Haute Coffee: Is Cafe Dior Dallas' Most High-Fashion Fare?

Dior and Dallas have been acquainted since 1947, the year Christian Dior accepted the prestigious Neiman Marcus Award for fashion. This was following the debut of his spring-summer collection, The New Look, which was revolutionary for women's fashion after the end of World War II.

That visit to Dallas sparked a lifelong friendship between the two fashion legends, and from that day on, Stanley Marcus would continue to help establish Dior's iconic fashion career.

On Feb. 22, the connection between mentor and mentee will be rediscovered at the brand new Cafe Dior, which is inside the Dior store in Highland Park Village.

There are only four other Dior Cafes worldwide: London, Miami, Tokyo and Paris. All are helmed by Michelin-starred chefs.

Dominique Crenn developed the menu for the Dallas location. Her restaurant, Atelier Crenn, received three Michelin stars, the first for a female chef. Crenn is also a James Beard Award winner (Best Chef West) and one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2024. She owns three restaurants, the three Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn, Petit Crenn and Bar Crenn, all in San Francisco.
Crenn's vision for the lunch and tea menus at the Dallas cafe are inspired by designs from Maison Dior from 1947 until now, including visions from designers who helmed the artistic direction following Dior's passing in 1957: Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano and Maria Grazia Chiuri.

The website was recently updated with the final menu, which includes a $75 afternoon tea service, Marbella prawns, salmon barbizon and a sandwich petites fleurs (chicken salad). Some of the dishes reflect iconic Dior designs, such as the green dress designed by Marc Bohan in the ‘70s, which will be reimagined in the La Colle Noire chicken dish that features an herb sauce and Tuscan kale. 

Pastry chef Juan Contreras of Atelier Crenn is bringing his signature artistry to the dessert section with a blooming bouquet, jasmine glacé and la mariée.

Although she created the menu, Crenn won't be on location to oversee the cafe. Rather, day-to-day operations will be taken over by a Dallas-based hospitality company.

Crenn is known for evoking emotion and poetry in her cooking, much like what is brought to the runway in fashion. She and her team are committed to sourcing produce from Dallas-area farmers for the highest quality ingredients.

The cafe does have a reservation page live on its website, but it seems you have to request a reservation to get in. This could be the usual way to secure one of its plush houndstooth seats or a placeholder for the soft opening. Either way, it's worth submitting a request to be one of the first to see the cafe's culinary runway.