Where to Drink

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

Snacks and drinks from At Fault.

Photo courtesy of At Fault

Wallet feeling a little empty after all that back-to-school shopping? Happy hour to the rescue. This edition of Where to Drink, our monthly roundup of the best bar specials, is here to provide you with five spots where your drinking dollars stretch a little further, especially during that magic time known as happy hour.

Here's where to drink in Dallas this month:

At Fault
Family-owned sports bar with indoor pickleball court has a serious food program overseen by chef John Franke (Sixty Vines, Whiskey Cake) to fuel players fresh off the court. Think loaded nachos, Philly cheesesteaks, and Wagyu dogs in a blanket. The bar, meanwhile, is mixing up 16 specialty cocktails, wines by the glass, plus draft and can beers. Even better: Most of these drinks are really cheap during happy hour. On Texas Thursdays, it's $4 off Texas beers and spirits; Smashburger Mondays pairs $4 drafts with $4 burgers; Wine & Dine Wednesday gets you half-off all bottles of wine; and regular ol' happy hour brings $4 draft beers and $5 house wines and wells.

Palma
Deep Ellum Tex-Asian restaurant and bar debuted in May alongside sister bar Ghost Donkey, which specializes in tequila and mezcal. On the menu for its generous happy hour are $5 select drafts, select wines for $8, prosecco for $7, a frozen margarita for $7, and a trio of cocktails in the $8-$9 range. The best part? Happy hour runs Monday-Friday from 11 am-7 pm, meaning anytime is the right time for an espresso martini.

Taco Ocho
Small local chain touting a "Latin Love" of tacos also loves cheap. During its happy hour, which you can indulge in Monday-Friday from 3-6 pm and all day on the weekends, you'll find $5 house margaritas, $4 Modelo and Dos Equis drafts, $4 wells, and $6 house wines (two white and two red). Tack on a $4 mimosa to your weekend chilaquiles if you're a brunch purist. Three locations include Flower Mound, Frisco, and McKinney.

Tasty Tails
Authentic New Orleans restaurant in Addison is the place to get your happy hour fix with a Cajun twist. On weekdays Monday-Friday from 3-7 pm, they serve both food and drink at hefty discounts: $3 bottled beers, including Abita Purple Haze and Shiner Bock; $6 well drinks and $6 frozen daiquiris; $7 mojitos; and $10 hurricanes. Bites are cheap too: $4 hushpuppies and French fries, $7 Cajun wings, $5 jamabalaya egg rolls and $5 for a half-pound of boiled shrimp.

Whiskey Cake
American restaurant is hosting a lineup of immersive experiences for bourbon lovers during September. Every Wednesday they're offering $7 neat pours and flights for $15 — featuring a rotating selection of barrel picks, including local whiskeys and cask-finished bourbons. On Friday-Saturday from 6-9 pm, they're doing tableside Old Fashioned carts during dinner in partnership with Clyde May’s Alabama-style whiskey. Guests can choose from Straight Rye Whiskey, Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Original Alabama Style Whiskey or Straight Bourbon Special Reserve — served neat, on a Big Rock, or smoked. Select cocktails will also be made tableside.

where to drink cocktails happy hour Where to Drink

Margaritas & fajitas

Dallas Mexican favorite El Molino to debut new location at Preston Royal

Photo by Samantha Marie Photography

Enchilada plate at El Molino.

A Dallas Mexican restaurant that quickly built a following for its wood-fired fajitas and flaming margaritas is expanding with a second high-profile location. El Molino, from Vandelay Companies, will open Monday, August 10 in Preston Royal Shopping Center.

According to a release, the new restaurant will take over the former Anchor Sushi Bar space at 6025 Royal Ln., Ste. 250.

The opening comes about 10 months after El Molino debuted in Snider Plaza, where it introduced a menu centered on wood-fired fajitas in a cozy, upscale atmosphere. It earned much acclaim and even garnered a nomination for Best New Restaurant in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

According to the release, the new restaurant spans 6,000 square feet - significantly larger than the 83-seat original - and will feature an expanded menu while maintaining the neighborhood feel of the Snider Plaza location.

Entrees, chips, queso, and margs at El Molino.Photo by Samantha Marie Photography

At the heart of the menu is still El Molino's wood-fired fajita program, with options including USDA Prime tenderloin, grilled chicken, jumbo tiger shrimp, marinated prime ribeye, and combination platters.

Other dishes include queso, elote corn chowder, fresh tuna nachos, tacos, enchiladas, salads, and entrées such as the Las Vegas Ribeye, Crispy Shrimp Brochette, Filet Mignon Famosa, and Grilled Sonora Quail.

The beverage program includes the restaurant's signature Flaming Margarita, frozen margaritas in flavors such as passion fruit, pineapple jalapeño, cherry vanilla, and mango, plus handcrafted cocktails and sipping tequilas.

El Molino Flaming margaritas are a must.Photo by Samantha Marie Photography

According to the release, the Preston Hollow location will also offer a daily happy hour from 3-6 pm at the bar with discounted frozen flaming margaritas, house margaritas, and sangria.

“The response to El Molino since its debut has exceeded our expectations, making Preston Hollow a natural next step for the brand,” says Hunter Pond, founder, chairman, and CEO of Vandelay Companies, in the release. “This larger location allows us to welcome even more guests while building upon the food, hospitality and overall experience that have made the Snider Plaza restaurant so successful.”

El Molino The Preston-Royal location will take over the former Anchor Sushi Bar space.Photo by Samantha Marie Photography

Pond also addressed the closure of Anchor Sushi Bar and why El Molina made sense to take over its spot.

“We intentionally opened Anchor Bar in two very different footprints to determine the best long-term model for the brand,” said Hunter Pond, founder, chairman, and CEO of Vandelay Companies, in a statement. “What we learned is that Anchor is at its best in a more intimate setting, like our Knox location, and that's the format we'll continue to expand. A larger footprint is much better suited for a high-energy Tex-Mex concept like El Molino, making Preston Royal the ideal home for its next chapter.”

Once it opens August 10, the Preston Hollow location of El Molina will be open for lunch and dinner, 11 am-9 pm Sunday-Wednesday and 11 am-10 pm Thursday-Saturday.

mexican cuisine preston hollow snider plaza preston royal openings