A new sports bar is joining the mix on Dallas' hot-hot Henderson Avenue: Called Dudley’s Sports Grill, it'll open at 2927 N. Henderson Ave., in the space previously occupied by Smithy, a gastropub that closed in June after seven years.

According to a spokesperson, Dudley's will open at the end of the summer — "we're only making a few cosmetic changes," the spokesperson says.

Dudley’s is the brainchild of three Dallas bar veterans — Gabriel Rhodes and Jordan Carson (Christie’s), and Patrick Gorman (Ill Minster Pub). The trio debuted the concept in 2024, when they opened the first location in Rockwall.

The bar is named after Carson’s grandfather, Floyd Dudley Hitt, who owned land in Rockwall and Royse City. Carson and Rhodes graduated from Rockwall High School in 2006 before coming to Dallas for other restaurant ventures — including working at Christies while it was still in Uptown. (It closed in 2020, then Carson partnered with Ashton Christie to reopen it on Greenville Avenue.)

Their menu — devised by Dallas chef Eric Freidline, winner of CultureMap's 2019 Tastemaker Awards for Rising Star Chef — is elevated with a barbecue twist, with dishes like queso made with aged white cheddar, thick-cut bacon with fig glaze, brisket flatbread, and brisket grilled cheese.

Cocktails include the mule served in a boot-shaped glass, and an old fashioned garnished with cinnamon and cloves. Dudley’s also boasts a variety of beers on tap, as well as an assortment of margaritas, all of which are served in ice-cold schooners.

Dudley’s prides itself in maintaining an unpretentious ambiance, a place where regulars and newcomers alike feel comfortable and welcome — something they thought would work on Henderson Avenue.

  Dudley'sAlex Gonzalez