Bar Colette

The food here is excellent, and if you go now you have the chance to try appetizers crafted by a Michelin starred chef, Christophe De Lellis, who is manning the Bar Colette kitchen until the opening of Mamana in Uptown this Fall.

The cocktails are similarly world class, we all enjoyed the wide variety we tried with the Al Pastor mezcal cocktail being our favorite.

Patio service is quick but needs fans with the Texas heat, limited seating inside but the entire establishment is very tranquil and transports you out of West Village and Dallas.

Pros: vibes, ambiance, music and crowd are all great. Nice moody setting that would be great for a small girls night out or a date night.

Cons: drink prices are so outrageous its actually hilarious. $26 for a dirty martini is absurd even in Dallas (no bleu cheese stuffed olives either). I can get better drinks and better service for a realistic price anywhere else. Would not come back based on the comedic prices alone. The hostess was adorable but the service was insanely slow.

An amazing experience 1st time through. I sat at the bar where the knowledge of the mixologist shown through. Everything I tried was well balanced and each note on the drink card came through in the cocktail. Even those drinks with ice stood the test of time as they diluted. Maybe one note more present at the beginning and as the drink diluted that note still present stepped to the back and the at first subtle note coming forward. I had two and sampled two for a win across the board. For protein I had the tartar it looked and tasted amazing.

Seems all places suffer on this next area, noise level. It was high making it hard to carry on an intimate conversation and the vibe is so casual and intimate on visual alone. . I wish these businesses would invest in acoustic controls that dampen the noise.

Five stars, looking to return soon and you should go too!

Great service and decor!! Yet very pricey. Our server was very attentive. We started off with a 4oz of La Encanta whiskey ($39) and the Wimbledon ($18) cocktail. I didn't try but the whiskey was very rich and bold smell. The Wimbledon was very fresh, light, and had a strawberry taste. It came with a lavender jelly topping that I really liked. We got 4 oysters ($20) and chicken tenders ($17). The oysters were somewhat of a pass- not seasoned or had a sauce. The tenders were good! Nothing too special or bad about it. The frozen daily cocktail ($17) was actually better than expected since you can taste the liquor. They offered to mix it and I asked for more strawberry than pina colada but I got the exact opposite. Regardless- very refreshing and would rec this place just for a cocktail versus the food. It is expensive so I'd opt for a single cocktail.

Amazing cocktail bar in west village. The ambiance reminded me of a bar in NYC or another trendy international town.

Super high end experience with service, ambiance, and cocktails to match.

We got several cocktails (see pics) and even tried several of the dishes. The steak was delicious and apparently we ate it all before the camera could eat!

The only dish that wasn't on point was the duck. It was a little dry and overcooked for our taste.

The cocktails were the highlight of the evening and the main reason to visit bar Collette. Each one was super well crafted and the bar ware is next level. Each glass matches fits its contents like a glove. Whether you are in the mood for something on a big cube, straight up, or served with foam, they got you.

The only thing I wish was different when it comes to the cocktail service is the actual creation of the cocktails. My understanding is everything is made behind the scenes or in advance of the service. This is good because you don't hear all the noise of the drink making but then you also don't get the interaction with the bartenders on the cool ingredients they are using. It's a bit of a double edged sword.

All in all, a super fun cocktail spot in dallas and we need more here!

If you want a good cocktail and bar snacks, Bar Colette is a top 5 option in Dallas. The bartenders know their liquors, and they have a semi-sponsored happy hour that will hit everyone of your tastebuds. Expect to drop a pretty penny but worthwhile if you expect to sit for longer than a moment and absorb the cocktail knowledge of this crew.

Wow! For a special night, I highly recommend this spot. The drinks are creative, unique, and delicious. The service was friendly, helpful, and just extremely great at their jobs. And the ambiance is great.

The bar itself is kinda hidden, which I loved. We sat on the outdoor covered patio, but the inside section looked nice as well.

Highly recommend for a fancy night, because it is a tad pricy. But worth it in my opinion.

I've been here a few times and I go back for vibes not the drinks. Drinks are just ok not amazing. Drink menu is more specialized versus classic cocktails. If you want a more classic cocktail they can make it even though it's not on the menu. I had them make me a regular margarita and it was really good.

They're doing really great things here:

1. Lovely ambiance. The entrance is slightly tucked away behind some (faux) greenery, in a valiant attempt to make it feel more like a hidden gem you'd find wandering down a back alley in France. There's a nice patio, but sit indoors, and you'll definitely forget that you're in Dallas. The delicate, gorgeous glassware (apparently custom-made) adds to the elegant vibes.

2. Friendly service. The vibes actually start when you check in. Employees are sharply dressed (men in suits) yet generally warm and welcoming (if you're not being annoying, which I witnessed from some other guests).

3. Smart, interesting drinks. The Siembra was a phenomenal twist on an Old Fashioned that had multiple people in our group saying "wow" after their first sip. Don't be afraid to order off-menu, either, even if it's a "normal" drink order. One person in our group ordered a bijou (a classic cocktail with a very standard recipe) and received the best one I've ever tried, thanks to an inspired dash of Fernet added to the typical ingredients.

Areas for improvement:

1. The olives and taralli served as bar snacks were lovely. Many bars will replenish bar snacks...Bar Colette does not. Since we'd just come from dinner, I didn't exactly want to order heavier snacks, but at the same time, I probably would have ordered more drinks if I'd had a steady supply of taralli to soaking them up. Maybe they could start at least offering to replenish the bar snacks? (I get that these are fancier snacks than most bar snacks, but still.)

2. Not all of the drinks were a home run. I didn't love the Rhu-Barbie. On the current (early 2024) menu, it was difficult to find a drink that was somewhere in the middle ground...lots of super sweet drinks, and several very spirit-forward, aggressive drinks. There's a lot of hype about their lead bartender, Ruben Rolon, but for all the media hype about his clarified milk punch, it's not on the menu.

The ever-changing menu is actually a handicap for the bar. I definitely want some rotation -- Rolon clearly is a creative genius and is using some crazy techniques in the back kitchen, from what I've read, so he definitely should continue innovating and creating. However, I think the menu would benefit from a section of exceptional, finely-honed "staples" that are always available. There are Michelin-winning drinks, and then there are drinks that are also very creative but just aren't quite at that level. I'd describe the majority of the current Bar Colette menu as the latter, and they need more of the former. The thing is, those drinks exist...so make sure they're always on offer. Word of mouth about those Michelin-level drinks will bring people in, and the rotating section of the menu will keep them coming back.

Sure, what do I know; I drink a lot of drinks, but I've never owned a bar. Thing is, though...West Village is a pain. One-way streets and tricky parking. No one likes to go there. So if I'm going to go back, I need a guarantee that there will be at least one drink on the menu that's going to knock my socks off. I loved the Siembra...but will it be around next time I'm there? Probably not.

One more thing:

Yeah, the drinks are expensive. A half-decent glass of wine at your average strip center restaurant in Dallas is going to be at least $15. If you're going to complain about paying a little more for being transported to this lovely little slice of New York or Paris, where the drinks require a lot more time and effort than operating a corkscrew...please don't. That said, I think they'll get fewer complaints about the prices if the menu consistently offers at least a few drinks that are tried-and-true, guaranteed hits that showcase the best of Rolon's talents. Based on menu descriptions alone, the Rhu-Barbie was the closest to my tastes among the current menu, and I didn't love it...so that left me sort of up a creek with the menu. I went with a basic gin martini for my second round, but I've had better martinis, too. I can see the potential on the menu here, especially with the sips of the Siembra that I snuck from a friend, so with that plus all the other positives, I'm still giving them four stars. But I understand why someone might come away with a different impression, depending on what drinks are on offer that night and how the menu aligns with their tastes. Hm, maybe a showcase of staples is the solution, eh?

Someone ping me when the clarified milk punch is back on the menu, please. (Fingers crossed...!)

Great ambiance. Easily the best cocktails in West Village with a reasonable price point given their quality ($20 +/- $5). The bites we had were all good, but the best thing on the menu by far is the banana tart.