Oak Cliff Opening

New Dallas Irish pub secures snug berth in historic Oak Cliff building

It's an Irish pub so it'll have fish & chips. That's a must.

Photo by Kathy Tran

A rising star in Dallas' Irish pub scene is teeing up a new hang in a carefully preserved historical building in Oak Cliff.

Called Cannon's Corner Irish Pub, it'll open in Cannon's Village, the cool Tudor-style building at 1314 W. Davis St., in the space recently vacated by Garnish Kitchen, the restaurant and cooking school which closed in December.

Cannon's is the latest venture from Alan Kearney, a native of Ireland who launched his pub empire in 2016 when he opened Crafty Irishman in downtown Dallas, followed by a sibling called Playwright Pub that he opened in Dallas' One Arts Plaza in 2018.

"But this will be totally different," Kearney says. "This is a neighborhood bar that'll reflect the area and embrace the history of the building."

Kearney is enchanted with Cannon's Village, which was renovated in 2014 by Kacy and Dana Jones.

"It was built in 1922 and is one of the oldest commercial buildings in the neighborhood," Kearney says. "It's a cool building, and I love old buildings. I had to name the pub after it; it would be rude to call it anything else."

While he's obliged to keep certain elements such as the vintage tin ceiling and brick walls, he says his design is a combination of modern Irish and old Irish.

"It'll have a side for adults and a side for families," he says. "There's a bar down the middle, and we'll have all the whiskeys and beer and TVs and sports. But it'll have what we call 'a bar and a lounge,' a place not for kids where the adults do all their talking."

There'll also be the trademark "snugs" — booths found in Irish bars — and lots of different nooks and seating options.

The menu will feature some Irish classics but will not be the same as what is served at Crafty or Playwright. "It'll be a different menu although we'll do obvious dishes like fish & chips, corned beef, and shepherd's pie," he says.

Kearney, who hopes to have Cannon's Corner open by April, says he's been attracted to that particular area of Oak Cliff for some time.

"The major issue with that location in the past was parking, but we've made deals with other businesses to use some of their spaces," he says. "There's also parking on the street."

"That neighborhood has lovely energy," he says. "There's the Kessler Theater and all these small businesses, like barbershops and pizzerias and hairdressers. It has always reminded me of a Dublin suburb."

openings oak-cliff

Steakhouse News

High-profile Palladino's Steak & Seafood heads to Preston-Royal Dallas

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Filet Mignon will be on the menu.

A high-profile new steakhouse is coming to North Dallas: Palladino’s Steak & Seafood, an eponymous concept from Dallas restaurateur Joseph Palladino, will open at 5959 Royal Ln., in the former Spec's space.

Palladino is the larger-than-life ex-NYPD police officer-turned-restaurateur known for concepts such as Nick & Sam's Steakhouse and the Coal Vines pizza chain.

Palladino first landed on the Dallas restaurant scene in 1998 to partner up with the equally larger-than-life restaurateur Phil Romano, and went on to have a hand in the creation of Nick & Sam’s, the glitzy steakhouse on Maple Avenue (now run by Sam Romano, son of co-founder Phil Romano), Nick & Sam's Grill, Dos Jefes, and more. He created Coal Vines as an homage to the casual neighborhood restaurants reminiscent of his upbringing in New York.

Palladino's Steak & Seafood is a newly created concept, which will combine steakhouse, Italian dishes, and seafood, particularly sushi. The first location is already penciled in for New York, opening in the former Michael Jordan Steakhouse at Grand Central Terminal, which closed in 2018. It's being designed by the international design firm Rockwell Group and is slated to open in early summer.

Joseph Palladino and Troy Aikman Joseph Palladino and one of his many celebrity pals, Troy Aikman.Instagram

Palladino was approached by the landlords to open a restaurant in the center. Given Palladino's local following and celebrity draw, as well as the large local appetite for steakhouses, Dallas made sense as a second location, particularly at the highly desirable intersection of Preston and Royal.

On the culinary side, Palladino is partnered with veteran chef Sam Hazen, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America as well as an instructor there. His star-studded resume includes La Côte Basque, the Quilted Giraffe, Quatorze, Michelin three-star Le Gavroche, Terrace in the Sky, Cascabel, and Tavern on the Green. He was most recently at Tao, the glitzy Asian concept from Tao Hospitality, where he worked for a decade, giving him sushi expertise.

Palladino is busy getting the New York location open first, with a target date of "soon," and the menu has yet to be revealed, although Hazen previewed a dish on Linked In, consisting of a slice of toast with a cut-out center of pate, with accompaniments that included cornichons and mustard — like a pate version of the classic "egg in a hole."

"But it'll have high-quality steaks and seafood, along with some of my trademark specials and Italian dishes," Palladino says.

The hospitality will match the cuisine and ambience. “I intend to bring a very special steakhouse to the city, one that the locals can embrace," Palladino says. "They’re going to receive a good experience — that’s important to me.”

"Pate in a hole" dish shared by Palladino's chef Sam Hazen.Sam Hazen

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