How The Rô On Oak Became the Coolest Little Cocktail Lounge in Denton County

Located just 30 minutes north of Dallas-Fort Worth is a little town called Roanoke. Those living in Denton County town are few (the population was just over 10,000 in 2020) but their restaurant choices are surprisingly vast. Everything from great Vietnamese cuisine and Tex-Mex to steaks are on the menu — a quality that justifies Roanoke’s official slogan: “The Unique Dining Capital of Texas.” And now, two Los Angeles-based friends have teamed up with a top Dallas hospitality interior firm and local restaurateur Greg Katz to debut an upscale lounge in downtown Roanoke called The Rô on Oak.

The Inspiration Behind The Rô On Oak

Gabriel Miller and Jonathan Condos are childhood friends who work in commercial real estate. The investment prospects of the small Texas town and the fact that Miller had familial ties to DFW sparked the duo’s interest in Roanoke. After talking to the community, they saw a void in the town for a late-night neighborhood lounge.

“The community, almost unanimously, wished for a space they could go and make a night out of it,” Miller tells PaperCity. “We wanted to provide the city of Roanoke, which was incredibly supportive of us, with this kind of sophisticated, yet approachable environment. My grandparents were musicians in Fort Worth, and with music being such a heavy influence on The Rô On Oak, it acts as a nod to them as well.”

For guidance on the hospitality front, Miller and Condos brought on Greg Katz (owner of Beverley’s, Clifton Club, and Green Point) as part of the team’s advisory board.

“[Katz] has a wealth of knowledge regarding the local market, and his concepts, namely Clifton Club, are in line with the hip and trendy aesthetic that we wanted to achieve for The Rô,” Miller says. “He advised us in operations, accounting, chef staffing…the list goes on! He also connected us with vendors in the area which was a big help.”

The Design of The Rô On Oak

The friends also teamed up with Dallas interior design firm Foxcroft Studios  (Anchor Bar, Mr. Winston’s) to craft the artsy atmosphere that awaits guests at The Rô on Oak. A wood-clad entryway with burnt copper and a moiré silk wall-covered ceiling is the first thing you’ll see, but The Rô’s true centerpiece is a violet marble-topped custom bar. Leaded glass panels from a historic Fort Worth home line the back bar, which is framed by antique sconces from a French Abbey in Los Angeles. Plush booths, warm lighting, and a grand fireplace (inspired by Gramercy Park Hotel’s Rose Bar) perfect the romantic ambiance.

One of the coolest things is the curated artwork covering the walls of The Rô — Argentinian artist Julio Fierro’s “Bunny Boy From Texas” stands out, as well as framed love letters from around the world. Music is played on a hi-fi sound system built specifically for the space’s acoustics.

“The vision behind The Rô on Oak combines the swankiness of an Upper East Side NYC hotel with the cool collectiveness of a cozy Hollywood Hills home,” Miller says. “Creating this vibe in North Texas, the geographic middleman, brings the two coasts together in a way that hasn’t yet been achieved in the area.”

The Cocktails and Food

Inspired and named by iconic Rock n’ Roll hits, the cocktail program features Led Zeppelin’s Ramble On (a bourbon, Don Ciccio Amaro, lemon, and absinthe creation), an espresso martini called Start Me Up, the scotch-based Enter Sandman, and more. Two mocktails named after Nirvana and Willie Nelson songs are also available if you’re participating in Dry January.

As for food, The Rô on Oak offers an edited menu of small bites, charcuterie boards, and flatbreads. The goat cheese bruschetta, chili garlic shrimp, and PFB (prosciutto, fig jam, and brie cheese) flatbread sound most intriguing.

Based on the glowing Google and Yelp reviews, The Rô On Oak seems to be fulfilling its promise of a cool late-night spot in Roanoke.

The Rô on Oak is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 pm to 10 pm and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.