Roots on Tap

New Dallas juice bar squeezes healthy food and drink into Expo Park

Expo Park gets juicy with the opening of Roots on Tap.

Exposition Park gets a tiny bit healthier with Roots on Tap, a new juice bar offering juices and smoothies, opening on Parry Avenue next to Rob's Chop Shop.

Roots will do fresh juices, nut milks, smoothies, and an in-between category called "blends." In a unique twist, the menu will be seasonal in nature, featuring whatever fruits are in season.

Owner Nicole Allen left the corporate world on a mission to help people get their daily fix of essential nutrients.

"My background is in finance and accounting," she says. "My former manager was drinking the green drinks. I started doing more research and taking nutrition classes, and learned that the average American does not consume enough fruits and vegetables."

She started making green drinks for herself, and noticed she felt better and had more energy.

"I never thought of it as a business; it was just for me," she says. "But then other people started noticing a change. My coworkers wanted the green drinks, so I would make them for them too. It was a lot of fun. Then I noticed I was making 15 a day and thought, 'Wait a minute.'"

Green drinks are a special category of juice that go beyond the old-school strawberry-banana smoothie.

"The whole goal with green drinks is to get more vegetables, but with a pleasant taste," she says. "It consists of green vegetables, as well as some additional fruit. That’s what you're getting. Vegetables like spinach, kale, chard, cabbage, and broccoli — we don't eat enough of them."

She has what she calls "beginner drinks," which are refreshing and light, such as orange, apple, and grape juice, and then a category she calls "Lucy juicy," with root vegetables such as carrot. She also has smoothies with yogurt, and nut milks, which is not something everyone has.

Aside from the location, where few juice bars have gone, she has some other unique assets.

"Some of the other juice stores focus on a plan, where my concept is focused on daily intake of fruits and vegetables," she says. "This is more about lifestyle, about simply getting more fruits and vegetables."

And then there is her seasonal focus. "We'll try to follow fruits and vegetables in season, so that it's not always the same thing," she says.

The Expo Park branch opens in about two weeks, and she'll follow that up with another branch in the Thanksgiving Tower at 1627 Pacific Ave. in downtown Dallas, which she anticipates will open in January. In addition to juices, she'll also serve a couple of light snacks, including house-made granola.

"But juices are our mainstay," she says. "We're about the beverage."

health openings

Dining Events Of The Week

Repeal Day tops 12 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Ginger's

Ginger's will host a Repeal Day party this week.

Repeal Day — which marks the end of Prohibition in 1933 — arrives this week and bars are ready to celebrate with classic cocktails and costume parties. Also on the list of dining events this week: holiday sip-and-stroll events, free barbecue, and breakfast with St. Nick.

Thursday, December 4

Viet-Cajun Dinner at Restaurant Beatrice
Guest chef Joshua Van Hanh Zacharias of Canada will visit Restaurant Beatrice to prepare a six-course tasting menu featuring Vietnamese American and Cajun flavors. Titled “Ham Choi,” a Vietnamese phrase used by parents to scold overly playful children, the menu includes dishes like pork-stuffed shrimp, banh mi canapes, pate, and macarons with iced coffee from New Orleans. The dinner is $125 plus tax and gratuity, and is available Thursday and Friday beginning at 5 pm.

Friday, December 5

Repeal Day at Bourbon & Banter
The Statler’s underground speakeasy will celebrate Repeal Day with a lineup of Prohibition-era cocktails. Visit for a $5 menu including Mary Pickford with Flor de Cana; French 75 with Hendrick’s gin; Hanky Panky with Tanqueray gin; and Millionaire with dark rum and sloe gin. The special will run from 6–9 pm.

Repeal Day Party at Ginger’s
East Quarter underground cocktail bar will celebrate its two-year anniversary in conjunction with Repeal Day with a party called “The Night America Toasted Again.” Don vintage attire of the speakeasy era and enjoy DJ music and classic cocktails like the Sidecar, Old Fashioned, Bee’s Knees, and French 75. Toast at midnight with a complimentary champagne toast. Doors open at 6 pm.

The Feast of the Seven Fishes at Palato Italian Kitchen and Lounge
Hall Arts Hotel restaurant will host a multi-course dinner celebrating the Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian-American Christmas tradition featuring a meatless meal of seven different seafood-centric dishes. The dinner is $160 plus gratuity, and begins at 7 pm.

Repeal Day Party at Whiskey Cake
Party like it’s 1933 during this celebration commemorating the end of Prohibition. Whiskey Cake’s patio will be transformed into a speakeasy featuring bootleg-inspired cocktails, hand-rolled cigars, and live music. The party will run from 7 pm-midnight at all three DFW Whiskey Cake locations, including Plano, Las Colinas, and Fort Worth. Fedoras and fringe dresses encouraged.

Saturday, December 6

Sip the Season - Winter Coffee Crawl 2025
Warm up with festive coffee beverages around Historic Downtown McKinney during this Saturday morning sip-and-stroll. The $35 ticket plus tax and fee, includes a custom holiday mug and drinks at several stops including Filtered, Emporium Pies, and Habitat Plants + Coffee. Start times begin as early as 8:30 am and the stroll runs through 2 pm, with tickets going fast.

Breakfast with Santa at SER Steak + Spirits
Sky-high steakhouse atop the Hilton Anatole will welcome Santa for a breakfast buffet as part of the hotel’s lineup of holiday activities. (New this year is an outdoor skating rink.) Breakfast comes with storybook readings, crafts, and photos with the big guy himself. Tickets are $75 for adults and $30 for children 2 to 12. Reservations run from 8:30–11:30 am and the brunch will be offered Saturdays and Sundays, along with December 23 and 24.

Brunch with Santa & Friends at The Westin Dallas Stonebriar
Frisco resort will host weekend brunch with Santa and Mrs. Claus featuring a buffet spread along with cookie decorating, gingerbread house creating, photo ops, and kids’ activities galore. Tickets are $60 for guests 13-and-up and $42 for kids 3–12, plus tax and gratuity. The brunch will run from 10 am–12 pm. (Visit December 13 and 20 for a special appearance by the Grinch, too.)

Pepsi Dallas Local Eats at Lockhart Smokehouse
As part of Pepsi’s campaign to spotlight local businesses, the soft drink brand will visit Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas’ Bishop Arts District to host a free food giveaway. The first 100 guests will receive a free brisket sandwich meal with Pepsi Zero Sugar and Lay’s chips. (The combo will be available for $8 for late arrivals.) Guests can also sample barbecue, bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers, and sweet bites (while supplies last) and enjoy live music by Deep Blue Something. The event will run from 3–7 pm.

Sip & Sleigh at Toyota Music Factory
Sip, stroll, and be merry throughout 10-plus stops for drinks and bites at Toyota Music Factory. Participating restaurants include Shoals Smokehouse, Sushi Sakana, Yard House, and more. Tickets are $25 plus tax and fee, and include a tasting cup and a map. The event will run from 5–9 pm.

Sunday, December 7

25th Anniversary of Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar
North Carolina-based chain will celebrate its 25-year history with a birthday party at locations nationwide including Frisco and Las Colinas. Visit all day for free biscuits, prizes including free dessert, and a grand prize of free meals for a year. A throwback playlist of early 2000s hits will add to the fun. Specials all month include a $25 classic prix-menu menu, 25 percent off online orders, 25 days of giveaways, and birthday cake shots.

Monday, December 8

Jackson Family Winter Wine Dinner at Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill
West Plano seafood restaurant will host a five-course wine pairing dinner with a menu influenced by winter’s flavors. Highlights include brown butter seared skate wing (the fins of a skate fish), tuna carpaccio, and Dijon herb-crusted lamb lollipops. Tickets are $225 plus tax and gratuity, and dinner begins at 6 pm.

cocktails event-planner