Leela’s Wine Bar aims to reinvent itself in the future

Leela’s Wine Bar in Lower Greenville is in flux.

Its Instagrammable pop-up season for Christmas and Valentine’s Day has ended until fall.

The neighborhood pizza and wine bar transforms in November with ornaments hanging from the ceiling and wreaths on the walls. Corresponding menu items are also served during this time. Think cheeseballs, “ornamint” cocktails, white chocolate raspberry espresso martinis, mini Brie en croûte topped with honey and nuts, and roasted yukon potatoes on pizza.

Once these holiday decorations come down, there’s hardly a break before Leela’s descends into a sea of flowers, sparkles, red and pink drinks, and heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day – or Galentine’s Day, as female patrons are encouraged to bring their friends for a girls’ night out.

Come March, Leela’s feels a bit naked when shifting back to its nonseasonal self, director of operations Danyele McPherson says. But this absence makes way for Leela’s to redefine itself outside of the pop-ups.

“We’ve been known in the past for the decoration changes in the pop-ups,” McPherson says. “The sort of new era of what we’re trying to do is, instead of people coming in to see the decor changes, they’re coming in for the menu changes.”

As of writing this, Leela’s menu is a transitional one with many of the seasonal items still on there, like Brie en croûte ($15) and The Yukon pizza ($12-$21). Offerings include meat and cheese boards, classic salads available by the half and whole that can be upgraded with chicken or prosciutto, and signature pizzas ranging from plain cheese ($10-$17) to supreme ($12-$21).

McPherson says the wine program, which is mostly served from kegs, offers a wide variety for people who love wine, but is not intimidating to those looking to experiment.

If you’re only vaguely familiar with Leela’s, you may know that it’s a wine bar that has a reputation for attracting a younger female clientele, especially because of the pop-ups. But McPherson points out that neither of these assumptions shows the full picture.

For starters, patrons tend to come to Leela’s more so for cocktails (with housemade syrups and fresh-pressed juices) than wine, particularly the bar’s espresso martinis. These are three drinks made with coffee-infused HG vodka, Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, cream and the hazelnut-flavored Frangelico. Coffee Over Feelings ($16) has torched cinnamon, Putting Myself First ($18) includes strawberry, and Sip Happens ($17) utilizes Amaro Montenegro, crème de cacao and chocolate curls. Patrons can also order the flight for a taste of all three for $35.

And Leela’s may be known as the place where female Southern Methodist University students spend a night on the town, but the demographics are more diverse than that. McPherson wants the bar to be a year-round neighborhood spot that is accessible to all, no matter your gender or how you present yourself.

“We have the elevation of the food and beverage without trying to have the pomp and circumstance of having to make a reservation and having to feel like it’s this buttoned-up experience,” she says. “You can come as you are and come in and have a good time.”

Leela’s has two other locations in Uptown and Trophy Club, but the vibe of the one in our neighborhood fits into Lower Greenville’s nightlife scene. It’s more bar than restaurant and has the club Milli on the floor directly above it.

“The magic of this location is created by its location on Greenville Avenue,” McPherson says.

McPherson wants to lean away from the perception of Leela’s only being fun to visit during the holidays, but this doesn’t mean abandoning interior style. She wants the design to be welcoming to all and somewhere between being visually busy and naked. In short, Leela’s should look and feel special year-round.

“The space has really served us well over the years, but now we’re looking for what is going to sustain us,” she says. “‘What is our path and what is our direction, and how do we kind of communicate that we’re more grown up now, that we’ve learned a lot over the years, that we have matured and that we have graduated from just throwing a great party to, ‘Hey, we can do this all year round.’”

Leela’s Wine Bar, 1914 Greenville Ave., 469.778.0201, www.leelas.com/lowergreenville