The Nodding Donkey

Dallas, United States

3.2

Open now

21 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 214-922-8898
Website:
www.thenoddingdonkey.com
Address:
2900 Thomas Ave, Dallas, TX, 75204
Uptown
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.6 miUnion Streetcar Station
1.7 miConvention Center Station
2.6 miGreenbriar Streetcar Station
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Loud
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
Yes
Best Nights
Fri, Sat, Sun
Coat Check
No
Smoking
Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No
Has Pool Table
No

Today

Today 10:30 am – 2:00 am
Open now
Local time (Dallas) 7:36 PM Saturday, June 28, 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 12:00 am
Tuesday 11:00 am – 12:00 am
Wednesday 11:00 am – 12:00 am
Thursday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Friday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Saturday 10:30 am – 2:00 am
Sunday 10:00 am – 11:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The Nodding Donkey remains the Best Sports Bar in Dallas with locations in Uptown and Greenville Ave, but we’ve made it even better. Owner/​Chef Jonathan Calabrese curates an all-​new menu, seriously expands our brunch offering, adds the freshest salads in Dallas and takes on some of Texas’ best craft beers.

The Nodding Donkey, State & Allen and Savory Catering have always been particular about using only the freshest local ingredients, and yet The Nodding Donkey’s signature favorites remain such as our smoked wings, brisket tacos, and the best patio in Dallas.

Join us for the the best brunch in Dallas, enjoy our patio, and rest assured that we’ve got the game on one of 20 big screen TV’s.

The Nodding Donkey — it’s your neighborhood bar.

History

Established in 2010.

Savory Catering was established in January of 2001. Started by Jonathan Calabrese & Anthony Winkler with a goal to provide excellent all natural food made with the freshest ingredients, while always providing quality service and abundant subtlety to all our events. In addition we focus on maintaining an eye and consciousness to our «green» initiatives.

As we have grown we’ve included a highly successful restaurant named State and Allen Kitchen+Bar located at 2400 Allen St in Uptown Dallas and one block down we opened our first sports bar called The Nodding Donkey which is an homage to our west Texas roots.

In 2012, we opened our 2nd Nodding Donkey this time on SMU Blvd. We have never lost sight of where we came from and where our passion started.

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Vicinity

Near this location:
140
ft
Boxwood Tap & Grill
2901 Thomas Ave
140
ft
City Council Restaurant and bar
2901 Thomas Ave
190
ft
Webix
2905 Thomas Ave
190
ft
Thomas Avenue Beverage Co
2901 Thomas Ave
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The Londoner
2909 Thomas Ave
220
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The Spanish Lunch Box
2207 Allen St

21 reviews of The Nodding Donkey

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Plano, TX
Great food and service. Fun sports bar. Great time with KU alums
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Great sports bar, lots of TV, good prices. The food was all really good and I wish I had a chance to try more of it. We went for the New Year’s Day college football games and had a great time. All the drinks we had were reasonably priced and tasted great.
Place rating: 5
Rose Hill, VA
Visiting from Pheonix, my son brought us here on a Sunday afternoon. The atmosphere was lively and friendly. The wait staff was attentive but not overbearing. The selection of food was spot on Texican, a great selection. The Allen tacos were superb! Tender and moist brisket piled on tortillas with pico de gillo hit the spot. Love the house salsa and queso dip. And the prices were very reasonable for the portion size and quality. Would come again!
Place rating: 4
DeSoto, TX
Boyfriend and I just wanted a new place to go, and I was craving a glass of wine. Original plans were to go down the street to Parliament, instead we found parking in front of this place and checked it out instead. All I saw were big screen tvs with sports playing and he’s a jock at heart so I suggested going there instead and we ended up enjoying it. An incredibly chill Thursday, chilly evening so a few Blood & Honey beers and I tested a glass of Cabernet anyway. Not bad actually.
Place rating: 4
Dallas, TX
After frequenting this bar for a few years now, it has really grown on me. Beers in a mason jar, tons of TVs (and fan energy!) for watching games, and some pretty darn good bar food. Not bad for a neighborhood bar! The service seems to have gotten better over time; we don’t need to go to the bar to order as often as we used to. Local craft beer selection could improve.
Place rating: 1
Houston, TX
Looking for a great place to watch a game? Go ahead and pass on this poor excuse for a sports bar! Terrible food that can only be topped by worse service. Just sat at a dirty table for 45 minutes without acknowledgment from even one person. Lucky for Dallas, I’m now using this newfound invisibility to hit the mean streets and fight crime. Regardless, definitely won’t be coming back to this sh*thole.
Place rating: 1
Northeast Dallas, Dallas, TX
This place used to be great but worsens by the year.
Just left after a buddy and I sat a filthy, unbussed table for 45 minutes with a server blatantly ignoring our table.
The lack of acknowledgement was laughable
This location only survives since it’s the only sports bar in uptown. Don’t waste your time here.
Place rating: 3
McKinney, TX
Went by the other day to catch some Thursday football. They have open concept which I thought was pretty cool. I didn’t see anyone else smoking so my cigar stayed in my shirt pocket.
I had ordered a whisky sour which was below average, it didn’t appear to be mixed well. Didn’t matter much since I had just driven down from Mckinney. My friend and I ordered some quesadillas, donkey nuts and some street tacos.
The donkey nuts were Meh… The quesadillas was good and the tacos were also good. The salsa they serve tasted tomatoish… not a real word I know but seemed canned maybe?
Anyhow, $ 7 to park there which is nuts since the guy literally parked my car 2 spots in front of the restaurant. I could have done that myself.
Place rating: 1
Salt Lake City, UT
How appropriate that «donkey» is in their name, as this place fellates massive donkey penises at a level few other establishments can match.
Servers were lame, impersonal and disjointed. The manager on duty was a total asshole with a massive ‘tude.
Too bad the food was good and the beer specials were happening. I’d gladly return if the staff weren’t 100% shit-​for-​brains.
Place rating: 1
Dallas, TX
Holy S***, this place is TERRIBLE! If it wasn’t for the fact that it sits on a prime corner in a highly residential neighborhood full of young professionals, they would be forced to shut their doors.
Horrible service? Check! Overpriced sugary drinks that barely have any alcohol in them? Check! Food that is practically inedible? CHECK!
I went here for a quick bite and a cocktail with some friends and spent $ 30 on an appetizer and a cocktail. Both were so bad I didn’t even go back to try a second bite/​sip. Nodding Donkey needs a return policy!
You’re lucky you have big TVs… That is the only thing saving you. But listen folks, you are better off just showing up drunk with a full belly and throwing your money into an incinerator than coming here for anything other than to take advantage of the sports games they show.
Place rating: 2
Dallas, TX
So my boyfriend and I came in for lunch and it is a bit expensive. The food I ordered didn’t taste all that great either. There wasn’t a lot of people there. And our service was awful and not the friendliest. The bartender had to come refill our drinks. Also there were annoying flies around us. I’m sure it’s fun at night though. This was my first time here, so hopefully it’s better the second time. It’s a really cool atmosphere and seems to have a lot of games to play!
Place rating: 1
Dallas, TX
DO NOT come here! We were charged $ 325 for 3 people. They doubled the amount of shots we ordered on our tab split between two different checks. Went here with my husband for a few drinks and a small dinner. Our friend showed up and we took a few shots. We also ONLY ordered appetizers that were printed on the menu as being 5.95 for that particular day and they charged full price. When we questioned the price the manager said it was an old menu. Then why did you give it to us!!! I ordered 3 jäger bombs that were printed as being on special as well and they charged us for 6 jäger bombs full price and also said the special price was an old menu. Again, why is the old menu out? This place had become a favorite of ours, but this definitely burned us and will never go back.
Place rating: 5
Irving, TX
My roommate and I went here for happy hour and it was so fun!!! We were skeptical at first because it was sooooo hot and we thought we’d die at this outdoor/​indoor bar, but the moment you step into the bar area the temperature drops dramatically and it was very pleasant! Half price appetizers and cheap drinks made for a fun afternoon/​evening! We will totally be back!
Place rating: 5
San Antonio, TX
Justin Lee is the best waiter I have ever had. The restaurant was whatever., But Justin made the experience worth it. I had such a great time because I had such care from my wait service. I would only go back if I knew Justin would be taking care of our table. He was so nice.
Place rating: 2
Dallas, TX
Boy oh boy has this place changed since I was last here. Service is horrible! Mind you the servers are so nice but it’s like they are ridiculously short staffed. We went a good 30 minutes without drink refills (water and alcohol).
Food is absolutely horrible. My boyfriend got a burger. I took a bite and it tasted like it was microwaved meat. No grill flavor. My chicken sandwich was ok but it was ridiculously small. I’m a meal prepper and I weigh my food weekly to prep. This chicken breast was maybe a 4 oz piece. Standard at a restaurant is 6 oz. It came with lettuce, lots of cheese, one tiny tomato piece and a mayo dressing. The waffle fries were the best part of the meal.
When we got our tab I couldn’t help but laugh. $ 10 for a house wine yet it’s $ 7 for a Titos and water. The house Chardonnay I got had a bad bite. Not a fan.
Valet here stinks. And I mean that literally. The guy is so lazy. We pulled up and he didn’t move. I had to walk up to him and ask if he was even valet before he said oh ya I’ll take your car. When we are leaving I had to tap him on the shoulder and ask him to get out car. It took him more then 5 minutes to bring our car. He seemed out of it and we should have known better than to trust him with our keys.
Overall I’m upset with how this place has fallen. Judging by the current clientele it’s become a place for people to eat mediocre food and just get wasted. If you’re looking for a place to hangout on a patio and eat good food I suggest looking elsewhere.
Place rating: 5
Dallas, TX
Such a cool bar! I love how outdoorsy it is but you’re actually sitting inside. Great spot to watch games and to go when it’s nice outside.
The purple nurples are dangerous. Wednesday special got us for sure. That night they had the Hornitos girls giving away free shots… Not my favorite tequila. But we all love free alcohol!
Place rating: 3
Washington, DC
This bar has pros, cons and neutrals. First the pros — they have a decent beer selection, tasty food, and the bar/​restaurant is open air which is great for nice days. It also wasn’t overly crowded, parking is ok if you get there early enough and the best part of this bar are the fun oversized games they have to play with! It also doesn’t feel overly like uptown which was a huge bonus for us. Now the neutral — and this is a very personal thing that may be a pro for you — they played country music the entire time. Ugh. We tuned it out after a few minutes but definitely not a fan. And lastly, the con — the food, as tasty as it was, made us both sick. So, I’d definitely give it a try to at least enjoy the patio, have a drink and play some games! Not sure I’d order food there again though.
Place rating: 4
Richardson, TX
Place is great for a night for drinks but the cocktails need improvement. I really like the donkey punch but that’s the only thing I am interested. Beers .good selection but I’m just alright with it.
Pizzas are great when I came in right after kitchen just closed so I had a great time.
I love the mini old school arcade they have set up so me and my boyfriend just had a little competition going on and it brought back memories.
I wish they had just one more real old school game to complete the whole atmosphere because it really is an awesome place but it does need more to make it a steady 5 star.
More drinks, service could use more improvement and definitely a better turn of things on the couches of sittings but hey, 3.5÷5 is alright!
Place rating: 4
Dallas, TX
We came here on a sunny Saturday to meet friends and watch some college football. It is a great place to do that! The entire front side of the establishment is open to the outside so you really feel like you are outdoors. Outside, they have games such as cornhole, big Connect 4, etc. They have your typical bar food, decently clean bathrooms and a signature drink.
That drink is their punch and really does taste like sugary juice. The place is not the biggest but they make great use of the space and there were people constantly leaving even during college football Saturday, so you just have to be patient and you will get a table. The service was okay and the staff extremely friendly. It has a neighborhood bar kind of feel.
Place rating: 4
Saint Louis, MO
I needed a place to watch my World Cup. They have tons of tv and Open door patio. They also have Dallas blondes. This is a beer place and not where you get fancy cocktails.
Perfect place to see any game.
Place rating: 3
Plano, TX
I love the setup of this place… it’s all outside, well at least when I went to watch the NBA finals. The mist fans kept us cool and there were TVs everywhere. We sat at the tables on the sidewalk and we still had a good view of the game. I will definitely say that the restaurant itself is the best part. Our waiter though… he was O-​K. He didn’t seem very happy. He wasn’t exactly THE friendliest.
As far as the food and drinks are concerned, they are definitely A-​ok. I ordered the Donkey Punch to start off with *blank stare* tasted like pineapple juice and, well that’s it LoL. Gave me NO buzz AT ALL. To eat, I had the Texas Baja Salad w/​the Champagne Vinaigrette, which had NO taste, so I tried the Red Ranch, which was THE BEST. Such a great smokey flavor! Probably the best part of the salad, BESIDES the smoked chicken that I substituted with the grilled chicken and the warm, whole wheat flour tortillas that came on the side. I did try the The Stacked Up Nachos off of my friend’s plate, now THEY were good. Lots of goodness on top!
Now, I’m not going to give up on The Nodding Donkey just yet, because I heard that the brunch is GREAT. Like EVERYTHING on the menu. So, I will be back for that, probably for a Sunday Funday.