Patio News

Calif restaurant chain gives Dallas area pups a new pet-friendly patio

Lazy Dog loves your pets, but their deviled eggs (pictured) are for you.

Courtesy of Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar

A California chain known for its well made food and drink and its dog-friendly patio is opening a new location in North Texas. Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar will open a restaurant in Allen, with an opening event on July 24.

It'll be the first establishment to open in a new Stacy Green mixed-use development at 1851 Central Expressway North in Allen.

Founder Chris Simms opened the first Lazy Dog restaurant in the Huntington Beach area in 2003, taking inspiration from the Rocky Mountains, where he spent many a family vacation.

There are now 30 locations, with the majority in California, but also in Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, and Georgia. Texas currently has four locations, in Addison — where they made their Lone Star debut in 2015 — plus Arlington, Euless, and Plano. Allen will be the fifth in Texas and No. 31 for the chain.

Simms says in a release that they're thrilled to join the Allen community and bring hospitality and delicious food to the neighborhood. "The team, the guests, and the community are the reason why we do what we do," Simms says.

Lazy Dog's specialties include elevated dishes, seasonal ingredients, cocktails, and local beers. In addition to lunch and dinner, they do weekend brunch, late-night options, and a daily happy hour.

The menu covers many categories, such as burgers, sandwiches, salads, and shareable plates. Appetizers include Cowgirl cheese dip and pretzels. Entrees include shrimp & grits with sausage and bell pepper gravy; wild boar chili with indigo cornbread fries; and lamb barbacoa tacos.

Lazy Dog favorites include bacon wrapped bison meatloaf, campfire pot roast, wok-fired calamari, seared ahi tuna salad, and butter cake.

They have numerous vegan and vegetarian options, such as the Nashville hot portobello, a clever vegetarian take on Nashville hot chicken.

Desserts include carrot cake made with almond flour and pineapple buttercream frosting, and apple-huckleberry open face pie. It's all made in-house.

Cocktails include smoked maple bacon old fashioned with bacon-washed Tincup mountain whiskey, and the hibiscus margarita with small-batch Lunazul tequila.

Their atmosphere, designed to feel like you're in the Rocky Mountains, is a signature, with lodge-inspired furnishings that are supposed to evoke the state of Wyoming, such as fireplaces, ledge stone, and a chandelier made of Aspen logs.

Flat-screen TVs are installed throughout the bar and patio, and their dog-friendly patio offers a special menu for dogs featuring grilled meats and brown rice.

openings

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Acclaimed Texas chef cooks up restaurant in swanky Hill Country hotel

Photo by Caroline Fontenot

Bludorn Hospitality is expanding to San Antonio and Fredericksburg.

Whether it's part of the trip or the reason for it, a new culinary experience will soon be awaiting Texans traveling to the Hill Country. Distinguished Texan chef Aaron Bludorn's Bludorn Hospitality Group will open a restaurant and lead the culinary program at The Kimpton Fredericksburg, a luxury hotel that’s expected to open in late 2027.

The still-unnamed restaurant will be a fresh concept from the company that’s behind five Houston restaurants — its flagship fine dining concept Bludorn, seafood restaurant Navy Blue, French-inspired Perseid at the Hotel Saint Augustine, and two locations of Bar Bludorn, including its recently opened location in The Woodlands. Later this year, Bludorn, his wife Victoria Pappas Bludorn, and their business partner Cherif Mbodji, will open a new restaurant in San Antonio's Pearl.

“We really loved the idea of being out in Fredericksburg. With us opening in San Antonio, we’ll already have a team out there,” Bludorn tells CultureMap. “We’re a growing Texas hospitality group. We see it as a great opportunity to grow our brand with Texans in really cool spaces.”

Bludorn adds that the restaurant will be a new concept from the company. Details, including its name and menu, will be released closer to the opening.

“We were drawn to Aaron’s ability to create a dining experience that feels both approachable and elevated, where exceptional food and thoughtful service come together in a way that makes every guest feel welcome,” said Blake Berg, senior vice president of development & construction for hotel owner DC Partners. “We recognize that experiential dining is an important part of what makes a destination successful, particularly in a market as distinctive as Fredericksburg.”

First announced in 2025, the Kimpton Fredericksburg is a 210-room luxury hotel. In addition to the Bludorn restaurant, it will offer a 10,000-square-foot outdoor pool and deck, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and more than 18,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The hotel will anchor The Meuse, a 22-acre mixed-use development with more than 70,000 square feet of retail space. Previously announced tenants include Houston-based Padre’s Wine Company, Texas bootmaker Lucchese, westernwear label Double D Ranch, gourmet food company Fischer & Wieser, and Jackson Ballard Gallery.

Photo by Caroline Fontenot

Bludorn Hospitality is expanding to San Antonio and Fredericksburg.

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