Vegan News

Dallas' hot new vegan restaurant is doing soul food in Grand Prairie

Good-looking home cooking from Itso Vegan.

Photo courtesy of Itso Vegan

Dallas-Fort Worth has a new vegan restaurant that's doing so well, it's had to shut down a few times since its soft opening in early March.

Called Itso Vegan, it's located in a modest strip center in Grand Prairie, at 830 Mayfield Rd., in the southwest corner of town, just east of the George Bush Turnpike and north of I-20.

Itso Vegan specializes in vegan soul food, with a few Mexican and home-cooking touches. The owners are three siblings — Tren'a Lewis, Amiya Cleveland, and Jerrod Collins.

"Each of us play a role," Collins says. "I created the look and feel of the restaurant and the operation. Amiya is the executive chef; she created all the recipes. Tren'a is the manager."

Collins says that Cleveland led the way.

"She started on the vegan path, and it was a natural transition to start the restaurant," he says. "She began her vegan journey because of her son who was diagnosed as diabetic. She made the change for her son, and then brought along the entire family."

Cleveland's photos of the vegan dishes she was making at home earned a following; soon she was cooking for others. With the support of their family members, and the overcoming of some obstacles, they finally were able to open Itso Vegan.

They're working wonders using mushrooms, seitan, and other ingredients to substitute for meat. Their kitchen has a touch that is somehow both polished and homey, with all of the love you get from a home-cooked meal, yet all of the presentation and polish you expect from a restaurant.

The menu includes burritos with taco-style crumbled "beef," rice, fries, and guacamole. There are "wonton nachos," with veggie taco crumbles and "cashew queso." Cashews are a favorite go-to used by vegan cooks to make cream sauces and cheese dishes.

One of their most popular dishes has been the "nothing-from-the-sea-food platter" with "krab" cake and various fried "fish" done in a traditional manner with a light, crisp cornmeal crust. Their secret ingredient: breaded oyster mushrooms, whose fleshy texture makes a fab fake for seafood such as lobster and scallops.

Other best sellers include chicken & waffles, with seitan chicken and banana-flaxseed waffle; and a convincing chicken-fried "chicken" with mushroom gravy. There's a creamy vegan mac and cheese, and even vegan cheesecake.

The restaurant plans to institute daily specials including cinnamon rolls on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, enchiladas on Thursdays and Fridays, and BBQ jackfruit sliders on Saturdays and Sundays.

Itso Vegan has already been featured on Fox 4, but it was a Facebook blast by the Black Vegetarian Society sharing the news of Itso Vegan that ramped things up.

There's also just the fact that vegan is increasingly popular these days.

The restaurant has been deluged, and had to shut down more than once, either because they ran out of food or didn't have sufficient staff; for now, it's probably a good idea to call ahead and make sure they're on track before going there.

It's also unexpected to find a vegan soul food restaurant in Grand Prairie — or is it? Grand Prairie doesn't even have a Whole Foods Market yet, but GP is also where it's at right now, from the the game-changing Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark that opened in 2018, to the new Main Event bowling-dining destination coming in 2019, to the Ikea store that opened in 2018.

Itso Vegan is just a few blocks away from the Ikea store. Futon shopping and vegan lunch — sounds like a plan.

They're open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am to 8 pm.

vegan

Deep Ellum News

Mexican 'vibe' restaurant from California to open in Deep Ellum Dallas

Mama Por Dios

A buzzy concept from California is coming to Dallas: Mama Por Dios, a Mexican restaurant chain known for its vibe, will open its first location in Texas in Deep Ellum in the Epic development at 2525 Elm St., taking over the former La Neta space, which shuttered in May.

According to a spokesperson, the restaurant will open in early to mid-January.

Mama Por Dios was founded in Southern California in 2020 by chef Misael Guerrero, who famously got his start selling Mexican sushi out of his garage.

Since those early days, he's gone on to form a restaurant empire called Emme Group, with concepts that include Los Amores de Julia, El Rincon de Los Dolidos, and Culichi Town, a lower-priced chain known for Sinaloa-style Mexican sushi & seafood, which has a local presence: It opened a location in Mesquite in 2022.

Mama Por Dios — which translates to "Mother of God" — describes itself as modern Mexican, offering a unique blend of steakhouse, sushi bar, and seafood. The menu includes favorites like tacos and enchiladas, alongside luxe dishes like lobster with spaghetti, lobster enchiladas, and a surf & turf featuring a lobster tail balanced atop a skirt steak. Prices range from $18 for birria tacos to $48 for a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

But they also have a showy side that includes flamboyant presentations such as the bacon-wrapped shrimp which come strung on clothespins; or the trompito al pastor, served on a personal spit, as well as servers who walk around with shots while dancing with patrons.

There's a Gold Burger for $65 featuring Prime beef on a brioche bun garnished with 24k gold leaf, and a similarly gilded tomahawk steak for $400 that brings to mind the good old days of Salt Bae. Decor is swanky with low lighting, and there'll be a serious brunch offering on weekends.

Cocktails such as the Al Agua Pato — served in a mini bathtub with a rubber ducky — are made for Instagram. They offer margarita and mezcalita flights with flavors such as mango, tamarindo, and strawberry, and intriguing sips like Carajillo, a Spanish cocktail with Licor 43, espresso, and 43 different fruit, citrus, aromatic, and herbal ingredients.

There’s also a $20 per-person minimum spend, and the menu comes with a warning that everything is cooked to order — meaning some dishes may take 30 to 40 minutes. For many diners, waiting will surely be part of the experience.

deep-ellum tex-mex openings