Taco News

Upscale taqueria closes down location in Dallas' Preston Center

That's a wrap on these tacos.

Photo by Tom McGovern

An upscale taqueria known for great tacos and cocktails has closed its only location in Dallas. According to a release, Bartaco closed its Preston Center restaurant for good, with the shutter taking place after dinner service on Tuesday, March 10.

A location in Fort Worth remains open.

"We want to thank our hardworking team and our loyal Dallas guests for a great year," said general manager Javier Montemayor in a release. "Though we are closing our doors in Dallas, our Fort Worth location will continue to serve up our signature fresh food and specialty cocktails in a relaxed, coastal atmosphere."

Bartaco first introduced its upscale take on tacos and street food to DFW in June 2018 when it opened a location in Fort Worth's West Bend area. The Dallas location opened in December 2018.

Their menu includes tacos made with gourmet ingredients like ahi tuna and sesame rib eye, as well as veggie options such as cauliflower with romanesco sauce, nicely priced at $2.50 and $3.t0 a pop. Their margaritas are also good, made with fresh juices.

But the company has had some ups and downs, including changes in ownership. In 2018, their parent company Barteca, which also owns Barcelona Wine Bar, was acquired by our very own Del Frisco's Restaurant Group. Barely a year later, Connecticut-based L Catterton bought Del Frisco's, including the Barcelona Wine Bar and Bartaco chains. There are currently 21 Bartaco restaurants in 13 states.

Bartaco also opened in DFW with a very odd approach to marketing in which they rejected stories prior to their opening. Here's an email from their previous PR agency, Quinn PR:

"The brand works on a unique strategy around its openings to ensure that the guests can discover the neighborhood gem on their own and often do not allow for any coverage prior to the opening, but rather thereafter."

So you have a company unknown to the Dallas area that was turning down free PR before they opened. Smart!

Beyond their inner struggles, they opened in Preston Center, a notoriously tough neighborhood for restaurants. That space at 6130 Luther Ln. was previously occupied by Kent Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen, which lasted five years before Rathbun turned it into a catering kitchen.

Bartaco has offered its Dallas managers and team members continuing employment at other locations where available, and support throughout the transition.

tacos closings

Bagel News

Buzzy Northeast chain PopUp Bagels ready to debut in Dallas

PopUp Bagels

PopUp Bagels coming to Dallas.

A buzzy bagel concept founded in the Northeast is coming to Dallas: Called PopUp Bagels, it famously started as a backyard project during the pandemic, and will open a location at Inwood Village, in the former I Heart Yogurt shop (which only just closed), next to the Inwood Theatre at 5450 W Lovers Ln. #143.

Signage has already gone up on the location and according to a spokesperson, the shop will open in early spring.

PopUp Bagels was founded in Westport, Connecticut by entrepreneur and home baker Adam Goldberg, with his cousin Jeff Lewis, as a side project during the pandemic, when everyone was baking at home. The bagels earned such a warm reception that Goldberg started hosting bagel popups in various locations near his home.

The concept's success has been helped by a national surge of interest in bagels, as well as viral moments on TikTok and other social media. Goldberg sold the concept to equity growth firm Stripes in 2023, who drew celebrity investors such as Paul Rudd and Michael Phelps, with plans to open hundreds of locations across the U.S. Talk is cheap but for now, there are 23 locations in New York, Maine, Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and North Carolina.

One of their selling points for a seamless expansion is that they've kept things simple including a compact menu of bagels, spreads, and a pound of smoked salmon. There's a minimum purchase of three bagels, along with a mandatory tub of cream cheese or butter, for $12, and they only offer five flavors: plain, salt, poppy, sesame, and everything.

Bagels are sold whole only, no sandwiches and also not sliced — leading to their nickname "rip and dip," in which customers rip the bagels and dip them into spreads. Their texture is softer and lighter than the classic New York dense bagel, making them easier to "rip."

They're also known for their collaborations on over-the-top schmear flavors — beyond their regular original cream cheese, scallion cream cheese, and vegan cream cheese — which they rotate in with frequency. Recent specialty schmears include Honey Chipotle Cream Cheese, Salted Maple Banana Bread Schmear, Cheez-It Schmear, and a Lemon Pepper Schmear just announced with WingStop that summons the wing chain's Lemon Pepper sauce.

bagels openings