Best place for music in Dallas area. Small dive with great sound and cheap drinks. They have both indoor and outdoor seating — the patio is great as it’s covered and shaded in the afternoon. Great mix of music from folk, country, rock, metal, jazz — you name it…
Casey L.
Place rating: 5 Denton, TX
Live music and cheap drinks. Everyone should visit here at least once. Went on a Thursday and got a beer and shot for less than five bucks. The band was great and pretty funny too. Only down side was the cover charge but it was worth the five dollars. The patio was perfect, we could still chat but listen to the band. This would be a great spot for an awkward first date.
Prince H.
Place rating: 4 Trophy Club, TX
Great venue to see good music up close. Reasonable cover charge, full bar including a few craft beers. You can bring in food.
James V.
Place rating: 5 Denton, TX
This place has music almost every night. Beer prices are reasonable but not the cheapest around. One great thing I love is that they don’t allow smoking inside so you don’t stink of smoke afterwards. Smoking is allowed in their outdoor seating area. Great place to chill with good eating places right around it in case you get the munchies.
Maria S.
Place rating: 5 Denton, TX
Dan’s is by far my favorite venue in Denton. The vibe is so awesome. It’s fun to go to Dan’s on a weeknight when not many people are there, but I’ve also gone to a sold out show at Dan’s and it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. The venue has plenty of space while still feeling intimate. The bartenders are really great as well. It’s a unique spot that never fails to be a good time. The owner has been known to get on stage and sing… If you can catch him, you’re lucky! He’s really good.
Chris A.
Place rating: 5 Fort Collins, CO
Great atmosphere, great show, and friendly staff! A+ in my book.
Joy H.
Place rating: 4 Plano, TX
My coworker held her wedding ceremony in the back patio here and it was set up really nicely with small tables as well as bench tables-simple and beautiful. Inside was hung with christmas lights and gave off a laid back, fun vibe. It was a wonderful, short and sweet wedding plus reception. Interested to see what it’s like on the daily as a music venue and local bar!
Regina C.
Place rating: 5 Ponder, TX
Love this place, laid back, casual and always great music. Staff is awesome! I love that you can see bands that are more original and have some talent, and not just what is popular at the moment. They bring in groups from all over the nation, not just local groups.(Though those are awesome too!)
Joe K.
Place rating: 5 Richmond, VA
Great vibe, great live music
Amos M.
Place rating: 5 Denton, TX
A local institution, and one of the most impressive small music venues in the United States. A fun bar with a patio, great staff, a legendary owner, and — most importantly — exactly the right dimensions, acoustics, and soundboard talent for live music. The stage is large enough for musicians to move freely and there’s not a bad sight line in the place. Bands never sound better than they do at Dan’s.
Rachel P.
Place rating: 5 Plano, TX
Great intimate venue for seeing live music… not a bad seat in the house(although you will probably end up standing, if you purchase general admission to a ticketed show). Good service at the bar, drink prices seemed reasonable, and I love that this spot is non-smoking. They don’t sell food, but they will let you carry in take-out from one of the neighboring restaurants. Next time I see a show here, I will definitely purchase my tickets in advance and spring for the«VIP» seating, which scores you a reserved table for only a little more. In any event, I would be excited to return to this spot.
Andy O.
Place rating: 5 Denton, TX
One of THE seminal music venues(and cultural centers) in Denton. Beyond reviewing. It’s an institution.
Sarah D.
Place rating: 4 Bedford, TX
Great bar to take in live music. If the band is a match Ill drive in from Fort Worth to see a show. Great Sound and no music venue drink prices.
Saul R.
Place rating: 5 Dallas, TX
To understand just how cool Dan’s is, you need to go to a show there and hang out with Dan(and have a few drinks with him while you’re at it). He is, without a doubt, the coolest, sweetest club owner I’ve ever met. He understands what works and what doesn’t. He understands the performer’s perspective, which is all too rare in this business. He takes care of his staff as well as his customers. As for some of the other reviews — if you find this place scary, then you’re too easily scared and need to stay away(go hang in Uptown Dallas with the other douche bags — where you belong). If the price ain’t right, then you’re a cheap bastard — stay away and continue to bitch and not support a local business and local music. If you can find cheaper drinks, then good for you — drink up and then come to Dan’s for a great show. If it’s too loud, then go talk to Jimmy — he’ll have some words of wisdom for you. Wonderful mix of people and a great mix of artists. It is simply the coolest hang for music that you could wish for.
Stephanie K.
Place rating: 4 Denton, TX
Excellent place to catch a concert and grab a drink. The interior could stand to be a bit bigger though.
Mauro L.
Place rating: 4 Dallas, TX
I like Dan’s. They host great music, have the best sound system I’ve heard in Denton, and the beer prices are okay. Most of the times I’ve gone, there has been an older crowd(25+), but that’s one of the main reasons I like this place. It’s chill, and it’s a good place to hang out, listen to some good music and enjoy a drink without have some dude-brah holler at your girl.
Kevin N.
Place rating: 5 Austin, TX
Forgive the prologue, but I’ll get to why it’s relevant, promise. So during the summer between my senior year of high school and my first year of college(you know, during the Truman administration), I spent some time as a board operator for what was then a pretty small Houston talk radio station(which has since gone on to much bigger and better things). They were based at the time in Tomball, northwest of Houston, and had taken over the former space of a AOR station(radio format talk for Album Oriented Rock, or what is now often called ‘classic rock’ format). Talk format stations are pretty slow business if you’re listening to anything other than drive time, and I was running overnights from midnight to six AM. This meant that come about three or four o’clock in the morning, there would be some tax show on, and the entire building smelled like old equipment cleaner, and I had to fight falling asleep at the controls. Enter all the old vinyl they had on the shelves, and I’d sneak into the recording booth sometimes for thirty minutes at a time and listen to Steely Dan records, which beat the hell out of tax talk. Fast forward to this week in Denton, where I finally made a maiden voyage to check out Dan’s, a longstanding paragon of hip, where, as luck would have it, an elaborate ten piece band called Naked Lunch was belting out Steely Dan covers so strikingly accurate you’d swear if you closed your eyes that Fagen and Becker themselves were in there working some magic. So I have a soft spot for that material, and I would have loved that band if they were playing in a condemned parking lot. But that doesn’t really tell all of the story about why Dan’s Silverleaf is flat amazing. I’ve kept a keen eye on the shows that they book here, and this is clearly a room where a town full of music lovers congregate. That certainly was the case with the most counter-culture cover show I’ve about ever seen, but it’s also the case with any of the up and coming indie acts that pass through this way, and they’ll be home to a number of top shows happening during 35 Denton. If you love music and can get there, do it — the room plays shallow but somewhat wide, so even on crowded nights it’s hard not to feel close to the stage. Bartenders were quick with a pour, and I mentioned they book like a champ. What else, really, is not to love?
Neena W.
Place rating: 5 Denver, CO
Dan’s silver leaf is a Gem of Denton. It is a great place to discover new talents, support local musicians or musicians on tour from all over the country. Dan’s might not be trendy enough for some, but, in my opinion, is a fun and laid-back hanging out spot for many locals and visitors.
Carri A.
Place rating: 5 Chicago, IL
I really appreciate Dan’s and have seen both Andrew WK and the Decemberists here. So clearly, some really good local and national artists choose to play Dan’s, thank god. I think Dan’s is second only to Rubber Gloves in the caliber of bands that play Denton, and it’s a very close second. The venue is almost hidden and doesnt have any signage out(you’ll miss it if you blink) but look for the marquee sign and teal exterior walls. Inside you’ll find a friendly staff, cheap beer, nice stage and good soundsystem. And a nice big patio for those humid summer nights. The crowd is a very chill mix of people and everyone is made to feel welcome.
Heather M.
Place rating: 5 Dallas, TX
This is a laid back, grungy college bar without being a typical grungy, college bar. Not once did I smell patchouli. Collage kids go here, but so do people in there 30s. They have a lot of live music at Dan’s and the bands that I’ve seen here have been really good. The beer is cheap and the bartenders are friendly and attentive. I also happened to go here this past spring when they had their Crawfish Boil: and they did the annual Mud-Bug Boil proper. The crawdaddies were good and spicy, and they also had Cajun sausage, potatoes, and corn. Everything was fantastic, but the corm was really hot, so you have officially been warned. They also have a big patio area if you feel like sitting inside, and the inside is spacious. The only drawback to Dan’s is that it can be a little hard to find. Make sure you go with a friend who’s been there before, or get really directions.