A hip food truck team is bringing a cool restaurant-bar to Dallas’ Cedars District: Called Dulce Nina, it’s at 1800 S. Ervay St. #A, in a former car battery warehouse from the owners of Tacos, Bites & Beats, a food truck catering business.
Owners Vo Singhal and Jorge Castellanos previously founded Tacos, Bites & Beats in 2017 as a food truck serving Mexican food along with high-energy music — kind of like a party in a box, with Singhal overseeing marketing, while Castellanos runs the kitchen.
The food truck menu features street tacos, burritos, quesadillas, with an unusual combination of Mexican and Indian influences — carnitas alongside chicken tinga and paneer cheese — that reflects the two owners' heritage.
They started out at Harry Hines Bazaar, then opened a restaurant spinoff in the former Taco Stop at 1900 Blvd. But at the end of 2023, they closed to focus on catering for clients like the Dallas Mavericks, and they'll continue catering after Dulce Nina opens.
Dulce Nina — full name, Dulce Nina At the Cedars, or "ATC" — is their next step to fulfill a dream that Castellanos has fostered ever since he started out as a waiter at Mariano's: to open a neighborhood restaurant and bar, serving a mix of casual and upscale eats.
"The food truck business was going well, and we felt ready to expand," Singhal says.
They'll open with a compact menu featuring bites and entrees. There's hummus, gourmet and vegan burgers, and wings with gourmet rubs.
The food will be under the direction of Bharat Bala, a chef from Mumbai India, who has serious experience working at places like St. Regis and JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar hotels in India. Singhal put out the word that they were looking for a chef and Bala, who'd been cooking at Michelin-rated Vina Enconta in California, applied.
Though the menu verges on fine-dining fare, they're going for a profile of an approachable neighborhood watering hole, with outdoor seating and a full bar with cocktails, wine, and beer.
They chose the Cedars District because they liked the neighborhood, and worked with agent Susan Griffin to find a building they could repurpose.
They brought in a familiar design name to renovate: Hatsumi Kuzuu, who has worked on numerous Dallas eateries over the years, including Tei An, FT33, Red Stix, and more. Kuzuu's team has been in the process of transforming the warehouse into a counter bar and dining room with TVs for sports and an outdoor jumbotron screen to stream local artists.
One nice touch: They incorporated some found materials from the space.
"That building was owned by the same family for 100 years, so when you go there, you're going to see a table we made out of a compressor to pay homage to the Butler family that owned the shop," Singhal says.
Another nice touch: Dulce Nina is named for the founders' wives. "They've supported us through all this," Singhal says.
They hope to be open in January.
“This is going to be a special place for so many reasons, we have poured our hearts and souls into this place," he says.
