Beach News

New bar concept with giant sand pit brings beach to Dallas' Bishop Arts

You can sip your cocktail and dig your toes into the sand.

Dallas' Bishop Arts district has a new bar experience with ... sand. Called Bishop Lane, it's a former walkway that's been reimagined into a beachy scene with sandpit, thatched hut-style outdoor bars, and oodles of outdoor seating.

The concept is the latest from Exxir Hospitality, whose portfolio of bars and restaurants includes Oak Cliff haunts such as Paradiso, the Mediterranean restaurant in Bishop Arts; Botanist, the mixology-driven cocktail bar; and Good Companions, the casual cafe.

Located at 200 N. Bishop Ave., Bishop Lane is a 12,000-square-foot plaza that runs parallel to Bishop Avenue from the parking lot on 9th Street to Melba Avenue, now re-imagined as a tropical paradise.

Basically, they've cleverly repurposed a walkway that ran behind some of their concepts and transformed it into an outdoor oasis with a beach theme. This includes:

rattan couches
beach umbrellas in both striped canvas and thatched palm
blue-and-white striped beach chairs
pink aluminum drink tables
palm tree sculptures

These are all splayed across a big sandpit, spanning 1,000 square feet with 13 tons of sand, begging you to take your shoes off. Although it's brown sand, not white sand, but come on, this is Oak Cliff, not Bora Bora, stop being picky. (They do have great white sand at Sandbar Cantina and Grill, between Deep Ellum & Expo Park.)

Exxir has added two new outdoor bar concepts as part of the space: The Palm Bar at Casablanca, and Tejas Beach Shack.

Contributing to the beachside vibe are pop-up shops and street-food vendors, selling beach-style snacks such as tamales, tacos, walking tacos, multiple elote concoctions, noodles, bites, and craft cocktails, from executive chef Nick Hurry and beverage director Iluggy Recinos.

Food and drink items include Tejas Beach Shack's Frozen Chamoy Margaritas and Cool Ranch Doritos Walking Tacos, the Palm Bar's Longer Long Island Cocktail, and Casablanca's Dan Dan Noodles.

All offerings can be mixed and matched to be eaten throughout the al fresco seating areas.

Live music and DJ’s will be a big component, on Fridays from 6:30-8:30 pm and Saturdays from 7:30-10:30 pm.

Each weekend will celebrate a beach from around the globe:

June 3-4 - Hawaii
June 10-12 - Miami Salsa Night
June 17-19 - Venice
June 24-2 - Ibiza

nightlife

Best Happy Hours

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 special happy hours for September

Malai Kitchen

This is a most distinguished edition of Where to Drink, CultureMap's monthly column bringing news of the best happy hours around. Distinguished, because these aren't just the cheapest deals. These happy hours are all a little extra, whether it's gourmet chef-driven food, unique location, or a special Korean twist.

Here are the best happy hour destinations for September 2026:

Cipher Lounge
Unique new entertainment venue and lounge in downtown McKinney is an escape room-plus-restaurant and bar, combining food, cocktails, and escape-room experiences under one roof. The Cipher Lounge is not your typical bar or escape room. The lounge boasts a sophisticated atmosphere with craft cocktails and upscale bites. You can stop in before or after the escape room, but you can also just come in for food and drink. And fortunately, they do a happy hour Wednesday-Friday from 2-6 pm with $3 off flatbreads & dips, $3 off well cocktails, $2 off domestic beers, and $1 off import and craft beers.

Malai Kitchen
Small local chain specializing in southeast Asian cuisine is a perennial, with four locations including the original at West Village in Uptown Dallas. They recently expanded their already generous happy hour with more to eat and more to drink, still with the same scratch-made kitchen behind all of it. Signature cocktails are $4 off. Their celebrated house-brewed beer is $6, and their happy hour wines are a cut above: Aveleda Vinho Verde white from Portugal, and Vina Eguia Tempranillo red from Spain, $8 per glass. Bites are $8 or two for $15 including Vietnamese meatballs, cucumber salad, shishito peppers, grilled satay, fried imperial rolls, spicy edamame, Thai chicken wings, and potstickers. Hours are Monday-Friday 3-6 pm, and all day Sunday.

Nuri Steakhouse
Korean steakhouse in Uptown recently launched "Geonbae Hour," its elevated take on happy hour, inspired by the Korean tradition of “Geonbae,” meaning cheers. Featured bites include oysters, bulgogi beef tacos, steak tartare cigar, and truffle popcorn, $7 to $9, plus a Wagyu burger with kimchi-glazed bacon and white cheddar for $20. Drinks include their unique renditions of classic drinks like an old-fashioned, margarita, and negroni for $10; plus beer, wine, and soju, the Korean spirit. It's offered Monday-Thursday 4- 6 pm and all day Sunday.

Two Hands
Australian-style all-day cafe founded in New York, which opened a location at The Quad in 2025, has what it calls a "snacky hour," which is short and to the point: a smashburger for $10, plus $10 cocktails, $3 off glasses of wine (including red, white, and sparkling), and $5 draft beer. Cocktails include martinis (dry or dirty), espresso martini, margarita, aperol spritz, old-fashioned, Negroni, and bloody Mary. Snacky hour is offered every day from 4-6 pm.

Written By the Seasons
Chef-driven concept has two locations in Dallas: Bishop Arts and The Quad. Both host an admirable happy hour 3:30-5 pm Monday-Saturday, with half-off on bottles of wine and significant snacks, including some of their signature dishes. There are smoked Texas pecans, cheese & charcuterie board, boquerones with arugula & crostini, mutabal (the middle-Eastern eggplant dip) with olives and crispy flatbread, and their acclaimed kimchi pancakes, priced from $5 to $12. There's also a burger with American cheese, and a veggie sandwich with cucumber, avocado, daikon sprouts, and shaved carrots on wheat — both $18.

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