This week in gluttony

These are the 9 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Tequila for everyone this week.

Photo courtesy of Cadillac Bar

Many Dallas restaurants are breaking out their bottles of the good stuff to toast National Tequila Day. From patio parties and mariachi music to tequila tastings and even a dog park party with “Barkaritas,” the celebrations are many. Also this week, a meat-smoking class, street food market, wine dinner, and free ice tea just in time for summer’s heat wave.

Thursday, July 22

Sweet Sips Tea Fest at McAlister’s Deli
Whether it’s sweet, unsweet, mixed with lemonade or flavored, the tea is free on Thursday at all McAlister’s Deli locations. Each customer can claim a free 32-ounce tea of any variety. One per customer. (Excludes third-party deliveries.)

Friday, July 23

Misfits Market at White Rock Lake Park
Misfits Market, which touts itself as the nation’s fastest-growing online, direct-to-consumer grocer, will pop up for one day only, 11 am-4 pm, at White Rock Lake Park (Mockingbird Lot). Attendees can expect organic and upcycled snacks, as well as fun selfie opps, cool swag, and the chance to win free groceries for a year. Visitors who donate at least $1 to Feeding America via Misfits Market’s Venmo handle will receive upcycled stroopwafel cookies from Belgian Boys and organic fruit ice pops from GoodPop. For a coupon and more information, click here.

Mastering the Art of Smoking Meats at Sheraton Dallas
Chef Zeb Hartline of the Sheraton Dallas Hotel will share his tips and tricks for smoking meats and seafood during this cooking demo series. This week, chicken and pork are featured. The $35 ticket includes the class, appetizers, and one specialty cocktail, wine, or beer. The event will take from 6 to 8 pm in the hotel’s terrace-level Herb ‘n Jungle outdoor garden, where live music will play during a post-class reception.

Saturday, July 24

Bark and Booze at Mutts Canine Cantina
The urban oasis for dogs and their people will host a tequila-fueled fiesta. Visit for the special Mutts’ Barkarita, made with Lunazul resposado tequila, fresh juices, and a touch of agave. Add a sangria popsicle made by local Social Ice for extra flair. Pups can celebrate with their own Pupsicle made with frozen peanut butter and beef broth on an edible “stick.” The specials will be available at both DFW Mutts locations.

Cambodian Street Food Market
The Cambodian Buddhist Temple of Dallas will host its first-ever pop-up street food market featuring live music and traditional Cambodian dishes and treats. Visit Saturday from 12-11 pm and Sunday from 10 am-3 pm. Admission is free, but bring cash as all food vendors are cash-only.

National Tequila Day at Joe Leo
Joe Leo is one of Dallas' newest Tex-Mex joints, opened on Cinco de Mayo, and comes from the owners of The Rustic. They're celebrating National Tequila Day from 3-6 pm with $5 frozen margaritas, a live mariachi band, and a shot luge for those feeling extra festive.

Tequila Tasting at Seely's Mill
Seely’s Mill, the legit yet still under-the-radar Texas barbecue restaurant and bar located in the lobby of The Beeman Hotel, will host a tequila tasting with live music and food. Participating distilleries include Insolito (part-owned by the band Midland), Republic, Pepe Z, Socorro, and Veneno. The $20 ticket gives patrons a taste of each tequila and light bites served with samples of local Speakeasy Hot Sauce. The event will take place from 5 to 8 pm.

National Tequila Day at Café Herrera
The contemporary Mexican restaurant at the Omni Dallas Hotel will host a ticketed tequila celebration that comes with a food, live music, and of course, tequila. Taking place from 6:30-9:30 pm on the restaurant patio, the event includes a welcome cocktail, Casamigos tequila tasting, and four taco stations. Tacos range from chile rojo grilled shrimp to shredded beef cheek. Tickets are $45 plus tax.

Sunday, July 25

Farm to Trova Dinner
Chic Dallas wine bar Trova Wine + Market is teaming with local purveyors Profound Foods and Regalis Texas to host a five-course tasting menu with wine pairings. Menu highlights include smoked salmon and trout roe tart, bone marrow toast with blackberry confit, roasted Texas quail with summer truffle, and mountain huckleberry tart with salted honey mint ice cream. The dinner is $110 per person (plus tax and gratuity) and begins at 6 pm.

news-you-can-eat dinner cocktails

EDM News

Intimate dance-music venue to debut near Deep Ellum Dallas

Breakaway Music Festival

CTRL Room will host local, national, and international DJs

A new music-focused venue operating in the electronic dance music (EDM) realm is about to debut in Dallas: Called CTRL Room, it's a dual-concept nightlife experience opening at 2511 Swiss Ave., in the former Citizen bar space, which closed in January after a decade.

According to a spokesperson, CTRL Room will open on April 9 — just in time for the Breakaway Music Festival, an annual national touring festival, which will stop in Dallas on April 10-11.

CTRL Room has partnered with Breakaway to promote the festival and will serve as one of the festival's official after-party venues.

CTRL Room is from the same team that owns restaurants such as Vidorra and Serious Pizza. It's designed as an alternative to the usual oversized EDM venue, with a focus on creating a space where every set feels personal.

It'll be located in the middle of the so-called North Good Latimer District, an unexpected club zone in a neighborhood just east of downtown Dallas, straddling Good Latimer Freeway near the Deep Ellum DART station, which is home to high-volume bars such as Greenlight Social, Sporting Club, and Vice Park.

The bar is collaborating with Next Level Events, a nightlife and electronic music promotion company that organizes after-hours and rooftop events in venues across Dallas such as Coba Dallas, located in the former Whiskey Hatchet space in Deep Ellum.

The festival
Breakaway is a fast-growing music festival that was founded in 2013 in Columbus, Ohio as a single-city event. Initially focusing on Ohio, the festival expanded regionally in 2016, later becoming a national touring brand with more than 300,000 fans across a dozen cities by 2025. It claims to be the largest touring music festival in North America that is focused on electronic dance music (EDM) and hip-hop.

Breakaway also has a Texas connection. According to founder Adam Lynn, the first one in Columbus took place at the Columbus Crew Stadium, owned by Lamar Hunt Jr. and the Hunt family, who invited him to bring it to Dallas, as well.

Two bars one roof
The venue, which has been completely redesigned from its Citizen days, has a capacity of 700, but is divided into two distinct environments, described thusly:

CTRL Room: Dark, immersive main room with a capacity of 400 will deliver a tightly packed experience that rejects the typical warehouse scale in favor of something more immediate and connected, including proximity to the DJ. It's rooted in house and dance-music culture, with a rotating mix of DJs, emerging artists, and local players.
TreeHaus: This 300-capacity space hidden within the venue is an intimate, organic space layered with natural textures, greenery, and warm lighting. It’s a sensory shift designed to slow the tempo without losing the rhythm, offering a more fluid atmosphere.

After the afterparty
CTRL Room is launching as a Breakaway Music Festival afterparty destination, but it will transition into full-time venue in its own right once the festival has moved on, with programming and artist announcements to follow in the coming weeks. While the opening was planned to coincide with the festival, it will be fully operational every week thereafter, with local, national, and international DJs lined up for the coming months.

deep-ellum nightlife festivals openings