Hate Your Family? 10 Dark Bars to Find Joy In Dallas

By Lauren Drewes Daniels Wed., Nov. 21 2012 at 11:06 AM

Suffocated by your dinner host's pretentious Martha Stewart-style thanksgiving? Head over to Adair's Saloon in Deep Ellum (2624 Commerce St.). I'm pretty sure we create the category "Best Honky-Tonk" just for this gem and it sufficiently deserves its own category. Saddle up to the bar with a Lone Star and cry in your beer, if that's your thing. It's a honky-tonk, so it's basically expected. Adair's will get things rolling at 8 p.m.

The Idle Rich Pub (2614 McKinney Ave.) and its sister bar across the street the Black Friar Pub (2621 McKinney Ave.), both open at 8 p.m. If you need fresh air, I'd go for the latter. Need a dark corner? I'd nab a small booth near the dart board in the back of the Idle Rich.

The Fillmore Pub (1004 E. 15th St., Plano). Because people in Plano need to get out too. So we hear, anyway. The Fillmore Pub has a lot of local craft beer, including Peticolas' Velvet Hammer, Revolver Brewing and an entire book of others. They'll gladly pour you a pint from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday.

Location Info

Venue

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Ships Lounge

1613 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

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Lakewood Landing

5818 Live Oak St., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

Cosmo's Bar and Lounge

1212 Skillman St., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

Ten Bells Tavern

232 W. 7th St., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

The Oak Cliff Social Club

238 W. Davis St., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

The Libertine Bar

2101 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

Adair's

2624 Commerce St., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

Idle Rich Pub

2614 McKinney Ave., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

BlackFriar Pub

2621 McKinney Ave., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

The Fillmore Pub

1004 E. 15th St., Plano, TX

Category: Music

We Recommend

Steve Hunter

No city tavern? Boo

Vron Leanos

Deren Köseoğlu check this out!

michaelfoley99

2 dollar Wells at the Cavern Now the Crown and Harp (lower greenville across the street from Taco Cabana)

Rojo

The Slip Inn....

halldecker

1 Like

You left out The Hidden Door, Lemmon at Mahanna. Open 7a-2a, if you need an early start before you go to the relatives.

danielslauren

@halldecker Thanks Halldecker. Let us know how it goes. have a good one!

kergo1spaceship

@halldecker

ahhh, the hidden door, hard (he he!) by Cityville-is greatness!

Double-O-Joe

I don't hate my family, such as it is, but I do hate myself. I presume the same rules apply.

cynicaloldbastard

Happy Thanksgiving, LDD. Don't spend too much time in the bars!

danielslauren

@cynicaloldbastard Thanks! Actually, no bars for me. We'll be keepin' a close eye on crazy here at the fort.

Oak Cliff Townie

Go somewhere ? And get caught in the no refusal weekend crack down ? I would much rather enjoy sitting in the living room Laz-E-Boy Glaring at the merrymakers while drinking double shots of cheap West Indies Rum .

kergo1spaceship

1 Like

what about Club Schmitz?

danielslauren

@kergo1spaceship They're closed on Thankgsiving. They were the first place I called...

kergo1spaceship

@danielslauren

I didn't think that CS EVER closed-wow! It's like that place over by the old Lipstick Cabaret; I think it's the Red Lion Pub? You drive around back to park, and there in a common outside area amongst scattered tables are hookers, truckers, up all nighters, strippers and regular folk.

Blahblahusername

3 pages for a small list like this was a bit absurd

kergo1spaceship

@Blahblahusername

It's not always easy to fill a blog/weekly mag. I imagine poor Eric Nicholson gets the brunt of the "lame" assignments.....in which NO ONE is pleased.

cherokee81

@Blahblahusername Die!

kergo1spaceship

1 Like

@Blahblahusername

Okay, now let's be Christian during this time of our lord's, uhmmm, celebration of capturing the Indians? Can I say Christian without the ACLU or some other liberal group getting mad and dumping paint on my fur coat?

I give thanks on this day that the Indians didn't annihilate us when we got off at Plymouth! Speaking of Plymouth, I once wanted to take an inflatable boat down the Cape Cod Canal, and get shot out down by the old Horizon's Restaurant.

Herbert Hughes

Well it is not a dark bar, but both Buttons locations have Thanksgiving night live music...Blues in Fort Worth and R&B in Addison. This is our first year opening this night, but so many people asked we decided to open for the evening.