Lakewood Landing has a reputation for not-so-friendly staff, but that doesn’t matter — it’s the quintessential Dallas dive bar. No fuss, fried foods, furniture that’s probably older than a few people serving in Congress in a building that’s been around since 1940. This bar has become just as much of a landmark as Dealy Plaza at this point.
The Landing is where you go to debunk the myth that Dallas residents are snobs. It’s dark, laid-back, sufficiently noisy, and packed almost to the gills on weekend nights. There are TVs throughout the space, a pool table, and a decently sized patio. The bar feels like a sentient vintage leather jacket — worn in real good, with billions of stories it could tell.
Unless you want to get snarled at, don’t order it before midnight, but the jalapeño beer-battered corndog is legendary. It’s not that good, but it’s one of the things that makes the bar special, so it’s imperative to try at least once.
Head next door to another iconic Dallas dive bar, Cosmo’s, which has a space decorated with VHS tapes and serves Vietnamese food.