After arriving in Dallas, we stopped at The Free Man for drinks, food, and listen to a live band. It was cool but what I ordered wasn't anything to talk about, or post. It has outside seating which could be seen from the street/sidewalk; a nice place to hang out when the weather is nice and warm. The area reminds me of the way Bourbon Street in New Orleans has establishments where you can walk in and out to hear live music. read more

What a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at The Free Man listening to Devon and band during my visit to Dallas for the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated 71st Boule. Great job band and the Blue Bayou is delish. read more

The Free Man - Devon and Band - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Tried this place on Friday night! I had the crab stuffed jalapeños they were good some of them could have had more crab. The shrimp étouffée was off the hook! The portion was a good size. I took some home and the next morning it was still bomb! The environment was so much fun. The drinks were very good as well. I suggest arriving early so you can get a table. The customer service was good as well. read more

If you are looking for live music this place is the place to be, just eat before you go!! Idk who they have in the kitchen but the beans and rice was tomato based and the fried catfish was just oily with no flavor. I will say the Caesar salad was really good, we added chicken and shrimp. Our server was Russel he was kind and attentive and was sure to update us on the status of our order. So again Music yes, food meh unless you want a salad read more

Live music in dallas with GREAT food is hard to come by. the Freeman they have the best Jazz music on Thursday's. We went to the smaller side and had the best time with the best service. The best drink to get is the Landmine. It is $11 and worth ever penny. We got the hot crab dip for an appetizer and it smelled very fishy but the taste was amazing! The two best entrees in my opinion are the Cajun wings with fries and the blackened Shrimp plate. I hate cornbread but they make the best one I have ever had. This place will always be a go to for me. Honestly a Dallas Staple! read more

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The atmosphere is so relaxing. I feel like I'm at home, but I'm not. The service is personal even though it's busy. The food is tasty. read more

The Free Man - Crab Stuffed Jalapenos - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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Great food! Great atmosphere! Me and the wife ate up! My in laws from Cincinnati came and loved it!

SERVICE: I came here with my friend for a birthday celebration for her Brother. Tiffany the manger took very good care of us, along with another waitress. They were very pleasant and accommodating. Food: The food and drinks was on point. I orderd the Seafood Cajun Pasta with Shrimp.. Delicious!!! Drinks: i order the Vodoo and the Pink Volcano. They was strong and at a great price point. Entrainment: Two bands perfomed, both did very well. I really enjoyed the last to ladies especially The music select is Smooth R&B, Grown and Sexy of course Over all i enjoyed myself and would recommend it as well. PRO TIP: Free entry before 6pm on Saturdays after it will be a $10 Cover Charge!! read more

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The night we went they ran out of noodles, so we had to have rice in our pasta. My vegetable pasta was tomatoes and onions with hardly any seasoning. Not sure why, because the gumbo and jambalaya my friends had was extremely over salted. They all said it could have used half the salt and been fine. I walked in and seated myself, no one greeted me or directed me anywhere. There was a cover charge because there was supposed to be live music, but it started late and ended early. The bathroom was horrendous and our waiter laughed when we told her the shape it was in. The real issue here was the bad food. I paid $44 in all and took one bite of my food. How do you run out of pasta noodles in an establishment and then do nothing to compensate? The vibe was really off this night and the bad food and service made me regret spending a girl's night out here. read more

I went on a Thursday at 2. There was 3 other people there. It took 15 minutes for a server to come to us. The drinks were strong but disgusting. Crab stuffed jalapeños were delicious but way too much cream cheese for my liking. The jalapeños were hot and the fried shell was delicious. The fried pickles were good. Standard. The Cajun wings were different but good. Fries were bland. The Louis pasta. Absolutely not. Just a greasy mess. The cornbread felt like it was 3 days old. The music was bumping through. read more

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Quality of food was extremely poor. I had the gumbo and it honestly shouldn't be called gumbo. Also the crawfish étouffée was almost inedible. I will not be returning! read more

Drag brunch was so fun!! There were 3, and they were all amazing. The MC was also really fun. I was smiling pretty much the whole time. I got the shrimp and grits and I loved it! It was very savory and had a lot of spice and flavor, it wasnt the usual buttery kind. Also we got DIY mimosas which was great because I like a ratio of like 90% champagne to 10% juice. Overall I had a great experience. read more

The Free Man - Shrimp and grits (brunch menu) - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

no way to contact anybody ! Red flag number one this the second time my order has been messed up. i ordered the catfish plate and the corn meal was raw in the inside burnt on the outsde and completely falling off the fish! The fish itself was disclored and slimy my fries were burnt and old but everything was greasy AF!! The sauce tasted like pure onion and burned my nose to eat ! Im beyonnnnddddd pissed and if i get sick im suing tf out of yall read more

Great experience the food is good and so is the entertainment. If you like live bands and good food this is the place to be

You HAVE to eat here and ask for Diamond. The food was absolutely amazing - flavorful and huge portions. The drinks are full sized, fully loaded drinks, which is more than I can say for other Dallas restaurants. Diamond's service was friendly, and she made sure we had everything we needed. Seriously, we never wanted for anything! Thr live music added to a fun evening! read more

The Free Man - Live music - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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My bf ( and I) work in the area, he goes in multiple times a week to get his favorite meal here. He says they usually have live bands playing and he goes In the right side door and sits at the bar to wait for his TOGO meals.. never had an issue with that. We went last night (Thursday Sept 12) and they had a live band playing per usual and my bf starts walking to the side door like he always does and the security guy and the doorman tell him "HEY! you gotta pay a 10 dollar cover fee!" And my bf said we're just trying to order some TOGO food and the door guys says yeah well you gotta pay $10 cover fee for the band. And my bf says "to order food TOGO???And he says "oh noo noo. We'll have a waitress come out and take your order out here on the sidewalk." My bf was like. "Ummm okay then? " My bf goes up to the security guy and explains that he comes here multiple times a week to get TOGO food and has never experienced this..and the security guy just stares at him and doesn't talk. So we stood on the sidewalk for about 15 min until the manager came out and said "yall can come in and sit at the bar and wait for your food!" and my bf says "no thank you we've already been standing out here for 15 min waiting. Food is going to be done any minute now" ( she brought us our food 30 seconds after the manager walked away.). And the manager copped an attitude. I am also 8 MONTHS PREGNANT by the way, so for the door guy/ security to clearly not know what they're talking about and force me to stand on the sidewalk to wait for our food is absolutely not okay. Like if you're unsure about what to do why not go check with the manager if people can come sit and wait for TOGO food, before being assholes to us. This was my first time coming and I am not coming back lol. read more

The Free Man - Security guy and Manager. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Love the live music line ups and poetry on Sunday! But why is the gumbo so thick and the service so subpar? Friday we had to hunt them down. My friend had to order at the KITCHEN COUNTER. They were chatting with off duty workers. Cool that the off duty workers want to come there while not on the clock--guess they really love their job, but why monopolize staff on duty? (I know this bc I asked during their huddle session while looking for a waiter) Anywho, I like the food at Bucky Moonshine way better. But keep up the great entertainment! read more

The Free Man - Dana Harper - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

The FOOD! Ok I went here for a birthday late night sitting. The bands were actually decent tonight. The food was horrible. Actually the blackened shrimp cocktail was decent. A little spicy but decent. The shrimp étouffée was horrible. The shrimp were too salty and the sauce had way too much pepper. Being from Louisiana no one would approve. If it wasn't for the cornbread I could not have swallowed the third of the meal I did mange to eat. All in all my birthday night was a 3out of 10. I should've stayed in the house. A waste of 80 bucks. The service was mid for a busy Saturday night. The one bartender could barely keep up tonight. Also I ordered a bottle of wine thinking I could drink a glass or two and take it home with me. Nope. The freeman doesn't allow it for some reason unknown to me. The pizza place two doors down allows it but ok. Listened to a couple of songs, put my cost on and walked downstairs a the street to Angry Dog got a burger and went home. Happy freaking birthday to me read more

We were here for the 2 pm Sunday Jazz brunch. The live jazz/blues music was fantastic. The Cajun specialties were good. Service was friendly and we felt right at home. I'd definitely recommend The Free Man. We'll be back!! read more

I couldn't ask for better service than I received from Greg. The best of the best... and that's that. Dare if you wish..... you won't be disappointed... read more

We went to this place for Valentines Day, and I did not enjoy it. The food was just spicy but not seasoned. The gumbo tasted like they just poured hot sauce in it, and the red beans and rice were similarly just spicy but not actually flavorful. The ambiance was just loud. The music sounded fine but it was SO loud that it took away from our ability to both enjoy the music, have conversation and enjoy our food. It was so loud I couldn't hear my thoughts. I definitely would not go back but I will say that the people in there definitely seemed like regulars and seemed to enjoy it. read more

I had the chance to visit The Free Man recently and it was quite a unique experience. They had Beat Street poetry performing with dancing, spoken word, and instruments. It can get a little loud but it's quite a lively show. The service was just 'okay', and the food equally fell flat for me. Between my date and I, we ordered the catfish sweet potato fries and a drink. The food tasted a little burnt, but was still edible. I would not return for the food or service, but I may recommend going for Beat Street Poetry (please note, it's $10 admission) if you have never experienced their live performances before. It's quite a sight to see. read more

My experience at The Free Man was exceptional! My friend me out on a Tuesday night to see the performer; Taylor Morgan. Who was amazing by the way. The crowd was well mixed in ages and faces and the atmosphere was very social and chill. The both of the bar tenders were very friendly and even made us a Green Tea with Jameson (10/10). For food we ordered the fried boudin (10/10) and the Catfish and fries (7/10) overall the experience was something I would definitely do again and recommended to anyone looking for a spot to hit up in Deep Ellum. *entry fee was $10 I believe read more

Crawfish Pasta is delicious! Creamy texture, ample sauce with each bite of crawfish & chicken. Cornbread was bomb! Shrimp platter was ok. G

The uber driver recommended we check out the Deep Ellum neighborhood, asserting it was lively yet unpretentious. Two guys sitting near the door of Free Man informed us of a $10 cover charge to enter because the venue was hosting a jazz band. My friend was drunk and gave one of the doormen $20 extra dollars by mistake. I confronted him about it but he laughed and said "I don't know what you're talking about." My friend begged me to forget about it as we were celebrating birthdays and only on vacation for a short period of time. Fast forward 1.5 hours, we were still waiting on the food, my friend was crying because she encountered a disrespectful and aggressive guest, and most unfortunately, the drinks were weak. BEWARE of this place. Not only does the customer service suck, but the venue attracts shady clientele. read more

The Free Man - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

I ordered ubereats. And when the food was delivered it was still piping hot. Let me start with the red beans and rice. I personally wasn't a big fan there really wasn't any flavor to them at all. The catfish was nice and crispy and the sauce that came with it was pretty good. The gumbo came kinda weird. The soup was packed separately and the rice came with cornbread on top. The gumbo was alright wasn't the best I've ever had. I did add some hot sauce to all the items for a kick and it def did the gumbo and catfish justice. I couldn't even get the red beans down. I will def give this another try and try the pasta they have read more

The Free Man - Gumbo Bowl Red Beans and Rice Side Catfish Basket - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Girl! This HOT CRAB DIP was a 10! Even asked for some to go! Our waitress recommended pink volcano and blue bayou drinks and they smacked!! read more

The Free Man - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Was hungry while waiting for a concert to begin at The Bomb Factory, so walked over to the Free Man on a whim. Ordered the catfish basket (3 pieces of catfish and fries). Highly recommend! The fishbatterwas so good- golden, crispy and fried to perfection. And can't forget to add that it was seasoned well. Yummy! The live band was great. Covered many of my favorite Blues singers. read more

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I am sooooo in love with the vibe of this place!! The food is AMAZING and sooo well seasoned. If you do not want to be near the band, I suggest sitting in the back where it is much quieter. I will definitely be returning to try other entrees. read more

The Free Man - Hot Crab Dip - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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Daaaaayum if you love food, you need to come here. Home cooked creole, spicy, fresh seafood, just incredible. I had the pleasure of being invited to this place - i had no idea this was here! What a gem! I had the Louie- with dirty rice, def need to try it. Drinks are good, service is good, they have live music too! Get down here! We came on a Monday too, it was poppin!! Will be back. I could tell why there are lines outside. read more

1 STAR!!! It took 45 min to get two appetizers, the poppers and the dip. On the menu it says the poppers and dip have crab in them but we just got cream cheese. Ordered the boudin balls and they did not have them available. Also ordered their shrimp and grits that took an hour to come out and when it did it had zero flavor. Highly disappointed! The bartender was really nice, no fault on her for the kitchens mistakes. They also had a $10 cover for a live band, they were great! Band gets 5 stars! 2-28-2021 read more

The Free Man - Shrimp and grits big thumbs DOWN!!! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Went to dallas for three days. Needed something to do on a Wednesday night and happened to pass by this bar. Extremely friendly vibes with live music that was . Would highly recommend. read more

Great Live music and delicious food in a hip Dallas neighborhood! Definitely worth a visit! read more

The Free Man - Live Jazz! Family Sunday Dinner! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Great adult crowd amazing performers and musicians. The drinks hit! The menu had good options not food ordered but it smelled good. read more

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Omg!!! EAT HERE!!! So we were visiting Dallas and got back to the hotel after a concert I was and soooo hungry! I was afraid there wouldn't be anywhere that would deliver but The Free Man came in *so* clutch. It was like midnight when I ordered and the food was here no later than 12:30. Thank god because I was H A N G R Y. My husband and I both got the shrimp po'boy with fries and it was delicious across both our servings. Love that they use pickles. All sandwiches are better off with pickles! Thank you!!!! Not only was the food sooo good but the delivery guy was quick and efficient! Hand off was easy and my husband and I had a delicious late night meal-what more can you ask for?! read more

Love this place. Some of the best music in dallas (jazz, R&B,) with two stages. I prefer the small stage as it is more intimate. The Creole food is excellent and the owner is a cool dude. read more

Cool spot in Deep Ellum! After paying $10 cover fee, and the incorrect (or incomplete?) signage of the band playing, i hung around for the 1st set and ordered food to-go when they took a break. After about 30 minutes, food showed up. I should've checked it, but i didn't. Missing the substitute Red Beans and Rice. This was after i was told by the gentleman i couldn't sub dirty rice, but could order it as a side separately. (I kinda gave up fries a few years ago.) The funny thing was, after he suggested RB&R, it was all i wanted! . I had just come back from NOLA, with a bad experience, and now I'm missing food? The Universe is telling me to eat healthier, i know it! Anyway, that's the minus 2*. 3 appetizers, plus door, plus tip: $65 The food was good! It seemed pricey for the ala carte appetizers i had: Alligator fritters, Boudain balls, and stuffed jalapeno crawfish; but not overly pricey. I support Live Music, and recommend it. The door fee did catch me off guard for a Monday night, but i hadn't hung out in Deep Ellum in YEARS. Check this place out, if you're in the area! read more

So before you sit down and think this is like any other restaurant; think again. There will be a wait...but it's well worth it! Me and my party came in on a Sunday afternoon. The band was playing, and the crowd was growing. The only server at the time and in the venue; took a while to get us started, but once we were it was amazing service an amazing experience. The band who played that day covered a few nice jams, and played as we brunched. I had some fried catfish, fried pickles, and a crab dip!!! I enjoyed each dish, but my favorites were the fried pickles and the crab dip...the fry on the pickle was so tasty and perfect, which I took and dipped into the crab dip I will be back for another brunch to explore more of the menu; and this time I'll have a few less bottles of mimosa! read more

The Free Man - Fried Pickle Planks Catfish Basket Hot Crab Dip - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Dallas, Texas

I have ate here multiple times and this one time for my birthday I had a waiter who trashed every meal item on the menu , service was terrible and then we were told if we spent $150 more we would be charged a 20% gratuity when the sign never stated that on the outside. This was definitely a bad experience and it's playing on if I'll ever return. I can understand paying extra for a large party but with 4 people and paying more I'll be charged a large gratuity makes no sense. read more

I order fried stuffed crab jalapeños, they were massive, filled with cream cheese, little to no crab, jalapeño's were mild, no flavor just crunchy and creamy. Then the counter began to move, nope, it was roaches moving on the brownish colored countertop. The staff actually reached across the bar to capture them and still charged me for my meal. I will not be back, live bands or not. read more