East Dallas Closure

Mom-and-daughter Peruvian restaurant near downtown Dallas soon to close

Joyce & Gigi's will soon stop serving up South American delicacies like empanadas.

Photo courtesy of Joyce & Gigi's Kitchen

After five years on the very edge of East Dallas, Latin-American restaurant Joyce & Gigi's Kitchen has decided to close at the end of August. Founder Gigliola "Gigi" Zimmermann says that, after being tied to the kitchen since 2012, she's ready for a break.

Zimmerman was facing a new lease, and her personal situation also recently changed.

"Our lease was up, so that's some of it, but I just got married four months ago and I felt like it was time for a change," she says. "One thing that Joyce & Gigi's taught me is that this industry is extremely demanding. I wasn't sure I was ready to extend the lease for another five years, and at this point, it's not just my decision, it's also my husband's."

When Joyce & Gigi's Kitchen opened in an old body shop at 1623 Ross Ave. in fall 2012, it brought an exciting taste of Peruvian food to the center of Dallas. Gigi had studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin and had worked at kitchens in Dallas and Europe including Fearing's, Five Sixty, the Stoneleigh, Martín Berasategui in Spain, and Aeschbach Chocolatier in Switzerland.

Diners loved its causa limena, a Peruvian dish with potato and crabmeat, topped with avocado puree. And finally, a place to get South American delicacies like empanadas and the slow-cooked stew called feijoada.

J&G's was also an early settler in an area on Ross Avenue that has blown up in the past few years, with construction of a seemingly endless series of new five-story apartment complexes along that strip. In 2014, the restaurant was joined by Method Coffee, which opened next door. Her space won't be empty for long; she hints that a new concept is waiting in the wings to take over the space.

Gigi's husband is John Zimmerman, founder of Crisp Salad Company, with whom she'll likely consult. "For now, I'm just remaining open to see what kind of opportunities there are," she says. "The most important thing right now for me is the flexibility. It's been a pleasure to serve the community and the people who found our food interesting and unique, but I'm ready for a new chapter."

closings

Closure News

Sylvan Avenue Tavern in West Dallas closes but a new bar's on the way

They're known for their pizza and chill vibe.

Courtesy of BST

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A West Dallas tavern is closing, but that's not the end of the story: Sylvan Avenue Tavern, located at Sylvan Thirty at at 1888 Sylvan Ave. #F250, closed for good on November 3, after three years at the address.

The restaurant-bar opened in the complex in 2021 as a spinoff of Bryan Street Tavern, a longtime bar in East Dallas, serving pizza, beer on tap, and a laid-back atmosphere with pool tables and outdoor space.

The bar closed in August 2024, which owner Joe Hinkson attributed to issues with the landlord, but reopened at the end of the month — only to close these two months later.

"We reopened for football season, but we didn't get the boost like we hoped," Hinkson says. "It was becoming the definition of insanity."

"It's official this time," he said. "The shopping center is dying. Cooper's Meat Market is gone, Craft & Co. is gone, Shayna's is gone, and there's been nothing new since we moved in."

In a Facebook post, he stated that "the complex is dying and we've lost four other businesses prior to us making our decision to close. And now we’ve become the fifth one to leave. We've enjoyed our time there, but without support from the property owners, we had to call it a day."

Some of the nearby neighbors said that bar "trashed" the suite, leaving broken glass as well as one of the gas burners open, requiring the fire department to come out because of complaints about the smell of gas.

But Hinkson said that wasn't true. "We removed equipment," he said. "Not sure what the spray paint was. It was just residual trash. No vandalism. We left most of the furniture and the beautiful bar-top."

Hinkson's attention is on a new sibling, called Fate Village Tavern, opening in the city of Fate at 4970 East I-30,#130 — a center so new, it barely shows up on Google maps.

Fate Village is set to open in November, with a similar menu, spirit and beer selection, TVs galore, and a patio with a pet-friendly area.

"This has been in the works for about a year — we started construction back in June," he says. "We're excited about it. It's going to be a truly polished version of BST, and we will be the only bar in Fate city limits."

They're finishing up construction with includes touches like a pressed tin ceiling and shiplap on the walls, to give the new build some lived-in character.

"Adam Navan, my partner in Sylvan Avenue, moved to Fate a few years ago, and that gave us an awareness of the town's growth," Hinkson says. "We watched them build out the retail center, called Fate Village, and it was an instant success. We approached the developer and one year later, they reached out to us and we signed up."

It's bigger than Bryan Street and they've given it a huge patio.

"We are soooo close — we're just waiting on one last bit of furniture and final inspections," he says.

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