A New But Different Panda's To Open on Cedar Springs

In same-but-not-the-same news, a new restaurant with an old name is opening on Cedar Springs Road.

January 9, 2025

Image: a panda bear poster in a restaurant window.

The only clue we have for the new Panda's Cafe is a panda bear with tea, boba and take-out boxes. Alex Gonzalez

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Dallas Voice reported in late December that a restaurant called Panda’s Cafe is set to open on Cedar Springs Road, between LGBTQ+ club Station 4 and JR’s Bar & Grill. This space was occupied by Twisted Trick for six months before it closed late last year. Before then, the space housed a family-owned spot called Panda's Restaurant & Bar, which was open from the ‘70s until closing in 2020.

After the news broke of the new Panda's Cafe, namely by way of an animation of a panda bear in the building's window, Phoebe Nguyen, the granddaughter of the original owners of Panda's Restaurant & Bar, took to social media to express her disappointment (in some now-deleted comments) that the new concept parodies the legacy of her family restaurant.

While she expressed gratitude for the support of the local LGBTQ+ community, Nguyen said her family was not informed about the new restaurant by Caven Enterprises, the hospitality group behind it.

Nguyen said that her family had been priced out after the COVID-19 pandemic due to a rent increase. She declined to speak to the Dallas Observer.

A representative with Caven denied that the new restaurant is related to the original concept, and the name was simply to pay tribute to the original spot while incorporating new elements. The former restaurant was open only for dinner after 4 p.m., but the new place will open at 11 a.m. It will serve Asian-inspired fast food, not the family-style plates offered by the original owners.

At the time of writing, Caven is reportedly still in the early stages of planning, and there is no projected opening date for Panda’s Cafe.

Alex Gonzalez has been a contributor to the Dallas Observer since 2018. He is a Dallas native whose work has appeared in Local Profile, MTV News and the Austin American-Statesman. He has eclectic taste in music and enjoys writing about art, food and culture.

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