World City Guide

Nightlife

The bars, restaurants and clubs in Dallas run the gamut of styles (be that musically, gastronomically or sartorially) which is hardly surprising from the city where the frozen margarita and true spicy Tex-Mex food were invented. If you want to find the cowboy boots, big hats, country ballads, barbecues and massive sides of steak, then, of course, they are here. Being adjacent to the Deep South, there is also plenty of jazz, blues, rock’n’roll, heavy metal and piano bars, as well as French cuisine, Italian, vegetarian, huge sandwiches, burgers and ribs. With over 5,000 restaurants, Dallas claims to have four times as many eateries per person as New York.

The main areas to explore in and near Downtown are as follows: the West End, particularly Dallas Alley, 2019 North Lamar Street, which houses a variety of clubs and restaurants; Deep Ellum, where the legendary Blind Lemon Jefferson was a regular performer; the Uptown district called McKinney Avenue and nearby Greenville Avenue, both just north of downtown. A club labelled as ‘private’ may well simply be in a ‘dry’ part of town and so nominal membership is required to allow them a ‘liquor’ licence. Most bars are open until 0200, with the minimum drinking age being 21 years. The average price of a drink is US$5 in bars and clubs.

The weekly Dallas Observer (website: www.dallasobserver.com) and weekend entertainment sections in the Dallas Morning News (website: www.dallasnews.com) and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (website: www.star-telegram.com) provide listings information on nightlife in Dallas.

Bars: Greenville Avenue’s contrast in bar styles is shown by the sophisticated cocktail atmosphere of Mick’s (located at 2825) and ironically, since Mick is usually a name associated with Ireland, the darts-throwing, raucous, Irish-owned ambience at The Dubliner (located at 2818). Pubs are often spots that offer good eating as much as drinking. The Old Monk, 2847 North Henderson Avenue, is a few minutes from downtown and offers simple, wholesome dishes, such as steamed mussels and fish and chips. As it is everywhere else in the US, small breweries with a pub on the premises, known as brew-pubs, have caught on. Two Rows Restaurant and Brewery, 5500 Greenville Avenue, offers wood-fired pizzas to complement its barley micro brews. Main Street Brewing Co, 2656 Main Street, will show you how they do it.

Casinos: There are no casinos in Dallas, as gambling is illegal in the state of Texas.

Clubs: As well as nightclubs, Dallas has quite a tradition of ‘Gentlemen’s Clubs’, which can range from the cabaret style of Cabaret Royale, 10723 Composite Avenue, to the Baby O’International, 4908 Greenville Avenue, with happy hour buffets and cigar parties. The dance scene thrives at such places as Blue, 1930 Pacific Avenue, a sprawling spot with a VIP lounge, 16 bars, hot DJ spins, and a dress code; and Lizard Lounge, 2424 Swiss Avenue, with varied music styles with star DJs

Live Music: Many ordinary bars have live music and the Deep Ellum is a good area to head for. Don’t be fooled by the names of some venues, the Gypsy Tea Room, 2548 Elm Street, does have a tea room but it also has a concert room for live country and rock music bands of both national and local reputation. Trees, 2709 Elm Street, is one of the oldest live music venues with a rock‘n’roll penchant in a warehouse-style interior. The favorite pick for blues is The Bone, 1701 North Market Street.