Craft Beer News
Bankhead Brewing hops into Farmers Branch with ambitious food & beers
Pizza and beer, doesn't get much better than this.
A Dallas-Fort Worth brewpub known for craft beer and good food to match is opening a new location: Bankhead Brewing Co., which made its DFW debut in 2016, is opening a location in Farmers Branch, in the buzzy Shops at Mustang Station Center at 13090 Bee St.
It's a location with craft beer history: It was previously home to Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery which closed in June. According to owner Vivek Rajbahak, it'll open in early 2023.
Farmers Branch will be the third Bankhead location, following Fort Worth, which opened in 2021, and the original in Rowlett.
Bankhead is the rare brewery that places as much attention on food and cocktails as it does its house-brewed craft beer. That can be seen on its menu with dishes that go beyond the usual pretzels (although they do have pretzels!).
There are avocados stuffed with brisket. Jalapenos wrapped in prosciutto instead of run-of-the-mill bacon. A Kobe burger with blue cheese. Reuben with turkey pastrami, risotto with chicken & spinach, and fish & chips.
Their specialty is pizza, baked in a wood-fired oven, in varieties such as meatball with ricotta, sausage with goat cheese, and a veggie with Brussels sprouts & artichokes.
Signature dishes include their BLTA Dip, with bacon, spinach, artichokes, and Parmesan cheese served with flatbread triangles; the oversized Bankhead pretzel with beer-infused sriracha beer cheese soup & house mustard; and the Street Taco pizza, with fajita beef, white onions, cilantro, mozzarella, and salsa verde.
Rajbahak, a former executive for Pabst, says that Bankhead's sophisticated food program sets them apart from breweries where food might consist of snacks or else be outsourced entirely to a food truck.
"We opened with the idea of having a local brewpub with plates to share, and our food became so popular that it now plays a dominant role," he says. "We think about it like a pyramid; for many places, the focus is on the beer first and food second. We’ve inverted that model, with a focus on artisanal food. It's a big part of our story."
Their beers are mostly classic in style, including lagers, wheat beer, IPAs, German-style pilsner, red ale, bock, and stout.
Rajbahak is excited about the possibilities for the new location, which has two floors. The first floor will house their main dining room which will feature an open kitchen with a wraparound bar so that diners can watch the pizzas being tossed, plus a pet-friendly outdoor patio.
The second floor will be home to a private event space with room for 74 inside plus a balcony patio overlooking Shops at Mustang Station.
"We're particularly excited about the opportunity to host parties and corporate events, it adds another layer to the kinds of experiences we provide," he says.
Part of the company lore is their name, from the Bankhead highway, one of the first transcontinental highways built in 1916 that ran from Washington D.C to San Diego. The route included 850 miles through Texas, many in the Dallas area -- known today by a different name: Interstate 30.
Designed by local artists at Decotron, the front-porch sign at Trapèze offers a taste of what's inside. Photo courtesy Trapèze/Peter Novotny