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The Loon
Categories: Nightlife Bars Restaurants American (Traditional) Bars, American (Traditional) [Edit]
3531 McKinney AveDallas, TX 75204
Neighborhood: Uptown
(214) 559-0044
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Yes
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Dive-y
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
125 reviews for The Loon
Review Highlights
"Strong drinks at a reasonable price."
(in 25 reviews)
"If you get there early enough, you may be able to snag a..."
(in 3 reviews)
"The strongest drink in town."
(in 9 reviews)
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125 reviews in English
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Review from jj l.
Dallas, TX
12/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
The Loon, Hello, this place is my hole. So you may have to wait outside on Friday, Saturday it's a small place, only so many can fit. Come early no wait, relax, and enjoy some very stiff drinks. The Loon is a great jump start to any evening.
Only downside is the parking, very small parking lot. So good luck finding a spot on the weekend.
The food is surprisingly very good. The cream pasta bowl, or you can't go wrong with their pizzas. The drinks are very strong, and topped off. Try it out on the weekend, sunday night is always a great night to enjoy it as a quite hole in the wall. If it's sleeting, and snowing even better place to shack up in.
Not uncommon to see a sport celebrity from one of the Dallas teams here. All types, all comers. -
Review from Sarah L.
Irving, TX
1/2/2012
Hands down the strongest drinks in Dallas. It's always crowded. The times I've gone there, it is douchebag heaven, with obnoxiously drunk college girls fighting off older men.
I think to myself, "I'm getting too old for this shit!" (drunk college crowd) but then I have a drink and all is tolerable. :-) If you're with good company, just get one of these jet-fueled drinks (I had some sort of vodka concoction, I honestly can't remember, LOL!) and you're guaranteed a good time. Just try not to let your beer/vodka goggles run your night. -
Review from Thomas C.
Dallas, TX
12/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Doesn't look like much on the outside.
Doesn't look like much on the inside.
I have never eaten the food here.
The bar is always packed... But the drinks and the service are fantastic. Cocktails only, if I were you. -
Review from Jason L.
12/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
What can I say about the Loon? This place is a must stop for me on all my outings to Dallas. I would compare it to Detours here in Austin, divey with a sense of homey if that makes sense.
You will be elbow to elbow with people. Your drinks will be extra stiff. You will spill prob 1 or 2 drinks. And you will love every minute of it. lol
Pretty mixed crowd, from Frat D-Bag, to old dad who puts the ring in the pocket and prowls, to someone who looks like he just got off grease lightning set (yes we saw you there, change it up) haha But always, I mean ALWAYS, a fun time.
The surrounding area might not be the prettiest, and you prob will pass by it a couple times before you see for first timers. But definitely check it out, its worth it, TRUST me! -
Review from Bill S.
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I know, I know...I'm giving The Loon only 2 stars. I think if I was writing this and I was 10 years younger I'd be giving it 4 stars but not at my "old" age now. Other than serving strong drinks this place doesn't have much to offer me. It's crowded with Uptown douchery and $30k Millionaires(although I have seen local sports celebs come here too). Basically it's just packed and to me, not worth the hassle. But again, this is coming from a 30-something old man.
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Review from Cee B.
12/20/2011
The last time that I ever came to the Loon while I was permanently living in Dallas was for a friend's wanton, unfettered 21st birthday where I got propositioned by an older couple while I was waiting in line for drinks & naturally fled, forcing an inebriated friend to go collect it for me. Traumatized for life, I wasn't sure what to expect when I came back when visiting friends for a let's-simulate-our-undergrad-life victory lap. Decent selection of frozen drinks. The drinks are always stiff. Unfortunately, it's always packed so I feel like there's a lot of waiting around. But it's upbeat & unpretentious for an uptown Dallas bar--which you gotta respect!
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Review from Tony G.
Garland, TX
10/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place sucks. No specials on a Thursday night. Also shit music. Just a plan old drive bar. I will never come back. Weak Ass bar
Fries were great. The load fries were so good -
Review from Kirk P.
Dallas, TX
1/17/2012
I like The Loon even though due to when I have been there and so on I have never been able to take full advantage of their legendarily strong drinks. The most surprising thing about this place is that it is not a dive. Some do include The Loon in list of Big D dives but for me the strong lighting, more extensive menu and overall ambience suggests a neighborhood bar that is just a bit to classy to be a dive. It is true that this place has a great divey exterior but inside the true nature of the space is revealed. Even though the Loon is no dive it is far less gentrified inside and out than most of the surrounding northern part of Uptown. This is a small comfortable feeling place, with a pool table, longish bar and more food than one might think. I have not been there when it was crowded but at one time at least this place was known for a weekend crush but without the crowd this is just a comfortable little bar that largely lacks pretense. The beer selection is average and though I did not try the food, I can't imagine it being more than quality 'bar food' at best. The total lack of an outdoor seating area is both infuriating and a sign if the old school authenticity of the bar. The Loon is just a solid American bar.
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Review from Spencer D.
Dallas, TX
12/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
If you like stiff drinks, you will like the Loon. Enough said.
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Review from Kristen e.
Seattle, WA
8/13/2011
We were walking past the Magnolia and Sweet Husband gestures across Lemmon and says, "See that awning? That's where we're headed."
I followed his gaze through the bright sunshine, to which my own irises had not yet adjusted. Confused I reply, "The one that says Dentistry?"
"No, no. The green awning, to the left of that one."
"Ohhhhhh." I see it now. "Oh. Are you sure?"
As we pull the heavy wood door toward us I try to imagine what we will find on the other side. I conjure up images of dense smoke, mullets, and lots of empties strewn about. Not bad things, mind you, when that's the vibe you're looking for - but it wasn't, not this day, anyway.
My eyes adjusted to the dark, relieved, both as a result of a respite from the sun and surprise in discovering what appeared to be more of pub than a bar notorious for it's stiff drinks and dedicated drinkers.
We cozied up to the bar, which had a few patrons spread around it. The mid-afternoon crowd had us as the youngest by ten, maybe twenty years. No mullets.
The bartender, a chipper and attractive twenty something, welcomes us and asks what we'll have to drink. It's the middle of a hot spring afternoon and I didn't know any better so I ordered a gimlet and called the booze. Sweet husband shakes his head and smiles. The bartender laughs with her eyes and I realize I have made a rooky mistake.
This is a drinkers bar. I am a drinker. I should know better.
She makes the drink as she explains that no one has ordered a gimlet in all the time she's worked at the Loon. I'm lucky, she says, that she also works another joint on Knox/Henderson. The drink is perfect and I appreciate that we can chalk this up to a learning experience.
We get to chatting. I tell her it's my first day in Big D; I'm here visiting my Mister who's already relocated for his new gig. The Loon was recommended by friends who share our affinity for good bars with generous pours of amber fluids.
After checking out the specials board, which includes full dinners that would sound quite good if I were more hungry, we order a club sandwich to share and a side of fries. Both were tasty. I was surprised at the amount of non-fried options on the menu and tucked that tid-bit aside for a future visit.
She gives us a virtual tour of hot spots, dives, and the various neighborhoods that make up the area. She asks what I do for work and offered some tips on where to look when I move down.
We order another round - I get it right this time, finish our food, thank the amiable wait-staff and make our way back outside.
"I think I'm going to like it here," I say. We hold hands and greet the sun. -
Review from Amanda M.
8/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place was pretty cool.
I came here on a Sunday night so it was low key. I liked the look from the inside. There are two different rooms on either side of the bar. The only problem with that is one side freezes and the other side stays room temp. (That's what the bartender explained) I was on the freezing side. booo.
Overall, it had a cool, low key feel. I'd come here again. -
Review from Blake R.
Dallas, TX
6/26/2011
Drink, drank, drunk.
That's The Loon. If you plan to make The Loon your drinking destination all night, prepare to take a cab home. This is the legendary Dallas watering hole that is known for drinks that can kill many large animals after just a few sips. This is the place I want to be after a really bad day, or the place I want to be when I feel like having the world's worst headache the next day.
This bar hasn't changed in many decades, just expanded a little. Very basic decor, cheap fixtures, and grungy bathrooms. But all that is okay, because this is The Loon. You read this and think it's just some cheap piece of crap, but in reality, you never know who you might see here due to it's infamy. How about your world champion Dallas Mavericks having their first celebration after triumphantly returning from Miami there? Yep, it happened. I've also personally seen a few Cowboys there. It's not a place where people go to be seen, but rather a place where anyone can go to get extremely drunk and just blend in with a group of friends.
The service is very underwhelming. It's clear that the attitude of the staff is they're there to make you drinks quickly and turn to the next person. There's no conversation, it's just strictly business almost like drink robots. But then again, they're often insanely busy as the bar packs to claustrophobic levels.
They do have some decent bar food. The hamburger is one of the better bar burgers. Definitely a good place for a quick lunch burger washed down with a tumbler of Rumple Minze.
The Loon will probably be around after nuclear holocaust still serving dangerously strong drinks to cockroaches after humanity is extinct. It's a Dallas institution for being plain and simple with those notoriously strong drinks.Listed in: My Guide to Dallas Nightlife
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Review from Thomas M.
Dallas, TX
9/13/2011
The pours are excellent... and the servers are pretty cool
Other than that its a windowless crowded bar with alot of overdressed people. 2 stars is being generous -
Review from Farrah A.
3/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Oh, The Loon. We've shared many *forgettable* nights together - and I mean that in the sincerest way. You pour the stiffest drinks at the cheapest prices. My girls and I could always rely on you to get us nicely buzzed well before the night began; and we knew we could come back to you full circle for one final pow-wow.
But upon our most recent reunion, after a few years and some maturity, I came to realize a few things: Yes, you still serve the most poisonous drinks, and you're still dirt cheap ... but ...
... this is where the creepsters and rejects come to die. "Was it always like this?" I asked Melody L. "Uh, yeah. You just had your beer goggles on or were too busy dancing." So watch out girls. If you come here, you're literally asking for it. Especially if you sit at the bar.
Let me paint a picture for ya...
Guy 1: Snaggletoothed freak
Guy 2: "Newman from Seinfeld? Is that you?"
Guy 3: Ripped his tag off his coat with his mouth and spit it in my gf's purse. Fuh-reak.
In summery: The Loon can be 3 stars if you visit early enough (or arrive already tanked), but show up tardy for the party and sober, and you'll be in for quite the opposite experience.Listed in: Dallas - Pubs, Clubs, Bars and…
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Review from Fiesty O.
Kaufman, TX
6/10/2011
I have had people tell me on more than one occasion that they went here for lunch and ended up being driven home at 2am. The Loon is a good-hard-drinkin'-time.
Very good for a first or last stop of the night, it gets too crowded during the prime time. Lots of fratdaddies and sorositutes, but a good spot in Dallas for celebrity sitings. If you can score a spot by the fireplaces or at the bar bonus! There's a pool table and internet juke box.
The food is good and diverse, pizza, pasta, burgers, sandwiches, and dinner plates. I would not try to order food during the busiest hours though. Save that for when you could actually have enough elbow room to enjoy it. -
Review from Karrlie O.
Dallas, TX
4/16/2011 2 Check-ins Here
If you are looking for strong drinks and people watching than this is your place! Every time I head here I forget how strong they make there drinks which is fine if you want to end up on the floor.
The last time I was here it was pretty entertaining as far as watching drunk jackasses goes. We always get a kick out of the crowd and the attitudes of the bartenders.
Good place to hit during the night! -
Review from Angie H.
Dallas, TX
10/28/2011
Gross. I've been here several times (hoping it will get better) and it seems that each experience was just like the other. They serve the beer in a can and the food is nothing special. I was actually concerned about the under cooked burger I was served. The place is small to so it gets really crowded. It's dingy but without all the dive bar charm you look for in a ramshackle place. The worst part is that baby cockroaches have crawled out of the booth I was sitting in on two separate occasions!! The bugs are the final straw, not worth any more effort in my book.
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Review from Mary C.
6/20/2011
I think The Loon is one of the best bars in Dallas. It has been around for a long time. It is located in the middle of uptown and does really well without being Dallas-y and over the top. The bar tenders are good and make a good drink.
It is crowded on the weekends and has a more raucous feel then it does during the week when it is a much more chill comfortable bar. -
Review from Nina L.
Dallas, TX
6/6/2011
Duh, on the drinks, but the food is seriously legit.
I'll encourage anyone to order the now 'off-the-menu" Angus Burger. (Med Rare of course). It's my favorite burger in Dallas. hands.down.
Yes, the bartenders might not always be the most lovely, but they still pour great drinks, so who cares?
The Loon has great drinks, amazing food and some really awesome history. It's also full of old people on weekend afternoons, which I think is adorable. -
Review from Laura W.
San Diego, CA
4/25/2011
If I wasn't terrified of the Loon, I would tell you the following:
1) The pizza is greasy
2) The bathroom is greasy
3) The customers are greasy
However, since I believe that the Loon is a cruel bitch, built with the intent of destroying your sense of control over your life, I'm going to give it a whole five stars! If you go here, don't even bother walking out sober, because they put something in the air that makes you drunk the minute you walk in. I've had a heavy pour many times, but this place mystifies me. One drink and I wake up at home with a pizza in my lap, my panties in the toilet, and my dog wearing Elton John shades.
Seriously, you could walk in there with 20 years of drinking under your belt, and within five minutes, you're talking like a 2 year old with a stuttering problem. -
Review from Paul E.
1/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really really dig this place.
It's like your uncle's basement circa 1985 if you're uncle was cool and had a bar and TV's. Dark, welcoming, comfy couches, great food, and STRONG pours. LEGENDARY pours. Pours that are like they pour in my little gayborhood, only it's not in the gayborhood, technically.
Service can be a little spotty at shift change, but that's true nearly everywhere. The pizza looked and smelled fantastic, but I had already eaten. I'm making it a point to go back and try it sometime. -
Review from Courtney S.
Dallas, TX
2/16/2011
Rumors of a giant second story addition with patio are floating around. Can't wait for that! Strong, cheap drinks. Decent food. Good place to watch a game or to go on a cold night.
If you get there after 10, it will probably be one in one out, so be ready to stand in line. -
Review from J G.
Dallas, TX
4/22/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I like the loon but it's baffling how this place is always so busy especially everytime I walk in, it's a full-on sausage fest. I guess it's the strong drinks that attracts folks.
In all fairness their food is good. Although small, the burger is fantastic and always cooked medium rare like a burger should be cooked.
Beer selection is bad. -
Review from Brad B.
Irving, TX
3/17/2011 9 Check-ins Here
Everyone knows about The Loon's strong and cheap drinks. Everyone knows about the unique crowd ranging from SMU kiddos to hipsters to older business types. But not everyone knows about how amazing and reasonable the food is here.
HANDS down, this is the best hot roast beef sandwich with au jus that I have ever eaten. The meat is juicy and tender and overflows the bread. It's served piping hot by the excellent servers with chips (though you can substitute a healthy portion of french fries), and wham bam, you have one of the tastiest meals in Dallas.
The Loon has elevated "bar food" up to the next plateau. Sometimes I even go in to just eat now and not get wasted face. Sometimes. -
Review from Latha N.
Irving, TX
9/26/2011
Great spot for a Sunday evening relaxed and super casual dinner and/ or drinks. They have half - priced pizza and it's a lot quieter than normal. Also a very friendly waitstaff were strangers actually smile at you, a bit rare for Uptown.
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Review from Roger M.
Dallas, TX
2/13/2011
Went for the 2nd time last night. Got wings and cheese fries...fuckin' yum! What was cool was that the cheese fries were totally covered in cheese, like frosting on a cake. My friend was so pumped, she started scooping all the cheese from the basket and ate some of the foil. I didn't stop her because she was drunk and it was funny to me at the time. Drinks are strong and the bar is cool.
I'm confused on why some people call this a "dive" bar...it's not a dive. Maybe it's a dive for Uptown but I didn't see any hookers, fights, meth, or puke...you know, things usually found in dive bars.
The lock on the men's bathroom doesn't work so get ready to get walked in on if you're going to go pee...and for God's sake don't go #2!
PACE, bitches... -
Review from Maximo L.
Dallas, TX
This is a cool dark divey type of place with a pretty solid staff! Great drinks and I heard their philly cheesesteak is pretty fkin awesome! Can't wait to go back!
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Review from Jordi M.
Dallas, TX
9/23/2011
The Loon is in a strip center across from West Village next door to a
Subway. Don't let the location or lack of signage fool you--it's worth
the hunt for this local haunt of SMU kids and businessmen alike. The
diverse crowd comes for one reason: the Loon has the strongest and
cheapest drinks in town. For about $6 dollars, your order of a Crown
and Coke gets you a double of Crown and a splash of Coke (literally).
If stiff drinks aren't your thing, they also have canned beer and
house wine. The food here is suprisingly good. Sit at the bar or try
to squeeze into the usually crowded table area to give any one of
their pizzas a try, or the calamari, which is superb. Thursdays are
primarily a college crowd, and local teams bring in the sports crowds.
If you ever have a problem, ask Noe the bartender to help, or try
flagging down the white-haired guy who sits at the end of the
bar--he's the owner, and he is typically there every night! -
Review from Levi and Laura D.
Dallas, TX
4/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
We are giving the loon a 5 on drinks because they are generously poured, and a 4 on the food.
We ordered some vodka tonics with grey goose to start off with. They are definitely poured strong. I normally drink straight liquor and could appreciate this drink. It was just a splash of tonic and at $6 for premium liquor not a bad price at all.
We ordered the roast beef sandwhich and the rustic pizza and added pepperoni.
First the sandwhich. It was your basic deli sliced roast beef on thick white bread. My kind of roast beef is the kind your mom bakes in the oven. So I didn't really care for the roast beef was pretty plain however the serving of meat was generous.
The pizza howeer was delicious. If you been to campizzis it's kind of like that but better. Thin crust, the right amout of sauce and the toppings were good. We love pizza and say it's better than the chains, papa johns and pizza hut deep dish are our favs.
Definitely a good place to grab some strong drinks and the pizzas are great. -
Review from Daniel L.
2/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
If you feel like you need to make bad decisions tonight: head to the Loon. This place is a happy accomplice to making sure you don't get that promotion; earn a passing score on that exam; or get elected to Congress after that iPhone photo gets leaked.
This is obviously a fun place - you don't come here to discuss lofty intellectual pursuits and bounce around ideas on revisions to your dissertation. Instead: you come here to taste some of the Uncle's magical cough syrup.
Very fratty in large clusters. It bothered me more to see other houses representing and not my own, rather than just the mere presence of large numbers of fratdaddies.
Next time I shall try the food - those cheese fries sound awesome from Roger M.'s and other reviews below. -
Review from Candriann A.
Dallas, TX
11/6/2010 1 Check-in Here
It was okay but don't think I'd come back here. As one Yelper expressed in her review, there were WAY too many DB in the bar (as well as in the area) to enjoy myself.
I can't say I tried their drinks, from which they are obviously well-known to be strong, but that's okay. I didn't want to end up drooling and staggering out of the bar with the aid of some Jersey Shore reject anyway. -
Review from Emma G.
Dallas, TX
1/21/2011
Looking to feel like you're in a secret club, surrounded by older men and drinking ridiculously strong drinks?
Go here.
It's great. There's nothing more to say. I only left 1 star off because you do risk getting hit on by unwelcome strangers, but that's life right?Listed in: Out on the Ti-Zown
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Review from Roxanne K.
Dallas, TX
12/18/2010 1 Check-in Here
I wasn't impressed with this place... but I think most people love it for the heavy pour. Its dark wooden decor reminds me of the inside of a 17th century sailing ship, cool if that's what your going for.
Truth be told, with all the other gin joints in town I wouldn't go out of my way to pass by here again. -
Review from Sheryl C.
7/15/2010 ROTD 7/19/2011
So I made the rookie mistake of ordering a drink instead of a beer at the Loon. This is Loon 101 as they are known for super stiff drinks. 2 drinks were more than enough and I headed home.
The Loon is still the good time I remember it to be. Great 360 bar, fantastic people watching, friendly clientele and just a good time. It's really a place where EVERYONE talks to everyone. The bartenders are a little standoffish but so what. It's so noisy in there you don't want to linger in convo with them anyway.
In summary:
Great dive, strong and cheap drinks, great people to swap stories with. Come as you are, no need for uber prep time before coming out here. -
Review from Nikki T.
Dallas, TX
7/31/2010
Ok.
So anyone who knows me, knows that I love my Cosmopolitans. If you didn't know, now ya know.
My biggest gripe with ordering the famously girl douchey drink is the fact that nobody in Dallas knows how to make one. Seriously.
Enter: The Loon.
PERFECT COSMO. And for that-- Five stars.
What is the perfect Cosmo? Glad you asked.
a) It should not taste like cranberry juice.
b) I should not be able to stand after drinking 2 of 'em.
c) I should not be able to walk with one in my hand without spilling it on myself or someone else.
d) I should be able to see my reflection in the ice crystals ( to, ya know, check my makeup and stuff)
The Loon knows how to make drinks. Period.
If I lived closer, I'd be in there everyday. Literally. -
Review from Teresa R.
7/20/2010
When you go to the Loon you are usually on a mission. A mission to not remember the rest of your night and to be hurting hard core the next morning. The best thing that can be said about this dark hole in the wall is the promise of a heavy handed pour. A seriously heavy handed pour. Like a, 1/2 of the freakin bottle of vodka in your glass kind of a pour or like a, didn't I ask for soda with this gin kind of a pour.
Can't say much for the food or the crowd, but if you wanna get completely snockered then the Loon is no doubt the place to do it.Listed in: CoCkTaiLs
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Review from James W.
7/18/2011
5 stars for pouring wells the way they should always be poured. My whiskey coke was a clear orange. Gin and tonic was just a splash of tonic. Other establishments could learn a thing or two from The Loon. If you want to have a good time drinking and hanging out with friends on a week night, this is a great place to be. The weekends can get pretty packed sometimes.
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Review from lauren b.
Dallas, TX
7/16/2010 6 Check-ins Here
What can I say...it's everything I was hoping it would be and a whole lot more! From the outside it looks like it would be a grungy whole in tha wall kind of place. I was pleasantly surprised when we opened the doors and it was actually very nice inside. It kind of reminds me of an old bar I use to go to when I lived in Savannah (The BAR BAR).
For the food...didn't have any, but the person next to me was chowing down on a french dip (which by the way looked amazing!). Does anyone know if it tastes as good as it looks????
Now for the drinks....Yup, they are strong and good!! Fortunately I didn't allow myself to get carried away. With it being a school(work) night, I made sure to only have 2 gin and tonics. I can see how I could cause some serious damage to my liver if I were to go on a weekend though. And I definitely would not be driving home. No wonder they had 3 TAXIS out there waiting in the parking lot!! It all makes sense now. -
Review from ALLEN C.
Glendale, CA
8/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Heavy Pours, friendly crowd, bitchy waitresses.
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Review from Ashley M.
Plano, TX
9/18/2010
HOLY VODKA!! Okay, I have been to a lot of bars and restaurants in the DFW area and this place by far has the strongest drinks in the city!! Seriously, 2 drinks and you are set for the entire night!
We ordered a margarita pizza and it tasted really good but those 2 vodka soda's might be doin the talkin!!
Check out the loon if your are lookin for a bar in the uptown area with strong drinks, friendly waitstaff and people watching.
