Jack Mac’s Swill & Grill In North Dallas Offers One Spicy Meatball

Jack Mac’s Swill and Grill opened earlier this year in North Dallas, promising an American pub menu and Texas beer, after sliding into a spot in a suburban complex that used to house an Italian restaurant. The menu incorporates run-of-the-mill bar fare with a few elevated and interesting dishes mixed in.

For instance those meatballs pictured above feature robust curry flavor. They’re stained yellow with turmeric inside, pack significant heat and taste delicious. The meatballs are finished with a blanket of mild tomato sauce that’s subtly sweet and a crumble of tangy goat cheese. If you’re here drinking a beer they may be the best thing to eat.

The other menu items I ordered on a single visit weren’t as impressive. My turkey burger was dry and bland, and the brisket panini also needed salt. The mac and cheese I chose as one side was plenty salty but the pasta absolutely swam in a viscous sea of runny sauce. And while it’s nice to see sunchokes on a bar food menu with greens, the vegetable of the day didn’t come together. It would have been nice to see oven-roasted sunchokes stand on their own, instead.

Another thing I do like about the bar, though, is the drink menu, which pays special attention to local beers, wines and spirits. All of my Dallas favorites including Lakewood Brewing and Peticolas are represented, and they carry wine and booze from a number of local Texas wineries and distilleries.