Sandwich (Not Sando) News

Houston's most famous po'boy sandwiches get exported to Dallas

They even have "famous" right in their name.

Courtesy photo

A sandwich maker beloved to Houston is coming to Dallas-Fort Worth: Antone's Famous Po' Boys, known for its cold, grab-and-go sandwiches wrapped in trademark white paper, has expanded its footprint to more than 100 supermarkets in North Texas and East Louisiana.

According to a release, their sandwiches can now be found at select Kroger, Tom Thumb, Albertsons, and Market Street Stores across DFW and Shreveport.

Signature sandwiches include:

The Original: Ham, Salami, Provolone, chow chow relish, mayo, and pickles
Super Original: Same as original but with extra meat and cheese
The Piggy: A blend of chopped ham, salami, pepper jack, and provolone with mayo, pickapeppa sauce, and dill pickles
Tuna: House-made tuna salad, provolone, and pickles
Turkey & Swiss: Oven roasted turkey, swiss cheese, mayo, and sweet & spicy pickles
Premium Roast Beef: Roast beef, sharp white cheddar, creamy horseradish, and sweet and spicy pickles

The po' boy brand has been a Houston institution since it opened in 1962. The expansion comes on the cusp of the company's 60th anniversary.

Locations around Dallas include:

Albertsons

1500 S. Belt Line Rd.
320 Casa Linda Plaza

Kroger

5665 E. Mockingbird Ln.
4241 Capitol Ave.
4142 Cedar Springs Rd.
4901 Maple Ave.
3939 Frankford Rd., North Dallas
7100 Independence Pkwy., Plano
2925 Custer Rd., Plano
2608 W. FM 544, Wylie
1950 S. Goliad St., Rockwall
2935 Ridge Rd., Rockwall
500 Marketplace Blvd., Forney
7505 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving
950 E. Sandy Lake Rd., Coppell
4620 SH 121, Lewisville
3709 Cross Timbers Rd., Flower Mound
4851 Legacy Dr., Frisco
7500 Preston Rd., Frisco
12221 Custer Rd., Frisco
3205 Main St., Frisco
1801 N. Lake Forest Dr., McKinney
2671 Little Elm Pkwy., Little Elm
945 W. Lamar Blvd., Arlington
1060 N. Main St., Euless

Tom Thumb

6333 E. Mockingbird Ln.
925 Northwest Hwy.
7700 Northwest Hwy.
3878 Oak Lawn Ave.
5968 W. Parker Rd., Plano
3411 Custer Pkwy., Plano
3949 Legacy Dr., Plano
5550 FM 423, Plano

Market Street

700 N. Denton Tap Rd., Carrollton
1929 Preston Rd., Plano

"We are excited to finally make our po' boys available to folks in North Texas," says Antone's CEO Craig Lieberman in a statement. "It's been a matter of expanding our production facility, which gives us the ability to deliver a consistent, fresh product daily – one that Texans in other parts of the state have come to enjoy."

"We are hoping to provide Antone's to more locations in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex by the end of 2022," Leiberman says.

The company was founded as Antone's Import Company by Jalal Antone, the son of Lebanese immigrants, and began as a fast-casual sandwich concept known for po' boys, gumbos, and sides made daily. Everyone knows that when it comes to great food, Lebanese people know what they're doing.

In addition to po' boys, their menu includes deli-style sandwiches, seafood platters, and salads.

Antone's has two full-service locations in Houston: West Loop at 4520 San Felipe and North Loop at 2724 W TC Jester. They expanded distribution to Central Texas in 2018. Dallas /Fort Worth is their third major market in Texas.

The sandwiches are sold in grocery stores across Houston and Central Texas including H-E-B, Randall's, Kroger, Brookshire Brothers, and airports including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Plus food service outlets in Houston such as Texas Children's Hospital, MD Anderson's Rotary House, Kyle Field at Texas A&M, and in Austin at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, and Antone's Nightclub.

So they're currently available in Houston, Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth, which is four out of the five cities where CultureMap has a bureau. (The only CultureMap city they're missing is San Antonio.) They obviously know what's up.

To find the closest Antone's Famous Po' Boy, consult their Po' Boy Tracker.

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Downtown News

Mom-and-pop Italian grocery in downtown Dallas closes after a year

Ari's

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A buzzy grocery store in downtown Dallas has closed: Ari’s Pantry, the small local chain specializing in Italian groceries and to-go foods, has closed its location in the heart of the Central Business District at 1800 Main St.#124.

A statement from the owners called it "a difficult decision." The closure is effective July 15.

"We are truly grateful for the welcome Ari's Pantry received from the downtown Dallas community. You have supported our business and shared in our passion for Italian food and hospitality. After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our Downtown Dallas location effective today," their post said.

The closure comes a little over a year since they opened in May 2025.

Downtown was the third location for the small mom-and-pop market, which debuted in Winnetka Heights in December 2023 to fulfill owner Ari Lowenstein's passion for all things Italy, with pastas, gourmet goods, dried foods, produce, plus meals for dining in or to go.

They opened a second location in Trinity Groves in 2024, which is currently marked on their website as "closed for the summer," although it does not list a re-opening date. Lowenstein was unavailable for comment.

The downtown location was originally a joint venture between Lowenstein and Alan Kearney, a downtown enthusiast who owns businesses nearby such as The Crafty Irishman and Patrick Kennedy's Irish Pub, as well as Cannon's Corner Irish Pub in Oak Cliff. However, Kearney withdrew from the store after it opened.

To accommodate the needs of downtown workers and residents, Lowenstein added a coffee shop and gelato stand. It was open for coffee at 7 am and until 9 pm, with a dining area where customers could have wine and cheese.

The location at 1800 Main St. seems to be in a favorable spot, surrounded by residential buildings and hotels such as the AC Hotel and Statler Dallas. Who has not spent a night in a hotel and longed for a market nearby with snacks and wine? It's also across the street from Neiman Marcus, whose imminent closure in September has provoked some pearl-clutching about the prosperity of downtown. But the downtown population does not always support local businesses.

Ari's was not the first to find the location challenging: It was previously occupied by the well-mounted Berkley's Market, which closed in 2024 after six years in the space.

The owners stated that they would "continue focusing on our locations in Coppell and Bishop Arts as we look ahead to the next chapters of Ari's Pantry," before thanking "every customer who stopped in for coffee, lunch or gelato, picked up dinner, discovered a new favorite ingredient."

downtown closings