Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of Deep Ellum, Tina’s Continental is an intimate cocktail lounge that we can’t help but adore. Inside the historic Continental Gin Building, the tiny bar is cozy and inviting, with booths and chairs upholstered in leather the tone of butternut squash that pops against the navy walls. The lighting is subdued and flawless. And the cocktail game is exquisite; there are 448 different ways to prepare your martini, ensuring that the version you order is perfectly suited to your tastes.

Adair’s Saloon is Deep Ellum’s outpost for what truly makes country music country. With frequent guest musicians representing the best of outlaw country from North Texas and around the nation, Adair’s boasts a honky tonk vibe in a dive bar atmosphere. The kitchen is open until 1:30 a.m. nightly offering some of the best bar burgers, sandwiches and wings for a surprisingly reasonable price. Be sure to grab a pen and leave your mark on the wall. Some may call it graffiti, but the good folks at Adair’s call it art.

The Alamo Club feels like it’s always been a part of Lower Greenville despite having opened in 2019. Owner Austin Rogers can often be found running food, taking orders and sometimes bussing tables at the classy Dallas club. The Alamo Club is billed as a cozy spot fit for any occasion, a quiet date night, an outing with the family or drinks with friends. To make sure patrons don’t go hungry, Rogers enlisted the help of English chef Michale West. The menu is filled with mouth-watering apps for the table and entrees like the club cheese burger and the pot roast pappardelle.

If you’re in the mood for drinks but don’t want to get wasted on vodka-crans, Alexandre’s is your spot. The long bar, comfortable seating and small stage give Alexandre’s the intimate feel of a speakeasy or jazz lounge. Plus, the knowledgeable team can whip up delicious craft cocktails such as mint julep, clover clubs and sidecars. On weekends, Alexandre’s showcases local talent with live music performances from local singers. Don't miss Cher-E-Oke every Sunday.

Is Angry Dog a restaurant or a bar? It's a great place to have some drinks while watching a game, get a good meal and hang out. So, a bar, right? Are good salads on the menu a disqualifier? What about a packed house when the Stars are in the playoffs? See? Tough call. So, we threw a dart at our Angry Dog Venn diagram and it landed on bars. The burgers, chili cheese dogs or club sandwiches are great for lunch or before a game over at the American Airlines Center or a show in Deep Ellum. Or just let Angry Dog be your only destination and you'll be well entertained, fed and, hopefully, buzzed.

You will miss Apothecary the first time you attempt to visit. That’s part of its charm. This self-ascribed “avant-garde cocktail lounge” is a dark respite from the overwhelming elements of life. Here the world is shuttered out, the noise turned down to a delightful whisper. The mixologists here spend months crafting the recipes for each cocktail. Every server knows the menu inside and out and could narrate a documentary on each drink. The menu is seasonal and undergoes entire resets annually. In 2024, it went down the rabbit hole with an "Alice in Wonderland" theme and in 2025 it's a jaunt through the decades. When the '50s were the focus, a very dirty martini along with a plate of dirty martini deviled eggs made us want to get a bouffant pixie cut. Sister-concept and neighbor Rye, was awarded the Michelin Guide Texas 2024 Exceptional Cocktails Award in 2024. They know cocktails. Find out.

When Armoury D.E. opened its doors in 2015, its mission was to offer some of the best cocktails, food and live music Deep Ellum had seen in years. The Armoury has stuck to what it knows best, offering a casual dining experience with a diverse selection of Hungarian comfort foods and other good stuff that doesn’t quite fit anywhere else. Be sure to ask about the burger of the week while you’re there. Also, venture out back to catch one of the free live shows, curated with a music taste as refined as the bar’s choice in booze.

Atlas opened in 2021 in the Bishop Arts District with a global cocktail menu. The vibe here is come-one-come-all. Pretty aperol spritzes stand tall alongside bottles of Lone Stars on the bar. It’s a fun mix of locals, tourists and first dates. Notice a bookshelf at the back of the bar and ask yourself if anyone here is doing much reading. Not likely. The bookshelf serves as a fake door that leads to a back bar, which rotates global themes (remember, Atlas) and seats about two dozen but packs in many more. It’s open in the evenings, Friday through Sunday. Try the pho, it’s co-owner Dan Bui’s family recipe, and it's bliss. And the toasty Cuban with house-roasted pork is magnificent.

Ayahuasca is possibly the most difficult-to-find restaurant and bar in Dallas. To get to the Oak Cliff hideaway, enter at Xaman Cafe, then head down a back hallway to a wooden door. Step inside to one of the most transformative experiences in Dallas.

The speakeasy style bar is moody and enchanting offering an experience like no other in Dallas. Every bottle behind the bar is sourced from Mexico. The cocktail menu is broken out by time period and represents the evolution of drinks in Mexico. Start in Prehispanico, which offers a combination of regional fermentations. Work through the conquest of 1521-1821 that includes a the namesake Ayahuasca made with tepache (pineapple), mezcal and ginger. Be sure to stop in the Nueva Era (20th to 21s centuries) for a Nahual Rita, a clarified take on the modern classic.

If you are feeling a bit more peckish, they serve pre-Hispanic dishes and techniques influenced by Oaxaca and steeped in authenticity, from the pulpo y tinta (octopus and ink), caldo de piedra or chicharron en salsa verde. Fear not if you’re unfamiliar with the fare; servers are happy to walk guests through the menu, asking them what looks interesting or what kind of dish they're looking for.

Few places are left where you can truly feel like you’re in a bygone era, but the Balcony Club feeds that fantasy convincingly. The landmark jazz club on the second floor next to the old Lakewood Theater is a go-to spot for aspiring old-timers, no matter their age. The intimate space and dimly lit ambiance scream “date night,” as there’s only room for a cheek-to-cheek dancing, making The Balcony a great choice to take that person you’re trying to get to know much, much better.

The mixology at this bar puts it into a category of its own. Ruben Rolon, the beverage director who previously developed a Michelin-recognized establishment, is redefining Dallas' cocktail scene. The drinks are meticulously made, often taking multiple days to perfect, with a focus on reinterpreted classics. Add in their exotic spirits and global wines paired with exquisite bites that include sashimi and sushi, and you have one of the most memorable cocktail experiences in the city. Reservations are a must.

Bar W is a new sports bar along Maple Avenue across from The Stoneleigh, where The Stoneleigh P long lived. The crowd leans toward college sports fans, except when Love Islandis on (love is a sport, many would say). They have a lot of space for big crowds both inside and out, with TVs packed in on every wall. There's a whole game room if you like to pop a shot or lose money on a claw game. Don't sleep on the salads here; way better than they have any business being. The flatbreads are solid, as is the service and drinks. They keep Ranch Water on tap here - can't get much more Dallas than that.

Barbara’s Pavilion, or as the Oak Cliff townies like to call it “Barb’s,” is probably your favorite bartender’s favorite bar. This beloved watering hole has been slinging drinks to patrons for more than 50 years. So, to be honest, this is probably your mom’s favorite bar too. This low-key dive bar with a retro drip is notable for its epic karaoke nights on Thursdays and Sundays and its steamy burlesque shows every third Wednesday of the month. When locals aren’t belting out their favorite go-to karaoke tunes, you can rock out to anything from '70s golden disco to New Age millennial hits to contemporary hip-hop. Don’t be surprised if you see a celebrity camped out at the bar next to you. It just means they have good taste.

True to its name, Barcadia is half bar, half arcade, and offers video games from Centipede and Dig Dug to Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat, plus skee-ball ramps and popular bar food. And with 24 draft beers to choose from and ample mixed-drink selections, Barcadia is not far from a Chuck E. Cheese with an adult twist. Not feeling gamey? Have a seat on the bar's spacious front patio, which is great for accommodating large groups of people-just make sure to watch out for falling wooden blocks from the giant Jenga game.

Bernie's is tucked away inside Preston Tower down a dim corridor with no signage announcing it's even there (none that we saw, anyway), but a visit here plays out like a trip back in time. Bernie's gives speakeasy vibes. The decor is vintage art deco, the atmosphere is classy and the playlist offers the likes of Kenny Loggins, Stevie Nicks, Patti Austin and Quincy Jones. Bernie’s unapologetically skews to a slightly older crowd, which we're here for — a place where the phone doesn't eat first. The bartenders are pros, and the drinks are stiff. You really can’t go wrong with whatever you order, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t recommend the beautifully smoky and oh-so-smooth old fashioned.

Black Swan Saloon was the original cocktail bar of Deep Ellum, but sadly shuttered when the pandemic hit. Then, four years later, like a dark winged beauty, it rose in East Dallas — with the same Clint Eastwood velvet artwork. Happy tears were shed. The city wept.
The signature house cocktails, Black Swan Classics, boilermakers and other spirits are back where they belong in the moody and swanky interior full of kitschy art. It's cozy yet elegant. Servers are attentive and helpful. Dress up or wear your old Foreigner shirt, anything goes here. Try the House Freezer Martini (a hot new crush) made with Junipero Gin, Vermouth Blanc, Koji tincture and Crazy Water.

In the historical Dallas home of Ahab Bowen, you can brush with a bit of local history while you slam back a few cold beers. It’s located conveniently in uptown Dallas, in, well, an old house. The drink menu tends toward the upscale, with a classy wine list and an assortment of beers in draft, bottles and cans. All your favorite hard liquors are available, too, so don’t fret if you need something a touch stiffer when you stop by Bowen House. There’s also an assortment of signature cocktails. If you’re feeling equal parts literary and spicy, for instance, you could try out the “For Whom the Bell Pepper Tolls,” a mix including tequila, Cynar Amaro, lime and bell pepper.

Boxcar is our favorite new bar in Dallas. Hands down. This tiny sliver of a space is fashioned to look like a old-timey luxury passenger train car. Instead of actual windows, TVs line the walls all synced to passing landscapes. Elegant and mysterious (who knows where you're going!), the only thing this spot needs is something to shake the building so the crystals hanging from the chandelier sway and clink on occasion.

But it's not all show here. The drinks are as mysterious and captivating. Start with the Magic Potion, with a single word description: clarified. We can't recall exactly what was in ours (it changes), but we had two. Then went again, and had two more. True story. We can also vouch for the cocktail Thief in the Night with pistachio-infused gin, lemon and Midori topped with an egg white froth. There are elevated bites, like a jalapeno cheddar corn dog and truffle parmesan tater tots. Oh! And absolutely be sure to visit the bathrooms.