Bowen House — Restaurant in Dallas

I love the Bowen House for its ambiance, artistan cocktails and the deliciously cozy warm fireplace in the midst of the elegant atmosphere of an old rennovated house that holds appreciation and value for the graceful age of the city of Dallas. I am particular with my cocktail choices as I am strictly gluten free and vegan. I have to be cautious of my liquor choices. I relayed my cocktail preferences to our bartender Aaron S. who immediately suggested a house special, The Grassy Knoll. I have to say, this is literally one of my favorite cocktails in all of Dallas. It has the perfect combination of herbal flavors from fresh rosemary with refreshing cucumbers, the perfect spicy accents from jalapeños, and fresh squeezed lime to make the flavor pop. Aaron S. even went to the next level of service to check about which vodkas were gluten free. He suggested I go with Titos Vodka as a safe gluten free option. We also ordered the Spanish Olives and Almonds dish to compliment our cocktails. I was impressed with the freshness and flavor of the olives, and that the almonds came out blanched and tossed in rosemary. Less lectins so they are healthier and more flavorful! Aaron S. made sure to hold the feta cheese from being served as he remebered that we told him the entire table was vegan. An absolutely wonderful experience! Thank you Aaron S. for your excellent above par service! As a Doctor of Chiropractic and Functional Medicine, I am constantly walking the walk of what I ask my patients to do. This includes enjoying life while also sticking to certain dietary restrictions such as gluten free and only natural sweeteners. The Grassy Knoll at the Bowen House passed the test for all the requirements and I am so thankful to have found it!! I will be letting my patients know that this cocktail from The Bowen House is healthy enough for them to...

Good atmosphere with good drinks. We have enjoyed food in the past but did not eat this visit. We are leaving this review with a bit of frustration, but after giving it a night, we feel it necessary. Upon arriving it was noticeably busy, which we've become used to at Bowen House. It's fun, popular, but quaint. We were informed by a young man in a suit that it was at capacity but could wait and have a drink on the porch. No problem. We were there with two other groups waiting, so we had company. People came and went and the first group got a table, then us, then we saw the last couple who we were out with get a seat at the bar. During all this though, there was a second man in a suit. (Owner, manager?) I don't know what capacity means to most, but it must mean full unless you know the suit guy. Though we, and our new porch friends, were asked to wait outside, the other guy in the suit a couple of times somehow found chairs from outside for people sitting by the fire to cozy up to the bar. And the couple that was the last to finally get a seat at the bar? Well, capacity limits allowed them to be swarmed by about 8 people and the suit man who quickly overtook half the bar. Again, I guess capacity unless you know the suit guy. We never had a terrible time. Despite being busy, the service was attentive and our table was great. We loved the ambiance as usual. We also understand that times and rules are hard. But please, don't tell almost every person that wants to come in that you are following distancing and capacity rules when we can all see that only applies to the people you aren't friends with. It's a small bar and we can see the whole place too. Two stars because we still love the staff and the place. Maybe more stars when we become friends with the...

Happy hour is definitely the way to go here. The HH drinks and snacks were my favorite part and fantastically priced. The Spanish croquettes were a tasty snack. Highly recommend the Southside for a good summer sipper.

The main regular menu is a bit pricy on the food for what you get; the drinks are also pricy HOWEVER, for the alcohol used in them and the thought put into them, I’m totally fine with the cocktail menu as it is. Charcuterie and cheese board was good though, I was underwhelmed by the cacio e pepe (that was not a true cacio e pepe anyway, but a lot of restaurants don’t make it traditionally and still call it that so I’m not going to hold it against them). Tried two desserts and they were skippable. The menu is oddly organized with obvious side dishes (which, like, why $18 for asparagus?) mixed in with regular plates; it seems purely for aesthetic reasons just so the left rag on the list is perfectly diagonal which is so silly.

The atmosphere is nice if a bit loud (but it is small and essentially a bar so I don’t have a problem with the noise). Staff was helpful and attentive despite being very busy; the host did a great job getting us good seats at the bar without reservations and it really didn’t take that long despite the hustle and bustle. I look forward to returning to try the back bar with no menu and “we’ll make something just for you” style drinks, perhaps for after dinner drinks.

Parking is comical. Definitely Uber if you’re able. Not the restaurant’s fault; just how it is in that...