Whether you’re here for Argentina, Japan, Holland, England, Croatia, or Austria — or just to drink beer and pretend you understand offside — this is your playbook for where to eat, drink, and live like a local while still feeling like a visitor.
1. Arlington & The Entertainment District
This is the most practical choice for your World Cup stay: short Uber or walk to AT&T Stadium with zero seat-of-your-pants travel logistics. Home to big hotels, sports bars, and the gloriously chaotic Texas Live! entertainment complex, Arlington is where match days are designed to make sense. Grab breakfast, nap mid-afternoon, and stroll over to game night like it’s the easiest thing you’ll do all trip.
Off match days and evenings, Arlington doesn’t leave you hanging. Division Brewing offers a more local brewery vibe right in town, and nearby sports bars like J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill will show every World Cup feed you can imagine. Arlington is your comfortable home base before you branch out into the rest of the Metroplex.
Big D Soccer Staff
2. Downtown Dallas
If you want everything within an easy rideshare or commuter rail ride, Downtown Dallas is a killer central hub. It’s walkable by Texas standards, packed with hotels, and seconds away from nightlife, restaurants, and cultural stops like the Perot Museum and Klyde Warren Park. You’re close enough to watch parties but disconnected enough that you can still score a seat for dinner without fighting half of Europe over it.
There are tons of bars ready for fan takeovers — from The Crafty Irishman for a hearty pub atmosphere to spots like The Woolworth for craft cocktails and sharable plates. Downtown balances on-field logistics with after-party potential, which is exactly the vibe your readers will love.
Downtown is also transit-friendly relative to the rest of DFW. The TRE commuter rail runs to CentrePort/DFW Airport station, where you can grab rideshares or shuttles to AT&T Stadium.
3. Deep Ellum
If neighborhoods had personalities, Deep Ellum’s would be “loud, unfiltered, never apologizing.” This is where live music, dive bars, late-night eats, and creative breweries collide. Deep Ellum feels like the part of Dallas that refuses to act like it’s in Texas — not that anyone’s complaining.
Post-match or pre-nightcap, Deep Ellum’s restaurants and bars have you covered. Local faves like Pecan Lodge serve up some of the best BBQ in the country, and music venues like Trees keep the energy alive late into the night. Deep Ellum isn’t a hotel hub, but it’s a brilliant place to eat, drink, and mingle before staggering back to your ride share at 2 a.m.
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4. Bishop Arts District
Charming. Walkable. Delicious. The Bishop Arts District is what happens when Dallas decides it wants to be both cool and civilized. This small area packs independent boutiques, art galleries, and plenty of restaurants that make you forget you’re still technically in Texas. It’s perfect for couples or food-centric travelers who want their World Cup trip to smell like fresh espresso and feel like “a real vacation.”
Dining here is a treat: Paradiso delivers refined Italian-Mediterranean plates, Eno’s Pizza Tavern doubles as a sports watch spot, and Atlas Bishop Arts offers global small plates perfect for sharing after wandering the district.
Bishop Arts doesn’t have big transit options, so rideshares are your friend — but the trade-off is a neighborhood vibe that feels both intimate and lively, a nice counter-balance to stadium chaos.
5. Uptown & Victory ParK
Uptown and Victory Park is where Dallas gets polished without becoming stuffy. Uptown’s walkable streets offer bars, restaurants, and bistros with outdoor seating (which you’ll want), while Victory Park is anchored by hotels and larger entertainment venues. Hotels like Omni Dallas Hotel or RTX Hotel Dallas put you in the action with classy finishes and stellar service.
This area straddles nightlife and convenience. Hop around bars like Happiest Hour or get elevated pub grub and cocktails at Harwood Arms without venturing far from your room.
The TRE Victory Station connects you (eventually) to the commuter rail system, and rideshares are plentiful here — ideal for fans who want equal parts comfort and proximity.
Big D Soccer Staff
6. Addison
Addison is Dallas’s unapologetic bar-and-dining district with a shockingly high concentration of places people actually want to go. It’s ideal for World Cup fans who want a pre-match crawl vibe without having to leave the neighborhood. The Londoner Pub alone makes this worth a stay — think proper British pub culture paired with passionate premiere league and national team viewing crowds.
Addison’s food scene is a delight: Mexican classics, gastropubs, international eats, and more. Plus, its small size makes it easy to walk between stops without needing a car.
Just know: transit options are limited, so plan your rideshares to and from matches ahead of time. Though the new Silver Line DART rail line does connect here from the DFW Airport.
7. Fort Worth (Downtown & Stockyards)
If you want your World Cup stay with a side of Texas swagger, Fort Worth could be the one. It’s a bit farther from AT&T Stadium than Dallas neighborhoods, but the Stockyards Historic District gives you cattle drives, honky-tonk bars, and cowboy charm that most visiting supporters will absolutely eat up. Downtown Forth Worth has hotels, river walks, museums, and classic neighborhood energy.
Breweries like Martin House Brewing Company and Cowtown Brewing Company give you excellent local beer options without having to traverse the metro. Dining ranges from BBQ joints to refined steakhouses — and the whole vibe is just a bit more relaxed than Dallas, which can be nice after three days of soccer chaos.
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