Deep Ellum News
Mexican restaurant lands luscious Deep Ellum building with 2 patios
A great vintage brick building in Deep Ellum that's been empty for a few years will soon be home to a new Mexican restaurant. Called Vidorra, it's from Milkshake Concepts, and will open in late spring at 2642 Main St.
The building was most recently home to The Ruby Room, a short-lived bar that took over from what was previously the kinda sketchy Club Hush. The space is notable for its broad rooftop patio with unfettered views of the surroundings and downtown Dallas.
Milkshake is led by hospitality veterans Imran Sheikh, Asim Sheikh, and James Faller, who also own the Uptown lounge Citizen and Stirr, the cocktail bar-restaurant in Deep Ellum two blocks away, which has its own fetching views.
According to Imran Sheikh, they've had their eye on the building for some time.
"We had originally hoped to do Stirr there, but the previous landlord had other ideas for it," Sheikh says. "We subsequently found the building at 2803 Main St. where Stirr is located, and that turned out so well. We love the area."
In 2017, the property was acquired by Asana Partners, and Milkshake got the building after all.
"They want to see the area continue to evolve into a place where there's great food and entertainment, and we'd been working on a Mexican concept, so it turned out to be the optimum building," Sheikh says.
Deep Ellum does have the acclaimed Pepe & Mito's; the slightly less acclaimed Fuzzy's Taco Shop; and the old-timer Maracas. But another Mexican is surely better than adding another pizzeria, of which Deep Ellum has many.
And "Vidorra" — which translates into "good life" — will not be just your typical Tex-Mex joint.
"There's no shortage of excellent Mexican food," Sheikh says. "But I think there is room for that cuisine that's also matched with a social setting. I don't think there's anything like what we do at Stirr, where you can eat and enjoy great cocktails and have an entertaining evening."
The fact that the space has three defined areas — dining room, ground-floor patio, and rooftop patio — lends itself to different kinds of experiences. "With this concept, we wanted it to be fun — a place that's approachable — but also serious about the food and drink," he says.
They're still working on finalizing the menu, but they have a vision.
"We'll serve the dishes that everyone wants to eat, but we want the flavors to be bold and punchy," he says. "The tagline is 'Cocina de Mexico,' so the idea is that we will incorporate regional dishes as well as Tex-Mex. We're not looking to pigeonhole ourselves. We want great cocktails, with a good margarita program and lots of tequilas and tequila flights."
And in keeping with the social aspect, there'll likely be some tableside interactivity. "We want to make it engaging and fun," he says.
