Fickle Foodies

Oak Cliff market aimed at Dallas foodies turns out the lights

Tacos were one of the hits at Bolsa Mercado.

Photo courtesy of Bolsa

North Oak Cliff will suffer a foodie loss this summer when Bolsa Mercado, the restaurant-market at West Davis, closes at the end of August. After seven years, the market's lease was up for review and the owners decided not to renew.

They'll continue the catering part of their business but shut down the retail portion, says Chris Zielke, who opened Mercado in 2010 with partner Chris Jeffers and Jessica Jeffers, plus Plan B Group principals Royce Ring and Alex Urrunaga.

"We always made our money from the catering portion, and that made up for the losses we saw with the front of the house," he says. "But I want to stress that we don't feel like this failed. The lease is up, and we're choosing not to renew. It has been more a labor of love for the neighborhood than a money-maker. But we're just not interested in doing that for another five years."

North Oak Cliff was a different place when the Mercado opened, a few blocks down from the center of Bishop Arts District. Rents have jumped significantly, and given the low margins in retail, the market could not endure an increase in rent.

"It's challenging doing something with low price points," Zielke says. "Even if you have 250 customers a day, if the average check is $10, it's not enough to stay afloat. And this neighborhood is not like Uptown, where you have a thousand people coming in every day."

Bolsa Mercado evolved over the years, starting out in a cool vintage brick building as an ambitious and idealistic market and wine store with fine dry goods, bread, cheese, and produce targeted to foodies. Its coffee bar drew customers, and it had a popular prepared-foods counter for eating in or to-go. It did well with its "dinner to go" bags, with all of the ingredients assembled for a dinner for two. Its breakfast tacos and extra-thick pancakes were best-sellers, and its wrap sandwiches were a hit.

But expectations run high with market-type businesses, where customers who are perfectly happy to spend $15 on a burger at a restaurant balk at non-discount prices on produce or dry goods.

Zielke and his partners also own Bolsa, Smoke, Chicken Scratch, The Foundry, and The Theodore at NorthPark Center. They just signed on to oversee management of the food and beverage operations at the Statler Hilton hotel in downtown Dallas.

They'll relocate the catering operation to a cheaper neighborhood. "We need a bigger kitchen," Zielke says.

closings oak-cliff

Hummus News

Revered family-owned Mediterranean restaurant debuts in North Dallas

Samantha Marie Photography

Zon Zon food spread

An upscale Mediterranean restaurant is coming to North Dallas from a trusted name: Called Zon Zon, it'll open at 5455 Belt Line Rd. #130, in the Work/Shop center, and it's hospitality group Yela Concepts led by Yaser Khalaf (Darna, Baboush), together with his son Mak Khalef in their first collaboration.

According to a release, it'll open on December 22.

Named for Mak's sister Zaina (“Zon Zon”), the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with a refined take on Mediterranean dining, rooted in tradition but with modern influences.

"We tried to merge what embodies Mediterranean cuisine with dishes that people in Dallas love," Mak says. "A lot of the dishes we have on menu are Mediterranean but have American and Texan influences."

Mezze favorites include hummus topped with green shatta and extra-virgin olive oil; baba ghanoush with charred eggplant, tahini, dukka, and pomegranate; crispy cauliflower with saffron labneh; tuna neya with tahini, mixed pickles, and Aleppo pepper; and kibbeh with ground lamb, onions, pine nuts, and dill labneh.

Salads include seared tuna salad with freekeh and golden beets; Tahini Caesar with tahini–Caesar dressing and za’atar croutons; and roasted beets with burrata, oranges, and pistachios.

Entrées include roasted chicken with garlic-batata and pomegranate jus; chicken shish kebab over saffron rice with almonds and raisins; hanger steak shawarma frites — a clever twist on steak frites with hand-cut fries; ZZ’s Wagyu cheeseburger with smoked provolone and house pickles; Prime ribeye with za’atar chimichurri and heirloom carrots; and apricot lamb couscous.

The beverage program complements the menu with a Mediterranean-focused wine list and creative cocktails such as the coffee-kissed Midnight Istanbul and ZZ’s Margarita, with burnt pineapple and ras el hanout.

Designed in collaboration with Dallas-based Coeval Studios, the restaurant features a 2,130-square-foot interior with an expansive 735-square-foot patio that seats 76, for a total occupancy near 100.

The restaurant boasts an open kitchen, while decorative finishes include modern woodwork, rich textures, and Middle Eastern-inspired details — stylish yet inviting, with a setting that feels like home.

“The inspiration behind Zon Zon came from wanting to create the kind of place we’ve always wished existed — a neighborhood Mediterranean spot that feels both familiar and exciting - we wanted to create a comfortable space where guests can meet up with friends or neighbors on a regular basis,” says Yaser in a statement.

Mak went to college to sudy biomedical engineering, but says he couldn't resist the lure of the restaurant world in which he grew up.

"Zon Zon is a reflection of everything we love about food," Mak says. "What makes this especially meaningful is building it with my dad — bringing our family’s story and passion to the table."

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