Food Hall News

Maple Street Food Hall brings foodie treasures to Dallas' Medical District

Impeccable spring rolls from Mai Eats.

Mai Eats

A locally-driven food hall that's been in the works for nearly three years is making its long-awaited debut. Called Maple Street Food Hall, it's a new concept in Dallas' Medical District featuring a collection of five chef-driven food concepts under one roof, including cuisines such as Asian, Mexican, healthy/organic, coffee, and a full bar.

Located at 4711 Maple St., the enterprise was founded by Ray Quintanilla, an entrepreneur who previously operated businesses at DFW Airport, with a goal of serving the Medical District and Oak Lawn as well as diners seeking foodie adventures.

It's also a plucky effort by Quintanilla and his family to stave off redevelopment by repurposing the former Quintanilla Furniture store, which they've relocated down the street.

The 8,400-square-foot building has been divvied up into vendor spaces, with a shared common space, full bar, and a brand new 1,000-square-foot outdoor patio on the side of the building.

Three well-regarded restaurants have already opened, with more in the works, including one familiar name:

Mai Eats Lao Kitchen & Tropical Juice Bar. Mai Eats is a family business founded by entrepreneur Anita Dangerfield that brings Lao cuisine to the DFW community. They started at the Dallas Farmers Market in 2018 operating only on the weekends, and are now excited for the opportunity to be sharing Lao culture through delicious Lao food every day.

Their spring rolls are hand-rolled and filled with beef & veggies, served with chili sauce and topped with crushed peanuts. They're also known for fresh juices such as watermelon, pineapple, orange, and grapefruit, made to order and served inside the fruit; and their Lao CocoCurry, a red curry with fresh cut veggies over sweet jasmine rice, served in a reusable coconut bowl. They're very vegan-friendly, preparing veggie versions to which they add shredded chicken if requested.

La Calle. Specializing in handmade tortillas, with a menu of tacos, bowls, burritos, and quesadillas.

Lalas Cafe Verde. Founded by Michelle Mireles, former owner of Jorge's Mexican at One Arts District, Lalas first opened at Preston Center in 2017, but closed due to the pandemic. The restaurant still has a loyal following for dishes such as sweet potato & zucchini bowl, Vital Farms egg salad, and vegan cakes.

The Crooked Tree Bar & Beer Garden. Serving cocktails with a mixologist on staff, plus international beers, a massive selection of tequilas, and fun drinks like a spiked frozen pink lemonade.

Quintanilla is a Dallas native and founding board member of DART whose community efforts have included serving on the city's Board of Adjustment. He has a deep understanding of the neighborhood and a clear vision of what the food hall can bring.

"The idea is to have a collection of creative offerings that are complementary to each other — I was definitely going for diversity," he says. "And also to have authentic and independent places that are doing great versions of their own food. Mai Eats has some of the best curry I've ever tried."

"Breakfast was important, too — with all of the hospital personnel, there's definitely a shortage of breakfast options," he says.

He's incorporated a modern and user-friendly ordering system, where you can scan a QR code, submit an order online, or can use a touchscreen tablet at the front booth. There's also a convenient curbside pickup stand in the back of the building where you can drive right up.

Quintanilla is still resolving the final two vendors, and has managed to prevail even despite the pandemic and some very slow-moving wheels at City Hall.

"I've been around here all my life, Quintanilla Furniture was one of the originals in Little Mexico, it's been around for 67 years," he says. "But the area is changing, and I saw that there was a need for something like this."

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Losing some spice

Beloved neighborhood taqueria to close after 37 years in Dallas' Oak Cliff

Facebook/El Padrink

Cafeteria y Loncheria El Padrino will close its doors at the end of 2026, following 37 years serving the neighborhood.

An Oak Cliff taqueria will close its doors at the end of 2026, ending nearly 37 years serving the neighborhood. Cafeteria y Loncheria El Padrino, the brightly painted-brick gem at 408 W. Jefferson Blvd., will lose its lease at the end of December, according to Juan Contreras, son of the restaurant's owner.

Contreras confirmed to CultureMap that property managers will not renew his father's lease and have given the restaurant less than three months to vacate.

“Honestly it’s not a surprise,” Contreras says in an Instagram post. “With Bishop Arts and all the development interest around it, something was bound to happen eventually.”

The little restaurant sits at the end of a row of thrift and quinceañera dress shops, a few blocks from Bishop Avenue and the evolving Bishop Arts District.

Contreras, who shares his father's name, says the little Oak Cliff El Padrino was his dad’s first restaurant. “His dream," Contreras notes. "He’s been feeding this neighborhood since 1989.”

The family later opened a second location in Pleasant Grove.

Both restaurants are beloved for their welcoming atmosphere and unfussy, authentic Mexican fare.

"As a small business in Oak Cliff, we know what it means to be part of a community. Our neighbors are not just customers .. they are family," notes a Facebook post from the taqueria.

While handmade tortillas and tacos are staples, customers also come for antojitos — or "little cravings" — such as guacamole, menudo, pan dulce, queso, French fries, and chips. Heartier options include machacado (shredded meat) and eggs with bacon strips and cheese in the beans.

Regulars know, love, and fear the camarones a la diabla — shrimp that made a deal with the devil — with shellfish "swimming in salsa roja so picante, it’ll make your abuela say '¡Ay, Dios mío!'," says El Padrio's Facebook page. They recommend ordering a cold agua fresca de piña bien before taking a bite: "That sweet pineapple coolness is your lifesaver."

The younger Contreras, who is involved in local advocacy and community organizing, says the history of Oak Cliff — particularly the area around his father’s restaurant — illustrates the less welcome side of neighborhood revitalization.

“This has been building for years. Elected officials and interest groups sell you a beautiful picture of what a neighborhood can become," he says in his social media post. "What they leave out is that the people who stayed and kept these neighborhoods alive when nobody else wanted them are usually the ones priced out or pushed aside for ‘better’ tenants.”

The elder Contreras came to the U.S. "with nothing but his hands and the hope that his kids would have it easier than he did," says the son, "the way so many of our fathers did."

Unless something changes before the end of the year, the Oak Cliff location will continue operating throughout 2026, Contreras says. The Pleasant Grove location will remain open and unaffected, he adds.

“If you’re one of the Oak Cliff regulars or you’ve been meaning to stop by, now’s the time,” he says. “Come eat, order out, and tell your friends. Every visit means a lot to my dad right now.”

Hope is not entirely lost for the owner and local fans of his restaurant, Contreras says. The Contreras family has weathered its share of challenges and does not intend to give up on Oak Cliff easily. They just need to find an appropriate and affordable space from which to operate.

“This isn’t our first rodeo. If you know of a move-in-ready space in Oak Cliff where my dad can plug in and cook, send me a message," he says.

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