Tex-Mex Shutdown
Genaro's Mexican Cuisine departs East Dallas unceremoniously
It's hasta la vista for Genaro's Mexican Cuisine, the Tex-Mex restaurant that opened last year at Mockingbird Lane and Abrams Road. Owner Genaro Silva pulled the plug on September 29, leaving bills unpaid and disconnecting the phone on September 30.
The landlord hadn't been informed of about Genaro's departure, but by the late afternoon, "Notice of Lockout" memos were posted on the exterior of the restaurant. "Due to the failure of tenant to pay rent and as a result of tenant's several other defaults, the landlord has exercised its right to re-enter and take possession," the landlord's memo read.
On September 30, Silva told a customer that "we are currently indefinitely closed for business." Staffers were seen cleaning gear out of the restaurant. One who asked not to be identified said that many employees were still owed money.
For Silva, who had a number of restaurants in the '80s and '90s, including Genaro's Tropical, Moctezuma's and Garmo's, Genaro's represented his return to the Dallas dining scene. He took over the old Chase Bank space in the Hillside Village Center and reopened in November with a menu of Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes as well as fancier new items such as saffron linguini with clams, priced from $10-$16 at lunch and $14 to $25 at dinner.
The restaurant got mixed reviews, with praise for the tacos but not much enthusiasm for the atmosphere or high prices. "One gets the impression of a more upmarket and sophisticated steakhouse, when it is really just a sports bar with a few tables," said one diner on OpenTable.
"Interior is incredibly uninviting with no ambiance. Menus torn and dirty. Waitstaff were friendly but food was bland and about double the price it would go for at any other Tex-Mex place in the area. Then the bill needed to be sent back as it was incorrect. We won't be returning, but I doubt it will last much longer."