First Look: Branca Room is Bishop Arts' Newest Speakeasy

Yes, we know it’s been 89 years since Prohibition ended, so there’s no legal reason to make your bar difficult to find. Regardless, Dallas’ bar scene has become inundated with speakeasies, a term that today refers to a style of bar focused on swanky decor and craft cocktails rather than any attempt to dodge regulators. If there’s an air of secrecy involved in getting in the door, the drinkers of Dallas seem to be all for it.

The latest spot to capitalize on the trend is the Branca Room in Bishop Arts. It's tucked in the back of Chimichurri Bistro on Seventh Street. Sure, patrons can walk through the restaurant and find the hidden bar through the wine cellar, but the true speakeasy experience requires you to slip down the alley just south of Seventh Street, between Dallas Grilled Cheese Co. to the east and Eno’s to the west, and look for the red light hanging above an unmarked door.

Step inside, and Branca Room's space is lit mostly by a crystal chandelier overhead and color-changing lights in the trim and behind the bar, all of which highlight the colorful murals that span the longest wall.
Branca Room is the brainchild of James Slater and Chimichurri owner Jesus Carmona. The two met several years ago when both worked at Knife. Carmona previously ran Tacos Mariachi, which closed during the pandemic, before opening Chimichurri in late 2020. Carmona had always planned for a speakeasy in the restaurant, and Slater tells us the idea behind Branca Room was to style a bar with a blend of European and South American influences.

“I wanted a bar that felt very European. We make our own amaro, our own vermouth, so we can come up with some really different cocktails,” says Slater.

Creative cocktails are half the appeal of Branca Room. There’s the Rosae Crucis ($16), made with mezcal, amaro, turbinado sugar and lemon. The cocktail is served in a bird-shaped glass with a sprig of lavender that makes the bird’s tail. The smoky mezcal and lavender might be the perfect summer drink, and drinking out of a bird’s beak adds to the vibe.
Or you and a friend can order the Amaro Transfusion ($24), a blend of amaro, vermouth, rye whiskey and jasmine that is served in an IV bag on a stand and poured into a glass with a large single cube of ice. Don’t expect privacy if you order this, as strangers will become friends who drop by your table to ask what you’re drinking.

The other half of Branca Room’s appeal is watching Slater hop from bar to table, making cocktail suggestions, taking and bringing drink orders, all with a wide smile on his face. Slater’s laugh is infectious, and patrons of the Branca Room can’t help but be swept up by Slater and the team’s joyous mood. On the Friday night we visited, Branca Room had a steady mix of patrons who popped in for drinks as well as groups that were posted up at the bar. Slater tells us that he’s always wanted to open a bar like Branca Room, and he's grateful for its popularity thus far.

“This has really gone better than I hoped,” Slater says. “We’ve really been blessed.”

Branca Room, 324 W. Seventh St. (inside Chimichurri Bistro).  Thursday - Saturday, 7:00 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.