stampede mesquite grill & dance emporium

Went by the Stampede to see hao things were happening. This place is as I remembered it. Long on free drinks for ladies (5 drink tickets per lady - with a $10 cover - way to much liquior for this gal) and great selection of country music. Place seemed a little low key but me and my partner were there a little early in the evening (10ish). Nice mix of old and young, single and couple and line dances and swing. This is exactly what it has always been and will be.

I originally found this place a few years ago. Back in the 90s I did some country dancing and was looking for a place to go. When I started coming here ago it was pretty fun, although more clique-y than I would expect. However, over time, on Saturday nights it's gone from fun to not even worth going. They don't offer country music every week anymore and you have to look online to see if they're doing a Hispanic concert or some other type of event. When they do play country music on Saturday night it's the same 20 people, and they don't advertise or make any effort to attract people to make it a fun way to meet new people.

OK, if you're a country music and country dance fan, you already know about this place.If not, here's my advice:- go on a Friday for the excellent beginner lesson at 6:30. Don't worry about what they're teaching, just give it a shot. Try Thursdays for a west coast swing lesson or Weds if you're into line dancing. There are some changes underway, so give it a few times before you decide if it's right for you or not. Get at least the cowboy cha-cha and the basic two-step under your belt.- let go of any preconceptions you have about 'country types' and just go have a good time.- the place is about having fun, not about anybody's politics.- you'll meet and dance with engineers, servers, executives, janitors, teachers, and the occasional real country person, whatever that means.- wear boots, just to keep your feet safe and happy. Nobody really cares if you have a stetson or not, or a plaid shirt or whatever.- Weds seems to be the biggest night, Fridays and Saturdays are usually pretty good.- check the website before going on a Saturday - it's sometimes closed for Mexican Nights or for private functions.- You'll hear about 70% excellent country music, 30% hip-hop or other stuff that's dance-able, but not what I'd consider to be country.- because it's a large open area, it's a profoundly better place to meet and mingle than basically any bar I've ever been in.- it can be loud some nights, but, thanks to the difficult acoustics of the place, it's easy to find a relatively quite spot.- from my unscientific survey, it's not a very pick-up-y place.I really, really like this place. Yes, it's a little worn, but I've had enormous fun virtually every night I've been out there. The servers, bartenders, and door/security people will take good care of you and keep things cool. Cover is cheap or $0 if you get there early enough, the lessons are a wonderful entertainment bargain, regular parking is plentiful and free, and the DJ's are friendly and will play your fave if you ask (don't forget to tip).

I typically go to the Stampede every Wednesday, as it is ladies night, where there is a great collection of two steps, triples, cha cha's and line dances. The music used to be really good playing everything from LeDoux, Straight, Flatts, Church, and Top 40 hits like Moves Like Jagger and even "alternative" type stuff like ZZ Ward which are great to dance to. I was just there last night and it went from being able to request nearly any song you wanted and the DJ would put it into rotation to "we don't have that song anymore." I am assuming it was due to a DJ change as the previous person was no longer there. I think I heard about 5 songs in a 3.5 hour span that were in the 2000's. This include Shine, You and Tequilla, Songs About Rain and a couple others. While they did have Travis Tritt's Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde, there was no sense in requesting Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Jake Owen, Carrie Underwood....wait, they did play a Kellie Pickler song last night (Red High Heels). So I guess they had that going for them SMH....oh and they played Zac Brown Chicken Fried TWICE....really??? No Eric Church but ZBB, the same song, TWICE? AWFULAside from the music selection being below standards from what it used to be, after having been going there for the last 4 years, of which I have spent 3 years there for New Year's Eve party, the dance instructing is horrible. I've taken 2 classes and both were a Friday night Cha Cha and Two Step. Pat and Kevin are the instructors there and she has the most frumpy of looks on her face at all time. That's not the worst part, her voice during the lessons, is like nails on a chalk board. The people that show up for the line dance lessons are pretty much from local businesses and are gone by 8 o'clock so by the time they play the line dance song, 80% of them are gone. I took my two step lessons originally at the Grizzly Rose but frequented the Stampede as it was more convenient and dance friendly. This has now changed over the past 2 weeks.If you are 60 and over, you are going to love this place. 59 and under, I would recommend trying Grizzly Rose, Cowboys, Couwboy Lounge or just staying at home in your kitchen and dancing. It will be much more fun. I find I can go dancing at Bistro Al Vino and have more fun than I can at the Stampede. Plus, the food isn't much to talk about. Stop in a Taco Bell before you go, it actually taste better.I guess after 4 years of continued business and support, I will no longer continue to support this place.

The Stampede provided my wife and I a fantastic night of fun and dancing. The place is huge with a circular main dance floor that goes around one of the 3 bars allowing for a really different variation on dancing with a lot of movement. It suites the west coast swing style dancing well. Acoustics were great you could hear the music really well and were still able to easily have a conversation. Drinks are definitely made for effect, they don't hold back on the booze. They offer different levels and styles of dance lessons for a very small amount many days, when we went it was $9 ea for 2 lessons. The lessons were a log of fun and happen just before the bar opens up for regular dancing. A really great place, don't put much stock in one of the other low reviews that dinged it for being a country bar. That's like giving an Italian place a low rating for servi g pasta. Lots of fun!

This is a pure western bar. Cowboy boots and hats are a must. The service is pretty bad and the food is mediocre. If this isn't your scene, stay away.