Restaurant in Dallas, United States
Casual Dallas seafood that delivers on freshness.
Rex's Seafood and Market on S Harwood St suits Dallas diners who want fresh seafood in a casual market-restaurant format rather than a formal dining room. The dual market-and-kitchen setup means product quality can be high when you order smart. Midweek lunch is the optimal visit window. Booking is easy, and the format works well for a focused, no-fuss seafood meal.
Rex's Seafood and Market at 920 S Harwood St in Dallas's South Side is the kind of place that suits a specific diner well: someone who wants seafood without the white-tablecloth setup, or a regular looking to work through the menu beyond a first visit. If you ate here once and ordered conservatively, the market side of the operation is where to focus next. The dual seafood-market-and-restaurant format means the food proposition is different from a standard fish house, and that distinction matters when you're deciding whether to return.
The address puts Rex's in a mixed-use building in the southern edge of downtown Dallas, a corridor that draws a lunch crowd from nearby offices and a more relaxed dinner crowd on weekends. The layout reads as casual-commercial rather than atmospheric: expect counter-style or market-adjacent seating rather than intimate dining rooms. That format works in your favor midweek at lunch, when the room moves quickly and you're not competing for attention. Weekend evenings are a different calculation — the space fills and the casual format means less acoustic separation than you'd get at a sit-down seafood restaurant.
The editorial question here is whether the food is worth ordering seriously, and the honest answer is: yes, with caveats. A seafood market that also serves prepared food has a structural advantage — product turnover is higher than at a restaurant holding inventory for a single service. That typically means fresher fish. The risk is execution: market-to-plate operations can be inconsistent if kitchen staffing doesn't match market quality. Without confirmed signature dishes in the record, returning visitors should ask what's moving fastest that day rather than defaulting to menu anchors. That's practical advice at any seafood market format, not a knock on Rex's specifically.
If you've been once and ordered a reliable mid-menu item, the move on a second visit is to push toward the market's fresher catches or the preparations that require more kitchen work. Direct grilled or fried formats are the baseline; anything that signals more technique is worth testing on a return trip. For context on how serious bar and food programs can coexist in Dallas, the cocktail-forward approach at 4525 Cole Ave and the neighborhood-bar energy of Adair's Saloon show what Dallas does well when a concept commits to one lane. Rex's dual market-restaurant format is a different bet , more utilitarian, potentially more rewarding if the day's product is strong.
Midweek lunch is the optimal window. Turnover is high, the kitchen is focused, and the casual format doesn't feel like a compromise at noon the way it might on a Saturday night when you're weighing it against a proper sit-down option. If you're considering a Friday or Saturday dinner, arrive early , the format doesn't reward waiting in a crowd, and the market-side dynamic means the leading product may be gone by late evening.
For more options across the city, see our full Dallas restaurants guide, our full Dallas bars guide, and our full Dallas hotels guide. If you're exploring the broader Texas drinks scene, Julep in Houston is worth the trip for a contrast in approach, and our full Dallas wineries guide covers the wine side if that's your angle. Pearl also tracks Dallas experiences and Ampelos Wines for those building a fuller itinerary.
Reservations: Easy to book; walk-ins are likely workable given the market-format layout, but call ahead for larger groups. Dress: Casual. Budget: Pricing not confirmed in our data , verify directly before visiting. Getting there: 920 S Harwood St #150, Dallas, TX 75201, in the southern downtown corridor. Booking difficulty: Low.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Rex's Seafood and Market | — | |
| Bar Sylvestro | — | |
| Alcove Wine Bar | — | |
| Cross Faded Barbershop | — | |
| Sky Blossom Rooftop Bistro Bar | — | |
| 4525 Cole Ave | — |
How Rex's Seafood and Market stacks up against the competition.
Expect a lunch-heavy mix of downtown Dallas office workers and South Side residents who want a quick, no-fuss seafood meal. The market format at 920 S Harwood attracts a practical crowd rather than a scene-chaser one. Evenings draw a more varied group, but the vibe stays casual throughout. If you want a lively bar atmosphere, this is not the room for it.
Walk-ins are workable given the market-style layout, and booking pressure here is low compared to Dallas's busier seafood spots. That said, call ahead if you're coming with four or more people, since counter and table availability can tighten at peak lunch hours midweek. Solo diners and pairs can generally show up without planning far ahead.
No happy hour details are confirmed for Rex's at this time. The market format at 920 S Harwood suggests the focus is on food rather than a structured drinks program. If a discounted drinks window is a deciding factor for your visit, it's worth calling ahead before you plan around it.
Outdoor seating details are not confirmed for the S Harwood St location. The building is a mixed-use structure on the southern edge of downtown Dallas, so patio space is not a given. Check directly with the venue if al fresco dining is a priority for your visit.
No specific drinks menu or signature cocktail is documented for Rex's. Given the market-restaurant format in Dallas's South Side, the emphasis skews toward the food case rather than a curated bar program. If a standout drinks list is central to your decision, Rex's may not be the right fit compared to dedicated bar-forward venues nearby.
Small groups of two to four are the sweet spot here. The market layout at 920 S Harwood suits casual, flexible dining rather than large party bookings. For groups of five or more, call ahead to confirm the venue can accommodate you, since this format does not reliably handle big tables the way a full-service restaurant would.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
