The Penguin Dueling Piano Bar

Called it!

If you’re looking for a copycat piano bar with bad acoustics, inept musicians, watery overpriced drinks, and dreadful ambiance, this is your place. Honestly, you can throw a rock in any direction and hit a better nightspot. You can have a better time setting your money on fire and listening to the crackle. I was left wondering if I had stumbled into some piano version of Karaōke night. Dreadful.

Well looking for something to do this past Saturday, I thought lets do something different then normal sitting at a bar drinking. So I did some research and since Pete’s Dualing piano bar in Addison can get packed and overpriced (from the reviews i read), i figured this would be the next best thing. So We got there pretty early since there is no cover charge between 8−9pm didn’t want to pay for something in case i didn’t like it, which was a good idea because although Piano bars can be fun, this one fell a little short.
The pianist were ok, their voices weren’t that great at all, very muffled sounding, so don’t know if it was them or the sound system but pretty bad. Their were several bachelorette parties and birthday celebrations going on which often were louder then the pianos, and not singing mind you, just conversating. So that ruined the overall vibe as well. Also the atmosphere isn’t one for relaxing having a good time in my opinion, its basically a big empty warehouse, loft looking room thats not very comfortable.
The drinks were $ 4 for a 16oz draft beer, selection was small but decent,(shocktop, guiness, firemans 4 to name a few), so that was ok, but couldn’t last only an hour or 2
I might be willing to give it another chance but then again maybe not.

The first contestant eliminated on Top Chef: Texas was sent home because of poor butchering skills. I mention that because the guys at Penguins would not ever have to worry about that same fate because they were butchering everything the other night. The funny thing is that I read a review earlier in the day condemning their musical skills and I laughed because I thought that guy was expecting a bit much from a piano bar. Nope, he was absolutely right and I wish I would have listened to him and not the massacred music.
Now, I wasn’t exactly expecting Elton John or Billy Joel on stage. I know that piano bars are more about drinking and laughing at the performers’ antics than hearing pitch perfect renditions of popular songs. One of the two guys seemed to be giving it his best effort but his partner was simply awful. They replaced him for awhile with some kid who only knew a handful of songs, or at least the off-​key versions of them. This was extremely sad and inspired several tables to hit the exits early on.
The rest of the experience was fine. We arrived early and got in free. The drinks were actually reasonably priced and did contain alcohol. Our waitress checked on us frequently. Generally these elements would elevate the score of a piano bar. At Penguins, all they do is keep me from awarding one star. I think it is safe to say that if Bravo had a «Top Chef» like contest for piano bars then the first episode would end with Padma saying «Hey Penguins, please pack up your mikes and go!»

I have seen homeless people beg for less money. I will never go back

$ 5 cover. Good music. Annoy staff who keeps want to take my half empty beer to encourage me to drink faster. Saw one really drunk guy got kicked out. Music makes up for it all though

Through my wanderings in uptown Dallas for bar hopping this was my final stop and I was glad. There is no cover at a piano bar which is rare these days. It’s a big venue with a HUGE back bar area so you get your drinks pretty quickly.
There are lots of tables in the lower section so you can be all up near the pianists! But there is upper level if you want to just sit back and enjoy the show. Also, they leave some open space for people to dance.
Overall, I am a sucker for piano bars because it’s a mix of live music and bad karaōke all thrown together.
However, it was not the best piano bar I have ever been to. The singers were talented but I felt their quality of singing was just average. Maybe I just didn’t have enough drinks.

If you don’t want to pay cover get there before 9pm. This place was cool, not too crowded and the performers were fine. I have seen better, but this place wasn’t terrible and I’d go back again. My only complaint was that the seating was awkward. Lots of long tables facing forward. I suppose they do get lots of groups, but several small tables would at least make it look like they weren’t herding cattle. Also, they should consider a small dance floor area.

This place is pretty cool, very similar to Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar in Addison like some of these other Unilocalers mention; although in totally different parts of town.
The basic piano bar premise: You pay $ 5 to get in and then «tip» the players with your requests. They battle. You dance, you sing, you love, you cry. I don’t have a problem with the $ 5 charge since you have to pay those guys somehow, but not too delighted with the drink prices, but then again, this is uptown. You crowd is mixed for the most part, but mostly younger/​drunk types. Pretty fun but not something I’d go to every weekend.

I suck at dancing. Its perhaps a good thing that I surround myself with pretty girls who can mask this embarrassing fact from anyone else who might not know me and think I am any measure of cool. I am not, cool. I am reminded of both facts on my recent trips to Penguin Piano Bar.
I will outline several of my recent trips to PPG and they will serve as example to how uncool I am and your expected night there.
1. PPG is a bar with a 3 – 4 piece band who play classic frat music from the 70′ — 80’s, two bars and lots of classroom style tables and chairs. The drinks are not overly expensive but there is a cover. Note to ownership– I HATE paying cover. You might as well just employ the bouncer to kick me in the nuts, write «this tool gave me his money» on my forehead and call it a night. It would most likely give you the same satisfaction and I would feel the same at the end of the night. After getting inside I was told by my group the bar was too packed and we were going someplace else. Lesson learned: PPG gets crowded late, their bars can’t keep up with the amount of people.
2. Interactions with the crowd are largely how you would expect. If you are Brad Pitt, or Heather Grahmm your results may vary from mine. Me: Hi, this is a pretty cool place huh? Girl: Yea, its great I love the music — I really like to dance. Do you know what this song is? Me: Song? Its just the band playing Happy birthday and changing every other word to boobs. Girl: Oh, that’s so cool, what’s your name again?. Lesson learned: PPG is full of SMU sorority girls. This may be a good or bad thing depending on your tastes — just don’t expect any conversation that requires more then a 4^th grade degree.
3. There really isn’t a dance floor to speak of. Most of the floor is taken up by chairs and tables. When you try and dance you’re most likely going to do so between two tables and be bumping into lots of things. Its this fact, and not my whiteness, that I blame for crashing into a bachelorettes champagne bottle and spilling it on her cute tiara and gold penis shaped earrings. Serves her right for dancing with little gilded members attached to her ears when her poor husband to be is most likely waiting at home for her with dinner made; that or at the closet booby bar. Lesson learned: Despite the music and drinks, there isn’t a place to dance.
PPG is a good time. It suffers from the same problems that you would expect from any trendy bar in uptown. Overcrowded, homogeneous 20 – 30 somethings with more money then brains, and a dance floor that moves like Richard Simmons at a Radio Head concert. I’ll give it 2 stars, Its fun place to stop by, but make sure you bring your own crowd, have a good buzz on because the bar will be packed, and make sure your ready for the $ 10 kick in the balls. er cover.

My class set up a post-​exam party on a Thursday night, so the bar probably wasn’t was packed as it usually is. They have great drink specials are Thursday night and NO COVER (which was great). The pianists are pretty good about playing requests quickly.

Think Pete’s Piano Bar, but in a more upscale environment. Penguin is indistinguishable from Pete’s when comparing how vulgar the performers are and the song selection. Still, there’s nothing wrong with that. I heard that they charge cover here, but I didn’t have to shell out any money the last time I went. Maybe I got lucky? One thing that this place has over Pete’s is the patio in the back. If you need a break from the music to chat with some of your buddies that’s the place to go. The crowd was pretty diverse as well. Overall, Penguin was definitely good times. If you’re looking to get wasted or watch people get krunk over some awesome piano music I totally recommend this place.

I thought the place had a realllly cool/​fun set up. Inside the music was blasting and fun and everyone could get up and dance if you so chose to, or yell at the piano players to play your song, if you so chose to. There was perfect outside patio for the smokers (complete with space heaters so you didn’t freeze while gettin’ your fix!) My only, ONLY negative comment about this place is, if you plan this as a date, or a get together with friends, hope you don’t plan on chatting on the inside with the pianos. Because that my friend, is damn near impossible.

Let me just start this out by saying that Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar in Addison is my joint. I immediately began judging this place based on that standard.
Firstly, they have a cover charge. I was hoping it was only for men, because dagnabit if my people didn’t have to fight for suffrage and respect and deserve a little payback for all the trouble. But no. Seven bucks of my hard-​earned money. You can apparently avoid it if you come early, but it just made my experience that much less appealing.
Drinks were average price, and pretty tasty. No complaints there.
The vibe is very… Uptown. The women were all super gussied up and besides occasionally provocatively dancing in front of the stage seemed to have no interest in the piano playing. It struck me as a place to «be seen.»
Maybe it was just because I’d never been there before, but the piano players didn’t seem to have as much personality as I’m used to. Most people were talking and scoping out the crowd rather than paying attention to the stage. A good chunk of people were verrry drunk, past being amusing and into being obnoxious or depressing. Several of the people called up on stage didn’t seem to be having much fun at all, or were so drunk I just felt sorry for them. The place just didn’t have the happy-​go-​lucky vibe I would want from a piano bar.
I mostly made a good time of it, but I think that was more due to my company than anything. Next time, I’m sticking to Pete’s! It’s worth the drive.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up for Penguin Piano Bar. I’m a big fan of dueling pianos and I’ve been to many places, but Penguin tops them all.
My top 5 reasons:
5.) The range of age groups in the crowd — anyone from retirees to early 20’s can come and have a great time at the piano bar.
4.) The atmosphere/​seating is arranged so that no matter where in the bar you are, you have a clear view of the stage and are sitting relatively close to the action.
3.) The drinks were made well, decently strong, enough to get the most vocally-​challenged belting away B-​b-​b-​benny and the Jets by 11pm.
2.) Parking is easy, as there is complimentary valet as well as a very large self-​parking lot.
1.) The pianists of course! Incredibly talented, they were energized and funny even early in the night (we got there at 9pm, right when the show started). The hilarity ensued as the crowd grew and the drinks flowed throughout the night. They engage the crowd in sing-​alongs, choreography (or «interpretive dance» as I like to call it), and they actually play the songs you request!
My only semi-​complaint was the staff was somewhat lackadaisical for such a busy night. Our waitress didn’t come by for so long at one point, I had to get up and find her. She was very nice, but moved at a glacier pace… if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s extra slow service.
Also, my friends and I arrived at 9pm and paid no cover. One of our friends got there after 10pm and had to pay $ 7 (which is cheap considering the show you get). Keep that in mind…
Some highlights of the night included the entire crowd singing along to «The Fresh Prince of Bellaire» theme song, and I was quite happy when Dave played my request of «La Bamba.»
Thanks for the funky time Penguin!

So, if you live anywhere near the South and have been to any kind of dueling piano bar before, you know it’s exactly like it sounds: a bar with two baby grand pianos facing each other on a stage, dueling it out for who can get the enthusiastic crowd to sing along the loudest.
A very recent addition to the Dallas nightlife, the Penguin is already bustling with people Thursday through Saturday. The crowd here varies from baby boomers ready to sing along to their favorite oldies to buttoned up prepsters reliving their college glory days.
Either way, the Penguin serves up a strong drink, a spacey venue and great entertainment that makes anyone brave enough to scream along to the music.
The only major downfall is the door cover, which (in my experience) has been $ 7 each time I’ve visited. However, if you think of it like that $ 7 is your collective tip for the pianists, you’ll feel more mentally at ease and be able to enjoy your night that much more.
If you’re looking for a switch-​up for your weekend routine and have an odd urge to scream corny song lyrics out to the night sky, this is your calling.

Yes they play Don’t Stop Believing. I’m sure they play it every night. I’m sure they play it multiple times every night, or else they’d be out of business.
MOVING ON!
This was my first experience at a dueling piano bar, and it was pretty fun. Thanks to my friend, I didn’t have to pay for drinks or pay the cover, but I imagine the cost can get pretty steep after a couple of hours there.
The songs they played were pretty predictable. I felt like I was back in college again, which is a feeling I’m kind of trying to move on from haha. There was a shit ton of country and oldies… just to remind you a little more that HEY YOU’RE TEXAN, NO SHIT!
But you see, I’m not the typical Texan, and it would be great if they played songs that didn’t make me feel so out of place.
And then the entire bar got on their feet (and on the tables) when «Proud to be an American» was played. I mean, I had a couple of drinks, so I was singing it. But man, did I feel like an uncultured, spray-​tanned, Dallas $ 30,000 millionaire.
I did love some of the oldies they played. Gotta love MJ!
If you do plan to go, I recommend reserving a table. It’s pretty impossible to find seating in there.

Ahh, dueling pianos. It brought back memories of the dueling piano bar in downtown San Diego and a friend of mine being invited on stage to rock out on the drums and play a few rounds w/​the pianists. So rad! This place was nothing like San Diego’s Shout House but, you know, I’ll take it.
They played a lot of country songs and this being TX, I understand but DAMN did I feel out of place. I was the only person in that building who didn’t know the words to ‘Friends in Low Places’ and was asked repeatedly where I was from — obviously not from TX (yes, thank goodness!).
I do have to admit that the layout of this place was a lot better than SD’s Shout House. It was a lot easier to maneuver which is ALWAYS a plus when you need to order a drink from the nearest server! …Or run from that one creepy guy.
As for the pianists, I thought they were very talented. They were very talented in playing each and every request handed to them and also very good at hustling the crowd for more $$. In a span of 10 minutes, I’m sure they collected over $ 200 by just playing the crowd’s university loyalty off of each other. I heard fights songs from A&M to Texas Tech to UT to SMU. I guess it was fun seeing people throw down $ 20’s and $ 50’s…
The crowd was… entertaining. Definitely the ‘uptown’ crowd. I can usually only handle it in increments but I was pretty sloshed so I didn’t mind all the uppityness.

I LOVE Dueling Piano Bars! I am originally from San Antonio so I have been to Howl at the Moon many a time and really missed that sort of entertainment for the evening. I was beyond thrilled to hear about one opening up in uptown. The Pianist (s), I believe there were 3 or 4 on rotation, were outstanding. Full of energy, talent, and of course crass sense of humor. They performed every song like it was the main song, made sure to bring up a bacholorett up for an embarrassing song about her being a harlot, and really did whatever it took to get people excited and laughing. I felt that the crowd was decent, a little bit cleaner cut. I guess thats a given if you are at a piano bar on a saturday night. The venue is great, much bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. It was very clean, no smoke smell, but rather a classy feel. It’s more the type of place to take a group, although if you and a friend just want to sit and watch some entertainment, it could still be a lot of fun.
The ONLY reason I deducted a star is because our waitress was drunk. Pretty sure she was just downing our drinks because every time we ordered she would come back and see if we wanted anything even though we never received the first drink we ordered. Luckily for Penguin, waitresses are easy to replace, and the performers, who may be a little tougher to replace were phenomenal.
There was a $ 7 cover, cheaper than a movie night or any concert, and way more interactive.