There was once a club so debaucherous in the West End — The Starck Club — that it was raided. To quote ourselves from years ago: "The Starck Club embodied the myths of club debauchery in 1980s Dallas."
In the West End.
Originally John Neely Bryan established the area as a trading post in 1842. In the late 1970s, it was christened the West End Historic District and slowly began its climb to mid-'80s revelry.
By the '90s, restaurants, bars, bright neon lights, a Planet Hollywood and a warehouse full of spaghetti anchored the entertainment district. All the cool kids flocked there on the weekends and others brought their out-of-town guests once a year. There was even a small mall amidst the old buildings.
Then, the scene shifted. Revelers took their parties elsewhere, and restaurants moved. In 2006, Robert Wilonsky wrote about The End of the West End (Marketplace). Retailers spotted a money-green pasture being developed nearby: "In contrast, the booming 75-acre, $3 billion-plus Victory Park development just yards away — with, among other projects, the W Hotel and House of Blues going in ..." Wilsonsky wrote at the time.
Driving through the area now is a bit like those people in the bubble cars in Jurrasic Park. There's an air of desolation: where'd the people go? But now comes a hint of rebirth.
The number of residences built in the West End from 2010 to 2019 grew 141% from the previous decade.
One businessman has been working on pumping more life into the area for 20 years. In 2004, Jay Khan opened RJ's Mexican Cuisine, which now boasts a solid 4.8 stars from over 7,900 reviews on Google, something that is quite notable for any restaurant. Later he opened 3Eleven Kitchen and Cocktails (4.7 stars with over 3,000 reviews), which is always busy — as it should be — and a couple of years ago came Chet's Dallas, a swanky Irish-American restaurant (4.9 stars).
Maybe we're all sleeping on the West End. Khan thinks so.
“We chose the West End in the early '90s and have stayed because of our proximity to the Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas World Aquarium, Sixth Floor Museum, Perot Museum, Nasher Sculpture Center, Klyde Warren Park and The Dallas Convention Center,” Khan says. “The rich history of museums and attractions make this area the perfect spot where conventioneers and locals come to meet."
The Liam's is an upscale steakhouse open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
Lauren Drewes Daniels
Polished servers dote and the $12 Old Fashioneds feel like a steal. While chandeliers hang overhead, exposed brick walls remind diners that this building has some history.
The restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner, seven days a week. Weekday happy hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. offer half-priced appetizers. That should be enough to lure some over.
Other nearby recent restaurant openings include Jack Ruby's Saloon & Grill in Market-Ross Place, a casual fun spot with live music and upscale bar food: hot dogs, burgers, wings and nachos.
Just a short walk away from Ruby's is The Operators Club, which opened last fall in the historic 1908 Coca-Cola Building. Here you'll get high-end burgers, steaks, pasta and nachos in an upscale sports bar setting. On Tuesday evenings local singer-songwriter Jade Nicole has a standing gig from 6 to 9 p.m.
All of these spots are within easy walking distance of the Dallas Aquarium, The Holocaust Museum and The Sixth Floor Museum, catering to tourists, office workers and nearby residents. And, if you were really determined you could walk to the American Airlines Center, which is less than a mile away. However, there are a lot of other restaurants between here and there.
On a recent weekend, all of these places were busy, but not bustling. Nice weather could change that — we hope so, because there's a great collection of restaurants in the area now.
