Holiday Cheer

The best bars in Dallas to keep out-of-town guests in good cheer

For many, the holidays center around family. That's great and all, but cramming a bunch of people into a house for multiple days at a time can create some anxiety for everyone. Plus, being a good host requires showing your guests around town.

For diffusing cabin fever and playing tour guide, we've put together a list of bars designed for the many types of friends and relatives you may have to entertain this holiday season. You can't make anyone drink, but you can put them in a place they're likely to enjoy.

For your drunk uncle
Classic dive bar The Loon reopened a few blocks away from its old haunt and with a new name: Cliff's Bar & Grill. But the drinks are still 95 percent alcohol. Sure, the setting is a little nicer, which means your drunk uncle might "cause a scene," but Cliff's has the same attitude, so he'll find kindred spirits for an afternoon that quickly bleeds into the evening.

For your oenophile aunt
A more refined breed than the drunk uncle, the oenophile aunt is more likely to turn into a cheery, adorable mess after a couple of glasses of wine. Take her to Veritas Wine Room on Henderson Avenue where she can sip from a well-cultivated wine list and nosh on meat and cheese plates. Veritas has a crowd that enjoys wine, so your aunt will be among her people. Just make sure she doesn't get too flirty with the staff after a couple of Pinots.

For your older guests
Ignore Uptown and Deep Ellum and take your (grand)parents to the Mansion Bar, where the residence-turned-hotel's classic elegance comes through with touches of modernity. The drinks span generations, from timeless cocktails to present-day concoctions like the Figgie Smalls with Rogue gin, fig and lemon. Even if you don't hail from Dallas' first families, you and yours can feel like it here. Just leave Drunk Uncle at home.

For your cousin who goes to LSU
There are only two college football games going on during Thanksgiving, but after that you'll have conference championships, bowl games and the inaugural College Football Playoffs. Take advantage of crisp fall weather with Katy Trail Ice House's massive patio. College football fans flock here on Saturdays for goblets of beer, a plethora of flat screens and tailgating antics such as cornhole. Wear your colors; you're sure to find fellow fans from all over the Big 12 and SEC.

For your cousin who goes to Kansas
If you've got a relative who likes their balls and goals equally round, Christies on McKinney Avenue has enough TVs to cover all your college basketball and NBA games. It definitely caters to hoop fanatics; expect to find it full of Tar Heels and Jayhawks whenever they tip off. Grab some buckets of beer and a table to watch your team drain buckets. (See what we did there?)

For your newly single friend
Let's say your friend, who's back in town for Thanksgiving, is newly single. He or she is probably going through some stuff, what with all the happy couples who have cuffed up for the oncoming slate of tacky sweater parties. Friends in these situations need a little boost, and Knox Street Pub's Fireball Jello shots will help them forget about their ex and have them making new friends in no time. The rowdy weekend crowd is a meat market, so surely the right cut can be found.

For the boyfriend who's hanging out with the family for the first time
It can be stressful to introduce your significant other to your family, particularly during the holiday season. Take the tension down a notch at the Ginger Man in Uptown. Its cozy interior can get busy thanks to all the hop heads hunting that craft beer buzz, but the upstairs room has a homey feel that's far way from the action. You can have a quality conversation yet enough distractions to get away for a moment if your parents start grilling your partner too much. Tell your boyfriend/girlfriend to bring up the literary context of the bar's name, and your parents will be impressed that you're dating someone so learned.

For your Austinite sister
Before your Austinite sister gets a chance to open her mouth about how superior the state capital is, take her to The Foundry and plop her down in front of the stage. It's closed for Thanksgiving, but go on Friday or Saturday night when live music happens after 9 pm. The dog-friendly patio and craft beer selection rivals most Austin joints, and it's far away from the sheen of Uptown.

For your New York brother
Whereas your Austinite sibling finds Dallas too shiny, your brother living on the Lower East Side might find his return to Dallas to be a little ... pedestrian. For his jaded, leather-jacket-wearing self, head to Midnight Rambler at The Joule. This cocktail lounge from Christy Pope and Chad Solomon is the hottest new spot in Dallas, and the bartending duo hail from NYC themselves. It's swanky, sexy and suitably priced ($12-$15 per drink) for any New Yorker in your life.

The Ginger Man in Uptown is cozy, relaxed and full of craft beer. It'll help make meeting the parents that much easier.

Photo by James Cridland Flickr

The Ginger Man in Uptown is cozy, relaxed and full of craft beer. It'll help make meeting the parents that much easier.

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Dumpling News

Dumpling Queen restaurant from all-star team debuts in Flower Mound

Dumpling Queen

Dumplings from Dumpling Queen

A new family-owned spot for dumplings has debuted in Flower Mound: Called Dumpling Queen, it's now quietly open at 1050 Flower Mound Rd. #110, in the former Here Asian Cuisine, where it's serving steamed dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, and other family recipes from Sichuan, China.

Dumpling Queen is the brainchild of chef Lulu Du, a native of China who moved to the U.S. in 2021 and has worked at well-regarded restaurants in China and the U.S., including the acclaimed North Dallas restaurant Tian Tian, which closed in 2025.

She's joined by a stellar team that includes her husband, John Watson, and daughter Ruby Sun; restaurateur Yen "Louie" Jing (Ocean Buffet, Hokkaido Ramen Sushi) who brings operational expertise; and chef Andy Feng, who previously owned multiple locations of Lovers Egg Roll.

"My wife has a good reputation in the industry, and once word got out, we started getting requests from people who wanted to work with us," Watson says.

They did a soft opening on Memorial Day and were hit by a surprise rush of customers, both for takeout and dining in.

"With the holiday, we thought we could open quietly, but it was the opposite," he says. "It got a little chaotic; we're quickly learning to adjust."

They chose Flower Mound because the area had few Chinese restaurants nearby.

"We feel grateful to have landed the location, right in the heart of Flower Mound," he says. "The location got a lot of interest including more than one national chain. But we had a few things working in our favor including our partners' expertise and my wife's experience. She lived in China for many years and worked at a 7-star restaurant, where she learned to master noodles and handmade dumplings."

Their menu combines Chinese-American favorites such as orange chicken and Mongolian beef with Chinese handmade dumplings and buns such as their xiao long bao, AKA soup dumplings, and their authentic Chinese potstickers.

They have dumplings in about a dozen varieties, such as shrimp & pork chive, veggie with tofu & mushroom, pork with crab, and their four-color rainbow dumpling sampler with two each of beef, chicken, seafood, and veggie. There's even a dessert chocolate lava bao filled with chocolate.

They also offer some signature items not commonly found around DFW including:

Sheng jian bao: pan-fried buns from Shanghai, with a wrapper made from a yeast dough, known for their crispy, golden-brown bottom and soft, fluffy top, filled with a juicy pork and gelatin mixture that creates a soup broth when cooked. They're like a hybrid of dumplings and bao, and are often consumed for breakfast.
Thumb-sized pan-fried buns: bite-sized Shanghai-style dumplings, sometimes called mini sheng jian bao.

This is in addition to familiar dishes like sweet & sour chicken, cashew chicken, kung pao chicken, wontons, scallion pancakes, egg rolls & spring rolls, and shrimp & veggie tempura, all overseen by Chef Andy, while Chef Lulu is in charge of the dumplings.

"We're bringing all the experience that Andy and Lulu have, with no compromise on food quality," Watson says.

They inherited a space with good features but have made some updates and additions, including a new side patio that's enclosed, similar to what you find at the Gloria's chain. This not only gives them greater seating capacity but also a bar-like place with a big screen TV where people can watch and have a drink.

"We are waiting on our liquor license, but we'll start with beer, mimosas, and sake," Watson says. "Initially, we're not planning on cocktails but we may add that down the road."

Their most significant modification was transforming the former sushi bar into a dumpling production area, so that customers can watch while the dumplings are being made — "like a little show," Watson says.

asian openings flower mound chinese restaurant