A healthy bowl concept has made its debut at Sylvan Thirty in West Dallas: Called Packin’ Bowls, it's now open at 1868 Sylvan Ave. #D150, in the former Shayna's Place space near Cibo Divino, Ten Ramen, and Houndstooth Coffee, where it's doing chef-crafted healthy bowls in an array of global flavors.
The restaurant is from Michael Youssef and Sam Kaiser, a congenial pair of restaurant industry veterans with entrepreneurial ambitions who first test-marketed the concept in a ghost kitchen before launching it into the big time.
Youssef and Kaiser met when they worked together at the Hilton Anatole. Youssef was Executive Banquet Chef and Kaiser was Senior Front of House Manager.
During COVID, they were furloughed and in 2021 decided to combine their complimentary skills — Youssef covering the kitchen, Kaiser the front of the house — by opening Furlough Brothers, a cleverly titled sandwich shop specializing in cheesesteaks, which they operated out of the popular Commerce Fork Food Co. ghost kitchen at 921 Commerce St.
But for their own lunch, they would bring rice, veggies, and proteins, and that inspired the idea of Packin’ Bowls. They launched the concept at the same ghost kitchen adjacent to their sandwich shop, where they've built a following over the past four years.
When it was time to open a brick-and-mortar shop, they were thrilled at the opportunity to open at Sylvan Thirty, two miles away.
"We felt it was perfect because we get to serve the same people that have been supporting us throughout the years," Youssef says.
They had to add a full kitchen — Shayna's did cold sandwiches only. There is also a comfortable dining room with tables & chairs, benches, and a bar, although they do not serve alcohol.
Their menu features eight chef-crafted bowls with sassy titles, similar to the sass in Packin', including:
- Dank steak: Strip steak, fried onions, tomatoes, bacon, bell peppers, jalapeños, and blue cheese
- Mediterranean OG: Chicken, arugula, tomato-cucumber salad, crispy chickpeas, feta cheese, pickled eggplant and lemon-garlic yogurt
- Smoke in a bowl: Brisket, cheddar, charred corn, pickled onions, coleslaw, sweet potato, and smoky lemon ranch dressing
- Reefer: Shrimp, pico de gallo, black beans, tajin pineapple, guacamole, tortilla strips
- Vegan Grass: Falafel, cucumber salad, pickled onions, sweet potato, broccoli, pickled eggplant, harissa tahini
Prices range from $14 to $18. Customers can also build their own, choosing from options such as brown, white, or cauliflower rice, mixed greens, babaganoush, and black beans, as well as chef-quality dressings such as spicy Korean BBQ, harissa tahini, and cilantro lime sauce.
They also have garlic hummus with pita chips, fries, coleslaw, chips & queso, and edamame.
They keep later hours than the usual healthy place, open for lunch and dinner until midnight on weekdays, with a customer-friendly goal: healthy protein bowls with bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and friendly service to satisfy a regular and diverse clientele.
“You can come here and have something different five days a week," Kaiser says.
