There’s a formula a lot of neighborhood bars follow: pour the drinks cold, keep the food simple, and don’t try too hard. Hillside Tavern, parked in the Hillside Village shopping center at 6465 E. Mockingbird Lane in East Dallas, mostly ignores that formula. The bar food here is better than it has any obligation to be, and the wine list is legitimately good — not the two token bottles on a chalkboard you’d expect from a sports bar with eight televisions.
The place opened in April 2019, the idea of brothers Bradley and Brooks Anderson, both practicing lawyers who have been building a quiet Dallas restaurant portfolio for years — Veritas Wine Room, Boulevardier in Bishop Arts, Rapscallion on Greenville before it closed. The third partner is chef Nathan Tate, a third-generation Rockwall native who grew up on his family’s working cattle ranch and who trained under Dean Fearing at the Ritz-Carlton before going on to open restaurants of his own. That background shows up on the Hillside menu in ways you don’t expect from a bar that also airs Sunday games on a big screen.
The burger situation alone is worth knowing about. The Tate Farms Cheeseburger ($19.50) uses 100% grass-fed beef from Tate’s family ranch in Rockwall County — a place his grandfather established roughly sixty years ago, and where his brother Evan still runs the operation today. The patty comes with smoked cheddar, bourbon-bacon jam, garlic confit, white truffle aioli, arugula, tomato, and pickles. It’s not a gimmick. The sourcing is real and the flavor reflects it.
If you want something more straightforward, the Hillside Cheeseburger ($16) is a smash patty with American and provolone, dill pickles, creole mustard, and mayo on a brioche bun. The 4 Cheese Patty Melt ($17) piles American, provolone, cheddar, and jack on a mustard-griddled smash patty with caramelized onion, pickled peppers, and a secret sauce. The Okie Burger ($17) smashes thinly sliced onions directly into the beef before it hits the griddle — seasoned, pressed, and finished with thick-cut pickles and creole mustard. The Texan ($17) does the same with jalapeños in the mix, adds fried onion strings and bacon, and finishes with house-made spicy ketchup. Gluten-free buns are available for $3.
The wings are a big part of why regulars keep showing up. Six flavors: Buffalo, Dry Rub, Sweet and Spicy Sticky, Garlic Parmesan, and Lemon Pepper. At happy hour they drop to $.99 each with a six-piece minimum, which is the kind of deal that’s hard to argue with on a Tuesday evening. Regular menu pricing runs $14.50 for six, $22 for twelve, and $29 for eighteen.
Appetizers are where you start to notice that Tate is actually cooking. The Hillside Pimento Cheese ($11.50) is house-made and served with fried saltine crackers and pickled vegetables — a Southern standard done right. The Tuna Tartare “Nachos” ($27) stacks sweet soy, jalapeño, spicy mayo, chili sauce, cucumber, radish, and furikake on malanga chips, and it’s genuinely interesting. The Beer Battered Fried Asparagus ($15) comes with garlic-truffle aioli, shaved parmesan, cherry peppers, and parsley — straightforward and well-executed. The Cheddar Fries ($15.50) go the full route with pickled jalapeño, cheddar, jack, bacon, scallion, pico de gallo, salsa verde, and queso blanco. The Hillside Pretzel ($14.50) is one of those bar staples that gets better when someone pays attention to it — crispy, chewy, served with honey mustard and an optional queso add-on for $3.
Three flatbreads are available starting at 5 p.m. on weekdays and at 11 a.m. on weekends, all priced at $18. The Hot Honey Cheesy Pepp finishes pepperoni, mozzarella, onion, and jalapeño with a hot honey drizzle. The Buffalo Chicken Flatbread keeps it clean with their house Buffalo chicken, mozzarella, and scallions. The Basil Pesto Margherita goes pesto base with mozzarella, seasoned tomato, basil chiffonade, and a balsamic reduction.
The sandwich side of the menu is solid without being showy. The “Long Walk” Crispy Chicken Sandwich ($17.50) fries a chicken thigh, hits it with an Asian buffalo sauce and ranch, adds iceberg and pickles on a brioche bun. The Pork Banh Mi ($18) uses Korean-marinated pork on a hoagie roll with pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, green onions, and garlic truffle aioli. The Italian ($19) stacks roasted ham, smoked turkey, and Genoa salami on toasted ciabatta with provolone, cheddar, garlic aioli, arugula, and a sweet pepper-tomato relish.
Entrees are available from 5 p.m. on weekdays, 11 a.m. on weekends. The Fish and Chips ($22) uses beer-battered Atlantic cod with house slaw and jalapeño-tartar sauce. The Steak Frites ($33) runs a 13-ounce New York strip with house-whipped garlic herb butter, house-smoked kosher salt, and seasoned fries. The Seared Sweet Chili Salmon Bowl ($32) goes Japanese sticky rice, sliced vegetables, spicy mayo, sweet soy, chili sauce, and furikake. The Hillside Beef and Broccoli ($25) puts a Bulgogi beef spin on the classic with pasta or rice, sautéed vegetables, and bagel seasoning.
Weekend brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Spicy Chicken and Waffles ($18) pairs Belgian waffles with Long Walk chicken bites tossed in Asian buffalo sauce, bacon, butter, maple syrup, and jalapeño slices. The Mini Doughnut Sliders ($17) put two bacon cheeseburgers and two Long Walk chicken pieces on mini glazed doughnuts as buns, which is exactly what it sounds like. The Steak and Eggs ($21) keeps it grounded — seven-ounce NY strip, garlic herb butter, home fries, eggs your way, and a lemon-arugula side salad. Brunch cocktails are $5 across the board: Kir Royale, Bloody Mary made with Townes Vodka, mimosas, Aperol Spritz, and a Hugo Spritz with St. Germain.
The bar program is better than most sports bars have any business offering. Twelve drafts, 13 wines by the glass, a full bottle list of 48 selections. Happy hour brings cocktails to $7, select drafts to $6, and wines to $8 a glass, with all bottles a third off. That runs Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. and Friday from 3 to 6 p.m.
Hillside Tavern is closed on Mondays. Tuesday and Wednesday they run 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday goes until 11 p.m. Friday opens at 3 p.m. and runs to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and 9 p.m. respectively. The kitchen closes one hour before close every night. Brunch is Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
dallashillsidetavern.com | (214) 888-0152 | 6465 E. Mockingbird Lane, Suite 386, Dallas, TX 75214
