The 9 Best Bars in Dallas Right Now

The rhinestone cowboy of Texas, Dallas is equal parts country and glamour. Crystalline skyscrapers and cowboy hats abound in the city known for cattle drives, cheerleaders, and oil family soap operas. The Big D has two-stepped its way onto the national food and beverage scene and proven that it offers more than just breweries and dives. Don’t worry, you can still sip on an El Chingón IPA at Four Corners Brewing Company, go for a round at local stomping grounds like Double Wide and Lee Harvey’s, or hunker down at Mariano’s Hacienda Ranch for a frozen margarita in the very bar where it was invented. But if you want to expand your understanding of Dallas and take a swig of signature Texas flair, put on your cowboy boots and saddle up to experience all the Lone Star state has to offer.

1530 Main St, Dallas, TX 75201
@midnightramblerbar

Inside the 1920s neo-Gothic Joule hotel, Midnight Rambler has been the downtown bar destination for locals and visitors alike for over a decade. Dramatic lighting and vaulted wood ceilings studded with gold dipped light bulbs lead you into the basement of the historic hotel. The seasonal menu feels like a scavenger hunt referencing local architectural landmarks such as the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge or the 30-foot tall giant eyeball sculpture across the street. As an added bonus, much of the Dallas-centric menu can be made without alcohol on request. The best part is, Midnight Rambler is not afraid of having a little fun. Where else can you have a blue raspberry and pineapple slushy inspired by 7-Eleven in an elegant bar modeled after The Gold Room from The Shining? Only in Dallas, baby.

You should try: Seasonal cocktails like the Pegasus, made with Fords gin, egg white, citrus, and magnolia cordial adored with Dallas’s famous flying red horse. A tartness akin to green mango, floral magnolia cuts through the richness of the shaken egg white and allows the herbal notes of the gin to shine.

Photograph by Gustav Schmiege

1401 Elm Street, Dallas, TX 75201
@catbirddallas

Perched atop the ninth floor of The National (part of the Thompson Hotel) in the heart of downtown, Catbird gives you that in the city feeling with stunning views from a wraparound patio and lounge. Its two-page cocktail menu changes seasonally with the exception of a few mainstays. Catbird serves gorgeous photo-worthy cocktails that are as colorful and vibrant as the dramatic floral hallway that greets you from the elevator landing.

You should try: The velvety smooth Girl From Okinawa uses gin infused with yakimo (roasted Japanese sweet potato) and sweet vermouth stirred with rice to create a rich mouthfeel that eliminates the bitterness of Campari while retaining the sweet herbal notes.

2115 Jackson Street, Dallas, TX. 75201
@gingersdallas

You can hear the sound of ice rattling in cocktail shakers and raucous laughter as you descend the iconic staircase into the sensual, subterranean world of Ginger’s. An exceptional R&B playlist, delicious mood lighting, and possibly the most comfortable leather bucket seats in the city show off Dallas glam with a refined touch. Expect fresh-pressed juices, aged whiskeys, and specialty ingredients such as the banana-peel-infused soy milk in the Banana Coquito, a lighter, refreshing take on the classic Puerto Rican cocktail, which tones down the sweetness and highlights the coconut. Ginger’s drinks are impeccably crafted, unpretentious, and uniquely Dallas.

You should try: The Sotol Sour, a hibiscus-infused Los Magos sotol, yuzu demerara, Nixta Licor de Elote, lime, and egg white, garnished with a seductive swirl of beet root powder.

310 W Seventh St, Dallas, TX 75208
@ladylovedallas

With a built-in record booth, a floor-to-ceiling wall of vinyl, and a golden disco ball that has graced many a 2 a.m. Instagram story, Ladylove Lounge & Sound has a thing for music. Grab a seat on the dimly lit wood stage backdropped by long velvet curtains, or take your drink to the dance floor and get your groove on during one of their weekly themed music nights, which run the gamut from cumbia classics to “sad girl hours” (think Lana Del Rey vs. Billie Eilish “so you can cry in peace”). Expect fun, fruity cocktails that highlight ingredients such as strawberry matcha, passion fruit foam, and Blue Majik (an electric blue spirulina extract). Ladylove also offers a small menu of “Elixirs” (nonalcoholic beverages), along with a selection of beer and wine.

You should try: The CDMX, a floral grapefruit-forward cocktail with Condesa gin, prickly pear, and rosewater.

334 W Jefferson Blvd, Dallas, TX 75208
@ayahuascacantina

Walking down the candlelit corridor into Ayahuasca feels like passing through a portal into another world. Nearly all of Ayahuasca’s ingredients come directly from Mexico including its mezcal, sotol, gin, liqueurs, and wine. Its unique menu is a journey through time, starting in the precolonial era with pulque, made from agave sap and thought to be one of the oldest ferments in North America. Beer, mezcal, tequila, and other spirits appear on the menu as distillation techniques introduced in the Colonial period through independence, revolution, and ending with 21st-century techniques like clarification and washing.

You should try: The namesake Ayahuasca, made with tepache (a ferment made from pineapple and piloncillo), mezcal, and ginger that shakes past and present into a single drink.

3912 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX 75219
@roundupsaloondallas

Yes, it’s a gay bar. Yes, that’s what makes it a great country bar. Country music is drama, and what better place to embrace the campy side of cowboy culture than in a city nicknamed the Big D. Six mini bars with names like the Tool Shed and the Horse Shoe surround a large wood dance floor where Round-Up hosts weekly two-step lessons, country karaoke, and Western-themed drag shows. You’ll find country music playing seven nights a week, and cowboy hats are encouraged but not required.

You should try: An ice-cold Lone Star beer and a shot of Tito’s. You came here to dance, dammit.

Photograph by Susie Oszustowicz

Photograph by Susie Oszustowicz

1906 S Harwood St, Dallas, TX 75215
@mikesgemini

Not all dives are created equal, and there’s a reason Mike’s is an industry favorite. Most house cocktails are only $10 (in Dallas!) while other local watering holes charge nearly double. Inside, padded booths and Tiffany-style Budweiser lamps set the tone. This is the kind of place where a dirty martini and a roller dog can dissolve the stress of the day.

You should try: Modestly priced classics that punch above their weight in terms of quality and taste.

Photograph by Sung Joon Koo

1404 N Riverfront Blvd, Dallas, TX 75207
@doubledsdallas

Double D’s is where you go to turn up. Be it Afrobeats, house, or R&B, the music is always good, and you can count on it being loud enough to rattle the ice in your glass. Famously “not a titty bar,” Double D’s does straddle the line between dive and club. The crowd is young and cool and the drinks are served up cold and fast with popular cocktails like the paloma or whiskey highball on draft. Not drinking alcohol? Double D’s has the largest zero-proof offering I found anywhere in the city. It’s not uncommon to have a line out the door on weekend nights so arrive early if you want a more relaxed experience.

You should try: Edna’s Lunch Box. Miller High Life, amaretto, and orange juice is served straight up in a frosted beer mug. Think of it like the icy cousin to the Flaming Doctor Pepper.

Photograph by Douglas Friedman

3219 Knox St, Suite 170, Dallas, TX 75205
@themistercharles

At Mister Charles, sky-high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and a marble bar top that spans the length of the dining room evoke feelings of timeless grandeur. Mister Charles’s cocktail menu nods to the building’s century-old past life as a soda fountain pharmacy, with drinks like the Highland Park Pharmacy Penicillin or the Electric Kool-Aid Spritz. Staff wear blazers and ties, but the service is anything but stuffy. That doesn’t mean you can’t go big: Mister Charles’s extensive 20-page wine list includes an $18,000 bottle among more modest bottle and by-the-glass offerings.

You should try: The Root Beer Old Fashioned. Buffalo Trace rye whiskey sweetened with root beer syrup gains depth and a touch of medicinal spice from star anise, making for a playful soda fountain take on the classic.