One thing I was *really* looking forward to while we were in Dallas was eating some BBQ! I went the entire week at SXSW without eating any BBQ. It was a shame, I know, but I wasn’t going to let that happen this time! The only thing on Jonathon’s list was tacos. We were only in town for 48 hours, but many of those hours were at night or during the marathon, so we only got a handful of meals while there, but they were FANTASTIC!

Cafe Brazil

Since we landed so late on Saturday and had to deal our horrible hotel service, we were a bit out of luck with places to grab a quick, late night dinner. By the time we checked into the Marriott Suites, it was almost 11:30 pm. We quickly went to our room, dropped our bags and opened our laptops to see what our options were for late night food that wouldn’t make us sick. Jonathon had to be up at 5 am for the marathon, so we needed something quick, close, and not too greasy. We found Cafe Brazil, which looked decent, called an Uber and were in the Uber by about 11:40 pm. We asked our driver if there were any other options, but beyond his suggestion for pizza, he agreed that Cafe Brazil was our best option.

Even though it was close to midnight, it was the perfect temperature to sit outside! Since it was about midnight, and we were on the edge of a bunch of bars (many of which catered to the large gay community in Dallas), we had great entertainment and people watching while we ate. We both got breakfast food for dinner and were definitely satisfied with our food! We hear they have great coffee, but it was too late for us to even try a decaf before bed, so we made our way back to the hotel on the highway.

Weekend Coffee

The next day included the RUDE awakening at 4 am, and the 6:30 ride to the Big D Marathon. Once everyone had started the marathon, I grabbed an Uber to the Weekend Coffee Shop inside the Joule hotel. I was planning on meeting up with friends for brunch but knew that 7:45 was a bit early for most, but especially friends who have a 6-week old baby. So I sat at Weekend, drank my delicious coffee and did a bit of work.

Bolsa’s for Brunch

Finally, at 10 am, (I say because I work up at 4 am, it felt like a lifetime later), my friends, Nico and Sarah, were ready to meet for brunch! They suggested Bolsa’s in the Bishop Arts District, so I called an Uber and met them at Bolsa’s. First, my Uber took me to the wrong Bolsa’s. Turns out that there are two Bolsa’s on the same block. One is technically a Mercado, which is where I was initially, but the restaurant is close, so I figured out the mistake shortly and was able to walk down. Bolsa’s was delicious! I had the chilaquiles, and a few mimosas, because #SundayFunday!

We sat and chatted for almost 3 hours! It was a great time, and the perfect way for me to pass some time in Dallas while Jonathon was running 26.2 miles. As they drove me back to the marathon to watch Jonathon finish, they gave me great recommendations on where to go for BBQ, drinks and more.

Lockheart’s BBQ

After using Hotel Tonight to find a hotel, and cleaning up, we decided it was time for us to have some BBQ. Nico told us about this great place, Lockheart’s, so I called to find out when dinner started. Turns out they open for dinner at 6 pm, so we made our way there and got in the door just before 6. Good thing we did! Lockheart is one of those places where people line up for hours, and once they are out of meat, they are out of meat. We grabbed a drink and waited in line while the delicious smelling meat wafted our way. We quickly made friends in line, because Dallas is so friendly, and got recommendations on what meat and sides to order.

This was the BBQ I had been waiting for. Yum! I’ve been craving it ever since! I really wish Colorado had some decent BBQ places.

Blind Butcher

After dinner, we met friends at a bar near the Truck Yard called The Blind Butcher. It was the perfect evening to sit outside with new friends and share some drinks. Plus they had some great ciders on tap! Jonathon and I didn’t eat since we were just at Lockhearts, but the cheese and meant spreads looked amazing! We closed down the night there as we were both exhausted and needed a good night of sleep before working the next day.

Velvet Taco

Monday morning, we woke up and both had early morning work phone calls to take. After a few hours of working, we were starving. Since we had satisfied my desire for BBQ, I figured we should find some tacos for Jonathon. My Twitter friend ThroughTheLinz recommended a few places. Unfortunately, many were closed on Monday, so we ended up going to Velvet Taco. HOLY CRAP this place was amazing!

The #3 taco, the Crisp tikka chicken, was incredible. Pretty sure Jonathon would fly back to Dallas any time JUST to have that taco again.

Ascension Coffee

We spent the rest of the afternoon with @ThroughTheLinz and she took us to some great places that we wouldn’t have found on our own. The next stop was Ascension Coffee for an afternoon espresso and a bit more work (it was still Monday, after all). This place has it all, coffee (that they roast themselves), wine and beer, food, valet parking and (the most important thing) WiFi! After spending some time with our laptops it was time to stop working for the day.

Meddlesome Moth

While searching for where to go next, we stumbled upon the Meddlesome Moth which just happened to be right next door to Ascension, which was great because it had just started to rain. They had a bunhc of unique and different beers and ciders on tap and in bottles. Jonathon got this interesting cider from Michigan:

Gloria’s

We still had a few hours before having to head to the airport, so @ThroughTheLinz suggested we grab dinner at one of her favorite Mexican places, Gloria’s. We couldn’t say no to that! We even lucked out because it was happy hour all day long on Monday. The food, drinks and company were the perfect way to end our long weekend in Dallas, Texas.

While our trip was quick, I’d say we got to go to some of the best places for food and drinks in Dallas! What did we miss?