Coronavirus News

These are the latest Dallas restaurants to reopen with COVID-19 precautions

All of a sudden, that patio at Knife looks a lot more appealing.

Photo by Emily Loving

As restrictions for coronavirus loosen, more Dallas restaurants are reopening their doors.

The first batch opened as soon as they could on May 1, but others are slowly coming on board. All are observing COVID-19 precautions such as cleaning and sanitizing, social distancing practices with guests spaced 6 feet apart, and staff wearing masks and gloves.

Here is the latest round of reopenings:

Avanti Restaurant. New hours are Tuesday-Thursday and Sundays: from 5:30-9 pm, and Friday-Saturday 5:30-9:30 pm. Dinner menu and family size to-go menu are available for takeout order. Call 214 871 4955 for reservations.

Coolgreens. Both locations in Richardson, at 1251 State St. Ste. #850, and Southlake, at 2211 E. Southlake Blvd. Ste. #500, have reopened their dining rooms. Richardson is open Monday-Friday 10:30 am-3:30 pm, closed Saturday-Sunday. Southlake is open 10:30 am-3 pm daily until May 18, then 10:30 am-9 pm Monday-Saturday and 10:30-3 pm Sunday. They're open with a big list of provisos including employees temperature-checked daily, replacing their gloves and washing their hands every 15 minutes, and staying home for seven days if they're sick. Cutlery, condiments, and menus have been moved behind the counter, and floor markings specify social distancing. Cash payments are discouraged.

Edoko. Sushi restaurant at CityLine in Richardson has reopened.

Fernando's Mexican at CityLine in Richardson will reopen May 15.

Kai at Legacy West in Plano has reopened.

Knife at The Highland Dallas, now open for take-out, will begin dine-in on May 15, with limited seating and hours from Thursday–Saturday. Sunday-Wednesday will be open with a limited take-out menu only.

Maggiano's Little Italy. Two area locations have opened: 205 NorthPark Center, Dallas and 6001 W. Park Blvd. in Plano. Hours are Monday-Saturday 11 am-9 pm, and Sunday from 10:30 am-9 pm. Brunch will not be served for the time being. Make a reservation at maggianos.com or over the phone. If guests don’t have a reservation or arrive early, they may be asked to wait outside. Restaurant have been sanitized, and social distancing wil be in place. Staff will be wearing masks and gloves, and guests are encouraged to wear masks into the restaurant as they are being seated. Curbside orders and delivery are still available.

Malibu Poke reopened their Oak Lawn dining room and patio with limited seating and extra safety precautions such as removing touch screen ordering, food served in to-go packaging, and diners throwing away their own trash to minimize employees' risk. McKinney & Olive location is temporarily closed. Curbside pickup and delivery via Doordash is still available at Oak Lawn.

Mi Dia From Scratch opened all three locations in Grapevine, Plano, and Flower Mound, with limited hours and menu in conjunction with the standards set by the CDC and the Texas Restaurant and National Restaurant Associations.

Ocean Prime will reopen for dine-in reservations on May 18. They're already doing carryout and curbside delivery, with a limited menu that includes family meals and meal kits.

Pie Five Pizza has reopened with enhanced sanitation and safety processes for in-restaurant dining that include masks and gloves for staff, who must wash their hands at least every 30 minutes. To maintain social distancing, tables have been moved to reduce capacity. Floor decals have been added to maintain 6 feet distancing between guests going through the line. Drink stations are temporarily closed. Condiments are behind the counter, and dine-in orders are served in boxes, rather than on trays. Individually packaged sanitizer wipes will be provided with each order.

Ten50 BBQ has reopened their dining room and patio at 25 percent capacity with extra safety precautions in place including staff wearing masks and gloves, tables 6 feet apart, and an acrylic guard in front of the bbq pit.

Toulouse at Legacy West, in Plano has reopened.

Tricky Fish at CityLine in Richardson has reopened.

health

Bread News

Award-winning Dallas bakery scores storefront in Oak Cliff mixed use

Photo courtesy of Kuluntu

Kuluntu bread

One of Dallas' best bakeries is graduating to a new location: Kuluntu Bakery, which currently operates as a cottage bakery in Oak Cliff, is moving into the East Dock, the innovative new mixed-use hub at 900 E. Clarendon Dr. near the Dallas Zoo and Halperin Park.

Founded in 2018, Kuluntu is the cottage food bakery that has been selling breads and pastries from an Oak Cliff home. Despite not having a brick-and-mortar location, the bakery has racked up numerous awards including an impressive ranking on a Food & Wine list of the Best Breads in Every State, a 2023 nomination for a James Beard Award, and a CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nomination for co-founder Stephanie Leichtle-Chalklen for Best Pastry Chef.

And now they will have a brick-and-mortar location.

Their current menu changes weekly, with breads such as country sour and lemon-lavender-walnut sour; their signature granola; cinnamon rolls; and pastries such as almond & lemon croissant, cheesy artichoke galette, and salted rye chocolate chip cookies. They send out an email to subscribers every week listing the latest offerings. (To get on the list, email kuluntu@kuluntubakery.org.)

"At the new location, we will be expanding the menu quite a bit," Leichtle-Chalken says. "It will include items that we’re currently baking plus South African dishes for lunch service."

They're hoping to be open by the end of the year, and once they do open, they'll close down the cottage operation.

But Leichtle-Chalklen says this new location will be more than a bakery — it will be a community hub that centers women’s experiences and builds collective power through education, health & wellness, and equity initiatives.

She already operates Kuluntu as a non-profit, with a goal of co-creating a more equitable food system and community by connecting the food industry, consumers, and partners to center women and humanize all food workers.

Sustainability and taking care of the planet is a practice that threads throughout their organization: whether that's using Barton Springs Mill organic flours and Cedar Ridge Egg Farm free-range eggs, or whether it's following zero-waste baking by recycling, composting, and using environmentally friendly packaging.

East Dock Courtesy rendering

They'll fit right in at East Dock, a former industrial building that was built in 1915 and is being thoughtfully refurbished with a goal of creating an 18-hour campus: coffee in the morning, daytime operators such as offices, studios, and restaurants, then bars and entertainment at night.

On July 12, Kuluntu will host "Reimagining an Inclusive Restaurant in Dallas," where attendees can learn about the lived experiences of women food workers and how we can humanize the food system, as well as re-imagine what an equitable and inclusive restaurant could be — sharing your experiences, ideas, and perspectives to shape Kuluntu Bakery into a true community space for all. Pastries and beverages will be included.

The session will take place at East Dock, allowing a preview of the site which will be under active construction. Get tickets here.

desserts openings