With a wall of roughly 50 self-serve taps stretching across the space, choosing where to start isn’t easy. Dallas Blonde, Stub’s Texas Pils, Velvet Hammer, Juice Pack, Sublime Bramble — it’s all there, plus whiskey sours made with Buffalo Trace, Tito’s cosmopolitans and a handful of wines. You can spend some serious time standing there, trying to figure out what to try first.
Oak & Stone has officially opened in McKinney, bringing beer, wine and an easygoing hangout to the city’s growing restaurant mix. And while the drinks are the draw at first glance, the food is certainly no afterthought.
Founded in Florida as part of the Artistry Restaurants group, Oak & Stone was built on a simple idea: people don’t just come out to eat, they come to spend time. The kind of place where you settle in, try a few things and don’t feel rushed out the door. The McKinney location carries that same approach, with a local touch layered in through Texas partnerships with breweries, distilleries and food producers.
The Tap Wall Is the Main Event
The centerpiece is the self-pour Tap Wall, which runs about 50 options deep. Guests get a tap card from their server, which lets them pour their own beer, wine, whiskey, cocktails or non-alcoholic options. You can try small pours, build a flight or go for a full glass, and the card tracks everything as you go.
It’s easy to treat it like a gimmick at first, but it actually changes the pace of how you order. The staff, known as Tap Guides, help steer you in the right direction if you need it, offering suggestions and quick explanations on what’s worth trying. A four-beer taster flight, which ends up being just a bit more than a single full pour, comes in around $7, which makes experimenting pretty painless on the wallet…