Where to Drink

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 bars with roomy outdoor patios

Cocktails taste better outdoors.

The Sound

Even before the pandemic, patios were a big thing. Dallas has the weather to support them nearly year-round and has amassed a collection of well-known outdoor spaces from The Rustic in Uptown to Katy Trail Icehouse to the infamous patio at Cane Rosso in White Rock Lake.

Since the pandemic, outdoor spaces have become an even bigger thing. It's rare to find an opening these days that hasn't incorporated some sort of patio scenario, the bigger the better. During these pandemic times, you want distance. You want your own space.

These five big patios give a nice beverage and plenty of room to drink it:

400 Gradi
Technically, this is less a bar and more an Italian restaurant specializing in Neapolitan-style pizza plus dishes such as pappardelle with mushrooms, from Australian chef Johnny Di Francesco. But they have an amazing patio. The restaurant is in the 2000 Ross building at the corner of Harwood Street, and the patio forms an "L" that wraps around the corner. It's just a pleasant place to sit in the urban core. It's kitty-corner to the Dallas Museum of Art, so there's lots to look at and take in, and it's kind of a hidden gem, not crowded, so you get plenty of space. They have a great wine list, dominated by Italian wines including some treasures from the Piedmont region, and a full bar with fun European cocktails.

Jaxon Beer Garden
One of the signature restaurants at the AT&T Discovery District, Jaxon boasts a selection of 34 craft beers plus cocktails, plus a well-designed menu with tacos, burgers, queso, salads, and sandwiches — check out the "French dip" sandwich made with mushrooms instead of shaved beef. Their patio area spills out onto the Discovery District; this is fortuitous because the Discovery District is a hot destination right now, thronged with people on the weekends. Happy news for downtown Dallas, but if you're avoiding contact, then early weeknight is the time to go.

The Shacks at Austin Ranch
Located at the southeast corner of Windhaven Parkway and Plano Parkway, The Shacks was created as part of Austin Ranch, a mixed-use project from the Billingsley Co. Surrounded by big oak trees, it encompasses loads of space along with a one-acre dog park, all open to the public. It's a bit of a drive but a fun field trip if you feel like getting outdoors while still in Dallas, and there's plenty of beer choices from Grrrowler's Tap Room and Beer Garden, as well as tacos from one of the two locations of OMG Tacos.

The Sound at Cypress Waters
Cypress Waters is the massive master-planned complex surrounding North Lake at LBJ and Belt Line Road built by the Billingsley family, with offices, residences, retail, the whole shebang. The Sound is the official relaxation niche: green space, paved walkways, mini dog park, small stage for live music, and a row of restaurants, most owned by Shannon Wynne (Rodeo Goat, Flying Fish, Flying Saucer) but also with a cool location of Ascension Coffee that has food, cocktails, and nice wines by the glass. It makes for an interesting excursion, like visiting another planet that, thanks to all the construction, is being reshaped before your eyes.

Thunderbird Station
Situated in a Deep Ellum building that first housed a gas station in 1922, Thunderbird Station boasts a 5,400-square-foot patio — huge by urban standards, leaving more than enough room to space yourself from your neighbors. You can have your space and your fancy cocktails, too: The bar, which was nominated for a Tastemaker Award in 2021, features the chops of award-winning bartender Liz Mitchell, with fun, high-concept drinks plus Southern snacks like bologna sandwiches and Frito pie. You also get to witness the parade of life passing through Deep Ellum.

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Flair News

TGI Fridays files for bankruptcy, all 6 Dallas locations now closed

TGI Fridays

Restaurant chain TGI Fridays filed for bankruptcy protection on November 2, saying it is looking for ways to “ensure the long-term viability” of the casual dining brand after closing many of its branches in 2024.

The Dallas-based company's Chapter 11 filing in a Texas federal court accelerates a gradual decline for an iconic chain that was once near the center of American pop culture but has seen its customer base dwindle as tastes changed.

TGI Fridays executive chairman Rohit Manocha said in a statement that the challenges were a result of COVID-19.

"The next steps announced today are difficult but necessary actions to protect the best interests of our stakeholders, including our domestic and international franchisees and our valued team members around the world," Manocha said. "The primary driver of our financial challenges resulted from COVID-19 and our capital structure. This restructuring will allow our go-forward restaurants to proceed with an optimized corporate infrastructure that enables them to reach their full potential."

Until recently, Dallas-Fort Worth had 11 locations including five at DFW Airport. Those airport locations are the only ones still open. The remaining six are all now closed — some closures very recent, most after being in business for a decade or more: 4951 Belt Line Rd. in Addison; 311 N. Clark St. in Cedar Hill, southwest of Dallas; 3700 Towne Crossing Blvd. in Mesquite; and 220 Cornflower Dr. at Firewheel Town Center in Garland.

A Plano location at 2444 Preston Rd. closed in 2022 and is now home to Rise Souffle, while the flagship in Dallas' West End at 1713 Market St. closed in 2020 after 32 years.

Privately owned by TriArtisan Capital Advisors, TGI Fridays has been a beloved dining destination since its inaugural bar opened in Manhattan in 1965. It expanded over the following decades to become a ubiquitous suburban gathering spot known for its ribs, potato skins topped with cheese and bacon, and a decor bedecked with red stripes and Tiffany-style lamps.

The company has boasted that its bartenders trained Tom Cruise for his role in the 1988 film Cocktail, while its serving staff's button-filled uniforms, meant to evoke a fun atmosphere, were later parodied in the 1999 satire Office Space, starring Jennifer Aniston.

Its empire peaked in 2008 with 601 restaurants in the U.S. and a $2 billion business, according to Kevin Schimpf, director of industry research at Technomic. Its sales in the U.S. were $728 million in 2023, down 15% from the prior year, according to Technomic.

It now counts 163 restaurants in the U.S., down from 269 last year and 213 from a week ago. It closed 36 in January and dozens more in the past week. TGI Fridays Inc. said it only owns and operates 39 restaurants in the U.S, a fraction of the 461 TGI Fridays-branded restaurants around the world.

A separate entity, TGI Fridays Franchisor, owns the intellectual property and has franchised the brand to 56 independent owners in 41 countries. Those are independently owned and not part of the Chapter 11 process, and remain open.

A United Kingdom-based franchisee, Hostmore, also sought debt protection in September and abruptly closed locations throughout that country after a failed takeover deal to acquire TGI Fridays.

During the pandemic TGI Fridays made an effort to expand into the delivery market by making itself a hub for ghost kitchens, which have no storefront and only prepare food for delivery. Among the major creditors owed money by TGI Fridays is the delivery service DoorDash, according to Saturday's bankruptcy court filings.

Sit-down chain restaurants more broadly have faced challenges in recent years as diners choose to get food delivered or visit upscale fast-food chains like Chipotle and Shake Shack. In September a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved a reorganization plan for the seafood chain Red Lobster after years of mounting losses. Italian American food chain Buca di Beppo filed for bankruptcy protection in August. PAnother iconic U.S. sit-down restaurant, Denny's, announced in October that it is closing 150 of its lowest-performing restaurants in an effort to turn around the brand’s flagging sales. Wendy’s is also closing up to 140 restaurants, according to a statement from The Wendy's Co. on October 31.