Closure News

Upscale Mexican restaurant in former El Fenix in Addison closes after 4 years

Photo courtesy of Meso Maya

In surprising news, an upscale Mexican restaurant in Addison has closed: Meso Maya, which had been open at 5280 Belt Line Rd. since 2018, has closed.

David Romano, president of Local Favorite Restaurants, Meso Maya's parent company, said in a statement that they closed on June 12.

Despite our best efforts to continue operations, the landlord has other plans for the property," Romano said. "It was our pleasure serving the community and we look forward to seeing our guests at other nearby locations."

Part of Local Favorite Restaurants which also includes El Fenix, Taqueria La Ventana, and Snuffer's, Meso Maya is known for high-end Mexican food with dishes ranging from traditional tacos with skirt steak, to entrees such as short rib relleno and tamarind-glazed salmon, but at reasonable prices, with entrees topping out at $23.

They make their own tortillas on site and they also have a pretty incredible bar program that includes eight margarita options such as avocado and a mango sangrita, featuring a house-made mango sangrita swirl in a frozen house margarita.

The space was previously an El Fenix, but Meso Maya was deemed a better fit with the surrounding businesses and other restaurants in the area. Of course, that was pre-pandemic, but Local Favorites founder Mike Karns says the restaurant was doing quite well, and it wasn't their choice to leave.

"We wanted to stay in the location and had a big investment in the space," Karns says. "Unfortunately, we missed a lease renewal date, very far out. Northwood Retail, which owns the property, took advantage of that and would not allow us to renew even though we were willing to renew until full lease terms. We begged and pleaded and offered to make any kind of compromise."

"We appreciate our loyal guests over the last five years, and hope they join us at our Preston Forest location nearby," Karn says.

Located at the intersection of Montfort, the restaurant was situated in a visible spot.

That section of Belt Line Road has seen turnover, including the closure of the longtime Houston's in 2020. Restaurants that have opened in that area since include Mendocino Farms, Flower Child, and Shake Shack.

There are currently five Meso Maya locations, including downtown Dallas, plus Preston-Forest, Lakewood, West Plano, and Fort Worth.

tex-mex 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.

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