Bar News

2 new companion Dallas high-energy restaurant-bars debut in Deep Ellum

There'll be food, drink, music, and games.

Photo courtesy of So Clutch

Not one but two companion high-energy restaurant-bars are coming to Deep Ellum: Called The Sporting Club and Blüm, they're side-by-side venues that will open at 2516 Florence St., right off Good Latimer Expressway, and according to a release, will make their much anticipated debut on April 15.

The venues are a new concept from SoClutch Group, a hospitality company that owns bars in Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, and Houston. They'll span 22,000 square feet, with two atmospheres for dining, drinking, and private events:

Blüm will be a Vegas-style day and night club serving Italian, Southern fusion while offering bottle service with a DJ driven high-energy atmosphere.
The Sporting Club will focus on sporting events and outdoor fun games such as corn hole, ping pong and table games. Large format cocktails and shareable bites will be offered.

The space was once home to a Sherwin Williams paint store, which has moved down the block, although its 40-foot-tall sign at the corner of Florence and Good Latimer remains. The location has been lavishly remodeled into an open concept which incorporates an extra-large outdoor space.

All rooms will have sports streaming, food, and DJ, including a lounge area that will blend the vibes of both Sporting Club and Blüm. Unique cocktails and games including vintage-style videogames will be motifs.

"We’re excited to bring The Sporting Club and Blüm to the Deep Ellum area. We’ve created a venue for the everyday sports viewer, girls night out and for people looking to take it up a level and party at our day and night club Blüm,” says Rico Taylor, Owner, SoClutch Group.

The two venues are housed in one venue, which can serve a broad range of times, from lunch to dinner to nightlife to brunch. Guests will be able to move around between spaces and have different social experiences.

Decor
Blüm is a botanical wonderland filled with a refined whimsy vibe featuring white paneled millwork paired with tropical palm wallpaper giving it a garden room feel.

The Sporting Club is a take on nostalgia and athletics with vintage patterns integrated throughout the space providing a comfortable yet energetic vibe.

A few elements have been carried throughout the whole space to provide cohesiveness such as the use of white and green to provide visual unity.

Cocktails
The extensive signature cocktail program features separate menus for both Sporting Club and Blüm inspired by the look and feel of the space.

Blüm’s drink menu includes a blend of unique libations with botanical and herbal highlights, such as the Lavender Bliss made with Gin, Lavender, Lemon, Lime and Egg White or the Night in Bangkok with Vodka, Thai Basil, Vanilla and Hellfire Bitters.

The Sporting Club menu includes four frozen drinks including the Peach Blossom Froze and the Strawberry Sangaree with Cruzan Light Rum, Red Wine, Strawberry, Orange and Nutmeg. Cocktails at the Sporting Club include the Hunting Dog featuring Vodka, Aperol, Honey, Lemon, Grapefruit and Salt, along with the Habanero Fresca made with Tequila, Cucumber, Basil, Lime and Habanero with a Tajin rim.

Additional brunch-inspired drinks will be available Saturday and Sunday. Each venue will feature beer and mimosa “Towers” that serve a minimum of four people. The drink program will also include an extensive wine and beer list.

Food
The dinner menu includes appetizers, such as the Burrata Bruschetta, Caramelized Onion Dip and a Fry Flight featuring an array of dipping sauces. Dinner options include specialty pizzas with house-made crusts, handhelds such as a Cheeseburger, Filet Sandwich or Hot & Spicy Chicken Sandwich. The menu also includes entrée options of Filet Mignon, Chilean Seabass and Double Cut Pork Chop among others. Dessert options include Confetti Cakes from local bakery Daisy Cakes. The Brunch menu includes traditional breakfast fare to include an Omelet, Eggs Benedict and breakfast with sweet options such as Blueberry Almond Buttermilk Pancakes and Italian French Toast.

SoClutch is not stopping here: They're also opening another venue called Vice Park, described as a lively Miami-influenced night club, two blocks away at 2601 Gaston Ave. in winter 2021.

The Sporting Club will be open Monday-Friday 4 pm-2 am, with weekend brunch on Saturdays-Sundays at 10 am. Blüm will be open Thursday-Friday 9 pm-2 am, Saturday-Sunday 10 am-2 am. For info, visit homeoftheplayers.com.

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Grandscape goals

Soccer and dining venue from the UK gears up for U.S. debut in The Colony

Photo courtesy of TOCA Social

TOCA Social will make its U.S. debut in Grandscape in The Colony.

In time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup frenzy taking hold of Dallas, a soccer-themed entertainment and dining venue from the United Kingdom will make its U.S. debut in DFW this spring: Called Toca Social, it will open at The Grandscape complex in The Colony on March 6.

First announced for Grandscape in 2024, Toca Social combines soccer, entertainment, and dining, with a state-of-the-art venue and innovative soccer-based games. (A Toca Social was originally planned for Dallas, but that location was scrapped.)

The concept was founded by two-time U.S. World Cup veteran and MLS player Eddie Lewis and is backed by soccer legend Abby Wambach. It's billed as "the world’s first soccer social club" and only has three other locations - two in London and one in Birmingham, England.

“Toca was born from my obsession with the technical side of the game and the belief that a soccer ball should be at everyone’s feet,” says Lewis in the release. “After seeing the incredible reception in the UK, bringing our Social flagship home to the U.S. — and specifically to a soccer-rich market like Dallas — is a dream realized. We’ve created a place where the skill of the pros meets the energy of a world-class night out.”

Toca Social soccer Toca Social coming to Granscape in March 2026. Toca Social

The 20,000-square-foot high-tech venue features "social boxes" where players kick soccer balls against a screen that keeps score on best kicks. Cleats are not required. They tout their proprietary ball-delivery and tracking technology — an evolution of the "small ball" training method Lewis used during his 14-year professional career, the release says.

“Soccer is the ultimate unifier, but for too long, the 'entry fee' was being a pro-level athlete,” says Wambach in the release. “Toca Social is changing that narrative. This Dallas-area flagship is where the next generation of American soccer culture is being built.”

Sustenance comes by way of a chef-driven “Global Street Food” menu featuring Birria Tacos and Spicy Fried Chicken; along with a bar program that includes something called a "Pitch Invader" cocktail, which the release does not describe but calls a fan favorite.

There are massive 4K screens, ensuring Toca Social will be a premier location for FIFA World Cup watch parties this summer. Nine World Cup matches will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in June and July. Dallas' Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will serve as the official will also serve as the International Broadcast Center.

Toca currently operates another concept, Toca Soccer and Sports Centers, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with locations in Allen, Carrollton, The Colony, Keller, and Mansfield. The company also has a strategic partnership with MLS club, FC Dallas.

“Our partnership with MLS is a cornerstone of our mission to engage fans in innovative new ways,” says Yoshi Maruyama, CEO of Toca. “By launching our U.S. Flagship at Grandscape now, we are providing a world-class destination where fans can play, dine, and celebrate the global game."

Reservations are now open at Toca Social in Grandscape for group outings, celebrations, corporate events, and matchday gatherings.

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Raven Jordan contributed to this report.

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