photo courtesy of Harwood Hospitality; photography by Kathy Tran
Audio By Carbonatix
Was Dallas just ghosted?
Seemingly overnight, four concepts in Uptown Dallas just shuttered, all of them owned by Harwood Hospitality: Elephant East, Poco Fiasco, Tequila Social and Dolce Riviera.
All four concepts have been removed from Harwood Hospitality’s concepts page. All of the Instagram accounts have been deleted and each of their Google Maps pages has the red line that reads permanently closed.
We already have the answer: Harwood International is re-evaluating.
Kayla Enright
“Harwood International is continuing to thoughtfully evolve Harwood District through strategic investment alongside our partners across development, hospitality and the District’s ground-floor experience,” a Harwood International spokesperson explained in an email to the Observer, “As part of that evolution, Harwood Hospitality Group’s Tequila Social and Poco Fiasco have closed.”
Dolce Riviera and Elephant East have closed, but were not commented on per the statement we received.
Kathy Tran
Dolce Riviera, the oasis inspired by summer vacations along the Italian Riviera, opened in 2016, closed during the pandemic, and reopened in May 2022 with a refreshed dining room, menu, patio and brand new bar called Parlor.
Tequila Social opened in the summer of 2023, and for transparency’s sake, never made it out of the shadow of the Katy Trail Ice House. Two very specific things had to be happening in order for them to appear busy: it was a weekend, and there was a wait at the Ice House, or a big game was on. Other than that, the patio looked abandoned.
Based on Google reviews, the waitstaff was great, but there was a real lack of attention put into the food and drinks there. These days, good branding can only get you so far. And yes, Dallas will sniff it out a poser pretty fast. But Harwood already had plans to reimagine the patio ahead of this string of closures.
The ground level at 3100 McKinnon Street was slated for redevelopment, and Tequila Social was always set to close ahead of the World Cup. Harwood International decided to keep it open through the games’ four weeks in Dallas before concluding operations on Friday, Aug. 21.
Aaren Prody
Poco Fiasco opened with a pizza window and build-your-own martinis in 2022. It had a fabulous happy hour with $6 bites and $7-8 cocktails, but despite that, was part of the broader re-evaluation happening across the Harwood District.
Elephant East opened in 2021 with a very distinguishable exterior along McKinnon Street. No one could miss the massive elephant outside, but everyone could miss the very swift turn needed to make it to valet.
Lauren Drewes Daniels
The abruptness of these closures marks another distinct chapter in Dallas dining, but with so much movement in the city, especially in Uptown, it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why.
Cedar Springs Road and its surroundings seem to be a defining feature of Uptown now. On one side, you have many classic Dallas restaurants that have held their footing for years: Nick & Sam’s, Uchi, Harwood Arms and Ocean Prime.
There are also more classic restaurants like Las Palmas and Sixty Vines holding their own. And now a massive influx of openings in the last year: Mamani with its Michelin star, The Bread Club, Two Hands, Avra and Domodomo Kō. Plus there’s newbies from out of town: Flower Child and Avra. The press release with Elephante’s opening literally just landed in our inbox (Sept. 1).
It seems Harwood International is making changes to keep pace with all the newcomers.
“As Uptown continues to grow and evolve, so will Harwood District,” Harwood’s spokesperson said. “We are reinvesting alongside our strategic partners and investors in the District while continuing to evaluate opportunities across development, hospitality and amenities. In select locations, we are exploring new concepts as well as conversions to amenities that further support our existing and prospective tenants and patrons.”
That’s such a word salad, but we get it! Shit’s complicated. It was explained that these changes are part of the natural evolution of the Harwood District, which has continued to grow for more than four decades.
What comes next in this pocket of Uptown is yet to be determined as the group still has plans underway. What we do know is that Harwood Hospitality is putting the final touches on Docent Steak, a brand-new Japanese steakhouse with a robust Kobe beef program, that will open soon in the same area where all these closures just took place. And don’t forget, Harwood sports a Michelin nod for its steakhouse Stillwell’s at the Swexan. And Happiest Hours is one of the most popular bars in Dallas, hands down.
So, yeah, maybe this is just a reset.
