Audio By Carbonatix
Your wallet is about to be personally victimized by all the new restaurant openings around Dallas. This time, it’s a healthy mix of heavy-hitting ice cream and bagel imports, mixed with exciting new restaurants from multiple celebrated and awarded Dallas chefs.
Here are 10 new openings we’ve had around the city, primed for summer dining.
Olōyō
4422 Gaston Ave., East Dallas
Olōyō is a new contemporary Mexican restaurant in East Dallas, but more than that, it’s the dream brick-and-mortar restaurant from James Beard-nominated chef Olivia Lopez and her partner, Jonathan Percival. This restaurant has been years in the making, blooming from their weekend pop-ups and private dinners under the alias Molino Olōyō. Everything inside is impeccably sourced, all the way down to the salt from Lopez’s home state of Colima in Mexico. Reservations drop daily for the following day, so don’t let Resy let you down.
Lion’s Den
2927 Maple Ave., Uptown
The Stoneleigh is one of Dallas oldest hotels, and what emerged after its recent $20 million renovations to the 102-year-old building was Lion’s Den, a new restaurant with global inspiration and inventive techniques. The kitchen is helmed by chef Michael White, who is a James Beard Award recipient with multiple Michelin stars and three-star reviews from The New York Times. He’s brand new to Dallas, but the talent he’s bringing in is exciting for the city.
Syrup + Sno
2951 S State Highway 161, The Epic in Grand Prairie
For the past few years, chef Tiffany Derry has been all gas and no brakes when it comes to expanding her culinary vision across North Texas. Her latest is called Syrup + Sno, a sno cone and sweets shop located at The Epic in Grand Prairie. The grab-and-go shop sells shave ice with all types of syrups, soft serve ice cream, warm cookies and ice cream sandwiches.
Sor Juana
1908 Canton St., Downtown
Sor Juana is a new Mexican cantina near the Farmers Market, but its roots date back far, including the 1920s-era building it’s in. Co-owners Alexandra Hernandez and Karla Soria wanted to revive convivio culture, a tradition in Mexican culture of gathering and spending time with one another. They’re serving two menus centered around botanas, and on the weekends from 9 p.m. to close, the menu turns into a spread of late-night catina classics. Best yet, all the cocktails are $12, and everything on the menu is under $20.
La Sombra Cantina
1144 Plano Road, Richardson
This new Tex-Mex spot is from the same group behind Shady’s Burgers (which opened a third location at Lake Lewisville earlier this summer) and the Fifth. They renovated the old Pineda’s spot, and the menu builds on what was there and adds new, elevated Tex-Mex dishes like ribeye carne asada and poblano enchiladas. They have weekly specials, all-day happy hour on Mondays and Tuesdays, and brunch on the weekends.
Salt & Straw
2323 N. Henderson Ave., Knox-Henderson
Cousins Kim and Tyler Malek started Salt & Straw in Portland, Oregon, and now this ice cream shop with a cult following has landed in Dallas with its famous Frito pie sundae in tow. They have a short list of permanent ice cream flavors, but the real interest is in their monthly rotating menu they call “series”, where they come up with creative flavors and combinations based on a specific theme or holiday. They’re now scooping the “Chef Series,” which has cheesecake with salted yuzu curd and Hong Kong milk tea with toasted white chocolate as two out of the five offerings.
PopUp Bagels
5450 W Lovers Lane & 2323 Henderson Ave.
PopUp Bagels was so successful when it first opened in Dallas that now it’s having back-to-back openings. Another shop will open at 2323 Henderson Ave. on Friday, June 5. You heard it here first. This bagel shop keeps it simple with five bagel flavors, three base schmears, and two schmears that rotate bi-weekly. Right now, it’s elote cream cheese and Grillo’s hot pickle butter. Yes, you read that correctly. Get us one too when you go.
Maroma
1333 Oak Lawn Ave., Design District
Maroma was one of our most anticipated spring restaurant openings from chef Omar Flores. It’s a coastal Mexican restaurant with an all-day concept integrated into its space and menu. Coastal towns on Mexico’s western coast — Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Sinaloa — inspired the menu that puts seafood at the front and center and supports it with live-fire cooking. Flores is a James Beard-nominated chef, and this spot isn’t already on your radar, it should be.
Seegars Deli
1910 S Harwood St., The Cedars
Seegars Deli is a sandwich shop concept that has been years in the making by Olivia Genthe, who is also behind Font Board and Table in Uptown and Little Blue Bistro in Bishop Arts. Seegars was announced in 2023, and last month, it finally opened its doors with rave reviews. It’s situated inside a building that’s been in Dallas since 1947, and the deli leans into the retro, historic feel. Think exposed brick, concrete floors and those cushy bar stools that all the diners have. You know the ones.
Everything Madeleine
4757 W Park Blvd. (Plano)
Everything Madeleine started in Carrollton, but just moved into a new space in Plano that is modern and urban with plenty of wiggle room. The cafe is best known for its matcha drinks, like both the strawberry matcha and the matcha cream latte. And nobody can resist the sweets on display in the glass case. It’s full of croissants and French madeleines, of course.
