Dallas' 10 Best Bars For Drinking

By Scott Reitz Fri., Feb. 8 2013 at 7:00 AM

The last bar list I put together was all about food. But if you've finished up your dinner or ate an entire hot mess for lunch, you don't always need a bar that serves up a great burger. Sometimes you just want a drink. Sometimes you just want several.

If you're out on your own, looking to meet someone new or hanging out with a few fiends, all of these bars will all get you tilted in good fashion. Whether you're looking for a well-made cocktail or an ice cold beer and a quiet stool, there's something in this list for everyone.

Tried and True (pictured above)
Nick Badovinus is a bar food specialist, but you don't have to be starving to pay this Henderson Avenue spot a visit. The whiskey list at this place is phenomenal, and the bartenders know how to pour a drink. If you get the urge to snack and you don't want to tear into an entire burger, there are peanuts on the tables everywhere.

You wish it was cold enough for one of these.

Black Swan Saloon
Oh, Gabe. There's nothing better than a bartender who knows your drink. Apparently Gabe Sanchez has a hard drive larger than most bartenders in Dallas. Order a cocktail once and it's yours for life. All you have to do is walk through the door and he's already working on it.

Jay Barker

The Windmill Lounge
Want a Sazerac without flames, antics and sticker shock? The Windmill Lounge is a bartender's bar. Hardly a night goes by that you can't find one of the city's best mixologists drinking a simple and strong drink on a stool.

The Loon
If The Windmill Lounge is bartender's bar, The Loon is a drinker's bar of the highest order. Don't come here expecting involved mixology. This is where you come to get the strongest whiskey and Coke you've ever ordered. Those tacos dorados are pretty good, too.

We Recommend

Twinwillow

Louie's and The Loon.

Vicki Montgomery-Patrick Bridges

Anvil Pub @ 2638 Elm Street.

Vicki Montgomery-Patrick Bridges

Anvil Pub, 2638 Elm Street, Dallas should be on the list.

NewsDog

Louie's

nuf said

Ariana Reyes

Only been to two of those places. We've got some work to do!

Ashley Richardson

Chesterfield's?

scott.reitz moderator editor

@Ashley Richardson Not anymore. The place has changed a lot over the past few months

David Bigs Bigbee

Great list!

monstruss

The fact that Strangeways isn't on this list is simultaneously shitarded and a bit of a relief.

scott.reitz moderator editor

@monstruss Strangeways isn't on the list because the service is so slow. Each of the bars here have attentive fast bartenders. They make me feel like I'm taken care of.

That said, I love te space at Strangeways though. It's a cool bar

looptwelve

1 Like

@scott.reitz Best bars for drinking, yet you don't want to wait in line like everyone else. Basically, it's a list of bars that make you feel like you're special.

scott.reitz moderator editor

1 Like

@looptwelve @scott.reitz this couldn't be further front the truth. Some of these bars know who I am when I patronize. Some do not. I hate when I get special treatment, but I love when I see bartenders hustling to make everyone feel like a special customer

monstruss

@scott.reitz I see your point in the service being a little slower. Personally I don't really mind so much because I know it's just the 4 or 5 folks covering the whole place, and the quality of both the service and the drinks makes up for it.