Living the Good Life

Dallas-Fort Worth claims awesome title of booziest metro in nation

Dallas-Fort Worth residents really like to raise a glass (or two).

Photo courtesy of Alamo Drafthouse

It seems that having more restaurants per capita than most anywhere else in the nation means that the people of Dallas-Fort Worth actually, you know, eat out a lot. How much? A lot.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey, we top the list of cities that "spend a disproportionate amount of their salary on alcohol, smoking, and eating out." DFW residents allocate 6.10 percent of their total spending on eating out, and 1.21 percent on alcohol. The national averages are 5.16 percent and 0.94 percent.

The Washington Post published the results and dubbed DFW "the booziest metropolitan area" of the survey. Of our annual average spending of $61,698, about $744 goes toward alcohol and $3,765 toward eating out.

The survey notes that Texas' on-premise excise tax on alcohol, which means establishments have mixed-beverage permits and pay a 6.7 percent tax on gross receipts, could be why our number is so high. "That cost is passed on to the consumer, meaning more expensive drinks at bars, and incentive to buy alcohol at stores.

"Even so, Texas ranks in the bottom half for excise taxes on spirits, wine, and beer."

Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Phoenix join us on the booze list, while San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and Cleveland round out the dining out top five.

The third arm of the survey concerns money spent on tobacco products, and no-smoking Dallas-Fort Worth did not make the top five (though Houston came in at third).

cocktails rankings

Downtown News

Mom-and-pop Italian grocery in downtown Dallas closes after a year

Ari's

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A buzzy grocery store in downtown Dallas has closed: Ari’s Pantry, the small local chain specializing in Italian groceries and to-go foods, has closed its location in the heart of the Central Business District at 1800 Main St.#124.

A statement from the owners called it "a difficult decision." The closure is effective July 15.

"We are truly grateful for the welcome Ari's Pantry received from the downtown Dallas community. You have supported our business and shared in our passion for Italian food and hospitality. After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our Downtown Dallas location effective today," their post said.

The closure comes a little over a year since they opened in May 2025.

Downtown was the third location for the small mom-and-pop market, which debuted in Winnetka Heights in December 2023 to fulfill owner Ari Lowenstein's passion for all things Italy, with pastas, gourmet goods, dried foods, produce, plus meals for dining in or to go.

They opened a second location in Trinity Groves in 2024, which is currently marked on their website as "closed for the summer," although it does not list a re-opening date. Lowenstein was unavailable for comment.

The downtown location was originally a joint venture between Lowenstein and Alan Kearney, a downtown enthusiast who owns businesses nearby such as The Crafty Irishman and Patrick Kennedy's Irish Pub, as well as Cannon's Corner Irish Pub in Oak Cliff. However, Kearney withdrew from the store after it opened.

To accommodate the needs of downtown workers and residents, Lowenstein added a coffee shop and gelato stand. It was open for coffee at 7 am and until 9 pm, with a dining area where customers could have wine and cheese.

The location at 1800 Main St. seems to be in a favorable spot, surrounded by residential buildings and hotels such as the AC Hotel and Statler Dallas. Who has not spent a night in a hotel and longed for a market nearby with snacks and wine? It's also across the street from Neiman Marcus, whose imminent closure in September has provoked some pearl-clutching about the prosperity of downtown. But the downtown population does not always support local businesses.

Ari's was not the first to find the location challenging: It was previously occupied by the well-mounted Berkley's Market, which closed in 2024 after six years in the space.

The owners stated that they would "continue focusing on our locations in Coppell and Bishop Arts as we look ahead to the next chapters of Ari's Pantry," before thanking "every customer who stopped in for coffee, lunch or gelato, picked up dinner, discovered a new favorite ingredient."

downtown closings