Bye Bye Brisket, PoBoys and Sushi: the Dallas Restaurants That Closed in January

Five-year leases are expiring, and this time of the year is the hardest for local businesses. This month, there’s an interesting mix of restaurant closures that happened around Dallas. 

Private equity ruined a mid-2000s icon; a 30-year-old sushi spot shuttered; East Dallas is one brisket sandwich fewer; even Guy Fieri couldn’t keep this other Michelin-recognized spot from closing shop, and more food news.

Rye
1920 Greenville Ave.
Rye isn’t closed just yet, but the next month or so is our last chance to pull up a chair at Rye before it closes for good on Saturday, March 7. This closure is unlike many others happening right now. Instead of closing permanently, Rye and its speakeasy Apothecary are adjusting so that each concept can grow independently. Apothecary is taking over the former Rye space, and Rye will be on the hunt for a permanent, standalone location in the coming months. 

Pizza Leila
2111 Flora St.
Pizza Leila’s Downtown Dallas lease expired, and the owners decided not to renew it. However, the location inside the North Park Mall remains open. 

Salad and Go 
All locations
Say goodbye to a drink and a salad for less than 10 bucks. Salad and Go was a new fast-casual chain that expanded rapidly across Texas and other states, doubling its size in the last two years. Now, it’s closing all restaurants in Texas and Oklahoma, relocating its headquarters to Arizona, and focusing on stores in the Grand Canyon State and Nevada before expanding again. We always felt it was a deal too good to be true. Guess we were right.

Sprinkles Cupcakes
All locations & ATMs
Are we noticing a theme? Yes, private equity ruined yet another business. Sprinkles Cupcakes started in LA in 2005 and was the catalyst of the gourmet cupcake craze that overwhelmed the mid-2000s. Owner Candace Nelson sold the company to a private equity firm over a decade ago, and by Dec. 31, 2025, 22 brick-and-mortar and 25 ATM locations had shuttered across the U.S. 

Tejas Brisket Co. 
1318 N Peak St.
East Dallas is now one great brisket sandwich lighter after Tejas Brisket Co. closed this month. Owners Tifany Swulius and Antonio Guevara originally worked together at Lakewood Landing and later opened a BBQ joint. They served award-winning jalapeno bacon corn cookies, juicy brisket and a roster of the neighborhood’s favorite tacos. They announced the closure on Instagram and noted that they were only closing the storefront because of the hours. They will still offer catering.

The PoBoy Shop
8421 Westchester Drive
The PoBoy Shop was open for less than a year before it closed at the end of December. It opened after owner Evan Meagher closed his eponymous meat market, and after realizing the new spot wasn’t viable long-term without compromising standards, he decided to close the sandwich shop, too. There may be other great sandwich shops in Dallas, but this was a hit the day it opened, and it’s sad to lose it. 

Casa Del Vegano
333 Jefferson Blvd
The end… After five years serving vegan Tex-Mex in Oak Cliff, Casa Del Vegano has closed. In the restaurant’s farewell Instagram post, they said they fought hard to stay alive, but after falling two months behind and facing heavy fees and penalties, they could no longer continue. On the bright side, Vegan Food House remains open and will be serving many Casa Del Vegano dishes there.

Deep Sushi
2624 Elm St.
“Due to critical repairs, Deep Sushi will be closed until Jan. 5”, read the longstanding sushi restaurant’s final Instagram post before closing permanently. Deep Sushi opened in 1996 and, before its closure, was one of the longest operating restaurants along Deep Ellum’s resilient streets. Back in December, they were encouraging diners to come in and help revive the now “dry and quiet nights” in hopes that business would flourish again, seemingly to no avail. 

Palmer’s Hot Chicken
6465 Mockingbird Lane
After five years on Mockingbird Lane, Palmer’s pulled the plug this month and is transitioning to a ghost kitchen.

Dot’s Hop House
2645 Commerce St.
News came down last week that Dot’s Hop House in Deep Ellum is closing after 10 years. This craft beer spot had 99 taps and great bar fare. They didn’t give much of a reason, which, with all the construction at their doorstep, makes sense.