Eight Bells Alehouse

The wife and I stopped in before heading to Music Hall at Fair park across the street. This little pub has a ton of character. Lots of drinks on tap with a small but decent menu of fine food.
Not your normal food options for a pub, but the presentation quality matches the price for these samplings.
The back patio is really the place to be! Your senses go into overdrive as the smell of Carolina Jasmine and Honey Suckle floods your smell.
Our server Chris was very attentive to everyone on the patio and made regular rounds.
We ordered a little bit of everything. Starting with the Artichoke, Parmesan and Pistachio dip. It comes out hot and the flavors are on point.
Next up was the Bonito Stuffed Piquillo Peppers. At the most expensive price point on the menu, it leaves a little to be desired. Don’t think for a moment this is going to come out hot. It is a cold dish, which hits you by surprise. The crusty bread goes wonderfully with the perfectly seasoned sauce. It might be too fishy for some.
Last was the pick three cheese and meat plate. We had to go with the spicy chorizo, some Manchego cheese and Brie.
My wife went with their signature Rosemary’s Baby which is a house Manhattan with whiskey served in a rosemary smoked glass. This drink was all whiskey, with all the manhattan and rosemary left out. It wasn’t worth the price.
All in all, this is definitely a great place to come back to to hang out with friends, and grab a drink before a play. But if you want some food, you might want to order in.

Ate here last night. I definitely liked the patio. It wasn’t that busy, which means we got excellent service. Our waiter was helpful with suggestions for drinks and food. And I never waited with an empty drink. Thanks for that I am a thirsty gal.
Now for the food. I liked the canned seafood options. They were all good and I know that they are high quality but it seems tough to stomach some of the prices simply because of the sizes. If the portions were larger I would be back for more. The cheese board and the mozzarella dish were excellent as well.
From what I understand they are going to have jazz and other music playing on the patio several nights a week. I was also told it wouldn’t be too loud. Yippee. This would keep me coming at least once a week in the summer, especially on summer afternoons.

Sad to see Amsterdam Bar go, but Eight Bells is a fantastic replacement! First, surprisingly one of the best attractions in the place is the re-​done Mens Room. It just is really cool looking. Go there for that, stay for the drinks.
If you can, shoot for a Thursday through Sunday night and you may be lucky enough to talk to Khurk, one of the co-​owners and bartender. Just the coolest guy every, super nice, and makes a helluva drink!
One of the best D/​FW patios, and with a great finish-​out when they took over the property, it is definitely an «anchor store» for the Expo Park area. You can make a great pub crawl down there!

Went to the back patio. Sat there forever. Servers made eye contact. Never took our order. Will never come back.

What can I say about Eight Bells that hasn’t been said previously. I’m so glad this spot was not lost to some random D-​bag, hipster bar. The patio here is one of the best in Dallas. Why? It’s size isn’t too large or small (TWSS). They have the perfect late night lighting. Because of it’s size, it doesn’t attract the mass crowds of outsiders that can ruin a cool spot. I’ve never had a bad time here. It’s location to a couple other places within walking distance make it a great place to be.
Even thought I haven’t eaten here yet, they have a food menu and I’ve heard good things.
Parking: Limited. Über/​Lyft, ½ block from the Dart rail station.

«That’s against state law, buddy» barked an employee as my friends and I came in to grab some dinner. We had just walked around the corner from Craft and Growler, brimming with excitement about our newly filled growlers (but not intoxicated and with no intention of opening our growlers that night). What is against state law? Consumption of outside-​purchased beverages? Possession in any form of sealed beverages? Being hungry? Who knows, because any further questions for clarification were met with more short responses, punctuated with «buddies». He may have been 100% correct, but after extensive googling I can see no law regarding that. I’m all for clarity on our country (and especially state)‘s tight alcohol laws, but this guy was not there to educate, apologize, offer any regret for turning us away, or encourage us to ever come back again when empty handed. At the very least some polite education would have been nice rather than his curtness. And if this is the truth, would this not be a common enough occurrence, being so near C&G, to merit a sign out front to spare your employees the burden of having to be so rude?

Friendly bartenders, a great craft and import beer selection, excellent food, and a laid back atmosphere. We used to hit it when it was still the Amsterdam, and the new management and establishment have improved on that space exponentially.
I can vouch for the cheese board, the spin dip, and the Conservas Cockles. GET THE COCKLES. They are too good!

Was just here tonight with a couple of pals who were in town from OK. We had a lovely time with our server, Amberly (Amber Lee?) and the chef of the evening, Peter. As friendly as they were helpful and sweet. Can’t wait to go back and take my co-​workers from the Music Hall. Great food and really good beer! Thanks so much.

Who doesn’t love a dark bar?
Perhaps that feels like you’re celebrating amidst a small war.
The former funky Amsterdam bar has been given a facelift with a new name and ownership. The wood floored parlor feels warmer, the lights dimmer and the place overall perhaps cleaner, and the establishment now offers a kitchen serving canned sardines $ 10 and charcuterie and cheese for $ 4.75 per portion.
The capicola was cut into thick strips which I found a little fatty but edible, unlike a portion of iberico ham, which was literally just a piece of fat. Brie was standard, but the board came with candied pecans, sundried tomatoes, olives crackers and a good mustard.
The Moroccan style lanterns still hang and the glorious big patio seems a bit more adult than the previous incarnation.
The bottom line is that 8 bells is a very hang outable bar with ok snacky foods, with one of the better outdoor patios in Dallas.
The food is a side note, so don’t expect hearty entrees, and since the bar is newly vamped expect for them to be out of things that you might consider basic — like prosciutto or a certain beer.

Great place to relax outside with a cold beer. The food looked amazing although I had already eaten somewhere else. Best dirty martini I’ve had in a long time.

Food and service fantastic. These guys put a lot of well spent time and effort into this place. Great patio, Peter Tarantino is cooking at his best here, very highly recommended!

I think this is my new favorite place. The bartenders are friendly, the beer selection is very good, and it has the feel of a cozy European bar… perfect for kicking back and sipping on a Guinness.
Although the charcuterie selections are nice (and yummy), do yourself a favor and order the sardines. ;-)

Visited on a Friday night looking for drinks and dinner. Our friends are big fans of ten bells and suggested meeting here. Sad to say we were highly disappointed.
Our waiter was nice and suggested a really good beer from Israel. The menu seemed a little small but they did say they were still working on it. Shared dishes were expensive and wasn’t clear on how many it would feed. We ended up ordering the peppers stuffed with tuna. I’m pretty sure everything on that dish came out of a can or a jar. We were served pickled piquillo peppers stuffed with canned tuna, topped with cold marinara; accompanied with a baguette. We were not impressed. We ended up going else where after paying $ 60 for four beers and 1 appetizer.
Definitely won’t be back for food but may stop by for a drink.

Wow!!! Amazing Food! These dishes are designed by the master himself, Peter Tarantino. You are going to taste authentic Italian dishes overflowing with amazing flavor. HAVE THE DIEGO if you want an incredible sandwich, but everything I’ve had is wonderful! Very excited to see food like this is Expo.

My first visit to Eight Bells last night, but most definately not my last. I wasn’t sure what to expect being a fan of their Ten Bells Tavern, but my expectations were high. Eight Bells doesn’t disappoint.
Being just their first week the food selection was not extensive but the sandwich special was superb. I’d like more chips, less pasta please.
Love the décor and feel inside, right amount of light and thank goodness no TV, as yet anyway. Out back is a good size backyard area that is great for our upcoming fall weather, or loud groups.

Loved The Amsterdam, but Eight Bells has done a labor intensive remodel that really mirrors the vibe of a low key, fantastic, go-​to bar with innovative, authentic offerings in both the food and drink menu– yet it has zero pretension. Liquor is stocked at the bar (ask for a Deep Eddy grapefruit and soda), there are specialty beers on tap, and the patio is very spacious. It’s a downtown vibe without the traffic… and much friendlier bartenders. If you live in Dallas or are visiting, this is go-​to for a relaxing, perfect evening,

My Bf and I had a great experience. The staff was great. We loved the patio. Our dog Metro had a great time. I was very pleasantly surprised by food. Definitely recommend checking this place out. Now that the fair is coming this is the place to go afterwards.

Went there on Sunday with my wife and our friend Lisa. We grabbed a round of drinks and headed for the patio, which was very chill and relaxed. The work they’ve already done to the place is pretty incredible. It was previously the Amsterdam Bar before the owner finally called it a day a few months ago. It was a great bar back in it’s day, but in the last few years it was badly neglected and frankly, a bit of a mess. So it’s even more remarkable that the gang that brough us Ten Bells Tavern have been able to create such a fantastic space from the chaos in a few short months. It’s still in it’s soft-​opening phase and you can tell they’re working like crazy to get it to where they want it to be, but it’s already a great atmosphere and the bar staff are very friendly from the get-​go.
I had actually created a mosaic piece of work for the bar and co-​owner Meri invited me to the bar for a few beers on the house. I brought my wife and a friend, who ordered the Bonita Stuffed Piquillo Peppers (line-​caught tuna prepared in a cream sauce then stuffed into whole pickle peppers and covered in a light tomato sauce, and bread to compliment the dish). She tried to pay for her meal and drinks on her own own bill, but the staff insisted she should be part of my complimentary tab, which she was blown away by. We were also told thather dish was the very first meal ordered at Eight Bells Alehouse, and it was described to us in eloquent detail by co-​owner Michael after we’d all wolfed it down. It really was delicious.
If there was a way to give Eight Bells six starts out of five, i’d be clicking on it. Five stars for Eight bells!

Eight Bells Alehouse serves canned seafood… wha? This is a thing apparently. A GOOD thing. my bf and I had the Bonita Stuffed Piquillo Peppers last night. It’s lime tuna prepared in a cream sauce then stuffed into whole Piquillo peppers and covered in a light tomato sauce. Delish.
I had no idea this was a thing… But in Portugal, conservas restaurantes – restaurants whose star ingredients come from a can – are about as popular as burger joints are in the US.
You see, the artisanal method of canning fish is really different to the industrial method. And when it comes to tinned fish, it really is worth paying that little bit extra.
With industrial canning, raw fish is put in a tin with a slosh of sauce, and it’s then sterilized in a retort. It cooks the fish in the tin, and that is what can give it that boiled-​fish-​taste, With artisanal canning techniques, the fish is cooked first. That way, it’s sterilized for the shortest amount of time so you don’t kill the flavor. preserving fish can even enhance the taste. A well-​tinned sardine will develop a delicious umami flavor over a couple of years from the enzymes in the fish’s belly.
The bar was formerly The Amsterdam Bar. It’s been completely redone. Inside it’s quaint, comfortable. Outside in the back is a nice courtyard. This is where I will spend most of my time as my dog won’t let me go out by myself. It’s dog friendly is what I am saying.
It’s a fascinating enough food adventure to make me want to come back. I hope this really catches on with people. When word gets out about what good tapas tinned fish makes, though, it’s going to be packed like sardines.

I really loved the Amsterdam bar back in its heyday. Glad to see the owners of Ten Bells transform this place back to its glory. Well, they are still remodeling, but decided to go ahead and open. The inside still needs a little work, but the bar is all new and shiny and the kitchen is open for business. We only stopped in for a drink, but did get to check out the back patio. Swanky. The best part is the patio opens up to the parking lot. No more parking in the back and walking all the way around to get inside. I look forward to many more visits here and putting this place back on rotation.