The Gas Monkey Bar and Grill (GMBG) is located near the intersection of Northwest Highway and I-35 in Northwest Dallas. It’s about 10 miles from the Omni Hotel in Downtown Dallas and 13 miles from DFW Airport. The GMBG is located in an area with several restaurants and the owner’s other venue, called Gas Monkey Live, is across the street. I’ll review that venue at a later date.
The Gas Monkey Bar and Grill and Gas Monkey Live is owned by the Reality TV star Richard Rawlings from the show “Fast N’ Loud”. There is a gift shop selling GMBG merchandise in the back of the restaurant.
Transportation options
The DART Bachman station is 1.6 miles away and there are DART bus stops nearby.
Parking
Valet parking was free at the GMBG the night I went and there is self-parking in a dirt lot behind the valet area, though if it was raining I would expect it would be quite muddy.
Food and drink nearby
The GMBG is a full service restaurant, serving burgers and sandwiches.
In the area surrounding The GMBG there are a myriad of brightly lit chain restaurants. The Pappas complex is nearby offering the solid choices of Pappasito’s Mexican and Pappadeaux’s Cajun food, and the excellent and expensive Pappas Brother’s Steak House.
Seeing the show
The GMBG music stage is outside behind the restaurant with a VIP 2nd floor upper level area overlooking the stage and some VIP tables near the pond that runs behind the venue. You can access the music area from the bar or directly from the parking lot.
The stage is high enough so that patrons in front can easily see the band and there is a second level deck/ patio near the entrance to the main bar that also allows for good sight lines.
There looks to be room for 300-400 people in the venue though I didn’t get a chance to see the VIP 2nd floor which was closed.
There is a small bar to the right of the stage and it is the only bar in the outside music area. There is a bar in the VIP area upstairs also. The restrooms are inside the bar/restaurant and in the VIP area upstairs.
How best to enjoy the show
The high quality sound and lightning are excellent. The money the owners spent on the outdoor stage set up translated well into volume, clarity and mix. No matter where I stood the sound was good. Standing on the deck just behind the rail gave the best sight lines.
This is an outdoor venue and there were gas patio heaters scattered in the viewing area but it was still very cold. The temperature at 10:30pm when the show started was 33 degrees with light winds. I asked the bartender what it was like in the summer and he said it was about like a Ranger’s game in mid-summer, so prepare to sweat.
If you’ve suffered through Orlando and the restaurants along International Drive, the ambiance of The GMBG is instantly recognizable. I’ll let you make your own judgments about Orlando and “Theme” restaurants.
I’m sure the millions of viewers of “Fast N’ Loud” are thrilled when they are able to go to an automotive themed restaurant/bar owned by a popular Reality TV show star. Other than the merchandise area I didn’t see much that was “Fast N’ Loud” specific. The décor was mostly traffic signs and items you’d see in a 60’s era automotive repair shop.
Even though the bar and restaurant were not my “scene” I wouldn’t hesitate to see a show at The GMBG. The sound and sight lines set the standard in Dallas for small outdoor venues.
Your mileage may vary….