The Stoneleigh P is a historic bar and grill in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas, Texas.
Originally a drugstore called the Stoneleigh Pharmacy, it was converted and renamed by Tom Garrison in 1977.[1] Garrison told D Magazine that he had simply smudged out the "" on the old sign, and that when he purchased the building there was a "leaking roof and rats the size of puppies."
In the 1970s, it was a center for counter culture and a hangout for artists. A 1980 fire burned the building to the ground, but it was rebuilt in the same location. At the time of the 1980 fire, the Stoneleigh P was the favorite bar of Dallas restaurateur Shannon Wynne; suddenly finding himself without his favorite "watering hole" inspired Wynne and his friends to open his first bar.[2] The Stoneleigh P has maintained the same dark interior and recognizable red neon sign for its over 40 year history.[3]
Because of its long history and proximity to downtown Dallas, it has become a regular meeting spot for public events such as those run by the Dallas Historical Society. In May 2018, former Dallas sheriff and Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez had a campaign event at the Stoneleigh P with her supporters.[4] As journalist Jonathan Rienstra noted, "In a time when places have a troublesome tendency to exist for a blink of an eye, there’s something reassuring about how the P has maintained this corner of Uptown for more than 40 years, standing guard as young guns attempt in vain to establish themselves with gimmicks and false promises [. . .] It is a time capsule that holds thousands of stories."
The Stoneleigh P generated controversy in 2021 after the critic Kyle Smith posted a photo to Twitter of the bar's jukebox that read "MARIAH CAREY'S ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU WILL BE SKIPPED IF PLAYED BEFORE DEC. 1. AFTER DEC. 1 THE SONG IS ONLY ALLOWED ONE TIME PER NIGHT."https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/mariah-carey-dallas-bar-christmas/ The Twitter post went viral[5] and Mariah Carey herself posted a response to the tweet dressed in an armor suit, as if prepared for battle.https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/a-ban-on-mariah-carey-a-dallas-bar-says-yes/3028428/ Nevertheless, the Stoneleigh P's general manager told CNN that she did not hate Mariah Carey or Christmas and that the sign was mostly intended as a joke, though she maintained that Christmas songs should not be played before Thanksgiving.
After fifty years in its prior location across the street from the Stoneleigh Hotel, the Stoneleigh P moved to a new location on Lemmon Avenue in May 2024.[6] The new location includes a larger kitchen as well as most of the memorabilia from the old location, such as the red neon "Stoneleigh P" sign that hung over the door.[7] Many of the former P regulars have migrated to the new location including well known Dallas real estate broker Wayne Swearingen.