Booze News

Spec's liquor uncorks expansion in northeast Dallas with 3 new stores

Spec's is busting a move.

Houston-based liquor store chain Spec's has designs on the northeast suburbs of Dallas, with two stores newly opened, and more locations on the way.

According to a representative, Spec's has "5 to 6 stores" in the works for DFW in 2019.

The chain opened one location in Sachse in December, shortly before the holidays. It's at 8110 Hwy. 78, in a former empty field on the border of Wylie, near the Woodbridge Golf Club.

Another store opened on January 9 in Rowlett, at 8505 Lakeview Pkwy. That location is positioned rather aggressively in the same shopping center as a liquor store called Liquor Depot, which is two doors down.

And right around the corner is Rowlett Liquor, a smaller family-run store with a drive-through that's been open about two years.

An employee at Liquor Depot sounded not too keen on the new arrival, saying they were unsure how it would affect their business. "We're going to stay a little longer and see what happens," the employee said.

Rowlett Liquor offered no comment.

Spec's will also open its very first store in Allen, at 1839 Central Expy N., positioned halfway between two stores already open in Plano and McKinney. A company representative said that they'd just broken ground on the Allen store, and that it would open in mid-2019.

Spec's website currently lists 26 stores in the Dallas area, and that includes Rowlett. The Sachse store does not yet appear.

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Closure News

Buzzy Komodo from Miami closes restaurant in Deep Ellum Dallas

Komodo

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Dallas' Deep Ellum has suffered another loss with the closure of Komodo, the buzzy restaurant and bar from Miami-based Groot Hospitality, located in The Epic office tower at 2550 Pacific Ave. #120, where it closed on May 18.

A Komodo spokesperson confirmed it had officially closed, but said that the company was not issuing a statement.

The closure came three years after it opened in April 2023, on the ground floor of the Epic mixed-use development at the southwest corner of Good Latimer Expressway, and originally intended to house Uber's corporate hub. Unfortunately, Uber bailed during the pandemic, and the building struggled to find tenants.

Komodo is only the latest restaurant in the Epic to close; Harper, the global restaurant from Dallas-based Milkshake Concepts, closed in 2024 (and is now home to Paparazzi Chophouse); and Biscuit Bar, the local chain of biscuit restaurants, shuttered at the end of 2025.

Founded in Miami by hip entrepreneur David Grutman, Komodo is known for Southeast Asian-inspired cuisine, cocktails, eye-catching decor, and a buzzy atmosphere. The first location opened in Miami's Brickell neighborhood; there's also a location in Las Vegas.

Dallas was its second location, opening as one of an array of Miami concepts that migrated to Dallas at the time. While it boasted a flashy exterior, it was also really good, with a menu that was both innovative and solidly executed featuring a full sushi bar, Peking duck, salmon tacos, plant-based Kung Pao chicken, and stellar desserts such as the chocolate peanut caramel bar, which earned Komodo a spot on CultureMap's list of Best Desserts in February 2025.

They also made CultureMap's list of Best Patios in 2023, and received two nominations for CultureMap's Tastemakers Awards including Best New Restaurant in 2024, followed by a nomination in 2025 for "Best Eatertainment," thanks to its combination of good food and a lively bar scene.

The Dallas opening was a case of perseverance on the part of Groot Hospitality: In the works since 2019, and originally forecast to open in 2022 until the pandemic intervened. A representative from the company who asked not to be named stated that the situation at the Epic did not help, nor did the deteriorating situation in the neighborhood, with the most recent example being two shootings that took place on Cinco de Mayo in which five people were injured and a security guard was killed; but that "Groot Hospitality loves Dallas" and even hinted that it might return.

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