Some of the best Dallas bars are hidden in plain sight. Disguised as bridal boutiques and bookshelves, or accessed through secret passageways with phone booth entries, secret bars are all over the city — if you know where to look. From cocktail bar staples to newer additions, these are the best speakeasy bars in Dallas.
The Branca Room serves unique cocktails in the back of Bishop Arts' Chimichurri restaurant. (Courtesy)
Tucked in the back of Bishop Arts’ Chimichurri (temporarily closed), this speakeasy is a must-visit for cocktails. Led by the restaurant’s bar manager James Slater, the intimate spot features an ever-changing menu. Currently, you can find lots of creative drinks including the Amaro Transfusion with aloe and Penelope bourbon, a mezcal-based Order of Owls with kumquat, and more.
Guests can enter Ginger's off the street or when exiting dinner at its sister spot, Sushi Bar. (Photo by Kayla Enright)
One of the newer additions to the Dallas bar scene, this speakeasy-style spot can be found in the East Quarter. Located underneath the historic Magnolia Oil service station, the bar can be accessed from the street, where guests then descend a sleek, illuminated staircase to find a backlit marble-topped walnut bar and U-shaped leather booths in green, gold, and red. Also, if you dine at its sister spot, Sushi Bar, you’ll exit through the moody space.
Bourbon & Banter
Downtown
1914 Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75201
Bourbon and Banter is a swanky underground speakeasy at The Statler hotel. (Courtesy)
Tucked below The Statler hotel, this underground bar has been a popular spot for clandestine cocktails since 2017. To enter, you’ll have to descend a flight of stairs, found just beyond the hotel’s sports bar Scout. When you see what looks like an old shoe shine spot and a phone booth, you’re almost there. Step into the booth, dial four numbers (Pro-tip: they’re listed on the phone), and a wood-paneled wall will open for you.
The main thing here is obviously bourbon, but there are also 11 craft cocktails, wine, beer, and bites.
Inside Houndstooth Coffee at Sylvan Thirty, Jettison is an under-the-radar cocktail bar opened in 2016. (Courtesy)
Hidden inside Houndstooth Coffee at Sylvan Thirty, this under-the-radar cocktail bar opened in 2016. After a brief closure, it recently reopened. The menu features Jettison “Originals” and classics. Favorites include the Matcha Mucho (mezcal and matcha), Tom Kha Gai Guys (gin, coconut cream, lime, mezcal, and more), and Red Headed Oaxacan — a mezcal and tequila-based concoction.
Midnight Rambler
Downtown
1530 Main Street
Dallas, TX 75201
Midnight Rambler reopened in 2021 with a whole new cocktail menu. (Photography by Mei-Chun Jau)
Most Dallasites now know of this speakeasy located underneath The Joule hotel, but when it first opened in 2014, Midnight Rambler was the coolest new subterranean bar in Downtown. Award-winning bartender Gabe Sanchez (who also owns the new bar, Saint Valentine, in East Dallas) joined the team during a revamping in 2021 and created a brand new cocktail menu featuring drinks that rotate seasonally and feature themes.
You can find La Viuda Negra disguised as a bridal boutique. (Courtesy of La Viuda Negra)
Most probably wouldn’t look twice at popular Dallas taco spot El Come Taco‘s next door neighbor. Of course, that’s the point. Only those in-the-know would think to walk into a bridal shop (or at least what looks like a bridal shop) looking for some of the best mezcal in town.
La Viuda Negra’s intimate, dimly lit room is a pure, Tulum-inspired escape from busy Fitzhugh Avenue. Beautifully crafted tequila and mezcal-based cocktails are the thing here, and much is served in local ceramicist Marcello Andres‘ stunning works. They also do a nut pulqueria, one of Mexico’s oldest drinks.
A centerpiece of the new AKAI space is "a state-of-the-art, gold-gridded DJ booth." (Courtesy)
After a “six-figure renovation,” the speakeasy bar at Musume in the Dallas Arts District has reopened. A little while after AKAI originally opened in 2019, we visited the secret bar and found it mysteriously fun. First, you must make reservations by calling 214-898-9751. After you set up a specific time to come in, you’ll be escorted through a secret entrance (hidden in the kitchen of Musume).
Ayahuasca Cantina is a favorite moody bar in the back of Xaman Cafe. (Courtesy)
Situated in the back of Oak Cliff’s Xaman Cafe (which opened in 2020), Ayahuasca Cantina is a moody agave and tapas bar with a menu executed by Chef Monica Andrade Lopez. The cocktail menu focuses on tequila, mezcal, and sotol-based drinks like the Taloc Negroni with Charanda, Suze, and vermouth.
A newer speakeasy in Dallas, The Stache is located inside of Renny's. (Courtesy of The Stache)
This 1920s-inspired bar is located inside of Renny’s — an American restaurant in Preston Forest Village. Named after owner Mark Maguire’s father’s mustache, the intimate, 30-seat bar is only open from Thursday through Saturday, 6 pm to midnight, with reservations. Guests must find the entrance and solve a riddle before entering the space.
As for cocktails and bites, the menu features classic and creative drinks, spicy Korean meatballs, ahi tuna nachos, and more.
Found behind a door disguised as a bookshelf in Atlas is a speakeasy Library bar. (Courtesy)
One of the most mysterious hidden bars in Dallas is this secret Library bar inside Bishop Arts’ Atlas. Found behind a disguised bookshelf door, this intimate space is only open on select nights, is first-come, first-serve, and offers special rotating cocktails.
Found at the back of Maison Chinoise, Regines Lounge is a speakeasy-style bar. (Courtesy)
Found at the back of Maison Chinoise (from Lombardi Family Concepts), this speakeasy-style bar offers sushi and sashimi platters, caviar, dim sum, dumplings, and a cocktail menu featuring Asian ingredients. The most elaborate (and pricey) include the Temple of Doom for $24, and Duck Old Fashioned (using duck fat-washed Garrison Brothers small batch bourbon) for $22. They also have live entertainment weekly.