Where to Drink

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 hot new bars for January

Photo by Sloane's

The theme of Where to Drink, our monthly list of bars to try around Dallas, is usually happy hours. Where's cheap? But with the new year here, the January lineup pivots to bars that are new. (Or new-ish.)

If you're seeking a little change of pace from your usual watering hole, here are five recently-opened bars to try:

Ebb & Flow
New restaurant in Deep Ellum has a big menu with toasted ravioli, Cubano egg rolls, stuffed jalapeños, charcuterie, sausage queso, sandwiches, and wraps. They're making pretty cocktails and you get to drink them in an atmosphere with a floral theme that includes flowers and living vines.

Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse
Newest restaurant from the famed Pappas family recently opened with a specialty in BBQ and Southern food. But they also have an extensive American whiskey collection. You can order a pour by the ounce or in six whiskey flights. They're also hosting a happy hour Monday-Friday from 3-6:30 pm, with discounts on appetizers such as deviled eggs, pork belly bites, and fried green tomatoes, with half-priced craft cocktails, wine, and draft beer.

The Peak Inn
The subhed is "an Old East Dallas joint," and that sums it up pretty good. It's from two local bar veterans: Joel Morales, co-owner of Adair's; and Marc Hooper, formerly of Sundown and Elbow Room, and currently a partner in BoLeo's Taco Shack. Fans call it a good old-fashioned bar with no gimmicks. They have all the things you need: jukebox, pool table, fireplace, TVs and cheap drinks. Happy Hour runs Monday-Friday 3:30-7:30 pm, with $1 off beer, wine, and spirits.

Sloane's Corner
All-day restaurant is serving breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and dinner. They also have a coffee bar and CBD infused water. Happy hour from Monday-Friday from 2-6 pm is pretty generous. They have eight cocktails – martini, old-fashioned, margarita, Sazerac – all priced at $7 with beer and wine for $3.50. They also have a menu of HH snacks that includes fried pork ribs, burrata toast, and ham & cheese croquettes, prices from $5 to $12.

Yogi's Home Plate
Former Greenville Avenue haunt has relocated its fun atmosphere, excellent food, and charismatic owner Dan Barbara to a new address in the welcoming neighborhood of Lake Highlands. The bar celebrates its grand opening on January 10, with a menu featuring customer favorites like the Bang Bang Shrimp and the fried catfish, and yet is already rolling out specials like $2 tacos on Tuesday, and 75-cent wings on Thursdays. They have live music, games on TV, and a happy hour that runs Tuesday-Friday from 3-7 pm and all day Monday.

happy-hours bests

Chef News

Beloved Dallas chef debuts farmers market restaurant Bucket & Rope

Bucket & Rope

Chef Victor Hugo is back.

A historical building near the Dallas Farmers Market has a stellar new tenant: Called Bucket & Rope, it's a new restaurant from acclaimed chef Victor Hugo, who previously owned the beloved Victor Hugo’s Dining and Bar in Oak Cliff, which closed in 2021.

Bucket & Rope is located at 600 S. Harwood St., in the space previously occupied by Green Door Public House, and is a partnership between Hugo and Mike Ruibal, owner of the famed Ruibal's Plants, who owns this space adjacent to his garden shop.

Dallas history buffs will remember that this structure, built over a century ago, was once home to Liberty Bank on Cesar Chavez Boulevard. It was relocated to the current location and rebuilt brick by brick to recreate the original structure. Green Door Public House was in the building for 10 years until it closed in August.

Ruibal was a regular at VH in Oak Cliff. He told Victor Hugo the first time they met that one day they would have a restaurant together.

“I decided to build a restaurant I would love, a neighborhood restaurant, and I wanted to do this with Victor," Ruibal says.

Bucket & Rope veggie plate Beautiful vegetable plate at Bucket & RopeInstagram

Hugo is an accredited chef who moved to Dallas from California and worked primarily for the Lombardi's group at Bistro 31 in Highland Park Village, before founding his own place in Oak Cliff.

After it closed, he launched a new VH location in Round Top at Oak Bones cabins, which he opens twice a year for the Spring and Fall antique shows in the area and for special events. He had a catering business as well — but was ready for more.

“Mike and I wanted to do something for the community, a place with great comfort food where neighbors can come two or three times a week, as an extension of their home," Hugo says.

The menu is New American, with steak, seafood, pasta, sandwiches and salads. Highlights include:

Rope In A Bucket: Crispy calamari strips, lemon caper aioli, Sriracha romesco
Steak Frites: 10oz New York Strip, green peppercorn sauce, skinny fries, spicy broccolini
Blackened Texas Redfish: Creamy parmesan risotto, green beans, mango habanero salsa
Duck & Rope Pasta: Duck confit, maitake mushroom, spinach tagliatelle, peppercorn cream, parmesan
Mike’s Burger: 8oz grilled Wagyu, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, bucket & rope sauce, grilled onions, pickles on brioche bun with skinny fries

Prices are reasonable, with salads and sandwiches at lunch for $12 to $18, and dinner entrees ranging from $18 for pasta to $28 for a Wagyu beef roast with cheddar grits.

An anecdote on the website explains that the name came from Ruibal's son, and that the team felt like it was a perfect fit for the building's history and aesthetic.

The restaurant represents a welcome return to Dallas' culinary scene for Hugo and his wife Brianna Ruelas, whose hospitality and great food at VH in Oak Cliff were much beloved.

“We are really excited to be part of this community, we have already met many customers who are happy to have us here," Hugo says.

downtown openings