Tex-Mex Down

Dallas Mexican restaurant with famed brunch closes rocky location

Sorry for Arlington, who loses out on this.

Photo courtesy of Blue Mesa Grill

Just over five years to the day it opened, Blue Mesa Grill in Arlington has closed. Part of the Mesa SW family of restaurants, Blue Mesa is the concept known for its pioneering role in the brunch world, as well as its sweet potato chips and shake-your-own margaritas.

The restaurant opened in March 2013 at Lincoln Square, in an old Talbot's. Times have been tough at Lincoln Square.

Blue Mesa founder and CEO Jim Baron says in a release that there just wasn't enough business.

"We are sad to leave this location and our loyal customers there," Baron says. "But we did not foresee any improvement in our in-restaurant lunch and dinner business."

Oddly, the company is doing just fine in Arlington with catering jobs. "Our Arlington party and event business is thriving and that's where we see our future growth," Baron says.

Accommodating the catering demands was a factor in the newly-opened flagship Blue Mesa Grill and 5th & Carroll Events in Fort Worth. "That location is more than able to provide catering services for Arlington, and for that reason, it did not make sense for us the keep paying rent and other occupancy costs in Arlington," Baron says.

Four Blue Mesa Grill locations remain in the area, in Addison, Plano, Fort Worth, and Dallas, across from NorthPark Center.

Mesa SW Restaurants also owns and operates a Blue Mesa Taco and Tequila Bar, which has two airport locations including Terminal E at DFW Airport, and two of their more casual concepts, TNT Tacos and Tequila, which has locations at the Quadrangle in Uptown Dallas and in Austin.

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