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 story
From the asphalt of East Abram Street, Suite 140 looks like any other suburban strip-mall storefront serving college students from UT Arlington. You walk in under fluorescent light, surrounded by bright turquoise walls, steam rising off baskets of momos and thick-crusted taipos. But the real reason you're here isn't on the fast-casual menu board. It took a full year for co-owner Rachel Puri Zimba’s father to source and ship 1.2 tons of handcrafted Nepalese woodwork across the globe to this specific Arlington strip mall, and it's all packed behind a single partition wall.
Pushing past the ordering counter brings you face-to-face with a 15-foot hand-carved Torana temple gate. Step through it and the beige reality of North Texas instantly evaporates. The room beyond is a dark, candlelit gold-and-black vault wrapped in spinning prayer wheels, crowned with gold-painted mandala ceiling panels, and watched over by an 11-foot sculpture of Avalokiteshvara—the Buddhist deity of compassion.
Co-owners Puri Zimba and Riza Rawal built what is effectively a legitimate cultural sanctuary inside a commercial suite, then added a full-service bar. The drink list leans heavily into South Asian ingredients—Darjeeling Chai, Lycheetinis, and the City of Temples—and if you ask the bartender nicely, they'll set your drink on fire under the gaze of the deity.
What it's like
You pull up to a generic downtown Arlington strip center, head inside the bright dumpling shop, and walk straight toward the back carved gate. On weekend nights, expect a security guard stationed at the Torana door for a quick bag check before letting you into the dim, moody back room. Seating in the lounge is tight, so book a table in advance if you want to drink surrounded by sacred woodwork rather than waiting out front with the takeout crowd.
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.
Pair it with
- Tokyo Station DFW — Walk one block down East Abram Street after your drinks to drop coins into authentic imported 2000s Japanese arcade cabinets.
- Top O' Hill Terrace — Pair Arlington's newest hidden backroom with its original 1930s underground casino hidden three miles away.
- The Velvet Coffin — Contrast the sacred Buddhist iconography of the lounge with a drive over to this dense shop of oddities, bones, and wet specimens.
Good to know
How do I access the speakeasy lounge?
Enter the main Taipo restaurant in Suite 140 and head past the dumpling counter to the 15-foot carved wooden Torana gate in the back.
Do I need reservations?
For daytime dumpling dining in the front room, no. For the cocktail lounge behind the gate, reservations are strongly recommended as seating is limited.
What is the food and drink setup?
You can grab steamed momos, keema noodles, or fluffy taipos in the front, then move behind the gate for Asian-inspired cocktails, including fiery specialty drinks.
Is there a door charge or security check?
There is no cover charge, but expect a routine bag check or security screening at the carved door on busy weekend nights.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: fortworth.culturemap.com · fwweekly.com · dallasites101.com · opentable.com · Official site · Facebook
last checked: 2026-06-09