Hey More Bowling

Dallas strikes big with new bowling restaurant in Deep Ellum

Dallas is turning into a bowling town.

Photo courtesy of Punch Bowl Social

Dallas is on its way to becoming Bowling Central, with another new bowling restaurant concept coming to town. Called Punch Bowl Social, it's a Denver-based chain that has claimed a prized location in a long unoccupied space at the corner of Main Street and Good Latimer Freeway, where it will combine bowling alley, restaurant, and bar. According to a spokesperson, it'll open in mid-2018.

Founder Robert Thompson opened the first Punch Bowl Social in Denver in 2012. There are now 10 locations in hipster cities across the land including Austin, Portland, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Cleveland. The chain has expansion on the brain: Nine more locations are lined up to open in the next year, in Chicago, Atlanta, San Diego, and Brooklyn. Ohh, could Dallas beat Brooklyn? Could we be that cool?

The company profile emphasizes carefree good times and nonconformity. They "don't believe in uncomfortable chairs, bland walls, and fluorescent lights" but do believe in a "dirty modern mash up" of chandeliers, food for foodies, PBR tallboys, and craft beverages.

"We believe in brunch turning into a bowling party and bowling parties turning into all-you-can-sing karaoke," it says. "We believe in exploring evenings filled with shuffleboard and made-from-scratch chicken and waffles." Hey, we believe in all that, too. We believe.

Thompson says that Deep Ellum was a good location because of is "in-town, gritty entertainment district aspect."

The building at 2600 Main St. was previously home to the Copper Tank Brewery, and has languished empty for five years. It's such a large space that it's been a tough sell for most operators. There've been rumors that a bowling alley was coming to the space for a while; Punch Bowl signed the lease in July.

Punch Bowl joins a burgeoning hipster bowling scene in Dallas with already-open concepts that include Bowlounge in the Design District; Bowl & Barrel at the Shops at Park Lane; and Pinstack, which has locations in Plano, Las Colinas, and Allen. Is it time yet for a bowling roundup?

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Turkey Day news

Dallas eats up top-5 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Razzoo's

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Dallas is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

Dallas ranked No. 5 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a huge leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 17, and remains the highest-ranking Texas city.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 9), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 82). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 60), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 26).

Dallas restaurants are getting prepared for their big Turkey Day feasts, and CultureMap has rounded up a thorough list of all of the local restaurants hosting holiday feasts, from brunch to dinner.

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, Dallas will be fully decked for the December holidays. Dallasites who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. Dallas-Fort Worth goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Across North Texas, three Dallas-area cities also made big improvements from their 2023 rankings. Irving moved up 10 spots to claim No. 19 this year, and Garland jumped up 21 spots on the list as No. 34. Arlington made the biggest improvement in the region, moving from No. 78 last year to No. 55 this year.

Meanwhile, Plano and Fort Worth slipped in the rankings, falling into No. 44 and No. 45 in 2024, respectively. Plano previously ranked No. 38 in 2023, and Fort Worth was No. 36.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

dallas fort worth thanksgiving wallethub rankings