Sports Bar News

Goats Arena Sports Bar chain opens new location in Dallas area

Goat's Arena Sports Bar

Goat's Arena

There's a new sports bar in Little Elm called G.O.A.T’s Arena Sports Bar, now open at 27052 E University Dr. #120, in a new center about 15 miles east of Denton.

G.O.A.T's Arena — also referred to as GOATS Arena or G.O.A.T'S ARENA or Goat's Arena — is a small local chain launched by CEO AJ Govada in 2022, which currently has locations in Frisco and Fairview. According to a spokesperson, Little Elm is the first franchised location, and is in soft opening mode with an official opening coming in mid-October.

Goat's Arena has all of the elements you would expect from a sports bar, and then some, including:

Two stories of nonstop energy
Wall-to-wall TVs with every game on Sound ON
Game-changing food and ice-cold drinks
Electric atmosphere from kickoff to last call

Seating includes chairs and tables and casual couches, and there's a translucent bar with underlighting. A spokesperson says they have one of the biggest screens for watching sports, and this Instagram video would appear to support that claim.

Their goal: to create the atmosphere of a stadium, so customers can imagine themselves at the event, but from the friendly confines of a sports bar.

The menu includes starters such as fried zucchini, fried deviled eggs, cheese curds, meatballs with marinara, and chicken wings.

There is a fried chicken sandwich, bacon cheeseburger, Wagyu burger, and a vegan Impossible burger; salads; and flatbreads such as brisket or chicken-artichoke. Entrees include short ribs, lamb lollipops, pasta, tacos including birria tacos. Prices range from $9 to $20.

The bar has beer, wine, and cocktails such as a margarita, espresso martini, and a "Choco Diva" with Ketel One, Baileys, and chocolate liqueur.

Truly, one can find little fault with this exemplary sports bar concept other than the name, which is a tiny bit challenging with the periods and the apostrophe, but it doesn't seem to have stopped them one bit: There are plans to open at least two more locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth.

openings

Omakase News

Downtown Dallas restaurant Sauvage expands with new dining twist

Sauvage

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is letting its hair down: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, has a new dining option that gives a smaller, more casual taste.

The restaurant opened in September with a set menu featuring 16 to 18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker.

While 16 courses might sound like a lot, the courses are mostly small bites. However, owners Casey and Amy LaRue received feedback from diners wanting a smaller option.

"We were getting a ton of messages from guests who want to stop by just to try one dish, a bite, or a specific pairing without committing to the full tasting — so we built something for exactly that," Casey says.

They've introduced a new three-course "Cocktails & Bites hour" featuring three dishes, each paired with its own cocktail, served from 5–6 pm on weekdays.

Last week’s menu consisted of:

dry-aged red snapper crudo with La Chinola Way, a cocktail featuring passionfruit, mezcal, lime, and ginger
foie gras & truffle on house-baked croissant with Pendennis Club, a gin sour with apricot liqueur bitters
jerk-spiced shrimp with Clarified Paper Plane, a bourbon cocktail with Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice

The new offering continues their pattern of pairing courses with cocktails rather than wine — an approach they've embraced since opening. "Limiting pairings to wine can get boring — it so often ends up being one expensive red after another," Casey says.

You can make a reservation on Tock, or just walk in and grab a seat.

Caviar
They've also added a new version of their classic menu: no caviar.

"Some love having caviar integrated into the menu, but others prefer to skip it, whether for taste or dietary reasons, but still want the full value of the experience," Casey says. "With such a small counter, this put us in a strange position: do we give everyone caviar whether they want it or not, or do we remove it entirely and lose a core part of our menu?"

Thus, a new menu without caviar, priced at $195, with an optional caviar course available for those who want it for $245.

downtown