsite, cocktails and wine. The Hootenanny ($8) is an immediate favorite based on euphony. But in addition to linguistics, the 6.8% alcohol by volume bock won bronze at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival.

Our meal started with a smooth and refreshing citrusy West Coast IPA Wheels Off ($8) and Buffalo Trace bourbon-based Tin Lizzie cocktail ($14). Peppery ginger liqueur, tart fresh lemon juice and blackberries give the bourbon cocktail a layered punch. The aromatic tikka masala poutine ($15) was devoured just as quickly as it was put down. Standard-cut, lightly crisp fries are showered in a creamy tomato sauce. Melted cheese curds, cubed chicken, roasted peppers and cilantro enhance every bite.

The second round included a 16-ounce pour of Darker the Malt, Sweeter the Juice ($6), a chocolate and coffee-flavored Schwarzbier-German dark lager.

The brewpub’s menu spans shared plates, salads and handhelds served with fries. Sweet potato or truffle fries are available for an added charge. Entrees are cuisine trotting with Cajun shrimp risotto ($23), Texas redfish ($27), spinach, tomato and feta-topped Mediterranean chicken ($19), steak frites ($26) and more. We went for the pizza menu, but the $18 hand-breaded chicken fried chicken served with Yukon gold mashed potatoes and jalapeño gravy is top of the list next time.

Creative hand-tossed pizzas range from $17 to $20. Gluten-free crust is available for $3 extra. The street taco pizza is topped with beef fajita, white onion and salsa verde ($20). Little piggy has smoked pork, sweet fig, bacon, caramelized onion and balsamic drizzle ($20). After heavily contemplating the spinach, artichoke and Alfredo sauce topped go green pizza ($18), we ordered the godfather pizza ($20).

The godfather pizza has an epic cheese pull that speaks for itself. Bankhead’s dilly ranch was a perfect complement to the pizza’s house-made meatballs and milky ricotta.

For less than $50, we walked out of Bankhead Brewpub beer-filled and satisfied with one of our best bites in February. The godfather pizza proved to be just as delectable cold the next morning.

The two-hour waitlist makes a lot of sense. We’ll be back on weekend afternoons on the front patio, enjoying brunch and a Bankhead Bitchelada ($9).