| CITY OF ATE | t Dish Best Bars in Dallas 2022 Craft cocktails and dark speakeasies flourish on our updated list. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATHY TRAN //// W hile the rest of the world is trying to figure out a path forward — the economy, pol- itics, the Cowboys — the Dal- las bar scene is racing ahead full throttle, flawless locks flowing in the wind. In 2021 we created our list of the Top 100 Bars in Dallas with the intent of tweaking it annually, adding new destinations to replace spots that have closed or simply been out- muscled. This year, when looking at the scene from a wide-angle lens, two themes clearly emerged: a rise in preference for craft cocktails and the boom in speakeasies. For the former, it’s no longer just a few lo- cal stops with a bartender well-versed in ob- scure liquors, flavor profiles and, perhaps most important, an understanding of how those meld. Take Apothecary, for example, which opened last year on Lower Greenville. This avant-garde cocktail den has a menu that requires an explainer, which a bar- tender will gladly provide as they describe the difference between rum and rhum agri- cole. (The later is fermented from with juice freshly pressed from sugar cane rather than molasses or evaporated sugar from any source.) That might seem like too much when all you want is a drink to shake off a long week, but it’s not when the experience is so cathar- tic. At Atlas, black-out curtains in front of the doors block all sunlight, keeping the room dim. It may even take a few minutes for your eyes to adjust. Most of the seating is deep chairs and couches. Servers have the table-side manners of Mr. Rogers welcom- ing a guest to his neighborhood, but in this case, the trip to the magic kingdom is fueled by finding that perfect tonic for your parched lips. Speakeasies, in some form or fashion, are on the rise too. Trick Pony has Pony Tail, a four-seater bar in the back behind a closed door. Ever heard of Atwater Alley? You’ll have to ask the host at Henry’s Majestic how to get there. To find the craft cocktail den The Blackbird Society, look for a neon pink kitten in a window in Deep Ellum. Need an alibi for Saturday night? Just tell them you best Cuban sandwiches we’ve had as well. So while the world around us may at times seem wayward, drinks in Dallas are flowing, which isn’t exactly surprising, come to think of it, but these are coming in high style. For this year’s additions to the Top 100 Bars in Dallas, there are some swank cock- tail dens cloaked in a bit of secrecy, but there were other changes, too. The rowdy and sporty Texas Live! in Arlington and Com- munity Beer Co.’s massive biergarten are also new places where we love to grab a beer. We’re not snobs, after all. Bars we lost this year include Shoals Sound and Service, Anvil, The Clover Club and Mama Tried in Deep Ellum. All were great bars, but challenges from the pan- demic were deep and wide. Then we lost a couple to buyouts from big real estate com- panies, like Ten Bells Tavern (which plans to relocate) and The Local Oak, both on the same block in The Bishop Arts District. Space doesn’t allow us to print the whole 100, so see below for the fresh and new 13. To see all our picks for the best 100 bars, visit us online at dallasobserver.com/guide/ best-dallas-bars. Patience Ndzimandze tends bar at Atwater Alley, a speakeasy with craft cocktails. customer a series of questions to land on a drink, if the customer doesn’t know what they want already. She likes to offer her own spins on classics, like a Vieux Carre, but she’s also seeing a big comeback in the espresso martini. Atlas in The Bishop Arts District has a were at the candy store, which is a facade to the club Truth and Alibi in Deep Ellum. Even Apothecary is hard to find in the bright summer light along Greenville Ave- nue. It has one small gold plaque about the size of a brick to mark its spot. Patience Ndzimandze, 30, is a bartender at Atwater Alley. Her first job behind a bar was at a Hooters in Colorado, and she’s now one of the best in Dallas with a stint at Bota- nist before coming to this speakeasy in an al- ley. She thinks the pandemic drove many into cooking at home and playing bartender, which has led to increased interest in craft cocktails. “People want to know what that taste is that they can’t identify. What’s making it tart that’s not just lemon and lime? I’ve seen a bigger interest in craft now than pre-pan- demic,” Ndzimandze says. At Atwater, they don’t have a menu, rather she and the other bartenders ask each “back bar” (they don’t like the term speak- easy) that is only open late on the weekends. Co-owner Dan Bui previously worked at the once-popular club SISU Uptown, and he sees a great transformation in tastes from several years ago. “At SISU it was a lot of one-and-ones: vodka tonics, Crown and Cokes, vodka Red Bulls,” Bui says. “Since we opened Atlas, we very rarely get one-and-ones here. A guy will come in with a Lakers jersey, tatted up, he’ll look young, and if I had to guess his or- der, I’d say a beer and a shot, but he’ll order a rye Old-Fashioned. We go through so many espresso martinis and Old-Fashioneds every night now.” Bui links the progression of drink prefer- ences to the local culinary scene. “I definitely think Dallas is a lot more ap- preciative and knowledgeable of cocktails. There’s an evolution of the cocktail. It’s like the evolution of the culinary game, which I think has stepped up dramatically in the past five to seven years,” Bui says. We’d be remiss not to mention the from-scratch pho he’s serving at Atlas and perhaps one of the Apothecary 1922 Greenville Ave. APOTHECARY.BAR You will miss Apothecary the first time you attempt to visit. That’s part of its charm. This self-ascribed “avant-garde cocktail lounge” is a dark respite from the elements. Here the world is shuttered out, the noise turned down to a delightful whisper. On one visit, a guest at the next table was watching videos on his phone, loudly. Luckily he left before we were able to ask to move. It’s just not a phone-out, sound-up place. At all. There are plenty of those around the city, but not here. Every server knows the cock- tail menu inside and out and could narrate a documentary on each drink. The menu is broken into three levels, starting with clas- sics to more free-solo rock climbing type ad- ventures like an R-Oaxaca-Fort (a blue cheese mezcal number) and Death in the Af- ternoon (absinthe and bubbles). The food menu includes a charcuterie board, caviar service, a vegan Bolognese and a short-rib plate served with potato pave and white chocolate. Make reservations to be sure to get a seat. Atlas 408 N. Bishop Ave. ATLASBISHOPARTS.COM Atlas opened in 2021 in the Bishop Arts District with a global cocktail menu. The vibe here is come-one-come-all. Pretty Ap- erol Spritzes stand tall alongside bottles of Lone Stars on the bar. It’s a fun mix of lo- cals, tourists and first dates. Notice a book- shelf at the back of the bar and ask yourself if anyone here is doing much reading. Not likely. The bookshelf serves as a fake door that leads to a back bar, which rotates global themes (remember, Atlas) and seats about two dozen but packs in many more. It’s open in the evenings, Friday through Sunday. Try the pho, it’s co-owner Dan Bui’s family recipe, and it’s bliss. And their toasty Cuban with house-roasted pork is magnificent. >> p16 15 15 dallasobserver.comdallasobserver.com | CONTENTS | UNFAIR PARK | SCHUTZE | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | MOVIES | DISH | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 JUNE 30-JULY 6, 2022
