7 Fort Worth bars with a speakeasy vibe to escape the Texas heat this summer

If you’re looking to enjoy a low-key night in Fort Worth, a speakeasy-style bar might be a good option.

Speakeasies were secret establishments that illegally sold alcohol during the Prohibition period between 1920-1933.

A hundred years later, the concept of lounges emulating speakeasies has grown in popularity over the last couple of decades with several in the Fort Worth area.

Here are seven speakeasy-style spots in Fort Worth to check out.

Thompson’s Bookstore

Where: 900 Houston St., Fort Worth
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 3 p.m.- midnight, Friday-Saturday, 3 p.m.-2 a.m.
Website: Thompson’s Bookstore

On the outside of the Vybek building in downtown Fort Worth, at the corner of Houston and W 8th streets, is a storefront with the words “Thompson’s bookstore” on the window, but Thompson’s is only a bookstore in name.

Thompson’s is a cocktail lounge and speakeasy that opened in 2015. It’s named after a bookstore that opened in 1972 and closed in 1993 in the same building.

Get 30% off agave spirits on Tequila Tuesdays and 30% off whiskey on Whiskey Wednesdays.

In true speakeasy style, Thompson’s has a hidden, wheelchair accessible bar that can be accessed using a password printed on your receipt from the upstairs cocktail lounge. If you plan to visit Thompson’s, you can also check their Facebook, Instagram or Twitter page for the week’s password. A new password is shared every Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.

Thompson’s Bookstore is a cocktail lounge converted from a bookstore and pharmacy in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, July 29, 2022.

The Amber Room

Where: 334 Bryan Ave., Fort Worth
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-midnight, Friday-Saturday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m.
Website: The Amber Room

Located in Fort Worth’s South Main District, The Amber Room is a speakeasy attached to the restaurant Wishbone & Flynt.

Guests can enter through the multi-handled large gold door near the restaurant bar or through an unmarked wooden door on Bryan Avenue.

Enjoy craft cocktails like the Scarlet Letter, which consists of mezcal, aperol, green chartreuse and fresh lime, or a shareable plate from the kitchen of Wishbone & Flint.

Dirty Laundry

Where: 1005 Foch St., Fort Worth
Hours: Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m., Saturday-Sunday, noon-2 a.m.
Website: Dirty Laundry

From the outside, this speakeasy lounge looks like an unassuming laundromat among businesses in the Foch Street Warehouses. But with screens simulating rotating laundry in the machine windows, there’s no denying there’s more to this spot than meets the eye.

Pull the door with the “Out of order” sign to access this intimate cocktail lounge. With dim lighting and plush seating options, Dirty Laundry offers themed drinks from their “Laundry List”.

List items include the Fluff ‘N Fold, an old fashioned with maple cotton candy, and the Pressed & Creased, an Absolut, Sprite and soda concoction.

Dirty Laundry at 1005 Foch St. in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, July 29, 2022.

Bodega

Where: 2921 Morton St., Fort Worth
Hours: Monday-Friday, 3 p.m.-2 a.m., Saturday-Sunday noon-2 a.m.
Website: Bodega

Not every bar has its own grocery store and vice versa, but Bodega near West 7th Street does.

Named after the small grocery stores prevalent in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods, Bodega blends its front store grocery with its back room speakeasy making it an ideal stop to grab a late night snack while out on the town.

Bodega’s speakeasy serves everything from local beers to craft cocktails and features a dance floor, pool tables and shuffleboard.

Bodega is a grocery store with a bar tucked behind in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, July 29, 2022.

Ampersand Bar

Where: 3009 Bledsoe St., Fort Worth
Hours: Thursday-Saturday, 10PM-2AM
Website: Ampersand Bar

Ampersand may be a familiar name to Fort Worth coffee lovers, but it serves more than coffee. In the back room of the Bledsoe Street coffee shop is Ampersand Bar, a lounge with DJs and a dance floor.

Ampersand Bar offers a reservation-based table service to help celebrate any occasion with a bottle service that includes champagne and tequila. Visit Ampersand’s website to reserve a table.

Ampersand runs as a coffee shop during the day, and a bar in the evening, in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, July 29, 2022.

Scat Jazz Lounge

Where: 111 W 4th St., Suite 11, Fort Worth
Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Website: Scat Jazz Lounge

If you find yourself in downtown Fort Worth, you may see a neon sign in the alleyway of the F.W. Woolworth Building pointing to the entrance to Scat Jazz Lounge.

Located in the basement of the Woolworth Building, Scat is reminiscent of a prohibition era speakeasy with plenty of tables and seating to enjoy live jazz performances without the distraction of TVs or the glow of beer signs.

Check Scat’s online calendar to see the weekend’s lineup of local, regional or national talents taking the stage. Some performances have a ticketed cover charge while others do not, so check the Scat Jazz Lounge website before heading over.

Curfew

Where: 350 W 5th St., Fort Worth
Hours: Monday, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m.-2 a.m., Friday-Saturday 6 p.m.-2 a.m., Sunday 8 p.m.-2 a.m.
Website: Curfew

A Zoltar greets guests in the entryway to this downtown Fort Worth spot. Tucked away among restaurants on the first floor of The Tower near Sundance Square, Curfew offers more than craft cocktails. The menu includes stone-fired pizzas and desserts, like their Campfire S’mores with a mini “campfire” included.

Walk-ins are welcome at this speakeasy-style establishment and tables are first-come, first-served. If you want to celebrate a special occasion, visit Curfew’s website to view a party package to reserve a booth.