Dallas
Dallas's most photographed drinks aren't on any menu — they're in the rooms with the right windows. The bars with a view on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — the central districts all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.
REUNION TOWER · $$$$ · ROOFTOP BARS
Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck draws a steady local crowd in Reunion Tower. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
DOWNTOWN DALLAS · $$$ · ROOFTOP BARS
Loft Rooftop at Statler draws a steady local crowd in Downtown Dallas. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
DOWNTOWN DALLAS · $$$ · ROOFTOP BARS
Second Floor at Whitehall Exchange draws a steady local crowd in Downtown Dallas. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.
KNOX-HENDERSON · $$$ · ROOFTOP BARS
Volaire Rooftop draws a steady local crowd in Knox-Henderson. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.
THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Apothecary is the Bishop Arts speakeasy hidden behind an unmarked door at the back of a coffee shop — push through, into a dim 50-seat room with shelves of drie. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
DEEP ELLUM · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Armoury D.E. draws a steady local crowd in Deep Ellum. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Atlas is the Deep Ellum cocktail bar from Brian Hayes that's repeatedly placed in Texas's best-bar lists — a long-format menu of around forty drinks across regi. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.
HENDERSON AVENUE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Atwater Alley draws a steady local crowd in Henderson Avenue. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.
EAST DALLAS · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Balcony Club draws a steady local crowd in East Dallas. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
HENDERSON AVENUE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Bar Charles draws a steady local crowd in Henderson Avenue. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
Use this guide either as a single curated route through Dallas or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten bars with a view that any serious drinker in Dallas would tell you to put on the list.
Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck draws a steady local crowd in Reunion Tower. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
Loft Rooftop at Statler draws a steady local crowd in Downtown Dallas. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
Looking beyond Dallas? See our guide to the best bars with a view worldwide, or compare bars with a view city by city.