A Retro Dallas Hotel Bar Is Reborn With Smash-Style Burgers on the Menu

Dallas’s Rodeo Bar in the Adolphus Hotel is back, as of today: this iconic circa-1981 Texas watering hole is opening January 10 after a major renovation. Located at 1321 Commerce Street, the new Rodeo Bar is trying to capture the swagger of the original, right down to the floors.

The bar served drinkers ice cold beers for four decades before closing in 2018, and now this revamp includes a new menu, new decor, and a new expansion called The Back Room, all via a partnership with hospitality company Makeready and private investment firm Rockbridge.

The no-nonsense bar will focus on smash-style burgers, which were popular in its original incarnation. Options include the “El Tejano,” a smoked brisket burger with bread and butter pickles, sliced onions, and jalapeño ranch or the “Tommy Ranger” with Texas chili and American cheese.

Besides burgers, entrees include fried chicken and burnt ends sandwiches, hot dogs, and Texas chopped beef, and taco salad. Order snacks to share like guacamole and green chili queso, nachos, buttermilk chicken wings, or made-in-house corndogs. Banana pudding, churro sundaes, soft serve, and Dr. Pepper floats all make the dessert menu.

Steven Visneau

Miller Lite, Yuengling, Pacifico and Shiner Bock will be on draft, along with local beers and a list of no-frills cocktails. That will include the “Real Cold Cocktail” with whiskey and Dr. Pepper; a “Rodeo ‘Rita” with tequila, orange liqueur, lime, tajin rim; and the “Saddle Up” with tequila, grapefruit, lime, and soda.

Steven Visneau

To capture the old-meets-new vibe, Dallas-based design team SWOON the Studio brought in a mix of vintage and refurbished booths, tables, and chairs for the 95-seat restaurant (and the original floors from the old place). Decor includes neon beer bar lights from the ‘80s, vintage rodeo posters, and memorabilia preserved from the original Rodeo Bar. Diners will be able to play darts or pool and pick tunes on a jukebox.

Steven Visneau

Rodeo Bar’s hours for now are Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight and Friday to Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., with lunch hours to follow soon.

• An Iconic Downtown Dallas Hotel Bar Will Reopen Later This Year
• Rodeo Bar [Official Site]