The Ivy Tavern — Restaurant in Dallas

I have been a customer for years thanks to George, an old employee who always made this place feel like home. Have referred many friends to this place. However my relation to this place is dead. I went with my boyfriend who does not speak much English but luckily I am very fluent and understand American culture. Yesterday I experienced discrimination at this place. Went in with my Texas DL while he with his Mexican DL. As soon as we entered and sat at the bar, got a very unwelcoming look from the lady bartender inside. I continued to say Hello, she asked what we would like to drink and I ordered for both. She then asked for our IDs and we proceeded to hand them. She looked at mine and then looked at his. We saw as she looked for a light to inspect it so much that she asked two man for a flashlight. I went over to ask what the problem was. And they told us his DL was expired if he had any other form of identification. This is well understood. However, mine was expired as well and the bartender handed back my DL and said “you’re fine”. I had to note this to prove a point- i said “well in that case mine is expired too”. A man was trying to explain why mine was more valid (being expired) than a Mexican one. Mine was overlooked and his was not simply for the fact that it was Mexican. I guarantee if this had been a TEXAS OR US ID it would have probably also been overlooked like mine. I am not saying they were wrong for following procedure of expiration on identification. But there was definitely a racist gist to this very uncomfortable situation and I do not recommend people of non American ethnicity to...

My friends and I decided to catch up one night by grabbing a couple of drinks. We keep to ourselves: find a corner, plop ourselves down, and chat. No rabble rousing, no whooping, no slurs, no taking off t-shirts and twirling them around like a bunch of buffoons. Nice environment to catch up in, or so I thought.

It goes downhill from here.

The barmaid took her time getting our drinks (I'm patient and reasonable, it was a busy evening). But she would talk to personal friends for extended periods, and purposefully ignore me. Whenever she could get around to serving me, she would be terse and belligerent, acting as if it was a crime for me to exist. When I chose to close out my tab, she replied "You know you get no more drinks after this right?" Thrown off by this unfounded hostility, I candidly replied, "Sure." Yet, she continued to treat my friends with disrespect whenever my friends continued to get drinks (modest amounts of one or two up to this point), she cuts them off on the basis of their affiliation with me. In addition, she asks them "Are you going to tip?" But it doesn't end there. She would talk about us in front of other patrons, until when we finally departed, one of her friends got up and called out, "Are you leaving?" My friend calls back with a "Yup!" "Good. It's the general consensus that you should."

Disgraceful.

I will never come here again. I always take 1 star reviews with a grain of salt. I encourage you to not to do so with this one. This bar is not what it appears. There are far better in Dallas.

The bartender was the short, surly, dirty blond with the...

After hearing mixed reviews, I decided to go ahead and check out this bar & grill. Why not? It has been here for 3 years and it's just a half-mile from where I live. It was Monday and I was hungry! Upon entering I was awestruck since before becoming this location it was a dive bar with low expectation. Now the interior looks NOTHING like the old grimy existence. I sat down at the bar and requested a menu. The bartender was polite and prompt. She informed us that the happy hour prices were good until 7 pm and that we could also make the drink a double for just $2 more. It sounded promising so I partook. I ordered the well bourbon just to see how it tasted since I had not heard of the brand. I was pleased with the pour as well as the taste of the well bourbon. I order what was called a Ivy melt. It was NOTHING like I expected. First of it came with jalapeno mayo and an avocado sauce. Second, it was stacked with turkey and bacon. This is NOT a patty melt. But the description was exact with what was presented. The taste...dear lord the taste was greatly appreciated that I made the choice to go with this sandwich. I cannot believe no one that I know has not been here, let alone tasted the awesome food. I cannot wait to come back and order more from the menu. The bartender told us about their pizzas and that they are more than enough to fill up 2 people. I have a hunch as to what I will be getting next time...especially since I know that this was a hidden gem all the while in...