Dan Padgett
Audio By Carbonatix
Alarm bells have been sounded in the restaurant industry as prices rise and sales slow. But where there’s a will, there’s $20 avocado toast. Some resourceful (or very clever) restaurateurs are finding ways to forage ahead. A slew of new restaurants have opened in Dallas as we head into the holiday season during a government shutdown, and below is the highlight reel. (No joke, go visit your favorite old neighborhood spot too.)
Below you’ll find three categories: new restaurants; sports bars, clubs and honkty tonks; cafes, desserts and bagels.
New Restaurants
Prince Street Pizza
2820 N Henderson Ave., Knox-Henderson
Princes Street Pizza is a pie shop with a cult following that originally opened in New York City in 2012. They’ve expanded to numerous locations in New York, California, Vegas and Chicago, with the newest being in Dallas. Despite their expansion, they’re still known for serving authentic New York pizza. How? They say they have a water filtration process that mimics the water used in the Big Apple. We haven’t been by yet, but native New Yorkers say it’s legit and the shop is open til 3 a.m. on Saturdays.
Meridian
5650 Village Glen Drive, The Village
Meridian has been plotting a comeback for a while since it closed last year to undergo renovations and find a new head chef. Meridian 2.0 is much more approachable and aims to be a neighborhood staple. It is helmed by chef Eduardo Osorio, who fuses Italian, Mediterranean and New American plates across the menu.
Casa Brasa
8111 Preston Road, Park Cities
Casa Brasa is the latest concept from chef Omar Flores and Big Dill Hospitality (Even Coast, Whistle Britches) that opened this week off just south of the Preston Center. It has a globally inspired menu that is united by live fire.
El Molino
6818 Snider Plaza
Is Vandelay Hospitality opening a wanna-be Joe T. Garcia’s? Probably not, but the menu is primarily refined fajitas and delicate enchiladas, and we doubt theirs will be overrated.
Tacos Juancho
3604 Oak Lawn Ave., Uptown
No, you weren’t mistaken, a bright orange blob did pop up on Oak Lawn this month. Tacos Juancho took over the former Rusty Tacos space and was anything but subtle about it. It’s a family-owned and operated spot that brings over a decade in the taqueria business and their love for Mexico City to Dallas. They wanted to open something that truly belongs in Dallas, and we’ve heard their signature gaonera de rib-eye taco is a heavy hitter. And no – it has no affiliation with Chilangos.
Pizzana
11700 Preston Road, North Dallas
It’s about time. After hordes of people continue to swarm the Knox Henderson location, Pizzana is finally sharing the love with the opening of its second location inside the Preston Forest Shopping Center. This time, there’s ample parking, a covered patio and an open kitchen. We rejoice, but not without a reservation.
Elia Greek Tavern
205 N Bishop Ave., Bishop Arts
The former Nora Restaurant and Bar space is now Elia Greek Tavern, a new Turkish and Greek fusion restaurant opened by the team behind Selda Mediterranean. The savvy group, which includes two chefs from Cyprus, wants you to feel like you just had a meal at a small family restaurant in Greece. There’s pistachio baklava.
Pubs, Sports Bars and Honky Tonks
The Tavern Collective
1311 Meridian Drive, Irving
A Canadian public house called The Tavern Collective made its U.S. debut inside the Sandman Signature Las Colinas Hotel & Suites on Wednesday, Oct. 22. It brings nostalgic pub fare, globally-inspired plates like cashew butter chicken and arcade-style entertainment to the area.
Palomino Ranch
505 N. Good Latimer Expressway, Deep Ellum(ish)
Bottled Blonde closed and reopened this month as a Nashville honky tonk. Yikes?
G.O.A.T.S. Arena Sports Bar
27052 E. University Drive, Little Elm
What happens when you combine the energy of a stadium and the comfort of a sports bar? You get a G.O.A.T.S. Arena, a DFW-born concept that just opened its third location in Little Elm. It hopes to become Texas’s go-to for sports, and they’re earning brownie points by having the largest TV screen in a Texas bar at a whopping 240 inches.
Batbox
5100 Belt Line Road, Addison
Go ahead and wear your eyeblack for this one. Batbox is a baseball-focused sports bar. An evening here will likely cost a small portion of the bat you bought for your son’s 11U travel team. Here you can take some swings and get “maybe a little too competitive” in one of 10 baseball simulators, while drinking booze. Fun times.
Buffalo Hirsch
206 W Main St., Lewisville
Lights were out by 10 p.m. in Old Town Lewisville before Buffalo Hirsch showed up. This brand new open-air cocktail truckyard has three permanent food trucks: The Pickled Carrot with its Vietnamese fare; The Tomato Pizza with Chicago-style pies or slices (think the Flying Tomato near UNT) and Feta’s Lone Star Greek; and there will be a fourth on rotation. The massive 35,000-square-foot complex right at the edge of town is the new go-to for a late night in Lewisville.
Nice Mezze Cocktail Bar
233 W Seventh St., Bishop Arts
Bishop Art’s newest cocktail bar, Nice Mezze, serves refined drinks and bites inspired by the South of France. Mediterranean cuisine seems to be one of Dallas’ newest gastronomic waves, as this place serves refined coastal plates, until 2 a.m., might we add?
Boogies
1806 McMillan Ave., Henderson Ave.
The Whip, which was known for sticky floors and spoof, pop-up experiences, was officially replaced by Boogies this month. When we first heard the word, it appeared everyone’s favorite Knox/Henderson watering hole was being replaced with a more refined cocktail lounge. Alas, we we wrong (thankfully). Boogies is spinning house, disco and funk music on the regular. Oh, we needed this.
Cafes, Sweets and Bagels
Gelato La Boca
3406 Rosedale Ave., Snider Plaza
Gelato La Boca, an Argentinian-style gelato previously enjoyed via delivery only, now has its first brick-and-mortar in Snider Plaza. It was the newest addition to our list of the best gelato in Dallas, and we’re thrilled that we can now get our fix seven days a week.
Bagel Bros
9219 Garland Road, Lakewood
Urban Vines Bistro closed in 2024, and last month, Bagel Bros opened to fill its place. Brothers Johnny and Ruben Gomez, who were previously of Benny’s Bagels in Lakewood, opened the shop after selling Benny’s to a new owner last year. It’s only been open for two weeks, and the shop has received rave reviews, particularly for its fruity pebble cream cheese, but diners are loving everything these brothers are offering in Lakewood.
Cliff Coffee
6185 Assembly Park Blvd., Plano
Opening a coffee shop called “Cliff Coffee” in Plano sounds illegal, but owners Jacob Cox and Danny Wilson (of Cream & Sugar in Fairview) make up for the preposterous decision by serving great beans by Lemma Coffee Co. and evoking a Southwestern motif throughout the shop. We’re suckers for a cowboy mural.
