All. It was just over three years ago that I returned to Dallas from the Midwest. And "fear of bad beer" was on my mind alot. In fact, three years ago, there was only one decent beer bar in the city (The Gingerman). Now there are 6-8 very good ones (counting the two Whole Foods locations with bars. And we’ve got a really exciting Craft and Growler opening soon - advertising 30+ beers for growler fills.
I will update you on each of these places - and talk about the two breweries in the city with great tours.
In no particular order (actually closest to furthest from my home) the beer bars:
1. Bottle Shop: UPDATE - As of today, they should non have 20 TAPS for Growler fills. The 8 or 9 from before really stunted some of their variety, but with these adds, I shouldn’t need to go anywhere else to fill my growlers. Exciting news. Hearing that the Alpine Super IPA will be among the first on the new taps. They stay pretty current on their Facebook posts, and they have a unique Firkin on tap every Friday afternoon.
2. Strangeways: Simply put, they have the most unique taps and bottle selection in the city. Eric doesn’t shoot for "the trendiest" but instead the hardest to get stuff. When I discovered a new brewery distributing to the Dallas area, it is usually through Strangeways. Fun atmosphere too - and Eric and Jose know their beers really well. About 40 beers on tap.
3. Whole Foods (Lakewood and Park): Lakewood is closer to me, but Park has about 20 beers on tap - and generally the taps are better as well. Both focus heavily on Texas beers (usually 2/3rds of their taps) and since you can fill growlers, these are great locations to find new beers to trade that are not out in bottles.
4. Union Bear: I wish this place weren’t in West Village. It may sound "Beer Snobby" of me, but I love the beers there - and hate the Uptown crowds that tend to hit this place. But overall an incredibly diverse set of taps that represent almost any style you would want (about 50 taps). And an honest pint for $5 anytime makes that a reasonably priced place to drink at any time.
5. The Common Table: Style are heavily skewed to IPAs and Belgians - which is why I love this place. Corey seems to be very, very competitive with Strangeways and Meddlesome Moth for who can "premiere" beers first. I really, really continue to like this place, and can never recall being disappointed by their draft list (about 20 taps).
6. Gingerman: The old standby. Thank God for the G’man. There always seem to be the same bartenders, same wait staff, and same great beer taps. They’ve set the standard that every other place on this list - had to stand up to.
7. The Meddlesome Moth - The beer here is fantastic. And just like the Bear, I wish I liked this place more. Food is "below average" on a good day, atrocious and expensive on others. But OMG, the beers. On a day in an |
food is below average and atrocious at The Moth? please explain...
Are you not a fan of eclectic menus, unique plates, tapas servings, etc?
Curious as to why you find it below average and atrocious? Which menu items have you tried and why did you dislike? |
Is there beer AT the State Fair? (Asking as I thought I read that there was some craft beer(s) being served.) |
Originally posted by fly
Is there beer AT the State Fair? (Asking as I thought I read that there was some craft beer(s) being served.)
I know that Deep Ellum is being served there. |
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Originally posted by krumb
food is below average and atrocious at The Moth? please explain...
Are you not a fan of eclectic menus, unique plates, tapas servings, etc?
Curious as to why you find it below average and atrocious? Which menu items have you tried and why did you dislike?
Actually I’m a huge fan of the Moth, but in the case of their food, I tend to agree with Tim on this a bit. Their food is really hit or miss for me. They’ve rotated chefs several times which hasn’t helped, and I’m personally not a fan of tapas in general. I love family-style places, but tapas to me, are typically overpriced small plates. The burger at the Moth, a couple of the pot pies, and a handful of other things are really solid, but for the most part I’m not in love with their menu. Let’s face it though, I’m usually not there for the food, I’m there to drink great beer from the best tap system in the entire metroplex. Their beer dinners are usually pretty good though, so I don’t agree that it’s "atrocious" ever. |
Originally posted by thirdeye11
Originally posted by krumb
food is below average and atrocious at The Moth? please explain...
Are you not a fan of eclectic menus, unique plates, tapas servings, etc?
Curious as to why you find it below average and atrocious? Which menu items have you tried and why did you dislike?
Actually I’m a huge fan of the Moth, but in the case of their food, I tend to agree with Tim on this a bit. Their food is really hit or miss for me. They’ve rotated chefs several times which hasn’t helped, and I’m personally not a fan of tapas in general. I love family-style places, but tapas to me, are typically overpriced small plates. The burger at the Moth, a couple of the pot pies, and a handful of other things are really solid, but for the most part I’m not in love with their menu.
Let’s face it though, I’m usually not there for the food, I’m there to drink great beer from the best tap system in the entire metroplex. Their beer dinners are usually pretty good though, so I don’t agree that it’s "atrocious" ever.
Did I see something in the paper about them just doing this again very recently? |
I’ll have to agree about the food at the Moth. Some of the dishes are pretty good, but the serving sizes are small and expensive. It is very easy to go there, spend $25 on food and leave hungry. All that being said, the beer is outstanding. |
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The moth’s food is tasty...
:) |
When will Craft and Growler open? Dallas needs more places to fill growlers. |
When will Craft and Growler open? Dallas needs more places to fill growlers. |
