Company Cafe Departs

Uptown Dallas suffers brunch casualty along Katy Trail

Company Cafe on the Katy Trail closes August 11.

Courtesy photo

A restaurant with an enviable location on Katy Trail, which is also known for its busy dog-friendly brunch, will close for good in August. Company Cafe, located at 3136 Routh St., announced on Facebook that it will close for the most obvious reason: an expired lease.

"After nearly five years of serving Dallas natural fresh food from scratch, we are sad to say that our lease to the Katy Trail location is expiring," the notice reads. "We plan to close our location for good in the next few weeks."

A Company Cafe spokesman clarified that the closing date would be August 11.

"We will miss all your friendly faces and your sweet canine companions resting on our beautiful patio," the notice reads. "We thank all of our wonderful customers for their constant support as we would not have gotten this far without you. We wish to continue to serve Dallas in these coming weeks and we hope to go out with a bang!"

Company Cafe was launched on Greenville Avenue in 2011, with a focus on natural, fresh fare; it drew a following as a local pioneer in the gluten-free trend. But it was the Katy Trail location where the company had its first smoker, which inspired the opening of Back Home Barbecue, a drive-through barbecue sibling on Ross Avenue.

The announcement references the new barbecue spot: "For those interested in a little smoked protein in their lives, head over to Back Home Barbecue on Ross Avenue and give our new happy little concept a try, where we have bought a place that we are fixing up and are now making great-tasting barbecue," it says.

Katy Trail Ice House is the landlord, but no plans have been announced for the space.

The Greenville Avenue location of Company Cafe will remain open. "All is not gloom and sadness," reads the post. "Our location on Lower Greenville Avenue will continue to give the same care and sustenance that you have come to love at our Katy Trail location."

unspecified

Mezze and More

Acclaimed Chicago restaurant Aba to debut in Dallas' Design District

Jeff Marini for Aba

A mezze spread at Aba

Aba, the acclaimed Chicago Mediterranean restaurant known for its creative riffs on hummus and meaty kebabs, is coming to Dallas.

The restaurant, named for the Hebrew word for “father,” is set to open at the in-progress Design District development The Seam, formerly known as the Oak Lawn Design Plaza, at 1444 Oak Lawn Blvd., later this year.

The restaurant will offer both indoor and outdoor dining rooms decked out in tons of greenery, including “large-scale Mediterranean olive trees,” climbing ivy, and potted plants and trees sourced from local purveyors. The design will also be decidedly Mediterranean-inspired, with Moroccan-style lanterns, vintage chandeliers, and vibrant mosaic tiles.

The restaurant is a project of the Chicago-based hospitality group Lettuce Entertain You, which operates more than 100 restaurants of all kinds across the country. The group made its first foray into Texas in 2020, when they opened an outpost of Aba in Austin. Dallas is the fourth city for Aba, joining the Austin location, the original in Chicago, and a Nashville restaurant that opened in September 2025.

“We’ve been humbled by the positive response from our guests in Austin, and we are excited to expand into the Dallas market,” says executive partner Marc Jacobs. “We look forward to bringing our warm hospitality, California-inspired mezze-style menu and energetic ambiance, transporting guests to a vacation in the Mediterranean.”

Aba hummus Smoky garlic hummus from Aba.Photo by Jeff Marini.

Top Chef contestant CJ Jacobson is in charge of the menu at Aba, which focuses on both hot and cold mezze dishes and a solid line-up of proteins like pistachio-crusted halibut, shawarma-spiced steak frites, and slow-braised short rib in pomegranate-date glaze. The hummus selection is especially compelling, with options including a beef brisket hummus with smoky barbecue sauce and an iteration that’s topped with a buttery mushroom ragu made with four different types of mushrooms.

Kebabs also have their own section on the menu, with both vegetarian options like grilled mushrooms and meatier options on offer, including grilled chicken and kafta.

Though this is Lettuce Entertain You’s first Dallas restaurant, the chain officially planted its flag in the Metroplex in 2025 with the arrival of the Lone Star Smokeout, a barbecue festival with live music that’s expected to make its return in April 2026.

No official opening date for Aba has been announced, but expect it to arrive sometime in late 2026.

mediterranean chicago design district openings