Dallas Craft Co. ~

Looks like the Keller location is closed, leaving only the one in The Colony, which we haven't been to.

Last visit: Dec 2017 (Keller - closed)

First visit: June 2016 (Keller)

Apparently the name "Drunken" didn't appeal to the good clean folks in Keller or Colleyville (as opposed to the dirty folks in Lewisville?), so Dallas Craft was born... Nothing else changed that I can see, except for my final note below. We still recommend it!

On the last updated post from Funky Baja's, we spoke about how Keller is all grown up. The kid is now in college, and with that... we now have Drunken Donkey. We have longed wished for a Flying Saucer type place in Northeast Tarrant. When Ginger Man arrived in Southlake, it seemed our dreams had come true. Except it didn't. Ginger Man's mentality exists from a time when getting German drafts was still a big deal. We want local, and want the beers to rotate often, not just tokenism ("Have you heard of Rahr's?" Really?). And besides, food at the Ginger Man are appetizers. So the reality is, Ginger Man is not what we were looking for. BTW, for the record, I use Ginger Man as an "extended office" and have met many of my partners/vendors/suppliers there. It definitely serves its purpose, but they can do better in my estimation. Back to Drunken Donkey... it may not be perfect, and maybe not quite as "obscure beer" focused (like Jack Mac's) as we'd like, but we're getting that much closer!

They call themselves Craft Bar and Scratch Kitchen (now they call themselves Craft Kitchen and Community Tap Room - did they pay consultants for this? Hope not very much). And they do that because food is not an afterthought to the drink, and honestly that's what makes it so alluring. So far, I've only been to lunch with a couple of business partners, and had the salad and sandwich combo each time. The sandwiches are huge, and really quite good (I've tried the chicken fried chicken, and what they call the Big A$$ Club). I just noticed they have a sandwich that has a cheese sauce made with Old Chub. Oooh - I have to try that. But you know what I'm starting to crave? Perhaps an all-time first for the RJG, at least for the blog: Their champagne vinaigrette dressing on the salad. Oh my goodness. I've always loved a clean tasting, but heavily spiced, Italian dressing, and this fits that definition perfectly. Cold crisp lettuce as well. We've got a long way to go in exploring this menu, but I have every intention of doing just that. Actually, while I'm here, I really enjoy their chicken fried chicken!

They are a full bar, but craft beer is definitely their specialty. And they have an enormous selection. It's very similar to Flying Saucer and Ginger Man, in that they have more well known imports, and specialty Belgians. Their beer menu, at least in my 2 visits spread across two months, seemed a bit too "permanent", with maybe 2 to 3 deviations. I think if you specialize in it, they should have more "rare taps" and draft-only beer from some of the local brewers, rather than beers one can typically find at a well stocked Goody Goody. Just my opinion of course, and my "collecting nature". But for the other 95% of you, the beer selection is likely to be overwhelming on first visit. Might be worth visiting the website ahead of time, and making a small list before heading over.

Dallas Craft Co. is a nice open, sunny, and spacious standalone building, with outside seating and a bar area. This was the former TGI Fridays (good riddance...). You'll find the restaurant on the east side of US 377 between Kroger Dr and North Tarrant. I'm reading that this place is wildly popular on weekend nights, so plan ahead.

Dallas Craft Co is a local chain that started in Lewisville in 2014 (with the filthy Drunken Donkey moniker...), with other locations already in Colleyville and The Colony.

The ladies who work here are a bit on the "hot" side, in the Hooters tradition. Which is fine for a traditional male like myself, but thought I'd mention it in case it's not ideal for the company you're with (update - and with the name change, they seemed to toned down the heat here with the ladies as well).

6/18/16 (new entry); 12/28/17