There are some lovely trees in the park and towering buildings all around, making it an entertaining space, especially if you like people-watching.
Hampton Social is meant to bring a refined seaside resort vibe to the area: Think rosé and a lobster roll whilst wearing starched lines. This new-to-us restaurant has about a dozen concepts around the U.S., including five in Chicago and several in Florida.
Dallas has become a hotspot for out-of-town upscale dining concepts. It feels like everyone wants to put their culinary chips on Dallas and let it ride.
Hampton Social is a visual stunner. The inside is spacious and bright, with an upscale seaside vibe and a nice breeze (even if there's none). Three levels of patios overlook Pegasus Plaza. Sunlight shimmers off wine glasses. On a recent Wednesday, the weather was impeccable, and a solo singer strummed a guitar in a corner of the lower patio. It made me pause and think, "Wait. Is downtown back?"
Of course, the buzz of downtown is nowhere near where it was in its heyday (whenever that was). But holding a glass of chilled rosé wearing white linen pants, it's undoubtedly flirting with the idea.
What to Get
The Hampton Social offers a range of upscale popular dishes: Brussels sprouts, Bang Bang chicken, tuna tartare and calamari. There are pizzas, salads, pasta, steaks, burgers, shrimp tacos, fish and chips. It's a Lexus SUV: mid-range, broadly appealing, a bit nicer than the usual.
That's the menu. We tried a few dishes and loved the big bowl of caramelized and crispy Brussels sprouts nestled in a bowl with a smear of goat cheese ($18). A crispy fish sandwich came with a slice of American cheese melted on top. The first few bites weren't bad, but the fish got tough and bland. A pair of shrimp tacos did the job but felt a bit pricey at $23.95; the tortillas were warm, and the seven or so small shrimp nestled in fresh microgreens and peppers.
Service and Auto-Gratuity
Service was a bit slow for our lunch hour. Twice, I had to wave down a server, which is to be expected when a place is getting its sea legs, right? Some would argue that service should be sharp when two entrees, an appetizer, and one glass of rosé for lunch are $100. The final part of the experience was where things went awry: an 18% gratuity was added to the bill with nary a mention from our server.
We reached out to management, who pointed to the fine print at the bottom of the menu; I pointed out that I had read the menu for at least 10 minutes and never noticed it. I found the menu online and, as someone who reads a lot, I'll ballpark the font size at a 7, plus or minus 1. That's with readers. As all management groups always do when asked this, they ensured further training for servers to ensure customers are aware of the auto gratuity.
In all fairness, I caught the auto-grat because the suggested tip amounts were something like 2%, 3% and 5%. That's a good cue if you usually look at that. In online reviews, one person mentioned paying with a QR code and not being able to see the automatic tip, but I did receive a paper copy.
Oddly, an online menu says there's a 3% service charge for all checks and an 18% auto-gratuity for parties of six or more. We didn't get the service charge, but two of us got an 18% auto-gratuity.
I don't mind tipping servers. I love it, in fact. I mind not being told it's automatic and expected to read the small font at the bottom of the menu.
The extensive drink selection covers just about any taste and need from Deep Ellum Blonde, Lone Star and Michelob Ultra ($7 to $8), to frozes (made with Tito's) for $15. A Sand and Smoke is like an old fashioned made with a brown butter bourbon ($16), which we had at Lucia once and it changed our world.
Most tempting here is happy hour weekdays 3 to 6 p.m. with $8 margaritas, $6 select wines and discounted food specials.
Regarding parking, we could see nothing specific for this spot or a valet. There are plenty of garages and lots around downtown, though.
Hampton Social 1520 Main St. (Downtown) Monday - Thursday 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. - 12 a.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
