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?

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Eco Warrior News

Dallas restaurants doing amazing little things for the environment

Southwest Airlines

Cute bamboo cup from Southwest Airlines

One unfortunate legacy left by the pandemic has been a huge increase in the use of plastics — setting back progress that was being made pre-pandemic.

Plastics are bad. They harm everything they touch: the environment, health, food security, and economies. But they're convenient, subsidized, and in some cases necessary.

Before the pandemic, a growing awareness had started to snowball regarding the negative impact of plastics, particularly plastic straws and single-use plastic containers — and it was significant enough to make the plastics industry very nervous.

"In the two years leading up to the pandemic, the public backlash against plastic was a major concern for industry leaders," says a story about plastics and the pandemic in The Guardian. "As a corporate executive remarked during an industry event early in 2019: 'We need to get the image of plastic in oceans out of the public’s mind. Otherwise, we could lose our social license to operate.'"

But then the pandemic came along, igniting mass hysteria about contagion, and suddenly, bans on single-use plastics that had been in the works were reversed in countries around the world: North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

“Overnight, plastics went from public enemy No. 1 to consumers asking for everything to have as much packaging as possible and to be single use," said one gleeful analyst for Shell Oil, who are a major plastics player.

The urgency of the plastics situation remains invisible to most people, lined up at the drive-thru for their coffee or Chick-Fil-A, piling up nearly 250 pounds of plastic waste every year. (That's what the average American amasses — more than any other country.)

But there are brave, pro-environment efforts being made by Dallas companies and organizations, big and small.

La Casita Bakeshop cup Revolutionary compostable cup at La Casita Bakeshop.Facebook

Dallas efforts
The Dallas restaurants and organizations listed below have taken steps to fight waste, even though it costs them money.

Plastic Free Lunch Day is November 22
Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services will participate in Plastic Free Lunch Day on November 22, to help reduce the amount of single-use plastic in school cafeterias.

Plastic Free Lunch Day was started by middle school students in Brooklyn. The initiative was such a success that it was adopted by all New York City public schools in 2022. The concept has since spread to public schools across the country — including Dallas ISD, which was the first in Texas to participate, when it joined up in 2022.

It creates an opportunity to educate students and the community on ways to positively impact the environment, including skipping plastic. Dallas school cafeterias will replace the plastic items they regularly use during lunch with biodegradable alternatives. (Plastic cutlery, cups, and straws will be available upon request for the crybabies.)

Southwest Airlines bamboo cup
Southwest Airlines Co., the Dallas-based airline, has introduced a new bamboo cup for inflight cold beverages, and a wood stir stick in place of a plastic stick. The airline expects the new items to reduce its inflight single-use plastics by more than 1.5 million pounds annually.

In July 2024, Southwest transitioned to a paper overwrap for its napkins made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled materials — fully eliminating plastic from this service item. The airline is making an effort to eliminate single-use plastics from inflight service by 2030.

La Casita Bakeshop compostable cups
La Casita Bakeshop, the award-winning bakery and cafe operation, recently debuted fabulous new cups that are 100 percent compostable, soil- and marine-biodegradable, breaking down naturally after 90 days. and are made from natural materials.

"We are always trying to find ways to be more environmentally friendly and this is a big way we can," they said in their post announcing the new cups. "We just want to be proud of our paper trail and being a restaurant it's hard to do that."

Smoothie King biodegrable cups
Smoothie King, the Dallas-based smoothie chain, previously used styrofoam cups, but began testing a biodegradable cup in 2019. They now offer it as the default choice. They're using Vio Foam, specially made cups that biodegrade 92 percent in four years. They'll still accommodate whiny selfish customers who insist on getting a plastic cup instead, but their Vio foam cup not only helps the environment, it also keeps their smoothies cold a little longer.

Kate Weiser Recycle Box Program
Kate Weiser, the Dallas chocolatier, sells its gorgeous eye-catching bon-bons in a variety of boxes, from 4 pieces all the way up to 35 pieces. (OK, they'll sell them individually, too, but who goes to a chocolate shop and buys a single chocolate?) They have a program where you can bring your empty box to the store and get a refill and get 5 percent off. (Weiser amusingly calls it a "secret hack.")

Dude Sweet Chocolate freezer packaging
Dude Sweet Chocolate, the Oak Cliff chocolatier, has a next-level campaign in which they will accept cold-ship packaging you've received in the mail and re-use it. Say, for example, that you ordered an 8-pack of ice cream pints from Double Rainbow in San Francisco, and it arrived in a box with freezer packs and a foil liner. You can drop that packaging off at Dude Sweet's factory location at 1340 Inwood Rd., and they'll re-use it in one way or another when they're doing shipments of their chocolate.

Note: Whether you're putting it in the blue bin or the gray bin, your plastic is not being recycled. The best course when it comes to plastic, especially single-use plastic, is to not use it at all.

sustainability