Santa's Workshop: Popup Christmas Bar & Restaurant

Melody Vo 2 years ago

We were in the area for the McKinney holiday festival and this was a perfect place to stop in for a quick drink. The atmosphere is very rustic and feels like you’re in a 90s-2000s Hallmark holiday movie. There’s different themed sections of the bar like a Grinch themed area. The drinks are simple and cute. There’s no reservations, you just walk in, order at the front and find a table. They do have a limited food menu, the cheese curds and chicken tenders were great to snack on. They also have a kid friendly menu.

Cat HK Edited 4 years ago

We love Rye! Food was always phenomenal with thoughtful presentations: Pork Belly Lollipops - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- melts in your mouth perfection! Salmon Gow - 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- flour wrapper can be thinner Vaca Frita Tacos - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- delicious! Release the Quack-en - 6/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- best duck ever! Three French Hens - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- full of flavours To Peach Their Own 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- unique dessert Benedict, chicken and grit at brunch were yummy too. Jadzia was always cordial and she would answer all of our questions with great patience. She's also very knowledgeable of their menu. High marks for that. There'd be a $10 deposit per guest on reservation in case of no show, it's fair and not a deal breaker for us. Can't wait to go back and try everything on the menu and we would definitely start every meal with pork lollipop. It's that good!

Sam Jacinto 4 years ago

We arrived at a full restaurant with only a couple seats at the bar. We decided to eat there rather than wait for a table. We were so glad we did. The bartender, Heather took such great care of us the whole night. She helped us feel at home and treated us like we were regulars there. She explained the small plate format and gave us her recommendations which was appreciated. Each plate was a delightful surprise of complex and mouthwatering sauces and seasonings with fresh ingredients. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience and plan to return again real soon.

Tony Nguyen 4 years ago

I try to give out 5 star reviews sparingly because few restaurants truly wow - but this one hit the mark on everything from service, atmosphere, and of course the actual food. Wow. Unique, varied, delicious (obviously), and most surprisingly quite affordable considering the quality. My favorites were the Forest Floor (mushroom dish), the Salmon (forgot the full name), the Shortrib, and the chili chocolate cake. Wonderful stuff and the staff all knew the menu well which is lovely. Will be coming back again very soon. Props to the chef and service staff. One thing is that they did have to push our reservation back 35min due to how busy they were - but that’s quite understandable for a restaurant this small + good. No biggie since it’s in downtown McKinney which is fun to have a stroll around.

Rachel Overton 6 years ago

Such a lovely and cozy atmosphere. The food was beyond anything I had expected. So delicious and unique. The staff and owner were so very kind and took such great care of us. I can't wait to take everyone here. Save room for dessert too....just wow. New favorite.