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Chill Out on These 11 Great Dallas Patios

Fresh air and exercise are great, as long as you replace the exercise with frosty margs and nachos.
By D Magazine |
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Chill Out on These 11 Great Dallas Patios

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Nora Restaurant  and Bar

The intimate dining room is a lovely spot to dine on elegant Afghan cuisine created by chef Matt Pikar. But the rooftop patio is where you want to be when the temperatures rise and the prices of cocktails fall. Happy hour is 5 to 7 pm, Sunday through Friday. The Dallas skyline shimmers on the horizon. Upholstered chairs arranged in clusters and divided by Bedouin-style curtains create private areas cooled by misters and fans. Tall potted plants give the stone deck a backyard feel. After the sun sets, cool summer breezes urge you to stay for just one more refreshing beverage. We suggest a Bamiyan Mojito.

The NYLO Dallas South Side

The rooftop patio on the sixth floor of the NYLO Dallas South Side hotel offers the Soda Bar, a snazzy, open-air space complete with craft martinis and one of the best views of the Dallas skyline. Play a round of foosball or lounge on padded wicker furniture under a cabana while fans and misters cut down on the summer swelter. Just don’t take a dip in the sprawling infinity pool. That’s for hotel guests only.

The NYLO Dallas South Side.

Nora Restaurant  and Bar

The intimate dining room is a lovely spot to dine on elegant Afghan cuisine created by chef Matt Pikar. But the rooftop patio is where you want to be when the temperatures rise and the prices of cocktails fall. Happy hour is 5 to 7 pm, Sunday through Friday. The Dallas skyline shimmers on the horizon. Upholstered chairs arranged in clusters and divided by Bedouin-style curtains create private areas cooled by misters and fans. Tall potted plants give the stone deck a backyard feel. After the sun sets, cool summer breezes urge you to stay for just one more refreshing beverage. We suggest a Bamiyan Mojito.

Blue Mesa Addison

Blue Mesa was one of the first places in town to offer sophisticated tequila selections. The list at the Addison branch runs 100 strong, including the “extra ultra premium” Gran Patrón Burdeos, which they sell for $65 a pop. A frozen tequila tap dispenses icy-cold shots. Shoot or sip your tequila under a Santa Fe-style cedar pergola surrounded by huge live oak trees. The 2,000-square-foot area, cooled by fans, features ornamental grillwork gates, cacti, and desert palms. Soft lighting on adobe walls creates a magical summer evening. Or maybe that illusion originates from the tequila. 

The Foundry Dallas
The Foundry

The Foundry

The patio at The Foundry is part bar, part restaurant, and—thanks to a sculptural stage made from wood pallets—part music video. Order an ice-cold draft beer, a popsicle from neighboring restaurant Chicken Scratch, and plop down on a couch in one of the converted shipping containers. Rather work on your farmer’s tan? Pull up a bench at one of the communal picnic tables and say hi to your neighbors. 

Smoke Plano

Chances are good that you will have to wait for a plate of chef Tim Byres’ bodacious barbecue. At least you can wait on Smoke’s spacious outdoor patio. It’s easy to forget you’re in a shopping center, bordered on three sides by a parking lot. The restaurant has created an urban sanctuary by planting dozens of native Texas plants and trees, as well as adding sail shades, misters, and fans. If it’s on the cocktail menu, try a frozen Rosemary’s Baby: Skyy grapefruit vodka, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, house-made rosemary syrup, and a swirl of Aperol, garnished with a slice of grapefruit. 

Spork

North Dallas’ newest hangout has the most delightful, pleasant patio in the neighborhood. Chef Eric Justice took an abandoned Sonic and, with some help from the Bolsa boys (Chris Jeffers, Chris Zielke, and Tim Byres), turned the space into a lively, fun place to grab a burger and a beer. The interior is no-frills, but you don’t want to be cooped up indoors, right? Outside, concrete has been replaced by green space, lounge chairs, and hanging cedar benches. Want games? Cornhole, bocce ball, table tennis, and foosball await. And: live acoustic music on Wednesday nights. 

Meddlesome Moth

The partly covered patio at Meddlesome Moth is an oasis on the edge of the industrious Design District. A tall concrete wall blocks the hustle and bustle of the perpetually busy intersection of I-35 and Oak Lawn Avenue just a block away. Planters with colorful flower arrangements line the seating area. On a quiet day, which is a rarity, the faint trickle of the patio’s fountain can be heard over music and chatter, and if you’re lucky you’ll spot a butterfly or two. Cool off under one of the many fans with an ice-cold glass of beer. The Moth has more than 100 varieties from which to choose. 

32 Degrees Dallas
32 Degrees

32 Degrees

When it’s 102 degrees at 6:30 pm, head to the rooftop bar at Urban Crust, where the name and the temperature of the draft beer they serve are one and the same. 32 Degrees, overlooking historic downtown Plano, features a strip of actual ice that runs the length of the bar, a unique feature that keeps drinks cool long after they’re served. The frosted liquor taps pour Patrón silver tequila, Tuaca, and Jägermeister at minus-5 degrees. You might want to BYOSweater. 

The Lot

The kids are out of school for the summer, and you need a beer. Grab the whole family and head over to the expansive outdoor area at this East Dallas restaurant and bar. Let the ankle biters run free in the gated play area while you wander over to the beer garden to cool off. The entire patio is covered by an enormous wooden awning, which comes in handy on beautifully cloudless, yet scorching hot, afternoons. Fans and misters scattered throughout the space blow hard. The strength is ideal for fighting off the Texas heat but unfortunate for a good hair day. We recommend a hat if you care about keeping up appearances. 

Truck Yard Dallas
Truck Yard

Truck Yard

Truck Yard offers 15,000 square feet of partly shaded seating, a stage for live music, food trucks, and a treehouse that doubles as a bar. The space reeks of calculated kitsch, from the plastic pink flamingo in a birdcage to the Airstream bar and dining tables made from truck beds. But that’s what gives this patio its populist charm. As the sun sets and the outside area is filled with color from various hanging neon signs and lights, head up to the treehouse bar to grab a bottled cocktail. If you’re lucky, a cool breeze will follow. 

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium

A gentle breeze blows across Lake Ray Hubbard and through the airy patio of Flying Saucer. Most of the area is a covered, comfortable spot to watch boats and drink frosty glasses of beer. On muggy evenings, the staff turns on the wall fans and misters to bring the temperature down. The beer, however, is always cold. 

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