The Ginger Man

stephens101

Oklahoma

3.95/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $$

Quaint little building that appears to have been a house at one time. Sits on a nondescript shaded lane in a busy and affluent part of north downtown Dallas. If you're not paying attention you might drive right by it. Has a nice amount of parking, which can pose a problem in this part of town, so you don't have to worry about that.

Out front was a well shaded patio with 6-7 tables which were about half full with some bearded types, some normal types, and some suits and ties as well. Was a beautiful day in the high 80's and everybody really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Stepping inside you notice the bar to the right, with i'd say, from memory, had about 40 or so taps. The menu wasn't real extensive, and I notice a lack of bigger beers, but no biggie, as there were a decent amount of seasonals and a good amount of local brews from the likes of Rahr, St. Arnold, Live Oak and Real. I dug that, as I always like to get to the Texas brews when I'm down there.

The interior was almost completely wooded, and made for a very rustic feel. There were some regular dart boards to have some fun with. Out back was a Biergarten which was pretty spacious. My wife and I sat in the front and noticed all the locals going to the back, which filled up pretty quick, as did the front after 5 o'clock or so.

Service was exceptional. The girl that waited on us was quick to answer any question I had, and I never waited for a beer, even when the place filled up. I tried three beers, all on tap. I had the Live Oak IPA, the Real Fireman's #4 Blonde, and the Harpoon IPA. The St. Arnold Elissa IPA was noted to be on cask, which really excited me, as I love that beer. Unfortunately, the cask was broken, so no luck this go round. Also, none of the beers I had were close to full to the rim, a point that I'm not going to make a big hullabaloo over, but I do have to note. Either way, I'll go back to the Ginger Man the next time I'm in the area, as it was a pleasant experience overall.

04-23-2009 22:25:48 | More by stephens101

shivtim

Georgia

4.19/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Stopped in on a Sunday afternoon while visiting a friend in Dallas. Found easy street parking, then saw that they had a parking lot. Either way, plenty of parking (at least in the afternoon).

The weather was nice so we sat on the front porch, where there are a few tables. It's a neat spot. It's a converted house. We didn't hang around inside, but the bar looked good and there were more tables out back. Definitely a fun, cozy atmosphere. Saw multiple people wearing Deep Ellum Brewery T-shirts, and random friends meeting up. The bartender knew some people by name. Dogs are welcomed.

It was unclear weather we would have table service or not, because there were menus on the table and we saw a few employees walking around. After waiting for a while we figured out we needed to order at the bar. There was one bartender, so it was a bit of a wait even though the place wasn't crowded.

Selection was very good. Wide variety of styles, and some Texas beers. I actually was surprised there weren't more Texas beers, based on the reviews that said they had a lot of locals. One from Deep Ellum, two from (512), and multiple from St.Arnold's. Still a solid list overall.

I would definitely stop here again next time I'm in Dallas.

02-21-2013 13:18:20 | More by shivtim

gueuzer

Colorado

4.04/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$$

stopped in three times during a trip to Dallas. This is the place to go, though I didn't make it to the meddlesome moth.

very solid, large tap selection with a great focus on solid local brews. very friendly, attentive staff that is always willing to pour a sample of something you haven't tried before. prices were $5 a pint for about 80% of offerings. ask for beers that might not bee on the menu, as they seem to go through kegs faster than they reprint menus.

great beer garden in the back, except everyone smokes back there, which kinda ruins it for me. good laid back vibe

01-29-2013 21:01:39 | More by gueuzer

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Went to bed at 2:30, got up at 4:00, got on a flight at 6:30, transferred to another flight, bad weather, horrible flight... finally arrived in Dallas late and destroyed. Beer please!! So our first stop is the Ginger Man. Yup, straight up.

This ain't like the Gingers I know in New York and Connecticut. Less upscale and more divey, but also friendlier and more "familial", if you know what I mean.

Empty on a Wednesday at 1pm right after it opened, we were welcomed and immediately felt at home. Super friendly bartender! She knows her beer and is passionate about it. My kind of beer girl. The joint apparently gets packed at night, but we sure did love it at lunch with nobody around.

Now, the selection is not what I expected. A lot of taps, sure, but not amazing like in New York. I did like the emphasis on locals- I had a Real Ale Coffee Porter, 512 IPA, 512 Cream Ale with Mole on cask. Also Southern Star (Buried Hatchet Stout), although I didn't try that.

They don't offer flights, but they do serve half pints. Prices are generally reasonable, although the half-pint option is a little expensive ($4 for half Modus Hoperandi, $5 for half Cascabel Cream Ale on cask). Food was great bar food, Bratwurst, pesto sandwich, preztel dog... hit the spot.

So yeah, the selection is not what I expected. Didn't see any crazy barleywines, imperial stouts or rarities, but it's alright. It won't be my first choice next time I'm in Dallas, but it ain't bad.

01-28-2012 06:13:55 | More by DoubleSimcoe

sweethome

Illinois

4.06/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $

Hit this at happy hour - $4 beers.

Several Texas Octoberfest beers on tap. Enjoyed the St. Arnold O'fest. They had just run out of Live Oak - bummer. Also had Rahr O'fest.

I finally tried Live Oak Hefeweizen on tap - nice!

Really enjoyed the laid back vibe and dive bar feel of the first floor bar - out back there is an outdoor area with picnic tables and a big oak tree - very Texas feel.

Bartender (Courtney) was knowledgeable and very nice. She had a vibe gowing with the crowd.

Overall - a great place with well planned draft list and just a comfortable feel. Best draft list of TX beers I've seen.

10-25-2011 03:29:58 | More by sweethome

txbrew81

Texas

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$

Great beer bar in uptown. Not nearly as pretentious as other bars in the area. Great beer selection with good amount of taps and bottles. They do a good job of rotating their brews, ask the bartender for any new releases and hidden gems. Good atmosphere with plush couches and nooks to hang out with friends. Fantastic patio in the back for nice days. Food is pretty good, standard fare for bar food. Bartenders are great, waitstaff can be slow on busy nights. Overall a great place to get a good brew, not many places in this area offer this type of beer selection.

05-28-2011 23:18:56 | More by txbrew81

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$$

Much like it's New York City counterpart, this is a place for beer drinkers. About 50-60 beers on tap, and a very decent bottle selection. Unfortunately--much like in NYC--not much of a food menu. I did sample the food here, and it was a bit disappointing for the price. Mainly just pricey snack food. It was much smaller and laid back, but every bit as good as its east coast counterpart, therefore the atmosphere was much more pleasant, and contained less of the preppy, annoying crowd that you'll find in NYC. Staff was busy, but still generally attentive.

04-29-2011 14:01:01 | More by Rifugium

busternuggz

Arizona

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Passed through here on a road trip and stopped for a sandwich and a few pints.
It's got a quaint, beer-nerdy but approachable, pub-like atmosphere. It's pretty crowded on a Tuesday night but still enjoyable.
Got a roast beef sub, came with chips and a pickle spear for $7.75. Not too big, but good and with quality wheat bread and roast beef in it. Quality chips too, crunchy and not too salty, definitely not Lay's. The menu (sandwiches, salads, and snacks like cheese plates; its mostly a bar) includes pairing suggestions, and the 512 Pecan Porter went well with my sandwich as suggested.
Nice craft and import draft selection, including casks. Plenty of locals, they had DFH Bitches' Brew on tap too, which was nice. My waitress was knowledgeable about beer, and fast and friendly.
Very nice bar all around, great stop.

01-05-2011 21:20:55 | More by busternuggz

CampusCrew

Florida

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 2.5 | $

OK, mixed feelings about this place. What a beautiful bar and garden. Great setting, a dive bar that is clean and updated. Perfect place to hang out and drink some good beers. Everything was just good excpect the food selection. Decent tap selections and bottles, not mind blowing. Lots of local texas brews and some mixed rare bottles, but nothing crazy. Waitresses just float around and we got switched 3 times in a 4 hour period. I ordered the homemade chipolte potatoes chips figuring they made them there. No... i got a local bag of chips. dissappointment, but I guess I could have asked. Then i ordered the cheese appitizer plate. That was decent. They had sandwiches and stuff on the menu but this is a place to drink not eat. So dont plan on it. Otherwise great setting, good beer selection, not the best in town by far.

09-21-2010 16:44:48 | More by CampusCrew

schoolcb

Texas

3.73/5  rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

Stopped in as part of a Dallas pub crawl. Nice atmosphere, lots of seating options (at the bar, at a table downstairs or up, on the patio out front or the larger patio out back). 20 of us descended on the Gingerman and the only person staffing the place was one sole bartender. Needless to say we overwhelmed her and had to line up to get a beer. I would have tried an appetizer while there but didn't want to wait that long to put my order in. Will stop by again in the future to try it another time.

08-23-2010 18:55:13 | More by schoolcb