Where to Grab a Drink in Dallas Right Now

This & That Hospitality, the team behind Tiny Victories, High Fives, and other popular bars, opened Double D’s late last year. The name stands for Design District (and clearly nothing lascivious) and brings a casual, dive-like presence to Riverfront Boulevard, with retro furniture, wood-paneled walls, and neon signage. The drinks-only menu is an upgrade on the typical dive and features a mix of original and classic cocktails, plus a few options on draft, like the bubbly Cold Fashioned made with whiskey and Earl Grey tea and served in a large frosty beer mug.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

This stylish new bar is an Instagrammer’s paradise, with decor that exudes a Francophile’s living room. But beyond the glitz is a thoughtful menu sporting 15 sparkling wines by the glass and 50 more labels available by the bottle, plus a variety of non-sparkling wines and cocktails. Important programming note: the food menu comes from former Bullion chef Bruno Davaillon and features charcuterie, gruyere gougéres, and fried chicken.

This speakeasy-style bar is tucked into the back of Chimichurri, an eclectic Argentinian restaurant where portraits of the country’s folk heroes overlook the open dining room. The Branca Room, by contrast, is a moody hangout that celebrates the convergence of Argentine and Italian drinking cultures. The menu is anchored by a dozen original cocktails, including the bracingly bitter cult favorite, Fernet-Branca. Here, though, barman-founder James Slater goes a step further by creating his own amaro and vermouth. Try the Amaro Transfusion, made with rye whiskey, homemade vermouth, port, and jasmine.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Formerly Botanist, Bar Eden is the rejiggered and spruced up sister concept to Paradiso with an updated design to match the new iteration. Overgrown plants and colorful florals abound, meanwhile, on the menu, fresh ingredients like Meyer lemons and Thai basil hint at the implied utopic garden. Snack on spiced nuts and Mediterranean olives while you work through Iluggy Recino’s drinks menu, which includes orange wines, bubbles, and cocktails like Cleo’s Lover, an Espresso Martini riff featuring coffee-infused vodka, blanc vermouth, cacao, and saline.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Tim Love’s Fort Worth dominance continues with Tannahill’s Tavern, the new bar slash music venue in the Stockyards’ revitalized Mule Alley district. The menu offers a modern take on pub fare, with grilled oysters, a Fried Bologna Sandwich, and a Duck Confit Shepherd’s Pie, and drinks range from Texas beers to music-themed cocktails, like the Marley, with rum, lime, pineapple, coconut, and cherry bitters.

Pour your own drink at a bar and you’re liable to get your hand slapped by the bartender. At Social Oak, however, such behavior is encouraged. That’s because the lounge, which stocks more than 250 wines and 100 whiskeys, features a large selection of self-serve bottles along a glass-lined wall, where guests can dole out tasting portions or full glasses. If you need a recommendation, ask the sommelier to suggest a wine pairing to go with the menu of pizzas, pastas, steaks, salads, and truffle fries.

This attractive bar took over the old Jake’s Burgers and infused the space with blonde wood, breezy vibes, and lots of hanging green plants. There’s a generous happy hour that runs all day Monday and Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 7pm, when you can take down beers, wines, and house cocktails for cheaper than usual—try the Rosemary Paloma, with tequila, Aperol, grapefruit, and lime. And when you’re hungry, the food menu features classics like sandwiches, tacos, and deviled eggs. It’s important to note the Nuggies section, stocked with Chicken Nugs, Portobello Nugs, and a Nugs Party Platter, which feeds a crowd and includes a handful of different sauces, including a BBQ sauce made with rye whiskey.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

The Exxir group that operates Bar Eden and Paradiso also runs Casablanca across the street. The gorgeous lounge sports retro Marrakesh vibes and creative cocktails, like the Smith + Such, which merges multiple spirits with bianco vermouth, celery, clarified apple juice, and cardamom bitters. The bar’s also batching up tea cocktails for groups, so bring some friends. After loosening up with a drink and some lamb skewers, head back to a private karaoke room for an impromptu singalong.

After closing in 2018, the iconic Rodeo Bar reopened at the Adolphus hotel to kick off 2022. The updated interior was expanded and features neon beer signs and vintage art, but you can still expect good burgers and cold drinks. Knock back domestic beers, simple cocktails, and boilermakers, like the Mexican Handshake, which pairs a local hazy IPA with a shot of mezcal.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Tiny Victories is not large—that probably goes without saying. But what does need saying is that it maxes out its 1,000-square-feet with cozy vibes, tasty drinks, and one of the neighborhood’s best happy hours. Classic cocktails like Negronis and Sazeracs are joined by a handful of inventive originals, plus beer, wine, and hard seltzers. The best choice, however, is the My Neck, My Daq, which pairs a Miller High Life pony with a Snaquiri (AKA a snack-size Daiquiri). It’s impossible to have a bad time with your hands full of adorably diminutive drinks.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

This casual agave-focused hangout goes heavy on the mezcal and tequila, and its cocktail menu ranges from Margaritas and Ranch Waters to more innovative options laced with charanda (a sugarcane spirit) and butterfly pea syrup. The food is just as good, so put down a base layer of Lamb Birria Tacos and Al Pastor Tortas before all the booze and 32-ounce beers creep up on you.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

This cozy, subterranean refuge in the basement of the Joule Hotel is one of the best cocktail bars in town. Gabe Sanchez, formerly of Black Swan Saloon, and his team create interesting menus and are quick with conversation. Step into the windowless, warmly lit room, order a few rounds, down a Cuban Sandwich, nod your head to the always-stellar tunes, and then remark how late it’s gotten. Time flies when you’re having fun (and whiskey)

Three things to know: 1) Neon Kitten is an izakaya with 10 cocktails on tap, including one that pairs umeshu with bubbly, plus another six not on tap, like the Fukuoka with Japanese whisky, vanilla, and soy sauce. 2) There’s also a full menu of dim sum, aka the perfect drinking food. 3) Blackbird Society, a small lounge serving Japanese spirits and cocktails, is a concept-within-a-concept located in the rear of the space, so you get two bars under one roof. Knowledge is power.
How to book: Reserve via Tock.

This low-lit lounge serves innovative cocktails and small plates like oysters, ceviche, and Torched Wagyu Nigiri. The drinks range from interesting to wacky, but each is surprisingly balanced. Much of what goes into your glass is made or doctored in house, like sous vide green apple mezcal and coconut-cinnamon rye whiskey. One unique drink channels Peking Duck, with duck confit-washed bourbon and lapsang tea-infused peach liqueur, while another merges kimchi-infused vodka with gentian, celery, mushroom soy, and gochujang. Needless to say, you’re unlikely to get bored here.
How to book: Reserve via Tock.

Drinking at Atlas is like taking a trip around the world, but with more cocktails and minus the need for a passport. The sultry lounge is adorned with moody paintings, ornate chandeliers, and an Edgar Allan Poe-inspired vibe, complete with red banquettes and damask sofas. Get comfortable, then begin working your way through the menu. The globally inspired drinks give a nod to Mexico (Paloma), Cuba (Daiquiri), England (Pimm’s Cup), and other fine drinking nations. Or try something from the Layover section, which features geography-themed beer and shot combos, like the Texas (Balcones Bourbon and a Lone Star) and the Italy (Fernet-Branca and a Peroni).
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Dark and eccentric with mismatched furniture, throwback art, and one of the better jukeboxes in town, Cosmo’s is a neighborhood treasure. Pizza shares menu space with GM Jackson Tran’s signature Vietnamese dishes, like bánh mì, pho, and vinegar-spiked dumplings, plus some of the best wings in Dallas. Grab a stool, request a draft beer with a whiskey chaser—or, alternatively, try one of the solid, straightforward cocktails—and lose yourself in a steaming bowl of pho while an old movie plays on the small TVs stashed behind the bar.
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Come for the creative cocktails, stay for a Double Cheeseburger and Chicken Salad laden with buttery Ritz crackers at this circa-1874 landmark home. Grab a coveted spot by the fireplace when the weather’s cold, or a spot on the patio when the sun’s out. Either way, you’re well positioned to partake in some of the area’s best drinks.
How to book: Call 214-484-1385 or stop by for first come, first served seating.

Clifton Club sprang up last year from Greg Katz and the Beverley’s team, and it’s conveniently located just a couple hundred feet down Fitzhugh Avenue from Beverley’s, Katz’ sophisticated bistro. Clifton Club features a 14-seat bar, rounded banquettes, and pops of color everywhere you look, so there isn’t a bad vantage point in the house. The menu includes classics, such as the holy trinity of Martini, Negroni, and Old Fashioned, as well as original cocktails, like the Hades’ Trial, with mezcal, tequila, poblano, lemon, and pomegranate. To eat: shareable snacks like steak tartare toast, whipped ricotta with tomatoes and pistachios, and mini wagyu smashburgers.

After a long wait, Chicago import Federales opened in Deep Ellum last May, and they brought enough tequila and tacos for the whole neighborhood. The lofty, industrial space spans 12,000 square feet, which is plenty of room to spread out at a table with some friends and start taking down plates of Smoked Brisket Nachos, Carnitas Tacos, and Lamb Quesabirria served with consommé. Sip something from the extensive tequila list, try a cocktail, or “ring the bell.” The latter is one of the more unique drinking experiences in town, in which you’ll down a shot served in an ice shot glass, and then throw that icy glass against a bell to hear it ring.
How to book: Reserve via SevenRooms.

PM Lounge is back. The downtown club that once dominated mid-2000s nightlife has been reborn on Henderson in the old Dram space. The new digs are polished and stylish, with soft fabrics, custom chandeliers, and an enviable bar. Expect cocktails, lounge-y vibes, rotating DJs, and artwork saved from the original. Grab a drink at the bar if you’re just looking for an after-dinner nightcap, or reserve a table for bottle service and a more VIP experience.
How to book: Reserve tables via the website.