Openings
The Finch Grill and Raw Bar5307 E. Mockingbird Lane, No. 150 (Mockingbird Station)
The Finch opened this fall, serving seafood both cooked and raw. The dynamic menu offers dishes such as wagyu sliders, buffalo chicken pizza and colossal crab claws. But the real star is the variety of a-la-carte oysters caught from different waters. If you’ve ever wanted to compare an Ichabod oyster from Massachusetts to a Butter and Brine oyster from the coast of Rhode Island, this is the place to do it. We took a first look at The Finch earlier this month.
The Great American Hero
6216 Retail Road
Customers of the beloved sandwich shop Great American Hero were given a scare when it was announced the location would close after 47 years of service. But luckily for sandwich lovers, the restaurant reopened later in the year in a new location. Classic sub-style sandwiches, like The Italian and the Chicken Parm, are served here for a quick lunch or dinner for less than ten bucks.
Revolver Taco Lounge Gastro Cantina
2646 Elm St. (Deep Ellum)
Revolver Taco Lounge Gastro Cantina opened this year and made our list of the 100 Top Restaurants in Dallas. This restaurant combines original tacos with a variety of shareable botanas to please everyone’s tastes and stomachs. We visited the new location and enjoyed the cabrito wontons, served over a salsa roja reduction. “It’s a pretty presentation style of Michoacan birria cabrito,” chef Gino Rojas says about the dish. “Really, the wonton just serves as a vehicle. I love wontons.” Another thing this restaurant loves is its drinks. The drink menu has a variety of cocktail creations as well as a tequila and mezcal wall.
Cry Wolf
4422 Gaston Ave.
Cry Wolf is an intimate-setting restaurant that believes the simplest dishes are often the greatest. At the chef’s table, we were able to watch Chefs Ross Demers and Liam Byres preparing dishes right in front of us, such as 48-hour beef tongue and crispy veal sweetbreads and pappardelle with grilled prawns. You can experience this fine dining yourself Tuesday through Sunday.
Knox Bistro
3230 Knox St., No. 140
This year, Knox Bistro opened, revamping its predecessor, Up on Knox. As partner chef, Bruno Davaillon takes inspiration from his roots in the French countryside of Loire Valley. A variety of everyday staples present simple proteins cooked elegantly. A revolving menu of specials includes a different dish for every day of the week. If you do nothing else this year, try the souffle.
Sister
2808 Greenville Ave.
Sister is a neighborly bistro on our Top 100 list with a “loose Italian” menu. Smaller, shareable dishes start the meal, such as charred eggplant dip. Impressive pastas and protein dishes round out the menu, which is vegetable-forward throughout each section. “We like to think of it as coming to a dinner party at our house," says culinary director J. Chastain. "It's food we want to cook, and it's like you're our friends.” Come in as friends, leave as sisters.
Odelay
5600 W. Lovers Lane, No. 109
Odelay brings elevated Tex-Mex to Lovers Lane. High-quality ingredients define this menu, which includes wagyu brisket tacos and three types of fresh snapper. Happy hour, Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., is your chance to eat some good food and sip on a house margarita. Odelay makes its home on our Top 100 Restaurants of 2022.
Closings
Ten Bells Tavern, Bishop Arts District
Ten Bells Tavern, a bar with 10 years under its belt, closed this year with plans to reopen in a new location. The doors closed to make room for a new mixed-use development with apartments. It was a dark, low-profile bar with neighborhood vibe. Dreamy, in other words. Ten Bells plans to relocate to 238 W. Eighth St. at some point in the future.
The Original Herrera’s Café, West Dallas
The end of April marked the end of The Original Herrera’s Café, a staple that had served Tex-Mex since 1971. The restaurant was opened by Amelia Herrera and garnered national attention that culminated in a National Geographic spread in 1984. At its peak, 17 locations bore the Herrera’s name. Despite the original location’s closing, customers can visit the three other locations in Oak Cliff, in Addison and on Lamar Street.
Shoals Sound and Service, Deep Ellum
Shoals was one of our favorite Deep Ellum bars, known for its expert cocktails and all-vegan menu. Owner Omar Yeefoon took a big risk when he reopened the restaurant following pandemic closings with a new vegan menu. “It has been a pleasure serving you over the last 5 years, but now it is time to end that run,” reads a Facebook post on March 25.
Antoine’s Foods, Harry Hines Blvd
Antoine’s Foods, which served sandwiches to the Medical District for six decades, closed its doors this year. Owner Sam Ayoub and his wife, Maria, bought the sandwich shop 41 years ago, after it had already operated for two decades. Unfortunately, the restaurant could not survive the long struggle that COVID brought to the restaurant industry. “Maria and I want to thank you all for those beautiful days and years,” the restaurant said in a Facebook post.
Bill Smith’s Café, McKinney
McKinney’s second-oldest restaurant, Bill Smith’s Café, a breakfast favorite for locals, closed this year. Owner Bill Smith had cooked in the restaurant since he opened it in 1956. At 83 years old, it was time to get off his feet and say goodbye to the establishment known for its big servings and early opening at 4 a.m. every day of the year. The interior décor was a hodgepodge of trinkets and signage compiled throughout the decades of service. McKinney residents will miss the fresh eggs, bacon and inexpensive coffee.
Henry’s Majestic and Atwater Alley
Henry’s Majestic on McKinney Avenue closed this year after the ste was bought by developers. The casual restaurant with a dog-friendly patio was known for its tasty burgers and unique flavor combinations, such as the birria ramen. Its closure also marks the end of Atwater Alley, a two-story speakeasy bar that invited those in the know to come in for a Prohibition-era experience. Atwater Alley was named the Observer’s best speakeasy of 2022.
Modest Rogers, Uptown
Modest Rogers in Uptown closed its doors this year after struggling with repairs to its facilities and the downturn caused by COVID. Chef Modesto “Mo” Rodriguez served Venezuelan dishes in an intimate setting, experimenting with fun plates such as the Nantucket scallops in butter with fried corn ribs. “The future is unclear as I write this but I’m ready to take on this new challenge and chapter in my life,” Chef Rodriguez wrote in a final Instagram post. “Thank you to everyone that enjoyed Modest Rogers and helped us give life to something that was just a dream.”
