Taco News
Dallas taqueria with bowls at cool Deep Ellum location closes
Deep Ellum restaurant Bowls & Tacos closed on February 24, after a valiant effort to stay afloat.
Owner Sam Wynne announced the closure on Facebook, with a plea to his restaurant industry friends to find homes for some of his employees.
"It's official, I just worked my last Saturday shift at Bowls & Tacos," Wynne said. "We fought hard, but good food made and served by a good crew with free parking in Deep Ellum can only get you so far. If anyone needs good people, I’ve got a handful of folks looking for a new gig. If you have a position that needs filling, holler at me, and I’ll see if I’ve got the right person for you."
Wynne opened Bowls & Tacos as his second concept in Deep Ellum, as a sibling to Braindead Brewing, the brewery-restaurant he owns with Jeff Fryman and brewer Andrew Huerter.
With bowls and tacos, Bowls & Tacos featured two trendy food groups that were seemingly a winning combo. In addition, it occupied one of the coolest buildings in Deep Ellum: a vintage Gulf station at 3400 Commerce St., at the corner of Canton Street.
But the location was also a bit off the beaten path, situated more between Deep Ellum and Expo Park than in Deep Ellum proper, and probably not walking distance for most Deep Ellum visitors.
Wynne tried new things at the taqueria including Sugar Fang Vegan Bakery, a bakery that makes entirely vegan products, which he introduced in November 2018. The bakery operated out of the Bowls & Tacos space.
Its isolated location may have also led to a bout of vandalism it recently endured, with three break-ins occurring within a month. One incident trashed the location so bad, with broken glass and other damage, that the bakery had to close for a weekend in mid-February.
In his Facebook post, he said that venture will continue. "Sugar Fang Vegan Bakery is going to live on, but most likely through BrainDead," he said. However, until they're able to figure out space requirements, the bakery will be on temporary hold, according to a post on Sugar Fang's page.
"We've decided to merge our little bakery with Braindead Brewing, but this will take some time, so we appreciate everyone's understanding and patience," the post says. "We apologize for not informing everyone sooner, but this was all very sudden. We will announce via social media when we are officially back up and running."
He thanked his partners in the venture, Jeff and Alecia Spence Fryman, and "of course also our many regulars. I swear 60 precent of our business was the same 20 people," he said. "I’m sorry you have to find a new place now."
