If you are planning to go to Dallas for the Alabama-Michigan game, there are some important things to know about the social scene while you are there. The metro area includes Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington, and consists of about 6.5 million people – making it the largest metro area in the South. For the sake of comparison, Alabama has about 5 million people. So, this city is huge. It has more people than our entire state, and they all like to hit the town. Plan accordingly.
To help you with your travel plans, here’ a list of some places you might enjoy. You can check each one out by clicking the name of the place. We’ve broken them down by category based, of course, on what we enjoy. Perhaps you will as well.
Bloody Mary
A spicy Bloody Mary is an essential part of my pre-game ritual. Here’s where to find one while you are in Dallas:
Monica’s Aca y Alla – A popular and affordable place to eat too.
The Blue Goose – Huge patio bar and, if you go back on Sunday, they feature a Bloody Mary bar.
Smoke – Locally-produced food and a spicy Bloody Mary.
The Meridian Room – Picked by the Dallas Observer as the best Bloody Mary in Dallas. Interesting menu.
BBQ
Texas barbecue is different than what we have here. It’s not Dreamland, or Archibald’s or Moe’s but it is still good stuff.
Sonny Bryan’s – A Dallas tradition.
Riscky’s – The main one is in Fort Worth, but there are locations around the city. Also, known for their steaks.
Steaks
Is there really anything better than a good steak? Trick question: no, there isn’t.
Riscky’s – This one is a repeat from the BBQ section, but our source says it’s worth a repeat.
Bob’s Steak & Chops – Ranked as one of the top 10 steak houses in the country. That’s seriously good.
Beer
You can get a crappy beer anywhere (trust me on this), but for those of us who take good beer seriously, here’s a few suggestions.
The Old Monk – In the Henderson area, a top hot spot in Dallas, it features daily specials and lots of beer.
Capitol Pub – Also in the Henderson area, so you can migrate from spot to spot like beer drinkers do.
Stan’s Blue Note – A sports bar with a large selection of beer on tap – served in mason jars. Why they hell would you not like that?
Pizza
Along with beer snobbery comes pizza snobbery. Life is just too short to eat pre-fab pizza from a chain. Try these:
Campisi’s – Old school Italian restaurant.
Louie’s – A pub with some of the best pizza in the big city, from reliable sources. Only accepts cash or AMEX, so don’t get caught looking like a barner. They also pour an honest drink, in case you are wondering.
Fireside Pies – Five locations around town with artisan pizza cooked over fire.
Tex-Mex
Mexican food served with a Texas influence. What’s not to like?
Chuy’s – If you like the one in Birmingham, the one on the corner of McKinney and Knox has a great patio too.
El Fenix – Good food and a butt load of locations around the city.
Mi Cocina and Taco Diner – Two restaurants owned by the same group.
Monterrey – Good food and great selection. Steak, chicken, shrimp, pork, goat; and several locations.
Fine Dining
I plan whole vacations around eating good food. If you feel like a nice meal on your football road trip, check these out.
Dakota’s – Cool location below ground level downtown.
Five Sixty – A great view (not always indicative of good food) and owned by Wolfgang Puck (always indicative of good food).
The Mercury – Looks cool. Beard award winner.
Fearings – In the Ritz-Carlton. Expensive, but you only live once (usually).
Abacus – Another cool looking place with great service and a famous chef.
Sambucca – A bit lower key than the others on the list, but good food and live music.
Some of the spots are kid friendly, others are not. If your particular miniature Tide fans are rolling to Dallas with you, there should be plenty to see and do.
This is by no means comprehensive, but we think it is a good list and we hope you find it helpful. If you know of a spot you’d recommend to your fellow travelers, please share it in the comments, so we have a good database for the folks making the trip. Have a great trip and Roll Tide!
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