Social House

Social restaurant brings boffo brunch and patio to Arlington

Social House is opening in Arlington.

Photo courtesy of Social House

Dallas-Fort Worth lands an opportunity to get social with Social House Arlington, the fourth branch of a small restaurant-bar chain that serves from-scratch food, many beers on tap, and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

Social House is the linchpin concept from the Syn Group, the hospitality company founded in 2006 by Jonathan Serrano and Shawn Rao. The other three Social House locations are in Uptown Dallas, Addison, and Fort Worth.

The Arlington location will go into Champions Park, a new development on the northeast corner of I-30 and Collins Street, within eyeshot of AT&T Stadium. Social House will not be alone: The complex will also have a Torchy's Tacos, Cowboys Nail Lounge, Firehouse Subs, gourmet burger chain BurgerFi, Tokyo Joe’s, Urban Bricks Pizza, Salata, Yumilicious, and Tiff’s Treats, and that's just the first phase.

The complex steps up the game for Arlington, whose collection of restaurants vacillates mostly between mid-level chains and indie/ethnic finds.

"I feel like the Arlington market is under-served, there's not that many cool things," Rao says.

Social House Arlington will have some of your key 2017-era features including 50 taps of beer on draft, a spacious patio, and brunch, for which Social House has won best-of awards.

Everyone does brunch these days, but brunch in a way embodies the enduring charm of Social House as a place to eat waffles, drink cocktails, and hang out. It has a fun bar atmosphere, but with better versions of the usual bar food, from mussels to calamari to nachos to burgers.

The first incarnation of Social House opened in the West Village in 2009, followed by a branch in Addison in 2011. West Village closed, but a new Social House opened in Uptown in 2013, in the former Arcodoro Pomodoro space, where they came to appreciate the value of an outdoor space. Fort Worth opened in early 2016.

"They each have slightly different vibes, each are designed differently to fit the neighborhood," Rao says. "Arlington will have a center bar that's similar to the Fort Worth location, and it'll have an indoor-outdoor patio with accordion doors."

One thing that's changed in the past few years has been the attitude towards beer, Rao says.

"When we opened Uptown, we had 100 taps because the craft beer trend was on the rise, and we did that in Fort Worth, but we'll never do 100 again," he says. "The trend is going to having cocktails on tap. We have 15 cocktails on tap, like a Moscow mule. We did 10 at American Gardens, our other concept in Fort Worth, and in Arlington, we're going to do 15. Things are so competitive, we always try to think three steps ahead."

brunch openings

Coffee News

Italian brand Lavazza Coffee opens training facility in Dallas

Lavazza

Lavazza Coffee

A coffee brand from Italy has planted a stake in Dallas: Lavazza, founded in the northern Italian city of Turin in 1895, has opened a state-of-the-art training center in Dallas, at 1722 Routh St. #960, where it will serve as a hub for coffee enthusiasts throughout the Southwest.

Dallas is the newest outlet in Lavazza's coffee training network, joining locations in New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, West Chester Pennsylvania, and Toronto — part of their expansion across high-growth markets in the U.S., and its mission to elevate coffee culture globally. (They're also doling out endorsement dollars in commercials featuring Steve Carell and John Krasinski.)

The facility is equipped with espresso, brewing, and coffee innovation equipment, and will serve Lavazza partners, industry professionals, baristas, and distributors. They'll offer hands-on training, SCA certification, menu development, and emerging coffee trends.

Lavazza already partners with many respected hospitality groups and culinary destinations in Dallas including Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Coury Hospitality Group, Al Biernat's Steakhouse, and Vandelay Hospitality.

In October 2025, Lavazza also began serving coffee on flights by Fort Worth-based American Airlines — further strengthening their connection to the North Texas market. The facility will enable Lavazza to provide closer, more consistent support to these partners and help elevate their coffee programs through continued training and collaboration.

Lavazza has been owned by the Lavazza family for four generations. Today they're one of the leading players on the global coffee scene, with a portfolio of top brands that lead their respective markets, such as Lavazza, Carte Noire, Merrild, and Kicking Horse.

In a statement, Lavazza North America president Hossam Ashraf says that "Dallas has an incredible energy and an ever evolving coffee scene," while Lavazza North America Marketing VP Daniele Foti says that Dallas is great, and we must concur.

"As one of the fastest growing hospitality and culinary markets in the country, Dallas represents a tremendous opportunity for Lavazza," Foti says. "Our investment in this new Training Center demonstrates our commitment to the region and to the partners who bring the Lavazza experience to life every day. Dallas is a city of innovation and high standards, and we are excited to deepen our roots here."

coffee openings