Kilmac’s, the long-anticipated backyard bar from the team behind The Old Monk, quietly flipped on the open sign today, on West Davis Street in Oak Cliff. The former mechanic’s garage has been refitted into a snug, low-lit front bar that spills out into a bright garden, where a refurbished Airstream trailer now works as the outdoor hub, pouring drinks on tap. The place leans cocktail-forward and backs that up with a short snack menu and roughly a dozen New York-style 12-inch pizzas built to share.
From man cave to cocktail den
Before it was a neighborhood hangout, the building served as a private man cave owned by longtime Oak Cliff resident Ron Patterson. After Patterson’s death, the property was sold and transformed into Kilmac’s. As reported by The Dallas Morning News, owner Feargal McKinney said the team wanted to keep some of the original personality while turning it into a proper neighborhood bar, adding, “I think he’d pick a favorite stool and never get off it.”
What to eat and drink
The cocktail list sticks close to the classics with a few house signatures mixed in, and happy hour runs 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays with $9 cocktails, according to The Dallas Morning News. Headliners include a $16 toasted-coconut daiquiri, a $17 old-fashioned made with a Guinness reduction and a $17 martini. On the food side, there are garlic knots for $12 and 12-inch pizzas at $19 each. Operating partner Charles Reis summed up the team’s approach to the bar by telling the paper, “we all feel really confident about what it is.”
Where it sits in Oak Cliff
Kilmac’s joins a tight cluster of bars on West Davis Street and takes over 814 W. Davis St., a location first reported by local neighborhood coverage. Pubsmith LLC used Instagram earlier this year to promote the buildout and hiring, and local reporting notes that the new spot is meant to complement, not compete with, the Old Monk right next door. Per Advocate Oak Cliff, the team relied on outside research trips and a local pizza consultant while dialing in the menu.
A familiar local hospitality move
Owners Feargal McKinney and operating partner Charles Reis have a track record of planting neighborhood pubs in close proximity, a strategy that previously helped populate Henderson Avenue and is now being applied to West Davis Street. That pattern, along with Kilmac’s appearance on lists of anticipated openings, has been noted in coverage of Dallas’s 2026 dining scene. As reported by the Dallas Observer, Kilmac’s arrives alongside a wave of new and revamped spots that are reworking Oak Cliff’s evening options.
What to expect on your first visit
For now, Kilmac’s is sticking to evening service and is open Wednesday through Sunday while the team gauges demand. The setup is straightforward: a compact indoor bar that opens into a larger backyard-style garden anchored by the Airstream. It is arranged with groups in mind, especially those looking to split a $19 pie over a low-key round of drinks, which makes it an easy add to an early night out on West Davis.
