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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 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 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 5000 restaurants, Dallas claims to have four times as many eateries per person as New York. The main areas of Downtown to explore 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; McKinney Avenue and Greenville Avenue, both on the north side. 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$2 in bars or US$4 in clubs. The weekly Dallas Observer and a new website (www.bestbarsintown.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 the Downtown and offers simple, wholesome dishes, such as steamed mussels and fish and chips. As it is everywhere else in the USA, 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. 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 new Baby O’International, 4908 Greenville Avenue, with happy hour buffets and cigar parties. It would be easy to miss from its name but the Have a Nice Day Café, 2020 North Lamar Street, is actually a combination of restaurant and 1970s disco. The Red Jacket, 3606 Greenville Avenue, covers all kinds of dance music from swing and lounge up to 80s post-disco styles. If you can’t resist the foot stomping of country rhythms, head for Country 2000, 10580 North Stemmons Freeway. 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. Two good places for the blues are Blue Cat Blues, 2617 Commerce Street, and The Bone, 1701 North Market Street. The most frequently cited ‘best blues’ are at Muddy Waters, 1518 Greenville Avenue. |
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