The Most Haunted Restaurants in Dallas

Posted: 04.04.2025 | Updated: 04.04.2025

Dallas is one of the best southern cities to visit when you want to enjoy a great meal and a good time. From Tex-Mex to seafood and everything in between, this Texas town has it all. And if you want to enjoy a drink with friends, there’s a great variety of nightlife options to enjoy. But among all these fun establishments lies a dark and haunting history filled with spooky tales and lingering legends.

If you are ready to experience all the thrills and chills Dallas has to offer, schedule your tour with us here at Dallas Terrors. We look forward to guiding you along on this exciting and frightening experience.

What is the Most Haunted Restaurant in Dallas?

The City of Dallas is filled with a melting pot of fine dining restaurants, small cafes, bars, and nightclubs. There’s a little something for everyone in this deep southern town, even those who love to experience something on the spooky side.

Dallas is home to a host of haunted establishments, from a restaurant that was once home to three souls who never left the building to a bar with peculiar interior décor items that include a mummified monkey.

Las Almas Rota’s in Dallas

Those who work at Las Almas Rota’s in Dallas are certain the mysterious mummified monkey that sits on a shelf in a glass case is haunted. But that’s not the only peculiar item inside this eclectic establishment.

Shad Kvetko, the owner and an avid collector of all things unusual has filled the restaurant with an assortment of items he’s purchased at different locations, including a shop in Mexico City dedicated to witchcraft and ancient Santeria relics.

The creepy monkey sits in the case below a red beaming light. His teeth are stuck in a visible howl, and his eyes are peeled back, showing parts of his skull. His arms are stretched out in a strange position, almost as if he’s playing an instrument.

Kvetko says the monkey was “worked” by a priest of the Santeria, which is a religion based on both Catholic and African folklore traditions. He was stuffed with various herbs and then mummified.

Spooky Experiences with the Mummified Monkey 

Although he’s trapped inside a glass case, the staff has sworn they have seen him change positions as he sits on a shelf inside the Spirits Room, a section of the restaurant dedicated to all of Kvetko’s haunted findings.

Kvetko recalls one event in particular when he was inside the Spirit Room, on his phone, and he caught something in his peripheral vision. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a short-statured person rush by. He assumed it was one of the cooks; the curtain in the room even shuffled as the figure walked by.

He thought it was someone trying to scare him, saying he could’ve sworn someone was standing right behind him. But when he turned to look, no one was around.

Kvetko is one of the many bar and restaurant owners in Dallas who are certain to have experienced a ghostly encounter. And most will agree that sometimes, you just have to let the spirits be without trying to think about the how or why.

Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse

Nick & Sam’s is now a popular dining destination in Southern Dallas, but many years ago, the building that’s now home to the restaurant was once a morgue.

In the 1950s, it was used by the City of Dallas as the morgue for the Old Parkland Memorial Hospital. Later, it became Lowery’s restaurant, lasting for several years until the current owner, Sam Romano, purchased it.

 He’s owned this second-generation restaurant for 25 years and has experienced some strange and unusual encounters. Romano, along with his staff, says they see ghostly figures and hear disembodied voices often.

The head chef at Nick & Sam’s mentioned he was in the kitchen making Risotto one night, and there was a box of white wine on the shelf behind him. He was talking to himself while cooking, wondering what type of wine he should add to the dish. 

The box of white wine suddenly fell off the shelf. And yes, that’s what he decided to use. He says the strange occurrences no longer freak him out, and he even finds it a little intriguing.

The chef says since he’s worked there, he’s noticed menus moving on their own, other items in the kitchen falling from the shelves, and he’s even spotted a ghost at the bar. He added that the colorful painted wall behind the bar once appeared to have a smiling face. He saw the smiling face as a positive sign that the staff and their customers were in good company and had nothing to fear.

Catfish Plantation in Waxahachie 

In the town of Waxahachie, there was once an old house, built in 1895, that was home to three individuals at different times who all met their unfortunate fate inside that house.

First, there was a young woman named Elizabeth in the 1920s who was preparing for her wedding day at home when her scorned ex-lover charged inside and brutally murdered her.

Years later, a man named Will lived inside the same house and passed away after suffering from a horrible illness.

Then, in the 1970s, a woman named Caroline, who had lived there for many years, died from old age at home.

Several years later, the old house was converted into a restaurant known as The Catfish Plantation. Unfortunately, the restaurant was destroyed by fire just a couple of years ago. However, while it was still open, the staff members shared many tales about it being haunted by three distinctive spirits.

The Ghosts of Elizabeth and Will

It is said that the ghost of Elizabeth remains in the building today. She is often seen in the bathroom and has also been spotted looking out the window of the restaurant and even walking through doors. Will has also been seen by several employees.

He shows up on the front porch wearing an old pair of denim overalls. It’s been said that female patrons will often feel as if someone is playfully touching their leg if they stand in the same area.

The Haunting Spirit of Caroline 

The ghost of Caroline has also made her presence known; however, she’s a more boastful spirit than her two haunting companions. While she was living, Caroline was very set in her ways, and that attitude carried over into the afterlife. While she was alive, Caroline loved cooking, and now her ghost can be seen spending time in the kitchen, organizing and rearranging supplies to suit her preferences. However, she wasn’t a fan of alcohol, and any wine glasses she sees at the establishment often end up destroyed.

Staff members will now keep wine glasses behind the glass in the restaurant’s armoire. If not, Caroline will send them flying across the room.

Other haunting activities the restaurant guests and staff have experienced include the sound of banging on the walls, food being thrown, and doors unlocking on their own. Some have reported the lights flickering and water faucets turning on and off on their own. Some have noticed the doors on equipment opening and closing, as well as clocks that were believed to be dead suddenly chiming.

Uptown’s Quarter Bar

Several years ago, a customer walked into the courtyard of the Uptown Quarter Bar. He began to talk to the waitstaff and asked if anyone had ever died there. The staff thought that was a strange question to ask but soon learned that he considered himself a medium. He went on to scare the staff with spooky stories related to the history of that very building.

One of the owners, Andrew Popp, stated that the occurrence with the medium was normal and just another day at one of the most haunted bars in Dallas. He had experienced strange occurrences while working there, such as hearing his name called in the shadows and the lights turning on upstairs as he was closing up for the night.

Bread Winner’s Café

Not far from Uptown’s Quarter Bar is the Bread Winner’s Café, which opened in Dallas around 26 years ago. Inside the establishment, there is a space with an interesting name, known as The Ghost Room. 

It gets its name because of the hollowed-out crawl tunnel underneath it. If that wasn’t scary enough, there is also a door inside the Ghost Room that will open and close all on its own.

Haunted Dallas

Dallas is a beautiful place to live and a fun city to visit, but if you are creeped out by spooky locations, you’ll need to proceed to these restaurants and bars with caution. However, if you would like to learn more about the most haunted places in Dallas, be sure to check out our frequently updated blog. If you are staying in the area, make your visit even more exciting by joining us for a haunted ghost tour here at Dallas Terrors.

You can also follow us on  Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more stories about haunted places throughout America.

Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XchWnE23DmE
• https://www.dallasnews.com/food/restaurant-news/2020/10/14/boo-on-tap-meet-the-spooky-spirits-at-some-of-dallas-most-haunted-bars-and-restaurants/
• https://blog.etundra.com/in-the-restaurant/catfish-plantation-haunted-restaurants-nope/#:~:text=Catfish%20Plantation%20%7C%20Waxahachie%2C%20Texas&text=But%20being%20murdered%20on%20her,Yeah%2C%20nope.