Knox Street News
Dallas restaurant group lands prized Highland Park Soda Fountain space
The fate of the old Highland Park Pharmacy on Dallas' Knox Street is in capable hands: A new restaurant, identity still TBD, is coming from the group behind Design District hot spots The Charles, Bar Charles, and sultry Greenville Avenue restaurant Sister.
According to a release, the former Highland Park Soda Fountain on the corner of Knox and Travis Streets — which has been preserved and sits on the end of the new Weir's Plaza — will be taken over by Duro Hospitality, who will debut a new restaurant in fall 2022.
Duro is a hospitality firm specializing in operations, concepting, development, and design focused on restaurants, bars, hotels and multi-family projects.
Vexingly, they offer no news yet as to what the restaurant will be called or what will be served. Only that they nabbed the location.
Highland Park Soda Fountain was a staple on the corner of Knox and Travis streets since 1912, first as a pharmacy and then as a soda fountain. It closed in September 2018.
Duro was founded in 2020 by managing partners Chas Martin, Benji Homsey, Corbin See, and Ross See.
- Well known around Dallas as a consummate host, Chas Martin has been acting as general manager and managing partner of The Charles, the restaurant he opened in May 2018. He'll be stepping away from the day-to-day to focus on new hospitality projects.
- Benji Homsey spent nearly 20 years with Hotel Zaza, most recently serving as President of Brand and Development for Z Resorts where his focus was to procure new developments.
- Corbin See is one half of Sees Design, a second-generation interior design firm with offices in Dallas and Oklahoma City. He's been featured on numerous "best designer" lists such as DHome.
- Ross See, the other half of Sees Design, has been featured nationally in magazines such as Architectural Digest.
"We're so fortunate to be able to do what we love while bringing a unique vision to the market, and couldn’t be more excited to expand in Dallas," says Martin in a statement.
In addition to The Charles and Sister, that expansion includes:
- Casa Duro – Duro Hospitality’s first leap into the hotel industry, it consists of three apartments above Sister Restaurant, which will be available for short and long-term stays. There's one 1-bedroom and two 2-bedrooms, all renovated and completely furnished, including kitchens. Opening in early 2022.
- Café Duro – Adjacent to Sister, Café Duro will serve as a café and market offering coffee, wine, house made pasta, pre-cut meats, charcuterie, cheese, pastries, panini, and home goods. Opening in early 2022.
- Cole & Riverfront – Property in the Design District at the corner of Cole and Riverfront is in the early stages of development. Opening mid-2022.
... as well as the Highland Park Pharmacy space.
The new unidentified restaurant joins an increasingly busy dining scene on Knox Street, with recent openings that include Village Baking Co., RH Dallas Rooftop Restaurant, Georgie By Curtis Stone, as well as openings coming-soon that include Pizzana, a pizzeria from Sprinkles queen Candace Nelson, and Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea, a chain from Chicago, joining buzzy spots Le Bilboquet and Up On Knox. Who we missing?
