The history of the space boasts a set of twists and turns itself, the building running through a number drive-in style restaurant concepts after opening before settling on an alcohol-friendly format 1968. A name change or two later, the Starlight Lounge came into existence before giving way to the global pandemic and its revival. Local dance club owners of The Nine stepped into the picture, buying the space, updating its infrastructure to pass code and mercifully leaving most everything else alone. Most telling, arriving at the space feels like pulling up to a 1960s drive in rather than a 21st century dive bar revival.
Fresh paint was included in the deal, the exterior looking a little bit like the Chicago city flag with a color scheme of blue paint and red stars on white trim. Intriguingly, the outdoor patio space that extends off the front of the building resembles more a prison than a summer spot for a drink. The awning that served as the hallmark for drive in meals for so many decades has been reinforced and preserved, keeping that drive-up vibe alive. Inside, the roof feels low and lights look dim, just the right kind of Dallas dive bar portal to walk through. To the right, the short L-shaped bar, now with liquor, takes up the front portion of the interior space, pink neon overhead shouting “Well Vodka.”
The preserved woodwork shines through here, the area behind the bar the right kind of dive bar clutter, punctuated by a draped Budweiser flag and suspended wooden platforms displaying the can and bottle beer selection. The bathrooms border this area, the set notorious in the Starlight Lounge days as some of the more interesting restrooms in Dallas. They were renovated along with other aspects of the space, taking away a little bit of the adventure of visiting the bathrooms at now Charlie’s Star Lounge.
