While these venues can certainly stand on their own for the bites or the beats, we think they're better together. Here are a few of our favorite venues to dine, drink and/or dance the night away.
THE BOMB FACTORY
2713 Canton Street, Dallasbr
The Bomb Factory is aptly named givenbrits history. The building began as a Fordbrautomobile manufacturing plant in thebrearly 1900s and was repurposed duringbrWorld War II to manufacture bombsbrand ammunition for American militarybrinstallations. The original walls of thebrfactory still stand; the rest of the facilitybrunderwent a multimillion-dollar renova-brtion and features state-of-the-art soundbrand light technology. Situated in thebrheart of historic Deep Ellum in down-brtown Dallas, the 50,000-square-foot facil-brity is now one of the trendiest Metroplexbrlive music destinations. The venue hasbrplayed host to a variety of musicians andbrbands ranging from Erykah Badu, ThebrLumineers and Ludacris.br
Dining at The Bomb Factory consistsbrof a full menu by Barrister BBQ and abrvariety of onsite food trucks. You canbralso belly up to five full bars locatedbrthroughout the venue. The dress code isbranything goes, so wear that tank top andbrflip-flops, or get completely decked out.brSome people even wear costumes in trib-brute to the band playing. The only dressbrcode requirement is that costumes mustbrnot block the view of people behind orbraround you. Otherwise, get as wild andbrcrazy as you want!
The Bomb Factory is an all-ages club,brbut patrons under the age of 16 mustbrbe accompanied by an adult 21 or over.brThose age 16 and up are admitted with-brout supervision, and all ages must pur-brchase a ticket to attend concerts. Whenbrthe show is over, you could Uber backbrhome or stay at a local hotel such as thebrOmni or Hotel Indigo.
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THE GINGER MAN
1512 E. Southlake Boulevardbr
You don't need to leave the bubble to experience an authentic pub atmosphere. The Ginger Man is just the place to kick back with a cold onebrand kick off your evening. The premium beer bar features more than 60brunique beers from around the world on tap plus about 75 in bottles. Thisbrsummer, check out rotating seasonal beers including Dogfish Head BeerbrTo Drink Music To '17, Rahr & Son's Summertime Wheat and Saint ArnoldbrSummer Pils.br
If Belgian beer is your thing, don't miss the pub's annual Belgian tast-bring on July 15 in celebration of Belgian National Day. You can samplebreight different beers perfectly paired with various menu items, which, atbrThe Ginger Man, range from classic bar fare such as soft pretzels to up scale bites like the Bratwurst and Ale Onion Flatbread. The house favorite is the Beer Companion, a cheese and meat plate with hummus, freshbrapples, toasted pita bread and French baguette slices.br
Every Saturday night, The Ginger Man is the place to be in Southlakebrfor live music. The pub plays host to a variety of one-man acts and bandsbrthat play cover songs as well as original content. Get ready for hands-in-brthe-air-sing-along sessions—but just don't spill your beer.br
THE FREE MAN CAJUN CAFÉ AND LOUNGE
2626 Commerce Street, Dallas
If you're hungry for some authentic Cajun cuisine along with fantastic live music,brtake a jaunt over to The Free Man CajunbrCafé in Dallas. The restaurant aims to provide great food, music and atmosphere tobrmake it worth the trip every time. Whether you're into jazz, swing or Dixieland music, The Free Man will get your toes tappin'brseven days a week from 7 to 10 p.m. If youbrprefer your set list filled with rock, altbrrock, country, folk or hip-hop, check outbrthe venue earlier in the day. The restaurantbrshowcases a live mixture of these genresbrfrom 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily.br
A favorite among regulars is a groupbrcalled The Free Loaders, a six-piece blues/brjazz/swing band fronted by The Free Man'sbrowner, John Jay Myers, who plays drumsbrfor the group. The house band plays everybrTuesday from 7 to 10 p.m., and about twicebra month on weekends. There is never abrcover charge, and the restaurant/sound stage is an all-ages venue until 10 p.m.brThere is no enforced dress code, so comebras you are and check out the famous FreebrMan experience for yourself.
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THE FLYING SAUCERbrDRAUGHT EMPORIUM
111 E. 3rd Street, Fort Worth
There's more than one Metroplex location ofbrFlying Saucer Draught Emporium, but the FortbrWorth location, situated in the ever-popular Sundance Square, happens to be our favorite. Thebrtaproom features a full pub menu and an impressive selection of 200 craft, draft, imported andbrdomestic beers. Drink all 200 and you'll be heralded as a Beerknurd, the emporium's equivalentbrof a frequent diner, or in this case, drinker. You'llbrget a “flying saucer” plaque on the wall with yourbrname on it along with well-deserved braggingbrrights.br
We also like that there is always somethingbrexciting going on at the Flying Saucer. Take, forbrexample, Tuesday Trivia, which occurs everybrTuesday at 8 p.m. Two games are played back-to-brback, each with three rounds, with cash prizes forbrthe winners. There are also chess matches (timesbrof matches vary month to month, so check Flying Saucer's website for details). As for the food,brFlying Saucer serves everything from classicbrbar bites—hot wings, nachos, cheese fries andbrmore—to gourmet pub fare, such as a house-brsmoked salmon sandwich and goat cheese salad.br
The Saucer's most popular attraction, though,bris the live music that plays Friday through Sunday year-round. Head to this Cowtown hotspotbrfor some of the area's best live music plus foodbrand drinks that just keep flowing. Music genresbrvary by act, so check the online event calendar forbrthe most current listing of performing bands. ThebrSaucer admits all ages until 9 p.m. Cover chargesbrvary by band, but the average cost is $5 per person.
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TAVERNA ROSSA
1151 E. Southlake Boulevardbr
Taverna Rossa is not your average pizza and beer joint, not by a longbrshot. Founders Preston Lancaster and Tony Smith grew up in the Metroplex and are proud of the unique and creative atmosphere they have created. The two entrepreneurs recognized the value in the pizza and beerbrtradition, but wanted to take it to a whole new level. The handmade,brItalian-inspired dishes at Taverna Rossa are made with locally sourcedbringredients, and the distinctive menu has been created in collaborationbrwith Brian Luscher, a culinary consultant and the owner/head chef at ThebrGrape in Dallas. One bite and you'll be convinced: Taverna Rossa is ontobrsomething great when it comes to gourmet pizza.br
Pizza cannot stand alone, however; the beverage component must notbrbe overlooked. At Taverna Rossa, it certainly has not been. In fact, thebrrestaurant has taken beer to the next level with a remarkable craft beerbrselection. If a pint of cold suds is not what you had in mind, perhaps onebrof Taverna's expertly mixed, one-of-a-kind cocktails will tempt you. Youbrcan also select a glass from the restaurant's sensational wine list, which isbrsure to impress even the most discerning vino connoisseur.br
Once you have a slice and a cold one, settle in for some rockin' live music. The restaurant features live bands every Friday and Saturday night.brWhether you like to jam to blues, country or rock, there's a band to suitbrevery musical preference. When the founders partnered up for this adventure, they set out to create something spectacular, and it's safe to saybrthey have.