Crystal Wise
In his book In Limbo, author A.D. Aliwat mourns the fact that he can’t go to a bar these days without having to deal with people on their phones.
He writes: “You can’t even go to a bar anymore, meet strangers that become friends or women who become lovers. You need the extra step of finding them through an app or bonding over an app, that or the make and model of your phone, which you must display as much as possible.”
Will someone please show A.D. the way to the Down ’n Out?
While phones certainly aren’t outlawed at this much-needed bar-bar that sits at the intersection of Rosedale and South Main streets, bridging the gap between the Near Southside and South Main areas, they’re certainly infrequent guests here.
The people who come together at the Down ’n Out want to be together, to talk, to shoot pool, to hang out and relax. Opened in late ’22, it’s a neighborhood bar populated by actual neighbors, young, old, Black, white, brown, yellow, gray, young, tattooed and not. Some ride motorcycles, others drive Beamers. It’s not a place where people are taking selfies. Instead, they talk, laugh and drink, like nightcrawlers in Fort Worth used to do.
“I’ve always been a fan of neighborhood bars,” says owner Eric Vickers, a commercial real estate broker who opened D&O with Nickel City Saloon owner Travis Tober. “They’re off the beaten path, they have regulars and great people behind the bar and on the other side of the bar. I took little bits and pieces of places like that around Fort Worth, and then put my own spin on it.”
Vickers describes the Down ’n Out as a new business trapped in an old soul. You get that the second you step in and see the wood-paneled walls, checkerboard floor and mod-looking pub stools and tables. Think of the old Oui Lounge, think of the old J&J Hideaway’s. That decor, that vibe.
Karaoke is about as 21st century as the Down ’n Out gets. Vickers went all out for DnO’s Wednesday night karaoke night, hiring ‘aoke vet and DJ Keith Swan, who uses the massive KaraFun catalog for song selection.
“You’ll hear everything,” Vickers says. “Country, hip-hop, alternative, classic rock, and heavy metal hair bands. It’s very much across the board. I think that’s why the crowd has grown so much, because it’s a little bit of everything. We see new faces every week.”
Our readers picked the DnO as the best karaoke bar in town this year, but it’s certainly not the only reason to go. Other reasons: Unlike at some of the surrounding bars, drink prices won’t break you. Cool cocktails such as the Mountain Dew margarita, a mix of triple sec, tequila, lime and ‘dew, and the G&Tea, a mix of green tea, gin, citrus cordials, and tonic, hover in the $11-$12 range. Knock off five or six bucks during happy hour, 3-6 p.m., Monday-Friday.
You’ll see familiar faces behind that bar, including former Heim BBQ and Del Frisco’s bartender Nick Snow, who mans and runs the bar and also serves as general manager.
“A big part of our success here is because of Nick,” Vickers say. “I’m in commercial real estate; I know very little about the bar business, which meant I needed to find someone who knew A LOT about the bar business. Within two minutes of meeting Nick, I said, ‘You’re our GM.’ He’s amazing at what he does.”
There’s a great patio, too, just some tables and chairs put outside with cones set up to divide the patio from the parking lot. No one dropped 10K building this thing out.
That’s its charm, though. You don’t need fancy or expensive to bring people together. People, sometimes, just want to be around other people. Vickers says that’s what’s he and Tober are going for.
“We want to create a welcoming vibe and experience,” he says. “A place for everybody, no cliques, just people having a good time together.”
