Coronavirus News

Closures outnumber openings in this COVID-19 Dallas restaurant tally

Cool River Cafe salmon, never to be tasted again.

Photo courtesy of Cool River Ranch

With the recent protests in Dallas, the coronavirus may be less on the forefront of everyone's mind, but Dallas restaurants haven't stopped reeling from its effects. With a capacity of 50 percent now allowed, there are some new openings in the works. But in this edition of openings and closures, there are more restaurants who've decided to permanently close.

Here's the latest round:

Openings

Corner Bakery Cafe reopened four dining rooms on June 1 with enhanced sanitation and safety measures that include spacing out furniture, masks and gloves on employees, tape marking six feet of distance, and limiting access to the condiment station to one customer at a time. These locations will operate at 50 percent capacity. They include:

118 E. John Carpenter Fwy., Irving
8420 Preston Center Plaza, Dallas
2401 Preston Rd., Plano
100 State St., Southlake

Kate Weiser Chocolate is reopening all three locations. Trinity Groves, which continued to operate a curbside pickup business, has reopened. The store at the Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth reopened June 2 and the location at NorthPark Cener reopens June 3. Precautions include robust cleaning, strict hygiene protocols, and consolidated hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11 am-5 pm and Sunday 12-5 pm at Northpark and Clearfork. Customers can also shop online at kateweiserchocolate.com.

Uchibā, the bar concept that sits atop Uchi in Uptown Dallas, has reopened with limited, reservations-only in-restaurant dining with patio seating, expanded dining hours, and an extended Whisky + Wagyu happy hour from 4-6:30 pm. They're observing new COVID-19 protocols and measures to keep everyone safe. Hours are Sunday-Thursday 4-9 pm, Friday-Saturday 4-10 pm. Call 214-855-5454 for reservations.

Closures

Ceviche, the short-lived ceviche bar in Oak Cliff opened by Raul Reyes, has closed. Reyes has meanwhile reopened La Palapa del Sabor at 118 W. Jefferson Ave.

Cool River Cafe, the Southwest restaurant and cigar bar in Irving, has closed. It was conceived in 1998 by, of all people, Gene Street, Tristan Simon, and Steve Hartnett, and had been there for more than 20 years. It had a major bar scene and was a favored hangout during the annual Byron Nelson golf tournament. The phone number has been disconnected and it's marked as "permanently closed" on Open Table. On the Cool River website, the only location listed is the outlet at Dallas Love Field, and an employee at one of the other restaurants owned by parent company Consolidated Restaurants Operations (CRO) said that it was closed.

An official statement from CRO says that "Cool River Las Colinas remains closed; the restrictions mandated to mitigate the pandemic must be further eased or eliminated before we can determine the disposition of Cool River. The success of the location has always depended on attracting groups socializing in the restaurant and lounge. Without group occasions, we have no business prospects at this time."

Mercy Wine Bar has closed its longtime Addison location after 17 years. Owner Glen Agritelley blames COVID-19, parking at the Village on the Parkway, and construction woes. A second location at the Toyoa Music Factory in Irving remains open.

Neighborhood Services, the hugely popular concept from chef Nick Badovinus, has shuttered its location at Preston Royal. The restaurant was one of many businesses that sustained severe damage from the 2019 tornado. The chain's other two locations have reopened.

Off-Site Kitchen, the burger joint in Trinity Groves from chef Nick Badovinus, has closed for good, although Badovinus is reportedly considering reopening in another location. Meanwhile, his burgers can be ordered at Vantina, the new popup operating in the parking lot of Desert Racer on Greenville Avenue.

Perfect Union Pizza Company, the pizzeria in Highland Park Village from chef Nick Badovinus, has also closed. A spokesperson at the center says that the space will be reconcepted.

Twigs American Kitchen has closed its location at the Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth. "This crisis created a significant strain on our ability to operate the restaurant during the pandemic with the resulting loss of revenue, for which we have been left no choice," the restaurant said. They'll continue to operate their newest location in Grandscape at The Colony, where it's full steam ahead.

Here's more news of openings and closings:

Surprise shutter leads these Dallas restaurant COVID openings and closings

New Greenville Ave outdoor cantina plus more Dallas restaurant openings

closings

What Just Opened

Crazy wave of Dallas restaurants and bars have all just opened

Courtesy

1519 Main St.

The Dallas hospitality scene almost never sleeps and right now it's pulling an all-nighter, with a big slate of fresh openings, all of which have debuted within the past days, give or take.

Everyone's hustling to get their doors open in time for the holidays, and these establishments have all made it happen: From a cosmopolitan new lounge in downtown Dallas to a modern Asian restaurant in Plano to a bountiful AYCE Chinese seafood spot in Richardson, there's something here to pique everyone's interest and appetite.

1519 Main
Spectacular lounge is now open in downtown Dallas at 1519 Main St., in a nearly century-old building across from the Joule Dallas hotel where it's serving up stellar drinks in a space that's both cosmopolitan and low-key. The bar is from Hospitality Alliance, the company led by restaurant wunderkind Kevin Lillis, who helped create the original AT&T Discovery District. It's a stunning space with many original features like rose-and-cream marble floors from the 1920s and brick walls with signage from prior businesses in the space, dating back decades. The menu has cocktails from Brian Van Flandern, who oversaw the program at Per Se, The Carlyle Hotel, The Plaza Hotel, and Palm Court restaurant, and also has a homage menu featuring recipes from some of the most impactful but now closed cocktail lounges in the country. They're open Thursday-Saturday from 5 pm-12 am.

Centrale Italia
New concept from veteran restaurateur Patrick Colombo (Cru Wine Bar, Princi Italia) opened in November at Preston Hollow Village at Walnut Hill Lane and US-75 with Neapolitan style pizza, pastas, and gelato made in-house. They're debuting brunch on Sunday December 7 and lunch on Monday December 8, with a menu that includes spicy meatball sub, chicken parm on toasted ciabatta, and a parmesan garlic cheeseburger with Wagyu beef and arugula. Salads include Little Gem Caesar, chopped salad with salami, prosciutto, and soppressata, and an Italian Cobb salad with chicken, Romaine, radicchio, avocado, beets, prosciutto, eggs, and Campari tomato in a creamy gorgonzola.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Restaurant in Richardson which just opened in the former Maxim's space is an all-you-can-eat sushi/seafood buffet featuring a daily rotating menu with 300-plus items from various Asian cuisines. There are oysters, crab legs, lobster, sushi bar, ramen bar, dumplings bar, skewers bar, noodles, stir-fries, and Chinese dishes both Cantonese and Sichuan, such as spicy boiled beef and kung pao chicken. Plus dim sum and desserts such as precision-cut layer cakes and a chocolate fondue station where you can dip strawberries and other fruit. The price is $20 at lunch, $30 at dinner on weeknighs, and $35 all weekend long. (The lobster and crab are available at dinner and weekends only, not at lunch.)

Jashan
Ambitious new Indian restaurant with a one-of-a-kind menu offering has opened at Plano's Legacy North with a chef team who are bringing flavors from cities and regions across India, from Dehli's fried potato tikkis to pepper chicken from the south. For those seeking something truly unique, they offer a Dil Se menu — an omakase-style tasting, available in 7- or 13-course versions, featuring a procession of these flavors, letting guests discover the stories of these cities in one visit.

La Stella Italian Steakhouse
Stupendous Italian restaurant just opened at a storied North Dallas address at 14655 Dallas Pkwy. in the former Lawry's space, where it stands as a bigger, grander spinoff of its sibling La Stella Cucina, the Italian restaurant in Dallas' Design District. The menu is an expanded version of the original: combining Italian seafood and a chophouse, plus an accompanying music lounge for live entertainment.

LuLu Modern Chinese
Glamorous new Asian restaurant just opened in Plano at 3310 Dallas Pkwy. #121, with a goal is to bring an authentic and modern Chinese American dining experience. The menu features classics like Peking duck, xiao long bao (soup dumplings), and seafood executed with spices and recipes from various regions of China — from Shanghai to the Pan Asian continent. The 4,300-square-foot space features a subtle lounge theme — a place you can dine or grab tequila shots over a soundtrack of '90s hip-hop and pop, plus craft cocktails, and a serious collection of sake and wine — not what you'd typically find at a Chinese restaurant.

Mendocino Farms
California chain known for creative sandwiches, salads, soups, and other healthy fare, has opened its newest DFW-area location — the sixth — at NorthPark Center, joining Addison, downtown Dallas, Plano, Preston Hollow, and Dallas' West Village. With its casual but upscale menu, featuring staples such as the Chicken & Hummus Crunch Wrap — as well as seasonal offerings like the November to Remember sandwich with turkey, mozzarella, mushroom & turkey sausage stuffing, spicy cranberry chutney, and Romaine on toasted cranberry walnut wheat bread — NorthPark seems like a perfect fit.

Old Ferry Donut
Doughnut shop chain from Korea entered the U.S. in 2023, with five locations in California. Now they've made their Texas debut in Carrollton at 2225 Old Denton Rd. #215, Their doughnuts are unique with a slightly chewier, more bready texture than the fluffy texture of a Krispy Kreme, and not as sweet as traditional American doughnuts. Many have fillings, made from premium ingredients. The menu includes old-school flavors such as Boston Cream, Original Glaze, and Cinnamon Sugar — but also new-school flavors like White Chocolate Sesame, Earl Gray, and Matcha Cream.

Roots Chicken Shak
Fried chicken restaurant concept from celebrity chef Tiffany Derry just opened a location at 3748 Belt Line Rd. #118, in a former Einstein's Bagels on the southeast corner of Marsh Lane. There are chicken wings, tenders, nuggets, and sandwiches on sweet potato buns. Derry opened the first Roots Chicken Shack at Plano's Legacy Food Hall in 2017, but this Addison location is owned by franchisees.

Yearby’s Barbecue & Waterice
Halal BBQ spot which originated in Pilot Point is in soft opening mode at a new second location in Plano at 3201 Alma Dr., just west of US-75, where they'll be open from 11 am–3 pm or sell out. There's likely to be a line, because BBQ places like to have a line, but also because the Yearby's in Pilot Point made Texas Monthly's 50 Best BBQ list for 2025.

openings