A “shrine to Mexican spirits” with an expansive library of tequilas, mezcals, sotols, and more, Las Almas Rotas is where to go in Dallas if you’re looking to expand your agave spirits palate
Situated in Expo Park in South Dallas, Las Almas Rotas celebrates Mexican spirits, and features an extensive library of tequilas, mezcals, sotols, raicillas, corn whiskeys, and others. Its colorful facade welcomes visitors leading to an interior that feels like a broken in cantina with its expansive bottle collection and back bar taking center stage.
The menu focuses on flights poured from the library of Mexican spirits and encourages visitors to expand their knowledge. Cocktails are also available and, to no surprise, the margarita is quite popular. Food-wise, guests can expect authentic Mexican food, including street tacos, quesadillas, and tortas, but don’t expect any Tex-Mex.
Owner Shad Kvetko Las Almas Rotas tells us…
Please describe Las Almas Rotas as if you’re explaining the experience of walking through the doors and ordering your first drink.
The first thing you notice about Las Almas is our colorful facade which takes its cue from ancient Zapoteco motifs and the beautiful hand painted agave on the front door glass. This informs you that you’re about to enter the “shrine to Mexican spirits” as we describe ourselves. Once you enter you find yourself in a long shotgun style space with our massive library of Mexican spirits dominating the space on the left, and a row of old church pews forming a banquet with solid pecan live edge tables and equipale chairs for table seating. One thing you may notice is the general lack of decor, especially on the 12’ high shiplap wood wall directly behind the banquets that was hidden under drywall for over a hundred years until we exposed it. This is by design as we wanted the back bar to be the star of the show. The L shaped bar is made from the same live sedge pecan (which we hand sanded and finished) and everything is bathed in warm light from our custom light fixtures made of rebar. Everything has a bit of wear to it that gives the feel of an older, broken in cantina. Whether you sit at the bar or at a table, our team will help guide you to making the perfect selection from our menus.
How would you describe Las Almas Rotas in a three-word text to a friend that you’re trying to convince to join you?
Mezcal, mezcal, mezcal.
Other than Las Almas Rotas, what else is happening in the neighborhood that you’re in?
Our neighborhood is unique in Dallas as we are right across the street from Fair Park, which was rebuilt in 1936 for the Texas Centennial Exposition and is one of the largest collections of art moderne architecture in the world. In the 80’s and 90’s, this neighborhood was a hotbed for bars, restaurants and art galleries, studios and other cultural venues. It began to go downhill and was pretty much forgotten until we took our space here, and now several other programs have opened in the neighborhood and we are getting ready to open another concept right around the corner from Las Almas that will be connected with a shared patio in back. There are four residential towers that are being constructed within a half mile of our bar which will give the neighborhood the residential density it needs.
Aside from Happy Hour, when is the best time to get to the bar?
That depends on the experience you’re looking for. On Friday and Saturday nights we’re a very high energy place with loud music and sometimes dancing. If you’re looking for a more intimate experience, the weekdays are typically slower and not as rambunctious. There’s also our Spirits Room in back that has a much moodier atmosphere with low lighting and quieter music.
Describe the average drinkers that you serve?
One of greatest success has been the diversity of our guests. On any given night you’ll find the room filled with people of every race, nationality and socioeconomic level with everyone getting along. Pre-Covid we would have guests who came in as strangers sharing pours off of their spirits flights. We do tend to get a lot of creative professionals such as designers, architects etc. but we love it that so many different types of people find our place comfortable.
Please tell us more about your drinks menu.
The heart of our drinks menu is our flight program. We have several flights of five and three that are designed to highlight a certain part of the category. We can also build custom flights of any of the expressions in our library. We created it to convince people to try the spirit neat, in its most essential form. It also allows people to try more spirits without breaking the bank and without them getting hammered, as all of our flight pours are .5oz. It’s also a good tool for our team to learn what your flavor preferences are and to help guide you with other selections. We do have a cocktail program which is simple and solid using top quality ingredients and no gimmicks.
What’s your signature drink–or your favorite drink currently on the menu–and why should I order it?
Our signature drink is probably our margarita or ranch water. Both are made with family owned brands (either tequila or mezcal) which was important to us so more money would go to them and their community rather than be diluted by giant multinational corporations. We fresh squeeze lime juice for both our frozen and rocks margs and use Combier orange liqueur. Currently, my favorite drink on our menu is actually a whisky drink that has Whiskey Del Bac, a single malt whiskey from Tucson that is smoked with mesquite wood instead of peat like an Islay Scotch. It also has mission fig liqueur and Cynar stirred and served over a large format cube. It’s called the Noche del Desierto.
How much do drinks cost?
They start at $13 and go to $15, except for our “Muy Premium Margarita” which is made with Wild Common high proof blanco tequila. It started as a joke and has been selling incredibly well!
Is there anything to eat? If so – what’s your favorite dish on the menu?
Our food menu is simple and solid Mexican food. We serve street tacos, quesadillas, tortas etc. You won’t find any Tex-Mex here. Two of our most popular dishes (and my favorites) are our pork belly chicharrones and our pozole rojo.
What are the distinguishing features of Las Almas Rotas?
The fact that it is an independently funded and owned concept whose owners were never involved in the f&b industry prior to opening. We have an ethics program that rejects the “pay for play” that many other bars participate in. We support small producers and especially brands where the maestro is invested in the ownership and has agency in the brand. Our education program is a huge part of what we do, and we love to bring in the producers and educators to enrich the local community as well as doing our own classes and tastings. Additionally, our refusal to compromise our program by selling brands that are popular with the public that we do not enjoy or respect.
What’s that music we hear playing on the Las Almas Rotas stereo?
Cumbia, bachata, norteño and of course you can’t go wrong with Selena!
Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Friday: 5:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Saturday: 2:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Sunday: 2:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Reservations:
Walk-ins only.
Website:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/lasalmasrotas
Address:
3615 Parry Ave, Dallas, TX 75226
