Deep Ellum News
New Deep Ellum bar combines 2 great tastes: drinks and dessert
A new dessert shop and bar is coming to Deep Ellum with small bites, cocktails, and desserts. Called Sweet Dessert Bar, it will open in a cool vintage brick building at 2650 Elm St., in mid-June to early July.
Sweet Dessert Bar comes from Jack Chan, David Mok, and Kevin Tran, who've been in the restaurant industry most of their lives. For their first foray, they settled on the idea of combining elements that fuse Asian and Hispanic cuisines.
"We know we'll have small bites, like hot Cheeto fries, elotes, popcorn chicken, and we'll keep the price low," Tran says.
Desserts will be a big part of it, with bubble egg waffles, cream puff ice cream sandwiches, cheesecake, doughnuts, and mille crepe cakes — the same kind featured at a recent pop-up that landed in town from New York bakery Lady M Cake Boutique.
"We're going to bring things that you've maybe only seen online," Tran says.
Their strategy on food will be tapas-like small plates, where you can stop, have a drink and grab a snack. "We're talking about small bites, Korean tacos, bibimbap, the stuff we're craving most of the time," he says.
They'll have a 40-foot fully stocked bar with some quirky beverages, alcoholic and otherwise, a menu of which they're collaborating with a player from Austin whose name they cannot yet reveal.
One drink they're definitely going to do is the mangonada, popular at places such as the California-based Zero Degrees chain. "It's like a mixed slushy with mango slices — that one's going to be an attention grabber," Tran says.
They've scored a classic Deep Ellum storefront, owned by colorful and elusive poker player Tim Frazin, which has sat vacant for more than a decade. It's in one of the neighborhood's most vibrant zones, next door to the Three Links bar. Decor will feature a 100-square-foot mural on the far wall, painted by local artist Daniel Yanez, whom they've given total creative freedom.
They're also playing around with the idea of offering boba, but not just any boba. "We're experimenting with adding one or two alcohol-infused boba drinks," he says.
They're also considering breakfast. Sky's the limit. "We want to be open throughout the day, but the menu is evolving," he says.