July restaurant closures: A famous nitrogen marg, a surf spot and tapas say goodbye

With an influx of openings in Dallas last month, a few doors had to shut to balance out the Dallas continuum.

Unfortunately, that meant many neighborhoods around the city took a blow. There was a controversial closure in Deep Ellum; you’ll now have to travel to Japan in order to get this Japanese BBQ; Basque-style small plates that put tapas to shame are no more and one of the city’s most popular drinks is retiring.

This is the non-exhaustive list of all the restaurants, bars and concepts that closed in Dallas in July.

Cow Tipping Creamery
3685 The Star Blvd., Frisco
The 10-year lease for Cow Tipping Creamery expired this year, and the owner decided to pivot away from ice cream and turn this space at The Star into an upscale cocktail lounge called The Imperial Room.

Goodsurf
317 S. Second Ave., Deep Ellum
Goodsurf closed out its surfing season in October of last year and never reopened. It is bad that we haven’t noticed until now? Although the blurb on its Instagram account reads, “CLOSED FOR THE SEASON- SEE YOU NEXT YEAR”, it’s now August and the locale has the red line of doom looming on its Google Maps page: permanently closed. Which is a shame, because it seemed to be well-received by the city.

KANVAS by Kevin Kelley
2823 Main St., Deep Ellum
KANVAS’ closure was nothing short of a controversy when it officially closed its doors in July, citing violence in Deep Ellum as the reason behind it. The announcement, which has now been removed from Instagram, stoked the ‘violent Deep Ellum‘ rhetoric that has continued to impact the 250-year-old entertainment district.

Manpuku Japanese Yakiniku Grill
2023 Greenville Ave., Lower Greenville
Five strong years along Lower Greenville, and Manpuku is now closed. The announcement was made on the restaurant’s website, encouraging diners to visit their sister restaurant, Takumi Hachi, in Addison. Outside of Dallas, they invited diners to the other Manpuku locations in California and Japan, hoping to have a new location in Dallas again.

The Hub
1289 Johnson Road, Allen
The Hub was an open-air $20 million food hall and entertainment venue in Allen. After four years, it served its last guests. The venue housed a variety of businesses in North Texas, including Amore Pizza, Macho Taco, Crave Smash Burgers and Top Dog Arcade. The Dallas Business Journal reported that the land where The Hub once sat will be turned into more apartments, office spaces and entertainment venues.

Kenny’s East Coast Pizza
4701 W. Park Blvd., Plano
Just shy of celebrating 10 years, Kenny’s East Coast Pizza closed. The reason for the closure isn’t clear, but diners who loved the Italian-American staples served here can still dine at Kenny’s Wood Fired Grill and Kenny’s Italian Kitchen in Addison, or at Kenny’s Burger Joint, which has locations in Frisco and Plano.

Ari’s Pantry 
1800 Main St., Downtown
The day after the last World Cup match in Dallas, Ari’s Pantry closed its downtown Dallas location. It was a go-to for Italian goods and ready-to-eat foods, and opened only last Spring. The “why” isn’t clear, but most felt this was a tremendous loss for downtown. Luckily, there are two other locations in Bishop Arts and Coppell that we hope are thriving and still selling jars of owner Ari’s red sauce.

Sketches of Spain
321 N. Zang Blvd., Bishop Arts
Sketches of Spain is closed, but thankfully, it made way for a new chapter for the Wild Detectives.

A Taste of Europe
1901 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington
A Taste of Europe opened in 2002 as a go-to for fare from Poland, Ukraine, Hungary and Russia. Guy Fieri visited the restaurant in 2012 on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but due to low foot traffic, the restaurant closed just shy of its 25th anniversary.

Beto & Son
3011 Gulden Lane, Trinity Groves
The Dallas Morning News reported that the most successful restaurant in Trinity Groves is closing its doors after nearly 10 years. The father-and-son chefs Beto Rodarte and Julian Rodarte were best known for the famous liquid nitrogen margaritas that were originally an off-menu item. Beto has plans to retire, and the family duo sold the lease to a restaurateur who plans to open something new in its place.

Amor y Queso
2932 Main St., Deep Ellum
Amor y Queso reopened on June 1, 2026, and announced its closure on Instagram only a month later on July 22. Owner Sarah Carlock said it’s not goodbye, but the shop is now closed and she is unsure what will happen with the cheese businesses moving forward. “I wish more was said about the businesses that exist there in the daytime, instead of just horror stories of what happens after sunset,” Carlock wrote in the farewell post.

The Basement Lounge
6323 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth
The Basement Lounge was a popular underground Fort Worth watering hole that opened in 2015. The owners shared that the closure was due to substantial increases in rent, insurance and other operating expenses that made it financially unsustainable for them to keep operating. They hope that as this door closes, another will open.