The martini, one of the most classic cocktails in existence, never went out of style. But is it possible it’s hotter than ever in Dallas-Fort Worth?
It is no longer enough for a stylish restaurant in North Texas to have a martini or two on a menu. No, some restaurants — especially new ones — are offering a half-dozen. Beyond typical vodka and gin options, more than just shaken or stirred, martinis today can come topped with caviar, laced with umami or skewered with a salad’s worth of veggies.
And of course, every upscale restaurant needs its version of an espresso martini.
If you’re up for a twist on your typical martini this holiday season in North Texas, taste through our list of inventive martinis at six Dallas restaurants and bars.
Restaurant News
Caviar Martini at Tango Room
This $55 martini at Tango Room in the Dallas Design District has a showstopper topper: caviar.
Sarah Blaskovich/Staff
Dallas Design District restaurant Tango Room is serving a $55 vodka martini with a spoon of caviar on top. The recipe keeps it fairly classic, with 2.5 ounces of Beluga Transatlantic vodka stirred with vermouth soaked in baked oyster shells. A small amount of Kummel liqueur imparts an herbal quality. The martini is clean, crisp and chic.
First thing’s first, take a picture. (You’re drinking a $55 cocktail, after all.) Then sip the smooth martini to get your palate primed for a glossy taste of caviar. Hidden under the caviar is sous vide egg yolk and breadcrumbs, a crunchy, rich snack. The brine of the caviar and minerality of the martini are an instant match — a fashionable way to enjoy two classics.
Tango Room is at 1617 Hi Line Drive, Dallas.
Everything Espresso Martini at Sylvestro
Order an Everything Espresso Martini at new cocktail bar Sylvestro in Old East Dallas, get a fortune.
Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer
At new cocktail bar Sylvestro, the espresso martini meets the everything bagel. The drink, $18, is subtly flavored with everything seasoning, and a bit of soy sauce is added to give it salinity and an umami undercurrent. It comes garnished with a sprinkling of crushed fortune cookie, and topped with the paper fortune, of course. The bar’s beverage director, Joe Shirghio, said it might be his favorite drink on the menu.
Sylvestro is at 1410 N. Fitzhugh Ave., Dallas.
Related
Greek Salad Martini at Goodwins
Frothy and oniony, the Greek Salad Martini at Goodwins in Dallas is a twist on the gin martini.
Sarah Blaskovich/Staff
The drink with the best name on this list is the Greek Salad Martini from Greenville Avenue restaurant Goodwins. Is this martini green, like a salad? Nope. Is it healthy? Who cares.
The Greek Salad Martini, sold at happy hour for $10 from 4-6 p.m. every day in the restaurant’s Goose Bar, is a gin-based cocktail mixed with a blast of onion brine and sport pepper brine. It burns, in a good way. What gives the martini its name is the “salad” on top: a pepperoncini, a pearl onion and a green olive, skewered just so. You’ll get a whiff of each with every sip.
Goodwins is at 2905 Greenville Ave., Dallas.
Mignonette Martini at Lovers Seafood & Market
The Mignonette Martini at Lovers Seafood & Market was created after owner Lynae Fearing was eating oysters at the restaurant and realized the tangy, spicy vinegar served with them would taste great in a cocktail.
Sarah Blaskovich/Staff
At Lovers Seafood & Market in Dallas’ Devonshire/Bluffview area, bartenders are mixing Tito’s vodka with the mignonette served with the restaurant’s oysters. It’s $16.
The cocktail started as an idea from owner Lynae Fearing, as she and her friends were tasting the migonette and cocktail sauce on the table after the appetizers had been cleared. Wouldn’t the vinegary mignonette with shallots, ginger and Thai chiles add just the right zing to the classic low-cal cocktail, she wondered? It did, indeed. And it’s a great pairing with nearly any of the seafood on Lovers’ menu.
Lovers Seafood & Market is at 5200 W. Lovers Lane, Dallas.
New Mexican Tini at Chuy’s 
The New Mexican Tini at Chuy’s is a tequila-based cocktail served in a tiny martini glass.
JESSICA ATTIE
Tex-Mex chain Chuy’s has sold a tequila-based “martini” for years, and it’s an oldie but a goodie. The $12 drink gets its name mostly from the martini glass it’s served in, because this ‘tini is otherwise more akin to a margarita. Sweet and spicy at once, the New Mexican Tini is made with Lunazul Silver Tequila infused with green chiles for 24 hours. It’s mixed with Cointreau and fresh-squeezed lime juice.
Loyalists love it for the tiny martini glass that comes caked with salt around the rim. And the jalapeño-stuffed olives. A martini shaker on the side offers pour-some-more fun.
Chuy’s has 10 restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth. The longtime restaurant near Knox Street and McKinney Avenue in Dallas moved to Greenville Avenue in mid-2025. Others are located in Denton, Southlake, Plano, Frisco and more.
Oyster Co. Martini at Cache
The Oyster Co. Martini at Cache reminds us where this bar is located: above S&D Oyster Co.
Sarah Blaskovich/Staff
Tucked above the nearly 50-year-old S&D Oyster Co. in Uptown Dallas is New Orleans-style cocktail bar Cache. The moody space has plenty of drinks for date night, but the one that makes this list is its Oyster Co. Martini. It’s made with both gin and vodka, mixed with lemon brine. The cocktail is big on citrus, as if it’s moonlighting as the Lemon Drop’s sexier cousin.
You’ll smell the sea with each sip from the seaweed sticking out of the coupe glass. It’s a fitting aroma, reminding you that this new bar’s roots are in the longtime seafood restaurant downstairs.
Cache is at 2701 McKinney Ave., Dallas.
Do you have a favorite martini that didn’t make our list? Tell us in the comments below.