Like most industries, the Dallas restaurant world is still in recovery after the pandemic, with some restaurants drawing big crowds and others barely able to muster a four-top. Here's a list of restaurants that closed in Dallas in 2022:
La Tarte Tropézienne, World-famous French bakery café known for its unusual cream-filled tarts, closed its location at the Hotel Joule in downtown Dallas - the first-ever storefront for La Tarte outside of France - in early January.
Pizza Lounge, a pizzeria that'd been slinging pies in Exposition Park since 2009, closed on January 9, after 12-plus years. The closing was abrupt, with an explanation that there were a "variety of factors" leading to the closure.
Flatbread Company, a pizzeria with New England roots that took over the famed Firestone space on Greenville Avenue, closed in mid-January after a year. The owners said that "COVID-19 pushed us over the edge."
Monica's Mex-Tex Cantina, the Southside spot from veteran restaurateur Monica Greene, closed on March 19. The restaurant changed hands (and concepts) a number of times; Greene had been running it since 2018.
Shoals Sound & Service, a small but treasured bar and restaurant in Deep Ellum, closed on March 27, after a bumpy five years. It started as a mixology place but earned a following for its vegan food.
Ten Bells Tavern, the cat-friendly bar in Oak Cliff, closed in April because its location was being demolished for apartments. It'll reopen in mid-2023 nearby at 238 W. 8th St.
Rapscallion, a restaurant on Greenville Avenue from the owners of Boulevardier and Hillside Tavern, closed on May 14 after seven years. The owners offered little explanation.
Chelle's Seafood Kitchen, from award-winning chef-owner Michelle Vi Pepping, closed on May 29. Pepping said it was due to all of the challenges faced in the aftermath of the pandemic. She also owns Okaeri Cafe in Richardson, which remains open.
Slices USA, the Sicilian-style pizzeria chain whose Dallas location was wedged into an uncomfortable corner of Cedar Springs Road, closed in May. They serve thick-crusted pizza by the slice in a square configuration, and are expanding up and down the West Coast.
Mama Mias Italian, a longtime restaurant on the eastern edge of Deep Ellum, closed in mid-June after 18 years. Owner Anselmo Manzanares blamed the pandemic.
Meso Maya closed its location in Addison at 5280 Belt Line Rd. on June 12. It had been there since 2018. Northwood Retail, which owns the property, had other plans for the space.
XO Coffee Company, a sweet coffee shop in old downtown Plano at 1023 E. 15th St., closed on June 5; they'd been there since 2016. The space was taken over in November by Lemma Coffee.
Steam Theory Brewing, a brewery-restaurant at Dallas' Trinity Groves closed on June 19, after four years, due to the pandemic.
Wits End, an old-school hangout in the epicenter of the neighborhood at 2724 Elm St., closed its doors on June 26. A spokesperson said that the lease had come to an end and the landlord, Westdale Properties, would not renew.
OT Tavern, A Greenville Avenue bar that was a nexus of crime and discontent, closed on July 5, after 11 years. The bar had been the subject of a longtime campaign by neighbors disgruntled by the crowd it draws and the accompanying noise and crime. The space is going to become a Foxtrot Market.
Kookie Haven, a family-owned sweet shop in Oak Cliff from sisters Shinita Briggs, Darla McCuen, and Kim Haynes, closed on July 9. They were forced to increase prices after the pandemic, but it became too difficult.
Teppo, the Japanese restaurant on Greenville Avenue, closed in August after 27 years. The space will to become a new sushi restaurant from credentialed chef Jimmy Park, who owns the Japanese restaurant Shoyo next door. Teppo's Masayuki "Masa" Otaka is opening a restaurant at Preston Center, in the former Rock 'n Roll Sushi spot at 6109 Berkshire Ln.
The Great American Hero, the longtime sub shop at 4001 Lemmon Ave., closed in mid-August to relocate to a former Del Taco in a shopping center at Skillman Road and Northwest Highway. The space will become a Shug's Bagels shop.
Spiral Diner and Bakery, the Fort Worth-based chain, closed its Dallas location in Oak Cliff on August 14. The location was at the end of its lease, and Spiral claimed that the building needed too much work. It was quickly snapped up by La Comida, who will open in the next week.
Antoine's Foods, one of Dallas' oldest sandwich shops which had been open on Harry Hines Boulevard for 42 years, closed on August 13. This no-frills sandwich shop preceded the invasion of the sandwich chains. Owners Sam and Maria Ayoub closed to retire.
Tarantino's Cicchetti Bar & Record Lounge, an Italian restaurant and bar in Exposition Park, closed in August following a series of calamities including a flood.
Matt's Rancho Martinez closed its restaurant in Garland in August, although they called it a relocation to Allen and not an outright closure.
Dallas Grilled Cheese Co. abruptly closed its original location at 310 W. 7th St. in September, after nearly eight years. According to co-owner Diana Ezzell, the closure was prompted by problems with the location.
La Madeleine, the Dallas-based French-inspired bakery and cafe, closed a landmark location at 3906 Lemmon Ave. on October 6.
Darkoo’s Chicken Shack, the fried chicken restaurant in the former Khao Noodle Shop space in East Dallas, closed in mid-October after getting locked out of the space by landlord Stockdale Investment Group.
Modest Rogers, the ambitious mom-and-pop from chef Modesto Rodriguez, closed at the end of October, alluding to the personal toll it had taken. It had been open only a year.
Henry's Majestic, a popular Dallas bar closed, along with its in-house speakeasy Atwater Alley, on October 30. The landlord sold the building, forcing the bars to move along. Henry's owners say they plan to reopen in another space.
Big State Fountain Grill, a soda fountain in Irving, closed on November 27 with a Facebook post that said they were closed "until further notice" and a thank you for customers' loyalty.
Maracas Cocina Mexicana, which had been in business in Deep Ellum since 1992, closed in late November, to be replaced with another concept whose identity is still to be (officially) announced, but which is rumored to be a Mexican version of a breastaurant.
Redfield’s Neighborhood Tavern, a bar in the Medical District that endured the pandemic and the death of its co-founder, closed on December 23, after three years.
Unleavened Fresh Kitchen, a fast-casual sandwich & salad place in Lakewood, closed on December 7 after seven years. "And that's a wrap," they said in their FB post.
Tiki Loco, a vegan restaurant in Deep Ellum, is closing on January 3. Founder Audra Cabral said that trying to maintain the business has been a challenge, between the pandemic, declining foot traffic, and increasing costs.
Plow Burger, a food truck with a vegan menu in Denton, shut down in December due to increasing costs, and has no plans to reopen.
