Rodeo Cold Brings the 1980s Texas Vibes Back in East Dallas

A throwback to the 1980s dive bar is coming to East Dallas where the Rabbit Hole was most recently.

With over 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, Rodeo Cold aims to be both a daytime and evening destination with a patio, stage and large yard for games and events.

Rodeo Cold was founded by Robert Drummond and brothers Ian and Eric Fletcher, whose father, Stan Fletcher, was one of the first bartenders hired at the original Chili’s on Greenville Avenue in 1978 — just a stone’s throw from the new Rodeo Cold location.

Stan’s old-school stories of tending bar and the philosophy that “hospitality was about the experience of the customer and not just the product going across the bar” deeply influenced his sons and inspired the opening of Rodeo Cold.

The bar’s name originated from ole Texas lingo — Rodeo Cold means beers that aren’t as cold as they once were but are refreshing nonetheless.

The menu offers a variety of classic, nostalgic Texas tastes with playful names. Some stand-out dishes include Give ‘Em The Fingers, steak fingers served with Texas toast, fries and jalapeño gravy; the Chili Heifer, a quarter-pound Wagyu smash burger served with house chili, shredded cheese and red onion; and the Bandito Frito Chili Pie, a mix of Fritos, Wagyu chili, shredded cheese, garlic crema, jalapeños and red onion.

The drink menu offers cocktails, beer, shots and boilermakers reminiscent of popular Texas flavors. Cocktail highlights include The Porch Light, a Southern sipper with vodka, peach tea infusion and a fresh burst of lemon, and The Man from Waco, a bottle of Dr Pepper blended with vodka and vanilla.

Shareable drinks guests include The Dolly, a cocktail with peach, lemonade and vodka served in a large cowboy hat with swizzle straws.

Rodeo Cold’s weekly events are set to launch in January, including Chicken Shit Bingo (a bingo game starring a live chicken), on Sundays at 3 p.m., and Showtime at the Rodeo Karaoke, on Wednesdays, 10 p.m. – midnight.

Additionally, Rodeo Cold will introduce a new late-night tradition: at midnight, everyone in the house gets a cup of chili.

The big yard and stage will fully open in spring 2025 with cornhole, life-size beer pong, horseshoes, human foosball soccer and ample seating in front of the drive-in-movie theater-style screen to telecast Dallas’ favorite sporting events. Happy Hour will be run Tuesday – Friday, 3–7 p.m.

Rodeo Cold is clearly going for a nostalgic, playful vibe. We can see it becoming a new favorite watering hole in East Dallas.

Rodeo Cold, 3826 Ross Ave. Tuesday – Friday, 3 p.m. – 2 a.m.; Saturday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.