This week in gluttony

These are the 9 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Mardi Gras is Tuesday, and Quarter Bar is ready to let the good times roll.

Quarter Bar/Facebook

February is making up for a dull and dry January, with several Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, and Galentine's Day festivities coming in hot. Save room for a new supper club pop-up by week's end, along with an annual chili cook-off where guests get to judge.

Tuesday, February 13

Mardi Gras at Quarter Bar
The Uptown Dallas watering hole is named for the French Quarter itself, so a Mardi Gras party is surely in order here. The bar will offer themed decor, plenty of beads, and food specials like gumbo, crawfish etouffee, shrimp boil, and beignets. Don't miss the Hurricane Bar upstairs, featuring $6 Hurricanes that come with a souvenir glass. The party starts at 3 pm.

Valentine's Day Festa at Eataly
The Italian gourmet market will host a walk-around tasting event ideal for couples, girl groups, or folks simply looking to indulge 12 unique Italian dishes and endless wine. Stations will include caviar tartlets, truffle risotto, artisanal salumi and formaggi, chocolates, and more. Tickets are $65, and the party will run from 5-8 pm.

Mardi Gras at Aw Shucks
The local seafood chain and its sister restaurant, Big Shucks Oyster Bar, will celebrate Mardi Gras at all five locations - in Dallas, Richardson, Lewisville, and Frisco. There'll be live music from 5:30-9 pm, along with specials throughout the day, including $5 shrimp cocktail, $5 margs, $3 draft beer, and crawfish platter specials by the pound.

Mardi Gras at Ida Claire
The Addison restaurant will channel Bourbon Street vibes with a Mardi Gras party, including a Zydeco band, fortune teller, and optional prix-fixe Cajun menu. The $40 price includes choice of appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Menu highlights include crawfish corn beignets, catfish etouffee, and king cake. The party will start at 4 pm.

Mardi Craw Party at The Rustic
The annual bash will bring the spirit of Mardi Gras to Dallas with Cajun-style fare, Crescent City-inspired drink specials, live music, face painting, stilt walkers, photo ops, beads, and more. Flor de Cana rum reps will provide free samples from 5-8 pm. Also enjoy frozen Hurricanes ($5 during happy hour from 3-6 pm), Swamp Things, and King Cake Old Fashioneds, along with food features like fried crawfish tails ($9.95), jambalaya ($16.95), and crawfish etouffee ($13.95). The Mississippi Bastard Project will play from 7-9 pm.

Galentine's Day at Waterproof
The Statler's rooftop lounge is calling all the single ladies for a Galentine's party. Enjoy a complimentary glass of Jon Bon Jovi's Hampton Water Rosé (for single gals only) and partake in a sweets-themed charcuterie board. There'll also be live entertainment and sunset views. The party will run from 5-8 pm and reservations are recommended.

Friday, February 16

McKinney Supper Club
Chef Noah Hester of Hamm's Meat + Market and his wife, Lacey, will debut monthly tasting experiences starting his week at Gather in downtown McKinney. The menu includes oysters, caviar, winter stone fruit salad, miso seabass, Wagyu steak, and more. Dinner is $200 per person and begins at 6 pm both Friday and Saturday night.

Saturday, February 17

TJ's Love Mussell Oyster Stout Celebration at Four Corners Brewing Co.
TJ's Seafood Market will visit the Dallas brewery for an oyster pairing pop-up. Prince Edward Island oysters will be sold for $36 a dozen; wash them down with Four Corners Oyster Stout for $5 a pint. Oysters will be served from 3-6 pm or until sell-out.

Sunday, February 18

12th Annual Chili Cookoff at Stan's Blue Note
Warm up at the Dallas dive bar with hot chili and cold beer. Guests may judge entries for a $10 fee, which comes with a ballot for voting plus a drink ticket for a draft beer. Or want to compete? Register for $25 ($30 the day of) for a chance to win cash prizes. The cook-off will run from 2-6 pm.

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Best Happy Hours

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 special happy hours for September

Malai Kitchen

This is a most distinguished edition of Where to Drink, CultureMap's monthly column bringing news of the best happy hours around. Distinguished, because these aren't just the cheapest deals. These happy hours are all a little extra, whether it's gourmet chef-driven food, unique location, or a special Korean twist.

Here are the best happy hour destinations for September 2026:

Cipher Lounge
Unique new entertainment venue and lounge in downtown McKinney is an escape room-plus-restaurant and bar, combining food, cocktails, and escape-room experiences under one roof. The Cipher Lounge is not your typical bar or escape room. The lounge boasts a sophisticated atmosphere with craft cocktails and upscale bites. You can stop in before or after the escape room, but you can also just come in for food and drink. And fortunately, they do a happy hour Wednesday-Friday from 2-6 pm with $3 off flatbreads & dips, $3 off well cocktails, $2 off domestic beers, and $1 off import and craft beers.

Malai Kitchen
Small local chain specializing in southeast Asian cuisine is a perennial, with four locations including the original at West Village in Uptown Dallas. They recently expanded their already generous happy hour with more to eat and more to drink, still with the same scratch-made kitchen behind all of it. Signature cocktails are $4 off. Their celebrated house-brewed beer is $6, and their happy hour wines are a cut above: Aveleda Vinho Verde white from Portugal, and Vina Eguia Tempranillo red from Spain, $8 per glass. Bites are $8 or two for $15 including Vietnamese meatballs, cucumber salad, shishito peppers, grilled satay, fried imperial rolls, spicy edamame, Thai chicken wings, and potstickers. Hours are Monday-Friday 3-6 pm, and all day Sunday.

Nuri Steakhouse
Korean steakhouse in Uptown recently launched "Geonbae Hour," its elevated take on happy hour, inspired by the Korean tradition of “Geonbae,” meaning cheers. Featured bites include oysters, bulgogi beef tacos, steak tartare cigar, and truffle popcorn, $7 to $9, plus a Wagyu burger with kimchi-glazed bacon and white cheddar for $20. Drinks include their unique renditions of classic drinks like an old-fashioned, margarita, and negroni for $10; plus beer, wine, and soju, the Korean spirit. It's offered Monday-Thursday 4- 6 pm and all day Sunday.

Two Hands
Australian-style all-day cafe founded in New York, which opened a location at The Quad in 2025, has what it calls a "snacky hour," which is short and to the point: a smashburger for $10, plus $10 cocktails, $3 off glasses of wine (including red, white, and sparkling), and $5 draft beer. Cocktails include martinis (dry or dirty), espresso martini, margarita, aperol spritz, old-fashioned, Negroni, and bloody Mary. Snacky hour is offered every day from 4-6 pm.

Written By the Seasons
Chef-driven concept has two locations in Dallas: Bishop Arts and The Quad. Both host an admirable happy hour 3:30-5 pm Monday-Saturday, with half-off on bottles of wine and significant snacks, including some of their signature dishes. There are smoked Texas pecans, cheese & charcuterie board, boquerones with arugula & crostini, mutabal (the middle-Eastern eggplant dip) with olives and crispy flatbread, and their acclaimed kimchi pancakes, priced from $5 to $12. There's also a burger with American cheese, and a veggie sandwich with cucumber, avocado, daikon sprouts, and shaved carrots on wheat — both $18.

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