Restaurants / Openings

New Deep Ellum Bowling and Games Wonderland Brings Special Treats, Extra Patios

Your Exclusive Sneak Peek at a Unique Punch Bowl Social

BY // 06.27.19

Punch Bowl Social — the bowling, bar, food, and activities wonderland — is opening its doors in Deep Ellum this Saturday, June 29.

Founded by Robert Thompson in 2012, Punch Bowl Dallas becomes the 17th Punch Bowl Social in the country. Based in Denver, Thompson works with chief culinary and beverage officer Sheamus Feeley to concoct hand-crafted cocktails and scratch-made dishes.

PaperCity got a sneak peak of the new Dallas Punch Bowl Social. The nearly 24,000 square-foot space has so much to offer.

Besides a main dining room, situated as you enter Punch Bowl off of Main Street, the new two-story spot has three bars (one being 360 degrees), three outdoor patios and several lounges to eat, drink, play and hang out in.

For each location, Punch Bowl Social tries to incorporate the local area into the design. For Deep Ellum, there are train-station style booth seating, industrial railroad light fixtures and retro black and white striped flooring depicting a railroad crossing.

Various custom-made wallpapers cover the space, including robots in the two karaoke rooms, clocks reminiscent of train stations, and Deep Ellum music scene vibes. Every Punch Bowl location also has a “Holiday Lounge,” with a deer head above a fireplace. And art sprinkled throughout the space includes work by local artist Alli Koch.

Holiday Lounge
Punch Bowl’s iconic Holiday Lounge.

As for activities, there are six full sized bowling lanes that can be reserved at the shoe rental desk, two mini bowling lanes that take a play card you can load up, as well as darts, arcade games, yard Yahtzee, giant wall Scrabble and more. There’s also going to be a DJ playing music above the shoe rental.

But the main attraction here has to be the food and drinks. The menu includes everything from classics like burgers, tacos and chicken ‘n waffles to unique shareables such as umami bomb chips and dip and a charcuterie board with confit duck leg, prosciutto, potted pork, feta, pickles, olives, strawberry jam and baguette.

I had the opportunity to try The Knockoff Burger with two grass-fed beef patties, American cheese, Comeback sauce, pickled onion and shredded lettuce. Also, the Chicken ‘N Waffles with fresh strawberries and the Hummus with flatbread, carrots, green beans and cauliflower. All were topnotch.

Fruity Pebbles Mania

Besides a main food menu, there’s also a late night bites menu with many of the appetizers, chicken tacos, The Knockoff Burger and The Wolf, which is a griddled beef bologna on Texas toast with lettuce, American cheese and Dijonaise. The dessert menu has key lime pie, donuts & coffee, and banana pudding with salted caramel, whipped cream and graham cracker crumbs.

There’s also the Tutti Fruity, a twist on a Rice Crispy treat with Fruity Pebbles. Feeley came up with this one based on his love of the sugary cereal he wasn’t allowed to have at home, but would sneak at friend’s houses.

Patrick Williams is the mixologist of the establishment and has crafted up some unique cocktails for the new Deep Ellum spot. Drinks range from non-alcoholic like juices, sodas, fizzes, ‘ades, and milkshakes to boozy concoctions. There are some alcoholic milkshakes, but one of the most essential Punch Bowl Social items is an actual punch bowl.

Options for these include the Connoisseur’s Cup with Sipsmith Gin, Teakoe’s Kodiak Mountain Mint Tea, house-made lavender syrup, Dolin Blanc and lemon juice. There’s also a rum based punch and a Bourbon-based one. All can be requested as a single drink, a bowl for four, or a bowl for eight.

One of my favorite cocktails was the It’s Always In The Banana Stand, which includes Xicaru mezcal, Giffard Banane du Bresil, agave nectar, lime juice and Aquafaba. For whiskey lovers, there’s the Two Hats Blue with Old Overholt rye, allspice dram and Dom Benedictine liqueur. And the Edith & Rickey is a vodka steeped with Bergamot and hibiscus tea, creme de violette, lemon juice, simple syrup and sparkling water.

The craft drink haven also has draft beer, including several Texas options such as Nine Band Brewing Hoopsnake, Karbach Light Citrus and Saint Arnold Art Car. Wine by the can is also available in red, white and bubbles.

A special grand opening party is taking place on Saturday from 7 pm to 9 pm. Tickets are on sale here. Doors will open to the general public at 9 pm.

Punch Bowl Social is no doubt going to be the newest hotspot in Deep Ellum. And heads up, a Fort Worth location is on the way as well.

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