Top 100 Dallas Bars: Best Bar Food

Now that our Top 100 Bars list has been updated for 2024, it's given us a little time to reflect (and, possibly, sober up). And as we look at all the bars we've listed, we thought it would be a good idea to create some subsets of the full list around specific themes.

We're starting that project with our favorite bars with killer food options. Having a bite to eat while you're getting your drink on is a smart play — no one needs to be sloppy drunk right out of the gate. Fortunately, quite a few bars in our Top 100 excel in cocktails and food, but we've narrowed down the list here to 10 of our favorites.

St. Pete's Dancing Marlin

2730 Commerce St.

This Deep Ellum landmark has held steady as the scene around it ebbs and flows for more than 20 years now. St. Pete’s straddles the line between a restaurant with a reliably high-caliber kitchen and a bar where anyone can grab a stool and a beer. Fish tacos loaded with fresh yellowtail shine with red corn tortillas, and the steak fingers are a solid pick. Or go upscale with homemade pasta and hearty sized steaks. At the end of the day, every neighborhood needs a spot like this.

Armoury D.E.

2714 Elm St.

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. Paprika chicken is a go-to, and there's usually a burger of the week that shouldn't escape your attention.

The Peak Inn

132 N. Peak St.

The Peak Inn in East Dallas is a nice dark bar with a solid jukebox and vintage vibes. Humble as all that might sound, the burgers are not. The Lil' Kahuna Burger is one of the best in the city and rings in at just $10.50 with fries. Two one-third-pound patties (ground in-house) are topped with a house-made Thousand Island dressing and one slice of American cheese. Local bakery Signature Baking provides the bun, which is buttered and toasted. The kitchen stays open until 1:30 a.m. every night.

Brick & Bones

2713 Elm St.

This bar in Deep Ellum has effortless charm and an easy attitude. Brick & Bones has six house cocktails all priced to move at $10–$12, plus a bevy of beer ($2 pony High Lifes), wine and liquors. The small kitchen in the back pushes out 24-hour-brined Mexican-inspired fried chicken to order that will light your soul on fire and maybe other things. Seriously, it's some of our favorite fried chicken in the city, and the fact that it rolls out of a great watering hole in Deep Ellum just adds to the appeal.

Wriggly Tin

1906 S. Haskell Ave.

Wriggly Tin in Fair Park is our new favorite spot to do some day drinking. Besides the beers, they offer eight different kinds of pizza (four with red sauce, four with white). We wholly recommend the scratch sourdough crust, and the cheesy garlic bread is also a winner. Guests order on their phones or at kiosks, and the food and drinks are brought to the table. It's a no-tipping establishment; instead, the staff is paid a living wage. Good food, good beers and socially progressive treatment of their staff?  We're all in.

Angry Dog

2726 Commerce St.

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 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 and well-fed.

Lakewood Landing

5818 Live Oak St.

Lakewood Landing is the “upscale dive” Dallasites turn to for a great burger and a neighborhood bar atmosphere that you can’t find at many places around town these days. Sure, there are other bars. Sure, there are other burgers. But nothing quite hits home like a burger and pint of suds from The Landing. Don't skip the rest of the menu. The magical nachos border on perfection and the late-night corndog is made with craft sausage from Rudolph's and is battered in a house-made jalapeño cornbread.

Henry's Majestic

2303 Pittman St.

The original Henry’s Majestic (and its secret speakeasy, Atwater Alley) was a popular restaurant, bar and brunch spot in Uptown for 18 years until its building was sold in 2022. Early in 2024, Henry’s was reborn in West Dallas, and everything about the new venue feels like an upgrade. There’s the massive courtyard that doubles as a small concert venue, plus lots of elevated bar fare. The Henry's legendary bone marrow burger made the move untouched, and the braised pork tacos ($19) are generously portioned to feed the whole table.

The Mitchell

1404 Main St.

Downtown’s glamorous gold-themed bar can be a place for a big, romantic night out, or it can be a quick place to crash after a show. The Mitchell is versatile, and that extends to the enormous liquor selection — including dozens of gins; order a martini and they’ll ask which you want. The Mitchell makes magical food from a tiny kitchen that produces big, hearty cheeseburgers and French bistro food like steak frites, venison tartare and platters of fresh oysters.

Happiest Hour

2616 Olive St.

Happiest Hour is anything but low-key. It's an ideal spot to pregame for anything at the American Airlines Center, which is an easy walk. It's trendy and busy with food options that are on point. Snackable options like a killer hummus or fried dumplings are easy recommendations, but you'll have to ask your server for the off-menu gem: five feet of fried mozzarella. Also, bring four friends with you, as you'll be presented with five foot-long spears of breaded cheese. It's probably enough to give your cardiologist pause unless you hail from Wisconsin.