Bottoms Up

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 diverse happy hours for October

Columbian Country Club is rolling out a new Tuesday-Thursday happy hour.

Columbian Country Club/Facebook

The busy — and expensive — holiday season is just around the corner, so do your finances a favor now and seek out a new favorite happy hour (or two).

This edition of Where to Drink, our monthly roundup of the best bar specials, spotlights five Dallas-area restaurants and bars that encompass a wide range of experiences, but with all of them serving drinks and deals worth toasting.

Here’s where to drink in Dallas this month:

Columbian Country Club
Premier cocktail lounge on Ross Avenue is now making weeknights even more appealing with a new happy hour, Tuesday-Thursday from 5-7:30 pm. Sip $11 signature cocktails like the Serpiente (Tentador Blanco, pineapple, and St. Germain) or the El Guapo with aromatic bitters and Licor 43. Food steals include half-off sushi rolls, $7 caviar bumps, $12 karaage chicken bites, and crispy rice topped with spicy tuna or salmon for $14, or a trio for $22.

The Fifth
Local favorite in Richardson's Canyon Creek neighborhood known for homey dishes like short ribs and shrimp & grits offers a happy hour Monday-Friday from 3-6 pm and Sunday from 3-10 pm — on the patio and bar only — with $8 cocktails and a half dozen bites such as zucchini fries or chips & guac for $4, and Wagyu sliders for $10. Wednesdays are the night for wine lovers: They offer half-off bottles under $69, a deal that covers most of the wine list.

Hooky Entertainment Addison
Restaurant/arcade/movie theater/bowling alley in Addison has a new “Hooky Hour” that makes a strong case for leaving the office early. Running Monday-Thursday from 4-7 pm, it includes half-off draft beers, margaritas, and cocktails like the Day Tripper (Tito’s Vodka, peach, vermouth blanc, lime, yuzu soda) and Off the Clockwork (Arette Tequila Reposado, blood orange, ginger, lime). Snack on discounted shareables — pretzels & queso, elote fritters, and loaded waffle fries — between rounds of duckpin bowling or a movie in one of Hooky’s eight premium cinemas. Bonus: On Tuesdays you can see a movie for only $5.

P.F. Chang's
The national chain is making premium cocktails more affordable with its new $8.99 Cocktail Collection. Think bold, citrus-forward flavors and seasonal specials like the Blood Orange Margarita and Peartini, rotating quarterly to spotlight fresh ingredients. Pair with approachable prices on house wines for a reliably solid chain happy hour. Eight DFW locations — including NorthPark Center, Allen, and The Colony — make it easy to find one near you.

The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas
The swanky hotel is keeping things stylish but chill with happy hour at its newly renovated outdoor bar and lounge, Live Oak Patio. On Monday, Thursday, and Friday (the bar is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) from 5-7 pm, enjoy half-off all signature and well cocktails plus half-off the bar menu. Important note: This deal is exclusive to Live Oak Patio, not Rattlesnake Bar.

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Bagel News

Buzzy Northeast chain PopUp Bagels ready to debut in Dallas

PopUp Bagels

PopUp Bagels coming to Dallas.

A buzzy bagel concept founded in the Northeast is coming to Dallas: Called PopUp Bagels, it famously started as a backyard project during the pandemic, and will open a location at Inwood Village, in the former I Heart Yogurt shop (which only just closed), next to the Inwood Theatre at 5450 W Lovers Ln. #143.

Signage has already gone up on the location and according to a spokesperson, the shop will open in early spring.

PopUp Bagels was founded in Westport, Connecticut by entrepreneur and home baker Adam Goldberg, with his cousin Jeff Lewis, as a side project during the pandemic, when everyone was baking at home. The bagels earned such a warm reception that Goldberg started hosting bagel popups in various locations near his home.

The concept's success has been helped by a national surge of interest in bagels, as well as viral moments on TikTok and other social media. Goldberg sold the concept to equity growth firm Stripes in 2023, who drew celebrity investors such as Paul Rudd and Michael Phelps, with plans to open hundreds of locations across the U.S. Talk is cheap but for now, there are 23 locations in New York, Maine, Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and North Carolina.

One of their selling points for a seamless expansion is that they've kept things simple including a compact menu of bagels, spreads, and a pound of smoked salmon. There's a minimum purchase of three bagels, along with a mandatory tub of cream cheese or butter, for $12, and they only offer five flavors: plain, salt, poppy, sesame, and everything.

Bagels are sold whole only, no sandwiches and also not sliced — leading to their nickname "rip and dip," in which customers rip the bagels and dip them into spreads. Their texture is softer and lighter than the classic New York dense bagel, making them easier to "rip."

They're also known for their collaborations on over-the-top schmear flavors — beyond their regular original cream cheese, scallion cream cheese, and vegan cream cheese — which they rotate in with frequency. Recent specialty schmears include Honey Chipotle Cream Cheese, Salted Maple Banana Bread Schmear, Cheez-It Schmear, and a Lemon Pepper Schmear just announced with WingStop that summons the wing chain's Lemon Pepper sauce.

bagels openings