Campo Verde Is Closing Because It Doesn’t Suck Enough

Since opening in 1983, Arlington Tex-Mex outpost Campo Verde is coming towards the end of its most tumultuous year ever. The Christmas-themed restaurant in Dalwothington Gardens (which is known for three things: as the home to Pantera, cops and this restaurant) abruptly closed in January. Then it was revived in March by new management and kitchen staff from chef Mouhssine “Moose” Benhamacht. Now, just months after officially reopening in June, the restaurant announced that it will close its doors on Christmas Eve.

The Moroccan chef and restaurateur is also behind Arlington’s Cafe Americana, one of our favorite new restaurants in the city. With chef Moose at the helm, we were excited to see what a spruced-up Campo Verde would look like. And, honestly, taste like. The quirkiness and bazillion Christmas lights inside outshown the cuisine for 40 years. . 

About That Orange Dip Though

What do we mean? Take it from our food editor Lauren Drewes Daniels, who described the interior of thousands of Christmas lights being circled by a toy train as “a kaleidoscope of crazy.” The food? “Marginal at best and nuclear at worst,” Daniels wrote of a bowl of neon orange dip, a pillar of the first iteration of the spot.

But to what avail? Campo Verde remained a nostalgic dive for generations of families, even if our critical eye would be right to point out some flaws. When it closed in January, Benhamacht was faced with the difficult task of revamping an aging classic while still maintaining a bit of its charm. 

When Campo Verde reopened in June, it did so with an all-new Mexican food menu, cleaner dining rooms, a scaled-down holiday theme and a far cheaper electricity bill, although the toy train kept running. 

Change Is Hard

The new menu was a welcome change, albeit one that was a good deal more expensive than the Campo Verde of old. The Tex-Mex classics remained with a slightly more elevated twist, and a selection of Texas barbecue, including brisket tacos and a burnt end sandwich, found their place on the menu. 

But good quality is not always the name of the game. Sometimes it’s all about the intangibles, that “how does this place even exist” feeling that’s similar to The Magic Time Machine in North Dallas. It’s as if Campo Verde customers wanted a place that still felt trapped out of time, and one that charmingly never updated its menu.

“Here’s what Campo Verde has going against it,” Daniels wrote after a June visit. “It’s a lot better than it used to be. And for decades-long regulars, that could be a hard enchilada to swallow. Nostalgia goes hard.”

Campo Verde will be officially closing on Christmas Eve, at the tail end of what will be its final celebration of the holidays. So if you’re a lifelong fan of the camp of Campo Verde, we recommend getting in the Christmas spirit a little early this year and heading over to Arlington one last time. 

Campo Verde, 2918 W Pioneer Parkway, Arlington