Dallas Part 3: Best Bars and Casual Restaurants

I'm back with more recommendations for great restaurants in Dallas. My last post covered some of my favorite, upscale restaurants in the city. This time, I'll focus on casual restaurants and two bars in the Big D that serve up fantastic drinks and vibes. I'll start with my suggestion for a laid back, breakfast, lunch and dinner in Dallas.

Oddfellows

Oddfellows

To start your day in Dallas, I recommend Oddfellows.

Located in the Bishop Arts District, this hip, coffee house and diner is actually open all day, but is most popular for breakfast and brunch.

Fried Green Tomatoes

I recommend starting with the fried, green tomatoes, a classic, Southern staple. It's a little unconventional for breakfast I admit, but delicious nevertheless.

The tomatoes are crispy and tangy and served with a smoked salmon dip, an accompaniment I hadn't seen before. The creaminess of the dip balanced the tartness of the tomatoes nicely and introduced salty and smokey elements to a dish that is usually tasty, but maybe too straightforward.

Biscuit and Gravy

The server suggested a side order of a biscuit smothered in gravy, no matter what else we decided to order. We listened. The biscuit was crispy on the outside and chewy inside, as biscuits ought to be.

The gravy was perhaps the silkiest I have tasted. It held all of the flavors imparted by caramelized sausage with fidelity, minus any chunks or bits. The richness of all the parts was cut nicely by the generous sprinkle of chives.

Chicken Chilaquiles

Next, we shared a plate of chicken chilaquiles, one of the most popular dishes at Oddfellows. Made with salsa verde and topped with red onions, cilantro, queso fresco and avocado, this dish was satisfying and quite filling.

Dark Chocolate Ding Dong

I'm not usually much for dessert, but when I saw a ding dong on the menu, I had to partake, if for no other reason than nostalgia. Growing up with my cousins and our health conscious parents, we would, on very rare occasions, get to eat a ding dong.

I still remember the foil wrapped, hockey puck shaped, chocolate cake covered in chocolate and filled with white cream, that I now realize tasted like wax and chemicals, but seemed so delicious back then.

Other than the name, the ding dong at Oddfellows has nothing in common with the Hostess version. The Oddfellows ding dong was made of moist, warm, chocolate sponge cake, filled with sweet, creamy marscapone, topped with gooey, dark chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries.

Revolver Taco Lounge

Revolver Taco Lounge

For a casual lunch, I suggest Revolver Taco Lounge, a modernist taqueria run by James Beard semi-finalist, Regino Rojas. Rojas grew up in Yurécaro, Mexico from where he draws his inspiration for Revolver, which is located in the Deep Ellum neighborhood.

Spicy Margarita

Regino's father, Arturo is a gunsmith who is well known and celebrated for his ornamental and detailed etchings on the barrels and handles of the guns he crafts. Revolver Taco Lounge is named as such to pay tribute to Regino's father and the artisan tradition of the family.

Al Pastor and Carne Asada Tacos

Revolver offers all variety of tacos including octopus and duck, which I hope to try in the future. On this visit, I opted to go traditional and ordered an al pastor and carne asada taco.

The al pastor was well marinated and then mesquite roasted on a traditional trompo. The meat was put in a corn tortilla crafted by Revolver's master tortilleras and then topped with onions, cilantro, pineapple chunks and a chipotle and jalapeño salsa.

The carne asada taco, made with marinated and grilled, premium, wagyu beef was just as yummy. In traditional style, it was topped with onions and cilantro, all inside a warm, corn tortilla. I plan to return to Revolver on a future visit to Dallas for a meal at Purepecha, a small room at the back of Revolver, where a tasting menu is served.

YO Ranch Steakhouse

YO Steakhouse

The last restaurant in this post is YO Steakhouse, my recommendation for a semi-casual dinner in Dallas. While Dallas may have outgrown its reputation as just a barbecue and steak town, meat is still celebrated in this city.

And at YO Ranch Steakhouse, meats are described as “beautifully seared, well-seasoned, perfectly cooked, wonderfully juicy and otherwise excellent,” by Eater magazine.

Buffalo Filet

What is unique about this steakhouse is that they specialize in wild game, grilled in the chuck wagon fashion, where meat is cooked over hardwood coals using cast iron, dutch ovens and skillets. As a result, I decided to venture outside of their beef offerings and instead chose their buffalo filet mignon, which was featured on the Food Network.

To my surprise and delight, it was flavorful and tender, which is not easy to accomplish when working with such a lean cut of wild game.

Raspberry Cheesecake

Dinner concluded with the raspberry cheesecake, which I shared with a fellow diner who, like me, was visiting Dallas for work. He however, was visiting from Australia. Even this gentleman who hails from a country that is globally renowned for producing high-quality meats and steaks, agreed that the wild game at YO Ranch Steakhouse was great.

Bourbon and Banter at the Statler

The Statler

Now, onto my bar recommendations in Dallas. The first is a speakeasy inside the Statler, a retro-inspired, historic hotel in downtown Dallas that opened in 1956.

Rooftop at the Statler

You can go up to the rooftop and enjoy a cocktail and city views poolside, but I suggest going to the basement for a hidden gem.

Bourbon and Banter

Located on the ground floor, you'll find access to Bourbon and Banter, an elusive speakeasy, recognized in 2025 by the Historic Hotels of America as one of the top 25 historic bars in the United States.

Finding it is the challenge, but that's why I am here to help. First, find the sign for the bar, as pictured above.

Next, follow the stairs down to the neon sign that reads, "BAR." Reached a dead end? Don't be discouraged. Just pick up the phone and call for help.

Yes, literally. Do you see the vintage shoe shine stand? Next to it is a telephone booth. Enter, pick up the phone and ...

... dial the five digit, secret code written above the phone. (Ok, maybe it's not so secret.)

Then magically, a portion of the wall will open up and you will have arrived. Settle in at the subterranean, dimly lit, cocktail lounge that was once the hotel's barbershop. Today, it is decorated with a mid-century aesthetic that defined the era in which the Statler debuted.

You can't go wrong with any of the cocktails at Bourbon and Banter. That said, if I had to choose only one, it would be the Porto Old Fashioned, made with Basil Hayden dark rye, Sagamore small batch rye, a port wine reduction and chocolate and orange bitters.

Double D's

Double D's

From an Old Fashioned in a historic hotel built in 1956, we go to bar that opened in 2022. I'm referring to Double D's, the 1970's-themed retro bar, complete with a shag rug, old couches and wood panelling.

During my visit, I met the owner, Jermey Elliott and had to inquire about the obvious, the name. He told me that the name "Double D's" pays homage to the Design District (DD), the neighborhood in which the bar is located. (Insert eye roll.) Come on, if this windowless, concrete building with a gigantic, red, neon sign that reads, "Double D's" doesn't scream strip club, I don't know what does.

Nevertheless, Double D's is indeed a bar, without strippers, but with a six-page cocktail list, an excellent D.J. (at least on the night I was there) and a great vibe.

For quality restaurants and bars in Dallas, I hope you will visit all of these spots, as well as the ones in my previous post. There's one more post about Dallas coming up. See you soon.