A reader who liked my $20 or less on Greenville story emailed me with an interesting question: Where is the oldest bar in Dallas?
He writes:
A light bulb went off that the Windale Tavern may well be the oldest bar on Lowest (Lower is up by the Grape) Greenville Avenue. In fact it is likely the oldest bar on either of those parts of Greenville Avenue. I am positive that the Windale is the only bar on Greenville that opens at 7 AM. Back in the olden days, the mid to late '60's, numerous bars opened at 7 AM for the graveyard shift workers.
Anyway, in 1976 or '77 Dick Hitt, who was the front page Metro columnist for the Dallas Times Herald, did a piece to name the oldest bar in Dallas. I don't know how he arrived at his first winner, which was Sol's Turf Bar in the Adolfus Hotel. Maybe he just took the word of the people who wrote or called in (no email then, really).
[snip]
Turns out that Sol's lost the designation because either it had moved once, or had closed and re-opened briefly under another name. ...The Greenville Avenue Bar & Grill was the oldest bar in Dallas, having opened right after Prohibition. It remained so until one or two years ago, when somebody bought it and changed the name for a few months, when they belly-upped.
Anyone else have any thoughts on what would be the oldest bar around here? I know Club Schmitz opened in the 40's, but surely there's another place older than that. Unless it's been torn down.
Don't know if you've been to the Dutch-themed West End pub, but it's a pretty cool place. They've got a nice wine and beer selection and a menu of Dutch bar bites. (i.e., fried cheese with curried ketchup and horseradish sauce; fried pieces of cod with Dutch tartar sauce.) Plus you can eat regular lunch and dinner there too.
I stopped by last night after work and owner Ronny Smeink mentioned that they're going to change the name of the place. "Cafe," while the correct Dutch term for a pub with food, confuses people, he said. They're going to exchange it for the word pub, in hopes bringing in more traffic.
If you don't have plans on Saturday, they're hosting an exotic car and bike night, with Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, RUF Porsches and Ducatti bikes displayed in the parking lot. The Velvet Kittens will do a burlesque show at 10 p.m.
Also, Ronny mentioned that you can park for free there during a game at American Airlines Center, assuming you obviously stop in an order something first. I didn't realize until yesterday how close it is to Victory Park. Just a stone's throw from Hooter's and Luna de Noche.
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