Pangea Is Back and Ready to Take Over Downtown Dallas: Here’s a Look

If you’re one of the 2,200 people who have left chef Kevin Ashade a message recently (he showed us his phone), just know it’s not you, it’s him. The owner and chef of Pangea, a restaurant that thrived in Garland from 2020 to 2025 and is ready for his next phase in downtown, has been a bit busy.

Here’s another big number for you: 340. That’s the number of reservations booked for the grand opening on Friday.

One more number: 7 weeks. That’s how old his new baby daughter is.

So, yeah, he’ll call you back when he gets a minute, which might be a minute.

The New Space

On a Wednesday afternoon, two days before the grand opening, as construction crews were putting the finishing touches on tilework and the patio, Ashade was preparing his restaurant for its debut. It’s been a year since he closed his restaurant in Garland due to landlord issues. He loves being back in a restaurant, which he says he’s never lost a love for.

As we sat down to talk on Thursday, he called someone to tell them that every glass on every table needed to be washed again because of water spots. The chef is meticulous; he notoriously Beat Bobby Flay on the show of the same name with a meticulous dish: coq au vin. And upon very close inspection, yep, there were a few spots. But who would notice in this dazzling dining room? Ashade, evidently.

Walking up the stairs from Pacific Avenue, Pangea sits on the ground floor below a high-rise, with a wow factor. You’ll slow down a step when the full lush patio comes into view. The large elevated breezeway and the entrance feel grand. Ashade redesigned this space completely inside and out. He wants it to feel like you’re walking into another country. As its name suggests, Pangea is a place that brings many worlds together. “We did this as the true definition of Pangea,” the Nigeran-born chef says.

He loves the restaurant business, despite the work that goes into creating a concept this detailed. He wants to open four more restaurants in other cities. “I work great under pressure,” he says, adding that he hasn’t slept in seven days, but not really as a complaint, just matter-of-factly.

The Menu at Pangea

The Culinary Institute of America graduate has kept the same menu as the original restaurants, but it’s been pared down a bit to help his staff get their sea legs; he’s expecting perfection from day one. He describes the menu as a homemade Southern Sunday dinner done with refined French technique.

Of course, there’s that coq a vin, listed on the menu as “Have Merci.” The braised (not fried as it was on Beat Bobby Flay) chicken is in a rich red wine sauce with bits of bacon and vegetables over mashed potatoes.

The menu starts with Suya, a Nigerian street food, served several ways. Skewers with strips of protein (chicken, beef, shrimp or a combo) are dusted with a spicy peanut-based rub. There’s crab cake, snow crab claws (here’s a romantic video of those claws), dumplings and Nigerian meat pies. After a few soups and salads, the menu dives into steaks, and includes a Delmonico, lamb, pork chops and a pan-seared salmon.

The stuffed salmon was a very popular dish at the first restaurant, as was the jerk-roasted lamb shank, and of course, those dishes have a home here.

We’re ecstatic that Ashade has brought Pangea to downtown; he picked the spot because it’s the center point for so many of his clients and regulars, bringing together all of North Texas and many worlds, as the name intends.

He’s working on getting a valet, and there are also several lots and a big garage nearby for parking. Reservations are open.

Pangea, 1910 Pacific Ave., Dallas
Dinner Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 4 – 11 p.m.; Sunday 4 – 10 p.m.
Lunch: Friday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Brunch: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Closed Monday