Rousso took it over just before the FIFA Fan Fest in summer 2026<\/a>, testing it out as a concessions area for soccer fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cWhen it became possible to take over the Old Mill Inn,\u201d Rousso said, \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Am I crazy?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t be the first time he\u2019s heard it in the nearly 20 years he\u2019s been a State Fair concessionaire, dreaming up over-the-top food like his Deep-Fried Cuban Roll, still a bestseller since it won \u201cbest taste\u201d in 2013.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Rousso runs the Magnolia Beer Garden next door to the Old Mill Inn. He felt a duty to the dusty two-story building that helped define the neighborhood nearly 100 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is really about the love of Fair Park,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
His Old Mill Inn renovation\u00a0includes a redone patio with potted flowers aplenty and bright red umbrellas welcoming guests. A new \u201cviewing deck\u201d in a shaded, turfed area flanks the main walking path near Big Tex. Rousso\u2019s favorite seat is in the corner, where he gets a front-row seat when Big Tex bellows \u201cHowdy, folks!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Ty Trafford opens a bottle of wine behind a charcuterie tray at Old Mill Inn in Fair Park.<\/p>\n
Angela Piazza\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Inside and out, the Old Mill\u2019s bars serve cocktails quickly, on tap, such as aperol spritzes, ranch water and old-fashioneds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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While others walk in the heat eating fried whatever, diners at the Old Mill Inn can order fancy-for-the-fair snacks like garlic Parmesan fries and a grilled chicken wrap alongside a bottle of white wine served in an ice bucket. The bacon jam Wagyu on a brioche bun might make visitors forget they\u2019re dining in the middle of one of the biggest fall festivals in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Keep drinking and stay awhile,\u00a0Rousso says: A big TV screen outside will show football games.<\/p>\n
But what happens when the cowboy rides away at the end of the State Fair and the Old Mill Inn is still there, but mostly invisible?\u00a0Rousso wants to use it as a year-round wedding venue or private event space.<\/p>\n
He won\u2019t promise it\u2019s a slam dunk yet. But if anybody could make Dallasites love Fair Park in the off-season, it might be one of its most charismatic concessionaires.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI believe, in time, this place will have the glory it did before,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Old Mill Inn is at 3611 Grand Ave., Dallas. Open for lunch and dinner. If you\u2019re visiting during the State Fair of Texas, the closest entrance is at Gate 5.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Ty Trafford and restaurant owner Lily Rousso walk through the bar at the renovated Old Mill Inn, back open as of mid-2026.<\/p>\n
Angela Piazza\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Old Mill Inn, 90 years old, looks almost as good as new. State Fair concessionaire Isaac\u00a0Rousso and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":448415,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[95929,102,104,103,95188,89276,89307,92202],"class_list":["post-448414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-arts-entertainment-state-fair","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-tp-fair-park","tag-tp-restaurant-openings","tag-tp-restaurants","tag-tp-winespirits"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}