Mexican Eats
Dallas Mexican restaurant chain Meso Maya maps out north with 2 new locations
A longtime Mexican restaurant in Addison has closed, but a newer one will take its place. The El Fenix at 5280 Belt Line Rd. closed in mid-July, and will be replaced by a new branch of Meso Maya, its sibling chain, with a re-opening targeted for October.
"We recently made the difficult, but exciting, decision to convert our El Fenix location in Addison to our Meso Maya concept," says a statement from Firebird Restaurant Group, which owns El Fenix, Meso Maya, La Ventana, Tortaco, and Snuffer's, among other concepts. The renovation began on July 24.
"While El Fenix has done very well at this particular location, we feel that Meso Maya is a better fit with the surrounding businesses and other restaurants in the area," the statement says. "We are looking for another, better location for El Fenix in Addison, [and] all of the employees in Addison have been offered comparable jobs at other locations/concepts."
There are currently 21 branches of El Fenix in Dallas-Fort Worth and one at WinStar World Casino & Resort.
Meso Maya is a step up from the old-school Tex-Mex of El Fenix; it serves Oaxaca- & Puebla-inspired dishes with high-end ingredients, craft cocktails, and higher prices.
The chain is also opening a branch in West Plano, at 4900 W. Park Blvd., in a former Chili's, which closed at the end of 2015. That will bring the total number of Meso Maya locations to six, including three in Dallas — at Preston Forest, Lakewood, and downtown — and one in Fort Worth.
The West Plano location is anticipated to open in late August.
