Skip to Main Content

15 Downtown Bars and Restaurants to Celebrate After UTA’s Commencement Ceremony

This Friday, May 12th, thousands of students will be crossing the stage at Globe Life Field, commemorating the end of their college careers. Part of what makes this day so special is being able to enjoy the occasion with friends and family over a good meal, unburdened by the weight of classes and school. However, researching menus and reading the reviews to get an idea of the restaurant’s vibe to decide where to eat can be quite cumbersome. You’ve already graduated, no need to do any more homework.

Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of Downtown’s bars and restaurants to have a good time after graduation. Parents and grandparents, share this article with the students in your life to help them choose their celebratory meal before the hassle of Graduation Day!

Where to Go for Lunch

Graduations start as early as 9:00 a.m. if you’re a Nursing and Health Innovation student or have a School of Social Work major. Because you have the early bird ceremony, your first meal as an official UTA graduate will be during lunchtime, and you have plenty of options to choose from. Here are five lunch restaurants to visit after crossing the stage:

  1. The Hive Daytime Eatery
  2. The Grease Monkey Burger Shop & Social Club
  3. Hurtado BBQ
  4. Cane Rosso Arlington
  5. Cartel Taco Bar

Where to Go for Dinner

Commencement for Liberal Arts, Engineering, and Honors College will begin at 2:00 p.m., which is the ideal time for a graduation ceremony because it’s not too early and you’ll be done before restaurants close for the night. I guess the best colleges get the best time slot in my completely biased opinion as a Liberal Arts graduate. Anyway, here are five Downtown dinner destinations:

1. Amore Mio Trattoria

2. J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill

3. Babe’s Chicken House

4. Inspirations Fork & Table

5. Los Molcas Tacos Bar & Grill

Where to Go to for a Celebratory Drink

If you’re graduating from the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs, or the College of Business, Education, or University Studies, then you get the last ceremony of the day, starting at 7:00 p.m. 5Here are the five Downtown bars where you can let loose and celebrate the end of your college days without worrying about class in the morning:

  1. On Tap
  2. Division Brewing
  3. Binions Ice House
  4. Hooligans Pub
  5. Kool Keg

Graduating from college is a big deal. You’re laying to rest decades of routine and entering a completely different playing field. It’s scary, worrisome, and challenging, yet it’s also exciting as life’s journey of self-discovery takes a big turn. Know that you’ll always have a place here in Downtown Arlington from the first day of classes all the way through the day of your graduation and beyond. We were here for you during finals week with late night study sessions at Inclusion and we were there when you needed to have some fun at Free Play Arcade. Now, we want to be there to help you celebrate one of life’s biggest accomplishments. So be sure to choose Downtown when commencement comes knocking and it’s time to choose a celebratory meal!