The Pour House. Photo by Renee Umsted.

Matthew Rangel had been a bartender at several establishments on Greenville Avenue, including The Old Crow, when he decided to open his own place. 

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Rangel, 29 at the time, and a friend of his decided on a building near the Skillman-Live Oak intersection. 

There was enough parking, and it was in a familiar neighborhood for Rangel, an East Dallas native. Rangel was also friends with the previous owner of 1919 Skillman St., Bob Peterson, who owned Blue Goose. 

The Pour House opened 20 years ago, in July 2002. 

“It’s just a quaint little neighborhood place,” Rangel says. “It’s kind of considered maybe a dive bar to some people, but I consider it more like a neighborhood pub.”

Since opening the pub, Rangel has acquired the next-door My Family’s Pizza, and bar patrons can order pizzas from there while enjoying one of the 21 beers on tap and watching a game. But pizza is just one option; the burgers, chicken tenders, wings and tacos are also popular at The Pour House, and everything is made from scratch. 

“Just a couple of compliments I get — your food is so much better than I thought, and your beer selection is amazing,” Rangel says. 

The Pour House. Photo by Renee Umsted.

The Pour House struggled during the pandemic. Rangel came up with a new business plan, selling make-at-home pizza kits with dough, sauce, cheese and pepperoni. Neighbors bought them, and so did a few local peace pantries, which would order enough to feed about 40 families.

“Without Woodrow, without Lipscomb, without a few of these schools during COVID showing up, I may not have made it,” Rangel says. “This whole neighborhood, Lakewood, they really, really rallied around my small business and really helped me out. And so that was a good deal.”

The Pour House, which serves lunch and dinner, has indoor seating and a dog-friendly patio.

“We make sure this is a great, comfortable place to watch a game,” he says.