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The Free Man

3.6 (675 reviews)
Open 11:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)
Updated over 3 months ago

Order The Free Man Takeout or Delivery

The Free Man Photos

THE FREE MAN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Live music
Casual
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - The Free Man

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Reviews With Photos

Live music
Cashton J.

Ri Ri and Leticia were amazing! Great bartenders, great conversation and a great vibe! Came in at 3 and stayed til 8 to catch the live music! Thank you all for making my experience great!!! Those fried pickles were the best I've ever had!

The band
Thay H.

This spot is so fun and the food is delish! My hubby and I visited while visiting from Austin. We got to hear an amazing band that sang covers of all the R&B hits from the 90's -2k's. The food is Cajun inspired and also did not miss. Oh the drinks, heavy pours and the staff kept them coming. We'll definitely be back!!!

Fried catfish
Camille A.

This place was a recommendation from a local bouncer in the Deep Ellum area. Their service style is casual and pretty straightforward (open self seating). I went with Fried Catfish and fries while my bf had the Red Beans & Rice with blackened catfish on top. The fish was fried hard but was pretty slimy on the inside and lacked flavor. I wasn't a fan of their rémoulade due to the tartness and liquid texture. On the other hand, the blackened catfish was delicious and cooked perfectly. The red beans and rice were okay-- it seemed like the dish could've been cooked longer. The sausage in the dish was good though. We also shared a small cup of gumbo which was my favorite! Perfectly seasoned and served hot! The service started off great but our server disappeared towards the end when the restaurant got busier. It wasn't a bad experience just nothing special for the price!

My Lemon Drop
Kandi R.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT!!!!! In town viaiting family and we had reservations, was told with the arm band we can go in and out. And out table would be available. Two sides to this venue, and a patio area. We moved to the bar side came back our table was gone. Food: Cajun wings were salty (babe food) Kids meal, shrimp and fries (my food) everything was hot, but it was more breading than shrimp THE DRINKS: Wine (babe) Lemon Drop (me) No complaints that lemon drop was perfect Live band for entertainment, reason we were here. It was a good show on both sides. 3-Stars for my drink and entertainment had the food been better it would have been rated higher.....our waitress was good

Fried Pickles
Zerenity W.

The Free Man is a two sided bar with lots of space. They cater to music lovers with live bands. However the music is way too loud and I had to step further back to really enjoy it. I suggest sitting in the back and not up front (we were in the second row) The food was okay but way too salty.

Crawfish Pasta Cajun Blackened Catfish
Trina S.

We ordered the Boudin Balls, Crawfish Pasta, and the Blackened Catfish Plate. We modified the catfish plate and got the fish fried instead of grilled with a side of etoufee to smother the catfish. The food and service here is amazing. I will say we came here on a slow Saturday morning before any performers. The music was good as well. Would 100% come back!

Catfish plate with red beans & rice and gator poboy

What a phenomenal spot. Great vibes, amazing food, and a nice selection of cocktails. I've been here a number of times and somehow each experience is better than the last.

Sheilicha S.

Whenever I'm downtown this always the #1 spot to eat good food, listen to some Spoken Word, Music, dancing, and overall great vibes. Mary was our server and she was the sweetest, also had some nice vocals on her as well. She got up on stage and shared some musical flows with us (the crowd) and customers. There's a $10 cover charge so please be aware. Always a vibe and big radiant energy when I'm here. Lastly, our Cajun wings (can't order all flats) but I did ask for extra crispy and they were succulent wings. We loved them...our fries were nice and crispy too. I've never had a bad food order or dining experience here. Glad this spot was introduced to me almost four years ago today. Still one of my Favs. 10/10

Fried Oysters
K P.

I've been asked to go here many times but it never happened, so finally I went! Nice live band, it's a bit hot mid July with the doors open. Service was great, and nice ambiance, which is the only reason I'm giving more than 1 star. I ordered the catfish basket, it definitely was not catfish and it was not good (I've never seen square catfish). Then I ordered the oyster basket, it was even worse! Hands down the worst food I've ever eaten at a restaurant. There was so much breading, they looked monstrous. I swear the oysters much have been canned. It was so bad, I filled up on the fries, best part of my meal. Very disappointed.

Cajun Blackened Catfish

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5 months ago

The food was surprisingly good and plentiful. I overate, cause I love my Cajun. Very talented musicians too so the music was great.

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1 year ago

The food was undoubtedly good but the live music and drinks are the stars of the establishment!!

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Ask the Community - The Free Man

Is this business black owned?

Nope

Can I make reservations at this restaurant? I've called a few times but no answer.

We only take reservations via Email @:::: TheFreeManDallas@gmail.com. I believe the phone message has this information included.… Read more

What time do the bands play? Thinking of going on Saturday. Also are they 21+

Various times - check the calendar on their website.

Do they take reservations?

No not on the weekends

Are there bands playing on Sunday nights? Thinking about trying it tonight

YES 2 SIDES PLAY 7 DAYS A WEEK

Is there live music every night of the week or just on weekends?

Almost 7 nights a week. Try a Tuesday to see some jams. They cover Amy Winehouse. Maybe Somme old NOLA funk too.

View All 10 Questions

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Waters Edge Winery & Bistro

Waters Edge Winery & Bistro

4.7(27 reviews)
6.3 miLake Highlands
Locally owned & operated
Walk-ins welcome

I visited Waters Edge with my family this past weekend before we went to a movie at the Drafthouse…read more(just across the parking lot), and we had a good time! Waters Edge is a winery and a bistro - so you can come for drinks or a meal or both. We were told that they make all of the wines on their menu, of which there are dozens of wines on their menu. I've been to a few urban wineries before, and it's an interesting concept. Waters Edge buys grape must (crushed grapes) from around the world and then craft and bottle wines made from that must at their locations (this Dallas location is one of 15 across the country). Wanting to try a few of their wines, the four of us shared two flights of five wines each. We tried the Tour of Armenia and Alec's Flight (a rotating selection of wines by their winemaker). Did I like every wine? No. But I thought most of them were pretty good. Personally, I'm not sure they need to make this many wines; I'll always prefer a business that does ten things well than fifty things fine (the Cheesecake Factory rule). But most of the wines were pretty nice (of the 10 I tried, I wouldn't drink 3 or 4 but wouldn't mind drinking the rest again). I appreciated that many of their wines are Armenian style, because I haven't had much opportunity to try Armenian wines. We also ordered a few snacks - they have a full food menu. We shared their Deviled Egg of the Month (2 eggs - 4 halves) and their Cheese is Life Board (two cheeses, hot honey, giardiniera, and crispy flatbread), which were both good snacks. They've been open just under a year, but the place doesn't feel quite lived in yet. The dining room has a large room divider in it, set up like a bookshelf. It has books and card/trivia games about wine and more. But many of these items were still wrapped in plastic, making it feel a little impersonal. The service was good, and it's a comfortable place to spend a couple of hours! The food we had was pretty good. The wines in my opinion are just okay - probably not the spot to take a wine snob on a date. But they have a large variety of wines, so you're likely to find one or many that you like. Not a bad place to spend some time if you're in the neighborhood!

Love coming here. Great for some relax time with wine and noshes…read more Quincy is very informative and helpful. The food is great, had the eggs and arancini so far. Enjoying the quality wine. Great ambiance, they have comfy couches and some board games. Good for groups or celebratory events

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Waters Edge Winery & Bistro
Waters Edge Winery & Bistro
Waters Edge Winery & Bistro

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The Free Man - cajun - Updated May 2026

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