Signage plays no small part in determining dive bar credibility and beyond the simple green awnings over the front door, an impressive and small piece of neon hangs off the brick front. The name of the bar is depicted in twisted, red neon, but even better, a small white sign sits just below it, decreeing life’s necessities: “Cocktails. Dancing. Billiards. Hot Dogs. Espresso.” The presence of a hollowed out, graffiti-filled pay phone shell doesn’t hurt the look either.
The ’in-between’ nature of The Cedars neighborhood informed the vibe to be created by two Dallas restauranteurs who took on the project, hoping to parlay an in-between location into a dive bar open to all comers. And for a freshly christened might-be dive bar, Mike’s Gemini Twin is off to an impressive start, complete with a stripper pole reclaimed from previous ownership guarded by a velvet rope for no reason at all.
But all of that preamble buries the lede here. Walking into Mike’s Gemini Twin for the first time is an experience, the front door a portal from a sunny Dallas street into a warmly-lit cocktail paradise. The seating, the Christmas lights, the checkered tile flooring, every element here comes together in such a comforting way that its 2019 opening date is immediately forgotten in favor of that warm feeling that comes with visiting a place you’ve been countless times before. Is the interior space a little too nice to be labeled a dive bar? Maybe. But this is the vibe that comes with some of the best dive bars in the world, a sense of inclusion and comfort and memory whether this is a first visit or nightly stop.
Plush booth seating runs the full length of the space along one wall, large curved booths intended for groups large and small, creating a vibe for discussion amongst friends. Dimly-lit lamps jut out every so often from the wall here, just one aspect of an overall lighting scheme that runs low on lumens but high on ambiance. Christmas lights ring interspersed mirrors, just one of a few reflective surfaces that allow the dim light to bounce around the space.