Happy Hours

Where to drink in Dallas right now: Best happy hour deals for March

Catch up on all the discount sips.

Photo courtesy of Champion

For March, the monthly "Where to drink" list surveys all of the best new happy hours around Dallas. Does a cocktail taste sweeter when it's half price?

Find out by visiting these bars and restaurants offering happy hour deals:

Abacus
Fine-dining restaurant reels 'em in by offering a different happy hour special every day. On Mondays and Fridays, it's half-price on the bar bites menu. Tuesday, it's half-price sushi. Wednesday, you get half price on a buffalo burger. Thursday is half-price flat breads. Beer and wine is also half price, while cocktails are $6. Hours: 5-7:30 pm.

Crickles and Co.
Cedar Springs bakery-restaurant does a customer-friendly "reverse" happy hour during the prime dining zone, with $2 off all drinks and a $20 deal on a bottle of wine or champagne with your choice of four cake truffles. Hours: Tuesdays-Sundays 7-10 pm.

Ferris Wheelers
Barbecue restaurant-amusement park does one of those shifting happy hours where, the earlier you start your happy hour, the cheaper it is. From 4-5 pm, most cocktails are $4. From 5-6 pm, they're $5. From 6-7 pm, they're $6. Canned beers are $3, and craft beers on draft are $4. Hours: Monday-Friday 4-7 pm.

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Deep Ellum bar does discounts not only on drinks but also snacks. Garlic rosemary popcorn is $2, and tots are $3. Toasts topped with chorizo or Brie are $4-$4.50. Pimento cheese fritters are $5, and so are pretzels with queso. Double-cheeseburger with seasoned fries is a steal at $6. Cocktails such as an old fashioned, a margarita, and Southern tea with bourbon are $6-$7. Hours: Sunday-Friday 5-7 pm.

Jalisco Norte
Mexican hot-spot at Turtle Creek Village has a newly-added happy hour menu with margaritas for $6, either on the rocks or frozen; beers for $3, wines by the glass for $8, and a selection of bites — dips, tamales, tacos — priced from $7-$13. Hours: Monday-Friday 3-6 pm.

Mutts Canine Cantina
Famed "yappy hour" at this dog-friendly Uptown hang offers $3 specials on margaritas (frozen or rocks); Franconia Kolsche draft; pomegranate lemonade with vodka; and a peach old-fashioned with bourbon and vodka. Hours: Monday-Friday 4-6pm.

Pazzo Uptown
Newly opened Italian restaurant-lounge in Uptown Dallas has a great happy hour that includes $5 glasses of red and white wine, prosecco, and frozen drinks. There's a $7 rotating cocktail, and beer is priced at $3-$4. There are also a few appetizers and pizzas available. Hours: Monday-Friday 4-7 pm.

3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails
Newly opened restaurant-bar in downtown Dallas hosts a daily "social hour" with $2 off appetizers, and $1 off wine, beer, and cocktails. Pabst Blue Ribbon beer is $2, and sangrias are $3. On Tuesdays, all Texas-based spirits, beer, and wine are half off. On Wednesdays, ladies get half off any bottle of wine. Hours: Daily 2-6 pm.

Yard House
New Las Colinas location of this sports bar chain offers half-priced appetizers and pizzas. That includes the margherita pizza topped with roasted garlic, only $7; and the onion ring tower sprinkled with parmesan and served with chipotle and buttermilk ranch, for $5. All hail the onion tower. There's also $2 off beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails. Hours: Monday-Friday 3-6 pm.

Zatar
Chic Mediterranean restaurant in Deep Ellum does $5 wine by the glass and $6 cocktails, along with an incredible half-off deal on all cold and hot mezze. That means $3 for hummus, $5 for grape leaves, and lentil croquettes for $4. Hours: Tuesday-Friday 5.30-7 pm.

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Farm News

Dallas farm-to-table champion Profound Farms closes produce operation

Profound

Profound Microfarms

A Dallas farm-to-table champion is pulling the plug: Profound Microfarms, the small farm in Lucas that provided locally-grown produce to chefs and the general public for nearly a decade, is shutting down its growing operation and discontinuing deliveries. Their final delivery and pickup day will be May 23.

According to cofounder Jeff Bednar, they were simply unable to keep the business afloat.

"It's always been tough for small farmers, and it's only getting harder," Bednar says. "I'd hate to count how many farmers and ranchers we've known in the last 10 years that have gone out of business. Honestly, I know very few farmers that could make it with out having off-farm income from a spouse or other sources."

Jeff and Lee Bednar first bought their 2.6-acre plot in Lucas in 2014, then spent three years learning hydroponic methods and building industry relationships. In May 2017, they began selling produce to Dallas-area chefs, helping to support DFW’s burgeoning farm-to-table restaurant scene, delivering to restaurants multiple times per week.

In 2018, Profound Foods received a USDA grant to create a local "food hub" — a business that helps small farmers grow by offering a combination of production, distribution, and marketing services. At their peak, by the end of 2019, they were serving 130 restaurants.

And then the pandemic arrived. They pivoted, expanding into retail sales in March 2020, offering weekly home delivery and pickup outpost options for home consumers.

Profound Microfarms lettuce Beautiful lettuces at Profound MicrofarmsProfound Microfarms

"Unfortunately, running a year-round food hub became tougher than we can sustain right now," he says. "It's disheartening we were not able to make it work after trying for 11 years. But we were able to raise our daughters the way we wanted to and we really had a great run. Profound impacted hundreds of Dallas chefs and thousands of families in our community and we'll continue to do that, just differently."

Over the years, Profound grew from harvesting greens to aggregating and delivering for other producers, then into community gathering spaces, commercial kitchens, and hands-on education.

"Profound has never been just a farm — it’s our commitment to connecting North Texans with local food, and that commitment will keep evolving even as the farm operations wind down," Bednar says.

So while the growing part has gone away, Profound will continue hosting cooking classes and other foodie events. In the interim, they'll also be listing their plants, hydroponic supplies, and greenhouses for sale.

Some of their stats:

Moved more than $4.5 million of truly local food into North Texas kitchens.
Sent 75 cents on every dollar to 185 farmers, ranchers, and producers in North Texas.
Delivered 34,000+ restaurant and home orders.
Donated over 90,000 lbs of fresh food to area charities and food banks.
Hosted dozens of interns and hundreds of volunteers for hands-on learning on our farm.
Helped over 22 companies launch food-based business in our incubator kitchen and hub.
Hosted tours for more than 15,000 people, schoolchildren, and aspiring farmers.

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