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Food

Deep Ellum's new beer garden is giant -- and so are the eats, beer list and outdoor chandelier 

Deep Ellum is better known for its arts, music and restaurants for than its green space, but a new beer garden opening in the neighborhood could put it among the top places to enjoy patio weather in Dallas.

Dot's Hop House and Cocktail Courtyard is a restaurant and bar from local entrepreneurs Lou Delaney, John Williams, Paul Williams and Jeff Brightwell, and it may be one of Deep Ellum's biggest. The business inhabits the building formerly Dallas Comedy House plus an additional 10,000 square feet of outdoor area where patrons -- up to 750 of them, according to the business' capacity -- can post up with a beer.

The stain glass at Dot's pays tribute to Dallas' sports history.
The stain glass at Dot's pays tribute to Dallas' sports history.(Lawrence Jenkins / Special Contributor)

Space isn't the only huge thing about it, either. Dot's, which opens Nov. 11, offers 119 draft beverage options split between two bars, one of which has 99 taps. Offerings are mostly craft beer, but there are also a few cocktails, such as an Old Fashioned, on tap.

The plethora of beer options should come as no surprise considering the owners are also behind Denton venues Lucky Lou's, Oak Street Draft House and East Side Denton. But since this is their first venture in the Big D, Dot's, which is named for Brightwell's mother, is dripping with Dallas charm.

Owners installed retrofitted 1927 Ford Model T headlights to illuminate the space and recreated radiator caps for the door handles as an ode to the building's original use as a Ford dealership in the early 20th century. Dot's also partnered with the local artist Steve Hunter of Hunter Creates and numerous volunteers to create an original mosaic of legendary blues artists, including Blind Lemon Jefferson, who distinguished the neighborhood as a music hub. There's even a stained glass window in the courtyard depicting some of Dallas' most iconic sports moments, including when Rougned Odor punched Jose Bautista this past season.

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"It goes back to the whole idea of being champions of this city," Brightwell says. 

"While our sports history may not be as deep and storied across the board as some of the older or more established teams, we have been pretty significant," he says.

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Another talking point passersby can't help but notice: The giant outdoor chandelier composed of 65,000 glass beads hanging above the beer garden. This, too, plays into the dichotomy of Dallas, Brightwell says.

"I just fell in love with the idea of this juxtaposition of the wild and rugged meeting the refined and elegant," he says. "[Dallas] can be rough and tumble, roll-your-sleeves-up-and-get-it-done wild, if you will, but we have that more metropolitan side to us too. It's cool we get to live on both sides of that coin."

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Take a virtual tour of Dot's Hop House and Cocktail Courtyard below:

Dot's Hop House and Cocktail Courtyard is located at 2645 Commerce St. in Dallas. Hours of operation are Monday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. The restaurant hopes to begin serving brunch in the coming weeks.