There’s no sign outside. You pull up to Hi Line Drive, the valet points you toward a door, and you walk through velvet drapes into Tango Room. Sixty seats. Mahogany walls, burgundy booths, brass fixtures, and original Andy Warhol and Ed Ruscha pieces from Tim Headington’s personal collection. The room feels like somewhere a lot of decisions get made over a lot of good wine.
Headington — The Joule, Forty Five Ten, Commissary, CBD Provisions — built this one with Simon Roberts, who owns Graileys, the members-only wine club where the two met. Roberts runs the wine program himself here, works the floor with sommelier Nick Burns, and the list reflects that personal investment. People come in having already decided what they want to drink and build dinner around it. The room accommodates that without making you feel like you’re doing it wrong.
The former FT33 space in the Design District’s Decorative Center opened as Tango Room in 2021 without much fanfare, which was clearly intentional. Executive Chef David Gomez runs the kitchen. General Manager Michael Nicol keeps the floor running with the kind of precision that makes the whole thing feel effortless.
The menu has real range. On the starter end, the Lobster Corndogs with mustard crème at $18 are what most tables order first and what most people mention on the way home. The Seared Foie Gras — orange-and-vanilla pain perdu, sauce à l’orange, blood orange, hazelnuts — is $29 and executed cleanly. The Oysters & Pearls Velouté with butter-poached oysters, kaluga caviar, and crème fraîche at $41 is the one to order when you want to settle in for a long dinner. The Crab Mille-Feuille with blue crab, curry aioli, kiwi gelée, and pepper jam at $21 reads more complicated than it eats. The Hiramasa Crudo with yuzu kosho, passion fruit gelée, serrano, and fried capers at $21 is precise and light.
Caviar has its own section. The full kaluga hybrid service with kennebec chips and brioche rounds runs $185. The Chicken & Caviar at $22 — black river caviar, crème fraîche, chives — is the entry point and a good one. The martini with Belvedere Lake, osetra, and oyster vermouth at $55 has quietly become what the room is known for among regulars.
The pasta section is worth paying attention to. Most steakhouses treat pasta as an afterthought. The Tango Bolognese — pappardelle, whipped burrata, foie gras — at $34 is not an afterthought. The Tortelli with Italian sausage, sherry gastrique, kabocha squash, and spinach at $24 is undersold on the menu and overdelivers on the plate. The Cacio e Pepe at $24 is exactly what it should be — spaghettini, black pepper, nothing extra unless you add shrimp for $18.
Steaks split between Allen Brothers and Westholme Australian Wagyu. The Filet is 8oz Allen Brothers at $58. The Denver is $40. The Kansas, a 14oz bone-in Allen Brothers, runs $78. The Westholme cuts are the 14oz bone-in Ribeye at $150 and the 12oz NY Strip at $180. Hokkaido A5 is $45 per ounce with a four ounce minimum. Sauce additions run from truffle butter at $8 through bordelaise at $19 and oscar style at $20. The bordelaise is the call.
If you’re not having steak, the Roast Chicken at $46 — breast alongside a boudin blanc ballotine, stewed prunes, parsnip purée, and truffle chicken jus — is the dish that justifies the price on its own terms. The Whole Roasted Duck at $140 is a table piece: garlic hoisin, bibb lettuce, miso mustard, fried rice, crispy confit. The Ora King Salmon with ajo blanco, braised baby leeks, and pickled grapes at $38 is quiet and well-made.
On sides, the Duck Fried Rice with duck confit, tare, green onion, and crispy shallot at $20 goes with everything. The Mushrooms with lemongrass cream, hot honey, and pickled peppers at $17 are better than they need to be. The Lobster Mac is $32 and rich enough to share.
Happy hour runs Tuesday through Friday — half-off specialty cocktails and wines by the glass, complimentary bites, and a deal on the Fruits de Mer. It’s the most accessible version of the room.
Tango Room is expanding to Frisco this fall — HALL Park, larger bar, private dining room. The Design District original is still the one to know.
Tango Room is at 1617 Hi Line Drive, Suite 250, Dallas. Tuesday through Thursday 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 11. Closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations through Resy.
