Craft Beer News

Ultra-hip pizza and beer spot opens in Quonset hut near Dallas' Fair Park

Wriggly Tin

There's an eagerly awaited new bar-restaurant coming to the neighborhood near Dallas' Fair Park: Called Wriggly Tin, it's a beer + cocktail + pizza place rolling into a Quonset hut at 1906 S. Haskell Ave., where it'll make its official debut on November 1.

The location is a former Cajun fried turkey place which has received a loving, doting, you might even say obsessive, makeover with custom plaster walls, trinkets and art objects from around the world, and one whole side of the hut replaced by glass, for sunsets and maximum outdoor gazing.

The concept is from Jacob Boger and Aaron Garcia, the popular team who also own Small Beer Works, a brewery they founded after the closure of Small Brewpub in Oak Cliff, which earned a devout following among the foodie cognoscenti for its stellar craft beer and also for being, at one time, a platform for the cooking of acclaimed chef Misti Norris, before she opened Petra and the Beast.

At Wriggly Tin, they've partnered with chef Desmon “Dez” Coleman, who's logged praise for his pizza and burger pop-ups throughout DFW via his Hustle Town Pizza concept.

"Before we even tasted his pizza, we wanted to offer him the job on the spot because he is extremely charismatic and kind," Boger and Garcia say in a statement.

The pizza will be New York-style, and it's a simple menu they say is designed for high volume.

The name is a reference to the corrugated metal roofing – aka corrugated sheet metal, corrugated steel, or wriggly tin, a nickname from the U.K. military for the bumpy sheets used to fabricate quonset huts, which by the way are right on the verge of being a hot trend (this being the second Quonset hut spot following Quonset Ballroom in Fort Worth).

The duo began renovation during the pandemic, with fun updates shared on Garcia's Instagram page. That included custom painting of the pendant lights, and textured panels to buffer sound and offer a textural element. They didn’t want a standard paint and finish look, so they made a custom plaster to give the walls a stucco/adobe vibe — "the small details that might go unnoticed, but that’s what we obsess about," they say.

Beer will be from their Small Beer Works brewery, with five beers on draft:

Hart: a light German helles lager
Black Pepper Pils: a novel twist on the classic pilsner with spices and other aromatics
Underdog American IPA: "probably the only IPA we’ll ever make"
Ojo Moro: dark lager is an ode to pastries and beers shared by the Mexican, Czech, and Texan cultures, tasting like light coffee and nutty caramel cookies
Bijou: tropical spritz blurs the lines between beer and cocktail: "The best cherry limeade you’ve ever had."

They may do a seasonal or special edition beer but the beer part won't be front and center.

"For us, the person and the occasion are what matters and we just want our beer to be a small part of it," they say. "Small hasn’t gone anywhere, it’s just gotten back to its right size. Wriggly Tin is our cocktail, wine, and pizza joint that also sells Small Beer Works beer. We want to be home to everyone, even if they don’t know or care that there’s a brewery out back."

"Wriggly Tin is just a small metal building in the big city trying to give the people of Dallas a place to relax and make themselves at home," they say.

craft-beer openings

Henderson Avenue News

Dallas bar High Fives will close on Henderson Avenue after 10 years

High Fives/Facebook

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A nightlife staple on Dallas' Henderson Avenue is closing: High Fives, the bar located at 1804 McMillan Ave., will close in early January, after more than 10 years.

According to a release, the actual closing date will be tied to the Texas Tech Red Raiders' game schedule in January.

"To all our neighbors, the Red Raider faithful, and everyone who has made High Fives their home—we are saying goodbye by raising our hands high for one last High Five," says owner Phil Schanbaum. "This establishment was built on community, spirited rivalry, and countless memories. We are deeply thankful to every single patron and, especially, to all of our incredible staff who were the heart and soul of this place."

High Fives opened in mid-2015, part of the portfolio of This & That Hospitality, the company Schanbaum founded with partner Brandon Hays, next door to its sibling bar The Whippersnapper (which was rebranded into a concept called Boogies in October 2025.)

Schanbaum says that they're unsure of what will go in the High Fives space after it closes — but that the closure "paves the way for the ongoing evolution of Henderson Avenue."

The property is owned by Acadia Realty, the New York-based company that is partnered with Dallas development firm Ignite-Rebees on a 161,000-square-foot, creative, mixed-use development currently underway on Henderson Avenue between Glencoe Street and McMillan Avenue at the eastern end of Henderson Avenue.

High Fives' closure is part of that plan to transform the quarter-mile stretch into a walkable destination featuring restaurants, retail, and office space.

"To Henderson Avenue, we look forward to further expansion and to making this street even better. We are excited for the neighborhood's renaissance, which will bring new experiences, retail, and dining concepts to the area," Schanbaum says.

Moving target
The actual closing date will depend on the outcome of the season for Texas Tech's football team the Red Raiders.

"The final chapter for High Fives will be written alongside the almighty Texas Tech Red Raiders. The bar's ultimate closure is tied directly to the team's success," the release says.

The next game day is on January 1, when doors open at 10 am.

If the Red Raiders advance past the game on January 1, High Fives will remain open for subsequent Texas Tech game days until the team's run ends. Meanwhile hours in December will be Thursdays & Fridays from 8 pm-2 am, and Saturdays: from 2 pm– 2 am.