Near Gate D22, ACES Lobby Bar works as a quick drink stop
ACES Lobby Bar sits landside in Terminal D at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, close to the main lobby area that feeds toward gates D18–D25. It’s part of the Terminal D hotel complex, so you’ll see a mix of overnight guests and flyers killing time before security. Being pre-security, it’s usable for anyone meeting arrivals in D as well as departing passengers.
The bar focuses on standard airport drinks: draft and bottled beer, basic cocktails, and wine by the glass. Prices sit in the typical DFW Terminal D range, with cocktails generally in the low-to-mid-teens and beer a bit lower. Food, when available, tends to be simple bar bites and snacks rather than full entrées, so plan on this as a drink-first stop rather than dinner.
Hours track with hotel and terminal activity, typically opening in the morning and running into the late evening while long-haul flights in D are still boarding after 9:00 p.m. Exact times can shift with season and demand, so if you have a late departure after 11:00 p.m. from D33 or D36, have a backup plan elsewhere in the terminal in case the bar closes early.
Because ACES Lobby Bar sits before the D security checkpoint, it works best if you’re arriving to the airport more than 2 hours ahead of an international flight or meeting someone off a D gate arrival. Remember you still need time to clear the Terminal D checkpoint, which can easily run 20–30 minutes during late-afternoon banks around flights to Europe and South America.
Practical tip: If your flight leaves from another terminal like A or C, use the Skylink airside train after you clear security in D rather than backtracking; stations near gates D21 and D40 link you to the rest of DFW in under 10 minutes.