Your Dating Map of Dallas

  Dating in Dallas can be a tornado of blind dates, dating apps, ghosting, and finance bros with no personality. Luckily, I spoke to some experts in Dallas and beyond to help us navigate the dating pool in Dallas. CEO and founder of a marketing agency for restaurants in Dallas, Carlie Wallace, gave me some helpful insight on some of the hot-ticket date spots in Dallas. She is now married and successfully met, dated, and wed a guy she met in Dallas. So, girls, not all hope is lost! Hopefully, with Carlie’s help, we will be just as successful.

    “Check her socials,” Wallace said. “Okay, I know that kind of sounds a little creepy. But really, she will be flattered. Just do some minor searching on her socials and on the internet to try to understand what she likes, what she is interested in. Then, from those things, you can choose a date that aligns with what you found online. She’ll think you really get her when you choose a date she will love, but you will already be prepared because you will already know it is up her alley.”

    Wallace has owned her marketing agency for three years and began blogging about restaurants in major cities about five years ago.

    “Dallas has the most restaurants per capita than any other city,” Wallace said. “That’s something many people don’t know. This is good news for us, daters. We have so many options to pick from to have a great date.”

Outdoorsy and Chill Date:    

For a chill, low-commitment date, like drinks, appetizers, or a walk, she recommended the Katy Trail Ice House because you can walk to it on the Katy Trail and then stop for drinks at the Ice House. This place is already filled with chill vibes because most of the customers come from the trail wearing workout clothes. Some great menu options include the brisket nachos and their burgers. Katy Trail Ice House has claimed to have the best burgers in town, so you will have to see for yourself. The price point is fairly affordable, offering an excellent option for a fun, low-stress date. For reference, the brisket nachos are an appetizer priced around $18.95.

Fancy and Upscale Date:    

If you are looking for a more upscale, yet trendy place, Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village or on McKinney Avenue is just the place for you and your date. With a sports bar and cocktail lounge upstairs, and a fun atmosphere downstairs, this is certain to be a place for you and your date to bond over drinks and chips and queso. Carlie recommended a certain type of margarita for you and your date to enjoy at Mi Cocina that is sure to get the conversation flowing. You may only need one, however, since they tend to be strong.

    “Mambo Taxis are such an iconic part of Dallas Tex-Mex,” Wallace said. “You have to try one if you want to be a true Dallas resident.”

    Mi Cocina’s prices for food and beverages tend to be pricier than the Katy Trail Ice House, but I think that helps cultivate the upscale atmosphere. For example, the fajitas are about $20 and are a popular dish at Mi Cocina. Another aspect of the atmosphere that I enjoy is the attire. At “Mico,” as Dallas locals call it, you will see attire for a night out on the town—heels, belts, button-ups, and dresses.

    After gaining some insight on Dallas restaurants with Carlie, her husband, Blake Wallace, walked in and offered his expertise on dating in Dallas. While he is not a food blogger, he is married to one that he met in Dallas, so he had some helpful insight for us too.

    “I took Carlie to a restaurant that she had already written about on her blog, so I knew she liked it. The rest is history.”

Active Dates:    

Another option for a dating platform in Dallas is Events and Adventures. According to a study conducted by Eventbrite, “61% of 21- to 35-year-olds say 2024 will be a ‘Year of Adventure’—they want to experience new things, explore new places, and live their best lives.”

    Dating outlet Events and Adventures is aware of this statistic and plans events throughout the city of Dallas for young singles to mingle and meet.

Online Dating:    

Now, what do these dating platforms have to do with date spots in Dallas? The answer is everything. I am not just here to provide expertise given to me by experts in Dallas on the various restaurants you and your date might like. Yes, I do want to share that with you. But first, we have to find you a date.

    Dallas resident, Ava King, said it best when she was convincing me to get back in the dating scene. I was reluctant to do online dating again because it can be exhausting sometimes. Plus, I did not like the idea of meeting my significant other online. Where is the meet-cute? Where is the romantic story? But she changed my perspective.

    “You need to go on Hinge because that is how people our age are meeting people,” King said. “It’s totally normal now. The way you meet is not what matters and it doesn’t have to be cute. Your relationship after you meet is what matters.”

    This changed my mind on online dating. I realized I was willing to throw away a thousand chances to meet someone because I was caught up on the way we would be meeting. That is really putting the cart before the horse and totally inefficient. Now, I am on Hinge, meeting new people, and going on dates. I hope this has been the encouragement you needed to try some of these Dallas date spots and even try out online dating.

Group Dates and Double Dates:    

While online dating may seem less personal, at least it can be more bearable than being in a long-distance relationship. However, Dallas resident Nikolas Powers likes to bring his partner who lives in Washington, D.C., to some iconic date spots in Dallas as well.

    “Since I don’t get to see her all the time, we try to do mainly dates with just each other,” Powers said. “But every time she visits, I always want her to do at least one thing with my friends so they can get to know her too. We go to Top Golf, usually. It’s a great atmosphere for having fun with your friends in a casual setting. We get to just all chill together and I love watching my friends get to know her more.”

    This brings us to another subsect of dates in Dallas: group dates. Whether you want a casual double date with friends or just a place to hang out in a group, Top Golf is a great option. It offers an opportunity to be outdoors, doing something active with your friends, while eating bar food. What more could twenty-something Dallas guys want?

    Top Golf is a great option to suggest for a large group because the bays that you rent cost about $70. The prices do range based on the size of the bay and the time of day. Additionally, the food is fairly reasonably priced. I would recommend getting the “shared plates” versus individual meals since it will cost less in the end and probably result in more food.

    Avid Top Golf goer, Conrad Quiros, told me why he loves it so much.

    “This is my favorite place to hang out with my friends,” Quiros said. “I love it when our wives come along because we can have a healthy competition going between the boys and the girls, playing golf.”

Nightlife Dates:    

Last, but not least, we have the nightlife subsect of Dallas dating. This is not always for everyone. However, if you like to go out for drinks, I have a recommendation for you. Well, actually, SMU grad student Sarah Bray does.

    “I like an elegant setting where I can still be a little bit wild,” Bray said. “For me, that’s Standard Pour. I can dress up and I can sip espresso martinis with my friends while gossiping and laughing hysterically.”

    “Sarah and I like to go get cocktails there at like 9 PM before we go out to other bars on Knox Henderson or Greenville,” Jason Calandres, Bray’s boyfriend, said. “It’s a great spot to get artisan drinks.”

    I am going to have to back Calandres up on this one. Standard Pour is also one of my favorite cocktail lounges in Dallas. I love how you can dress casually or upscale and still look like you fit in. Also, the drinks are reasonably priced, with a glass of wine priced at $6, for reference.

    So, next time I have a date from Hinge, I will bring him to Standard Pour so I can enjoy a cheap glass of good wine, and maybe run into some of you trying it out after reading this piece.