Sports bar meets craft beer hotspot at Dallas' first Little Woodrow's, opening Saturday

The words "cocktails," "sports," "patio," and "food" adorn the outside of a storefront at 3300 Ross Ave. in Dallas, and inside that's exactly what you'll find — plus about 100 beers on draft, in bottles and cans. That's where Texas-based restaurant chain Little Woodrow's opens its first North Texas location on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Consider it "a neighborhood bar on steroids," says owner Danny Evans.

Evans opened his first Little Woodrow's in Houston in 1994, but the concept comes from a lineage of other businesses he owned. In 1991, Evans purchased a watering hole called Woody's -- named for a wooden duck, he says -- with a $25,000 loan from his pop. That inspired the former high school basketball coach to open Woodrow's, a "big double-decker place" that also operated a full kitchen. For his following venture, however, Evans decided to scale back the bar's size -- hence Little Woodrow's -- and give it more of an ice house vibe.

To this day the original location only serves beer and wine, but as Evans and his partners Rick Engel, Bob Wilson and Mark Beyer have grown Little Woodrow's to 15 locations statewide, the concept has evolved.

"They're not a cookie cutter deal," Evans says of his bars. But they're each focused on the same principles. "When it's slow, we want people to know your name. When it's hopping, it has a good pulse to it," he says.

The restaurant and bar in Dallas inhabits nearly 8,000 square feet of real estate. The building forms a "U" shape surrounding a patio, and has large windows that can be rolled up merge the indoor and outdoor spaces on a nice day. Little Woodrow's prides itself on being a catch-all, with something for everyone. Well, almost.

"You will love this place unless you want to go to a nightclub and go dancing," Evans says. "That's not our deal."

Here's what you can expect when Little Woodrow's opens its first Dallas outpost on Sept. 16.

Drinks

Little Woodrow's promises to be a place where craft beer nerds and straight shooters can drink together. Once open, it will serve more than 100 different beers in addition to wines, cocktails, frozen cocktails and an extensive list of whiskeys. The bar's 46 draft taps will focus heavily on Texas-brewed craft beer, and there will be cans and bottles, including bombers, available for purchase. Little Woodrow's will also serve the oh-so-trendy frozen rosé, or Frosé.

Daily specials include Big Ass Beer night with discounted 22-ounce pours (Monday), half price bottles of wine (Wednesdays), and Ladies Night (Thursday).

Sports

Got a bev? Good, now find a seat. Little Woodrow's is installing 22 large-screen televisions throughout the dining area with the intention of broadcasting all the games you could want to watch, says Evans. For football season, it has the NFL Sunday Ticket and will show all the Texas college games. The bar will also open early (10:30 a.m.) on Saturdays and Sundays for "football brunch." See menu below.

Patio

If you want to enjoy the sunshine while watching a game, no sweat. Little Woodrow's will have TVs positioned so they're visible from the patio. This is the one part of the bar that's not finished -- Evans is waiting on a permit before he can install a $100,000 louvered roof system, which will weather proof the patio on rainy or absurdly hot days.

Food

Feel free to bring an appetite to Little Woodrow's. The extensive menu runs the gamut of bar food, from sandwiches, wraps, and half-pound burgers, to queso, nachos and chicken wings (with 10 different sauces). For dessert, there's even funnel cake. Everything is made in-house, including burger patties, which are a mix of brisket, short rib and ground chuck beef. See full menu below.

Little Woodrow's is located at 3300 Ross Ave., Dallas. Hours of operation are Monday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Menus: