Master Restaurant List

Who's in, who's out: 2013 Dallas restaurant openings and closings

Weekend Coffee opened in the Joule with coffee drinks and muffins enclosingboiled eggs.
Photo courtesy of Weekend Coffee
The Lot opened in East Dallas with "Buffalo-style" buffalo meatballs.
Photo by Teresa Gubbins
FM Smoke House opened in Irving with brisket.
Photo courtesy of FM Smoke House
I Heart Kolache opened in Farmers Branch with every kind of kolache imaginable.
Photo by Marc Lee
Jesse Moreno Senior and Jesse Junior opened Peak & Elm restaurant in EastDallas.
Photo by Robert Bostick
Cane Rosso opened a second branch near White Rock Lake.
Photo courtesy of Cane Rosso
Glazed Donut Works opened in Deep Ellum with luscious raspberry-chocolatedoughnuts.
Photo courtesy of Glazed Donut Works
Caffe Bene opened in Carrollton with espresso drinks and coffee.
Photo courtesy of Caffe Bene

If you agree with the theory that restaurant openings are a sign of a good economy, then you'd have to grant 2013 as a boffo year around Dallas-Fort Worth. Diners enjoyed a wild year of restaurants openings, big and small, and welcomed all sorts of new concepts and cuisines. It's especially exciting for CultureMap Dallas, since reporting on new restaurants is one of our favorite hobbies, along with making lists and checking them twice.

Sadly, 2013 was not just about openings; there were closings, too, including some old-timers that have been around for more than 20 years.

We've already made lists of the best restaurants of 2013, the best bars and the biggest food stories of the year. It's not enough! Now we offer our master list of all the meaningful restaurant openings that took place around Dallas-Fort Worth, not counting chains. There's over 100. We counted. We also list the closures and reasons why, plus the restaurants that underwent some kind of change in address, name or concept. We look forward to more openings — and more lists — in 2014.

Openings
Aloha Hawaiian BBQ. Spam on Lemmon Ave.
Apeizza. Neapolitan-style in the 'burbs.
Apollonia's Italian Kitchen. Italian-American in Richardson.
Bambu Desserts & Drinks. Bubble tea!
Barter. Tim Love menu on McKinney Ave.
Battuto Italian Kitchen. Former radio personalities in FND.
Beck's Prime. Aspirational burger chain.
Belly & Trumpet. One of 2013's best.
Bird Cafe. Meddlesome Moth in Fort Worth.
BonChon Chicken. Korean-born fried chicken.
Bowlounge. Bowling in the Design District.
Boxwood Tap & Grill. Old TABC space.
Bread Zeppelin. Cool sandwichy twist on salad bar concept.
The Break Bar & Grill. First eatery in Addison's Vitruvian Park.
Cafe 43. George Bush Library canteen.
Cafe Bene. Coffee and snacks in Carrollton.
Cafe Herrera. At Mockingbird Station.
Campuzano. From beautiful downtown Midlothian to Oak Lawn Ave.
Cane Rosso White Rock. Offshoot of Deep Ellum pizzeria.
CBD Provisions. Tristan Simon at the Joule.
Charcol. West African restaurant in Plano.
Chicken Al Mattone. Cool "pressed" chicken from nice mom-and-pop in Frisco.
Chop House Steaks & Seafood. Chef Kenny Mills does a steakhouse in Arlington.
Crisp Salad Co. Snappy Salads wannabe.
Cubiertos. Mexican in old Savour spot on the DNT.
Dallas Beer Kitchen. Bloggers-turned-restaurateurs on Greenville Ave.
Dee Lincoln Steak and Burger Bar. Steak lady takes over JoJo's space.
Del Frisco’s Grille. Branch in Fort Worth.
East Hampton Sandwich Co. Lobster rolls in Snider Plaza and Plano.
Ferrari's Pizza. NY-style in Plano.
The Fish. Former Dream Cafe guy opens his own place in Oak Cliff.
Flying Horse Cafe. Coffee spot at downtown Dallas Magnolia.
FM Smoke House. BBQ in Irving from Holy Grail Pub.
Full Circle Tavern. Bar-restaurant in South Side at Lamar.
Gangnam Sushi House. Carrollton restaurant boasts unique name.
Gas Monkey Bar & Grill. Owners are on TV.
Gemma. New foodie hotspot from California husband-and-wife.
Glazed Donut Works. Designer doughnuts in Deep Ellum.
Genaro’s Mexican Cuisine. Comeback for '80s Tex-Mex restaurateur.
Grub Burger Bar. Hopdoddy clone.
Haystack Burgers. Richardson neighborhood burger place.
HG Sply Co. Paleo, manly, meat, boom.
Hofmann Hots. Hot dogs from Phil Romano.
Hospitality Sweet. Downtown Dallas bakery.
I Heart Kolache. Kolaches of every kind in Flower Mound.
Iron Chef Rastaraunt. Spicy Caribbean in South Dallas.
Joyce & Gigi's Kitchen. South-American mom-and-daughter spot in East Dallas.
Kenny’s Smoke House. Kenny of Kenny's fame does barbecue too.
Kinoko. Sweet Japanese in downtown Plano.
Lark on the Park. Meddlesome Moth, only fancier.
Latin Pig. Cuban in Plano.
Le Bilboquet. Frenchy French at Travis Walk.
Liberty Burger Lakewood. Dallas' own better-burger chain.
Little Red Wasp. Casual cousin of The Grape in downtown FW.
The Lot. Sandpit in the back, Sharon Hage menu in the front.
Mash'd. "Moonshine" trend hits Dallas.
Max's Wine Dive. Fried chicken and champagne in FW.
Mercat Bistro. Sophisticated Harwood District drop-in.
Mesero Miguel. Mico does Mr. Mesero spin-off on Henderson Ave.
Mexican Sugar Cocina y Cantina. Mexican from Twin Peaks.
Miss Chi Vietnamese. From the Wicked Po'Boys folks.
Monkey King Noodle Co. Noodles before your eyes in Deep Ellum.
Mot Hai Ba. Top chefs do authentic North Vietnamese.
Mudsmith. Coffee from Barcadia gal.
Mutt's Cantina. Dogs + patio + hot dogs.
Pacific Table. Chic seafood from FW chef Felipe Armenta.
Pakpao. Design District Thai from owners of Oak.
Peak and Elm. Charming Mexican from Jesse Moreno Sr and Jesse Jr.
Pepe's Ranch. Pepe & Mito's spinoff does breakfast and lunch.
Pho House. Pho by the Galleria.
Pizzeria Testa. Cane Rosso wannabe in Frisco.
Pop Diner. Kitschy spot in West Village.
Queenie's. Tim Love does a steakhouse in Denton.
Reverie Bakeshop. Vegan bakery in Richardson.
Revolver Taco Lounge. Taqueria in FW's tony West 7th district.
Rice & Wheat. Maple Avenue find has pho, sushi and no MSG.
Roman Cucina. Italian-American from California. What a country!
Ron's Corner Tavern. Craft beer for the mid-cities.
The Rustic. Outdoor spot co-owned by Pat Green.
Sakhuu Thai Cuisine. Pad Thai and calming vibe in East Dallas.
Samson's Hot Dogs. Gourmet hot dogs on Oak Lawn.
Savor. Official (and glamorous) eatery of Klyde Warren Park
Sera Dining and Wine. Upscale Fort Worth restaurant in old Sapristi! space.
Shady's Burgers. Richardson sure does like its neighborhood burger joints.
Slow Bone. BBQ from Maple & Motor owner Jack Perkins.
Social House Uptown. Texas grub and drinks in old Arcodoro-Pomodoro space.
Sprinkles Ice Cream. Cupcakery branches out into frozen desserts.
Stupid Good Coffee. Oddly-located coffee spot in downtown Dallas.
Tanoshii Ramen + Bar. RAMEN. In Deep Ellum.
Taverna Rossa. Pizzeria with consult from chef Brian Luscher.
Three Squares. Hipster diner in Frisco.
Three Stacks Smoke and Tap House. Name-brand BBQ guy in the 'burbs.
TJ’s Seafood Market and Grill. Reliable, fresh fish from seafood vendor.
Trinity Groves: Amberjax, Casa Rubia, Chino Chinatown, Kitchen LTO, LUCK, Resto Gastro Bistro, Souk
True Food Kitchen. Upscale healthy from Arizona.
20 Feet Seafood Joint. Low-key fish house from chefs Marc Cassel and Susan Fries.
Uno Due Go. Little sibling of Chicago-style Pizzeria Uno.
Urban Vines Wine Bistro. Where Cafe Lago was.
Veranda Italian Bistro. Michelin-starred chef does Italian in the Colony.
Waldron Lounge. Bishop Arts gets macho.
Waters. FW chef Jon Bonnell's stab at seafood.
Weekend Coffee. Coffee as only the Joule can do it.
Woolworth. Nostalgic bar in downtown Dallas.
Work Bar and Grill. BBQ-slash-guys joint in Deep Ellum.
Zeno's Meatball Kitchen. Chef Doug Brown goes meatball-crazy.
Zesty Mexican Grill. Mexican as executed by Indian restaurateur.
Zoli’s New York Pizza Tavern. Cane Rosso sibling sings "New York New York".

Closures
Angelo's. Landlord lockout.
Boca Chica. Part of the Restaurants America meltdown.
Cafe des Artistes. One Arts Plaza jinx?
Cantina Laredo in Lakewood. Bring back old El Chico, sob.
Cantina Laredo at Inwood Village. Making way for Trader Joe's.
Charlie Palmer at the Joule. Replaced by CBD Provisions.
Elevation Burger. We like our burgers unhealthy.
The Fish. Doomed spot in West Village.
Humperdink's in Richardson. After 23 years.
Jack's Southern Food. Parking problems.
J. Pepe's on Greenville Ave. Announced on Facebook.
JoJo's. Dee Lincoln took over the space.
Londoner in Uptown. Rent problems.
Mextopia. Ricardo Avila didn't last on Greenville Ave.
Mockingbird Taproom. Locked out.
Naan Sushi/Uptown. There's still one in Plano.
Nosh Euro Bistro (Plano). Avner dials it down.
Ocho Kitchen + Bar. Replaced by Mi Piaci.
Pearl Cup Coffee on Henderson. To be replaced by Houndstooth.
Pizza Villa. Beloved Richardson old-timer beset by family squabble.
Primo's Uptown. Right before Christmas.
Pozo Mercado. Along with sibling Sfuzzi.
Purple Cow. Shut down two outa three locations.
Rare. Bill McCrorey "bites the dust."
Restaurant Ava. Following death of chef-owner Randall Copeland.
Rosemont. Premature ending to Deep Ellum breakfast spot.
Savour Kitchen. Replaced by Cubiertos.
Sfuzzi. Closed or is it moving?
Townhouse Kitchen and Bar. More Restaurants America meltdown.
Tried and True. Henderson Ave not for Nick.
Watel's Bistro in Dallas. Replaced by Mot Hai Ba.
West End Pub. After 25 years.

Changes
City Park Cafe. Former Rusty's Taco space in Main Street Garden.
El Corazon Vintage Tex-Mex. Formerly El Corazon de Tejas.
Jeng Chi. Moved to nicer digs.
Mattito's. Moved from Oak Lawn to Cedar Springs.
Mi Piaci. Moved from Addison to Preston Center.
My Family Pizza. Formerly Pizza By Marco's.
Origin. Expanded from coffee shop to restaurant.
Peak Grill. Former Bowen's Cafe Expresso.
Private Social. Became Barter.
Snuffer's. Closed, changed hands, changed name, never mind, opening again.
Sushi Zushi. Moved from Oak Lawn to West Village.
Village Kitchen/Toko V. Revamped Village Kitchen, in Highland Park Village.
Yama Sushi. Former Sushiyama. Backwards, see?

unspecified

Restaurant News Roundup Time

Exclusive Prime rib and fancy lunches lead this Dallas restaurant news

Mirador

Time for another roundup of restaurant news around Dallas, and there's plenty to chew on: From new lunch and dinner menus to holiday-flavored beers. Even bigger news— the McRib is back, for those who have been anxiously awaiting its return.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:

Insomnia Cookies, known for serving warm cookies all day and night, has opened its first store in Grand Prairie, at 2810 S. SH-161, with in-store, pickup, and delivery. From the Classic Chocolate Chunk cookie to favorites like Snickerdoodle and Confetti Deluxe, Cookies & Ice Cream flavors, brookies, brownies, and blondies, a full slate of vegan options, and a rotating limited-edition menu, the brand’s offerings satisfy every sweet tooth. This is their 26th store in Texas and 308th location nationwide.

HoneyBaked Ham has a new Prime Rib item exclusive to Dallas. The Prime Rib averages $26 per pound, with sizes ranging from 3-8 pounds. It serves 6-16 people, depending on the size. There are limited quantities available at each store. It's available at all 10 Dallas locations.

Greenville Avenue Pizza Company is introducing the zesty chicken bacon ranch pizza, the latest from their seasonal pizza lineup. The pizza features a creamy ranch base, grilled chicken, bacon, tender artichokes, fresh spinach, garlic, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and topped with a sprinkle of lemon pepper seasoning. The pizza is available for $8.50 a slice, $21-$23 for a 12-inch pizza, and $26 for a 16-inch pizza. It’s available through February 2 at both Greenville Avenue and Peavy Road locations.

Mirador has launched a weekday three-course prix-fixe lunch menu for $30. It starts with a choice of two deviled eggs with caviar and chives, whipped ricotta toast, cup of tomato soup, or salad; second course includes choice of dishes like chicken paillard with Swiss chard, preserved orange sofrito, and aged parmesan; and a farro bowl with cauliflower green goddess, cherries, Marcona almonds. For the third course, there’s a to-go cookie. Available Tuesday through Friday from 11 am - 3 pm.

Broken Yolk Cafe in McKinney has two limited-time items: carrot cake waffle, a cinnamon spice cake batter waffle with shredded carrots and raisins, finished with candied pecans, powdered sugar and cream cheese icing starting at $9; and snickerdoodle latte, combining espresso, cinnamon bun and cookie butter syrup, vanilla cream, milk, and cinnamon sugar, available hot or iced for $6. Available through January 6.

Truluck’s has three new holiday items featuring cake and cocktails. For dessert, there’s chocolate peppermint cake made with layers of chocolate cake, frosted with peppermint cream cheese icing, topped with crushed candy and Godiva chocolate sauce; $14 per slice, $10 per petite slice, and $70 whole cake. Cocktails are $17.50 and feature Holiday Nog, a spiced cocktail with Bourbon and Bourbon cream; and Nutcracker Rum Punch, a rum ball balanced with honey and fruit. Available at Dallas, Plano, and Southlake locations until the end of December.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Plano has launched new holiday items, including a Japanese A5 Wagyu experience served rare with a sizzling hot stone tableside accompanied by miso glaze, grated horseradish and black lava salt. There’s a new $140 Season of Opulence filet and lobster four-course menu; and holiday weekend lunch starting at $28, featuring choice of steak frites, cabernet filet, or barbecue salmon fillet. Also, there's a new $94 caviar service featuring Hackleback caviar served with blinis, capers, chives, sour cream, egg, and shallots. Available through January 6.

Jinya Ramen Bar has brought back The Red Garnet and curry rice croquettes for a limited time. The Red Garnet is a red vegetable broth featuring pork chashu, spinach, green onion, kikurage, white onion and topped with chili garlic sauce, served with thick noodles for $18. The croquettes are lightly fried, seasoned rice balls stuffed with white cheddar cheese that start at $8. Available until February 28 at all Dallas locations.

Fish City Grill and Half Shells are both offering three chalkboard specials throughout the month. Dishes feature $15 FishWich, with beer-battered haddock fish; $17 chimichurri shrimp tacos; and$24 horseradish Arctic char, served with a Creole mustard cream, buttermilk mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas. The specials are available at all 12 DFW locations and run through December 31.

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is bringing back its Fire & Spice seasonal menu. New winter dishes include the pepperoni diavolo pizza; the bridge board, an assortment of Italian meats and cheeses, with walnuts, dried cranberries, and oven-roasted Brussels sprouts drizzled with hot honey, served with sliced bread; and white chocolate cheesecake. Cocktails feature the desert pear margarita and Vino’rita, a classic margarita topped with a festive pour of Mille Gradi Sangiovese. Prices range from $7 for the white chocolate cheesecake to $32 for an 18-inch pepperoni diavolo. Available through March 3.

Carrabba's Italian Grill has launched two new full-sized cakes: cannoli cream cake, a vanilla cake with layers of cannoli filling, pistachios, and chocolate sauce with a chocolate chip crust for $64; and strawberry cheesecake, a New York-style cheesecake topped with strawberry puree for $51. Place orders 48 hours prior to pick up or delivery. Available through January 13.

Moxies, the Canadian pub in Uptown, is rolling out limited-time festive cocktails. There are three new drinks, including the Old Fashion Christmas Cocktail with High West Bourbon, cranberry simple syrup, and orange bitters; Peppermint Mocha Martini with a combination of Cafe Borghetti, Ketel One vodka, and peppermint syrup; and Winter Aperol Spritz, with Aperol, Ruffino Prosecco, and Moxies' cranberry syrup. Cocktails are available through January 1.

Dairy Queen has brought back their chicken and dumplings, featuring chicken, gravy, and fluffy dumplings. It comes in three sizes: 12-ounce, 16-ounce, and 32-ounce, available for dine-in, drive thru, and takeout. Chicken and dumplings are available at locations across Dallas-Fort Worth through the end of February.

Rita’s Frozen Custard has two limited-time frozen treats: Peppermint Cold Brew Frozen Coffee with vanilla Italian Ice, frozen custard, cold brew coffee, and a hint of peppermint, topped with whipped cream and crushed peppermint topping; and Peppermint Milkshake with a blend of Vanilla Frozen Custard and crushed peppermint, topped with whipped cream and crushed peppermint topping.

McDonald's brought back its famous McRib on December 3. To celebrate the return, they even launched half-gallon jugs of McRib sauce for those who can't get enough, which is already sold out. The McRib is available through the McDonald's app, in-restaurant and through the drive-thru.

Red Lobster has launched a new menu featuring seven new dishes including Lobster Pappardelle Pasta, Lemon Basil Mahi, bacon Wrapped Scallops, lobster bisque, Parmesan-Crusted Chicken, and Roasted Asparagus, plus the return of fan favorites Popcorn Shrimp and Hush Puppies.

Cinnaholic has launched two holiday rolls flavors and menu items. Holiday rolls feature Nutcracker Sweet, topped with crème brulee frosting, a trio of Bavarian candied almonds, walnuts, and pecans, and dusted with powdered sugar for $6;and Oh Fudge, topped with chocolate frosting, fudgy cookie dough, chocolate bark, homemade chocolate sauce, and holiday sprinkles for $7. Other items include $5 CinnaBites, $4 hot cocoa, and $33 wreath cake, with cinnamon rolls shaped into a wreath. Available through January 6.

Shiner, the Texas-based beer, has a festive brew called Shiner Holiday Cheer with flavor from Texas peaches and pecans for $11 for a six-bottle pack and $19 for a 12-bottle pack. Plus, the 12-pack Home for the Holidays collection goes for $15 and features two new flavors: FM 966, a sweet and spicy ale; and s’more, a dark ale brewed with chocolate & marshmallow with hints of graham cracker and vanilla. Both are available through the end of December.

Yelp featured two Dallas restaurants on this year's 25 Best New Restaurants of 2024 list. Wicked Butcher, the downtown steakhouse, and Casa Pollastro, the Brazilian restaurant in Far North Dallas, both made the cut at no. 6 and 20 respectively. They were two of only four Texas restaurants on the list.

Master Restaurant List

Who's in, who's out: 2013 Dallas restaurant openings and closings

Restaurant News Roundup Time

Exclusive Prime rib and fancy lunches lead this Dallas restaurant news

Beloved Dallas chef debuts farmers market restaurant Bucket & Rope

Familiar names take over Quonset hut for new Far-Out Dallas bar

Where to drink in Dallas: 7 holiday drink specials for December