Entry No. 62 — the Dallas file — filed under: speakeasy
Taipo / Taipo Behind the Door
By day it's a fast-casual Nepalese dumpling spot in downtown Arlington — momos, taipos, turquoise walls, college kids from UT Arlington grabbing lunch. Step through the 15-foot hand-carved Torana temple gate, though, and you're somewhere else entirely: a candlelit cocktail lounge that co-owners Rachel Puri Zimba and Riza Rawal filled with 1.2 tons of handcrafted Nepalese decor — prayer wheels lining the walls, gold-painted mandala ceiling panels, and an 11-foot sculpture of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist deity of compassion — all sourced and shipped over by Puri's father over the course of a year. The speakeasy pours an Asian-leaning cocktail list (Darjeeling Chai, City of Temples, a Lycheetini) and will light your drink on fire if you ask nicely. It's a genuine cultural artifact in a strip-mall suite, and almost nobody in the DFW metro knows it exists.
The move: Start with a round of momos and taipos in the bright turquoise dining room, then push through the Torana gate for cocktails in the moody gold-and-black lounge — ask the bartender for a flaming drink and let the prayer wheels set the mood.
📍 Before you go It sits in a strip-mall suite (Suite 140) on East Abram Street in downtown Arlington, a few blocks from the UT Arlington campus — the daytime dumpling counter up front, with no separate street door for the lounge. To reach the speakeasy, walk into the restaurant and head through the carved temple gate at the back. The bar is small, so it leans reservations-suggested on busy nights and is best as an evening visit once the lunch-and-study crowd thins. Downtown Arlington is walkable, so pair it with a stroll or a bite along the surrounding blocks. Call ahead if you have a specific night in mind.
- 📍 Arlington (DFW)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 200 E. Abram St., Suite 140, Arlington, TX 76010
Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.
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Further reading: fortworth.culturemap.com · fwweekly.com · dallasites101.com · opentable.com
last checked: 2026-06-09