Tavern on Meridian Finds a Neighborhood Groove in Las Colinas

<p>Tavern on Meridian opened quietly this fall in Irving, next door to the Sandman Signature Las Colinas Hotel. Both the hotel and restaurant are owned by Northland Properties, a Canadian hospitality company led by Tom Gaglardi, who also owns the Dallas Stars and the Moxie’s restaurant chain. The Canadian connection might suggest something corporate, but inside, Tavern on Meridian feels distinctly local, the kind of place built for regulars rather than hotel guests.

Two weeks after opening, the dining room already runs with confidence. The greeting is immediate, the service attentive without being formal, and the staff seems genuinely pleased to be there. Guests settle in quickly, helped along by a cocktail list that favors balance over flash and a beer lineup that includes a few Texas favorites.

The lighting is brighter than you might expect from a hotel-adjacent spot, but that suits a restaurant calling itself a public house and gathering place. The room is open and lively, anchored by a long bar with beers on tap and a tidy selection of craft cocktails. A wide patio stretches along the side, drawing steady traffic from locals who already seem to have claimed it as their own.

The menu hits familiar tavern notes but plays them with care. The corn elote dip arrives in a small cast-iron pan, bubbling under queso fresco and jalapeños. Birria tacos, crisp-edged and filled with slow-braised beef, come with a chipotle crema that adds smoke and heat. The blueberry cobbler, baked to order in its own skillet, is simple and generous, the kind of dessert that silences a table for a moment.

The meatballs were another Hatch favorite. We ordered them as a solo appetizer—tender, well-seasoned, and tucked into a bright tomato sauce—though they also appear as a main course paired with spaghetti. Either way, they’re worth the fork.

Tavern on Meridian doesn’t feel like a scene or a concept. It’s a restaurant that settles comfortably into its neighborhood, a place meant for conversation, for gathering, for the kind of easy hospitality that doesn’t need to announce itself. You can feel the confidence already, and it’s only just opened.

Reservations available at thetaverncollective.com.