Reno’s Chop Shop Saloon is a rock and metal bar and small live music venue at 210 N Crowdus Street in the Deep Ellum district of Dallas, Texas. Opened in 2004, it has long attracted a mixture of metalheads, bikers, skaters and musicians, combining the atmosphere of a traditional dive bar with a separate live room at the back. Rock and metal dominate the musical identity, although punk, comedy and other events have also appeared on the programme.

The interior is dark, rough and heavily personalised, with graffiti, murals and years of memorabilia accumulated around the bar. Dollar bills, bras and other objects left behind by customers form part of the decoration, while pool, darts and arcade games add to the informal neighbourhood-bar atmosphere. Reno’s also has a large outdoor patio, providing considerably more space than the compact interior suggests.

Live music takes place in a separate room at the rear of the building. The stage has hosted both Dallas bands and international touring acts, with metal ranging from death and black metal to sludge, doom and hardcore. Bands appearing at Reno’s over the years have included Eyehategod, Malevolent Creation, Tombs, Blackguard and Dallas death metal veterans Devourment.

Manager Alan Keys played an important role in developing the live side of Reno’s during the late 2000s and early 2010s. After taking over at a time when the bar was struggling financially, he improved the sound system and live room while building stronger ties with local and touring musicians. Reno’s also became a familiar after-show gathering place for bands performing elsewhere in Dallas, with members of Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold, Drowning Pool and Seether among those reported to have visited over the years.

Located in the heart of Deep Ellum, a district with a long history of blues, punk, rock and alternative music, Reno’s fits naturally into the neighbourhood’s heavier side. More than fifteen years after opening, it was named Best Rock Bar in the Dallas Observer’s 2021 Best of Dallas awards, reflecting its long-standing place in the city’s rock and metal community.

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ADDRESS:
210 N Crowdus St, Dallas, TX 75226, USA

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