Salsa Lounge Slash Coffee Shop

Cafe Salsera's dual personality includes something new for Deep Ellum

A new concept coming to Deep Ellum promises to bring something the neighborhood definitely does not have: salsa dancing. Called Cafe Salsera, it'll be a Latin-Caribbean restaurant with salsa lounge and coffeehouse components.

Cafe Salsera will be located at 2610 Elm St., next to the 7-Eleven. Neighborhood old-timers might recognize that as the old Video Bar space; it has been home to many a forgettable dance club since. Opening is plotted for late spring.

The owner is Wilson Chan, an entrepreneur with a passion for salsa dancing, says spokeswoman Alejandra Iraheta. "It's an ambitious project with a lot of facets, but this is something he's always dreamed of," she says.

It'll be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The coffee bar will include a walk-up window where customers can get coffee to-go.

Menu items include albondigas, aka Spanish meatballs, in a spicy tomato sauce, with fried yucca in "mojo de ajo" garlic sauce, served with jicama salad. There's the Salsera trio, with roasted chicken, pork and jerk shrimp, served with salad, rice, beans and fried plantains. The Puerto Rican-inspired "mofungo" dumplings are made with mashed plantains and topped with shrimp mojo. There also will be a well-stocked pastry case.

Construction began in late November on a space that was fairly trashed. Chan is working with restaurant designer "Build it With Bruce" Russo, whose recent work includes Stock & Barrel in Bishop Arts. His segment on Cafe Salsera will appear on WFAA's Live Love Laugh Today show, on February 8 at 11 am.

Their design is intended to create the illusion of a courtyard in the Caribbean. The space will feature an indoor dining room, outdoor patio and second-floor balcony. A 28-foot stage will be used as an elevated dining area or as a platform for dancers and bands on select nights, ranging from salsa, bachata, Argentine tango and merengue.

Part of the charm will be its dual personality. "We'll have the coffee and cafe during the day," Iraheta says. "And then on nights and weekends, we'll turn into a dance lounge for salsa fanatics."

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RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat and grandchildren. According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

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