Greenville Avenue News

Social House tackles Tex-Mex with new restaurant on Dallas' Lower Greenville

Those tacos will be filled with smoked chicken and smoked brisket.

Photo courtesy of Don Chingon

Best known for fun and games and a good-time brunch, the folks behind The Social House are broadening their cuisine horizon with Don Chingon, a new restaurant opening on Lower Greenville in early September. Their hope is to redefine Tex-Mex, with novel dishes, a stellar atmosphere, and attentive service.

The restaurant is opening at 2237 Greenville Ave., in the former gas station at the corner of Belmont Avenue, across the street from what used to be the Whole Foods Market. Co-owner Shawn Rao says that with Don Chingon, they hope to offer a Tex-Mex that's different from what is generally found around town.

"We've always wanted to do a Tex-Mex place and hoped to put a fresh spin on the genre, rather than the same old stuff," he says. "And for us as a company, it represents a little more serious step towards food."

The Syn Group oversees a number of concepts, including multiple locations of Social House, its lively bar-restaurant; Sidebar, a lounge in Uptown Dallas; and America Gardens, a restaurant-bar in Fort Worth.

Rao says they went to restaurants in the area and around the country, seeking inspiration for something different from the same-old. That means no combination plates. Menu items include michelada-roasted chicken, Mexican lasagna, a pork chop braised for 18 hours, and enchiladas filled with short rib or smoked chicken.

There are carne asada fries — french fries topped with carne asada, uh huh — plus chicken and brisket tacos, with chicken and brisket that's smoked, not braised. Their lineup of cocktails will include more than 20 margarita options and 10 frozen drinks.

Prices start at $12. Most items will be under $20, with their most expensive dish, sea bass, at $28. But hey that sea bass comes poached in Dos XX and is served with Southwest hash, pickled radishes, and mango vinaigrette.

If you've driven by the space, you already know that they've invested serious dollars on the construction. The building has a cool midcentury flair, with some eye-catching colored shiplap on the exterior. Inside, there's a 40-foot mural with your prototypical sugar skulls, and on the patio is a 9.5-foot piñata.

This is a departure from what they originally planned for the space, which was a restaurant-bar with a bigger patio and more games. The feedback they got from the neighborhood was not in favor of such a concept.

"It's a great location, and fresh Tex-Mex seems like a better fit," Rao says. "When it comes to Tex-Mex, that area is under-served."

tex-mex greenville-avenue openings

Opening News

New restaurant The Gibson fills needs of its North Dallas neighborhood

The Gibson

A swanky new restaurant has debuted in North Dallas after overcoming some major obstacles: Called The Gibson, it opened in November at 17552 North Dallas Pkwy., in the space previously occupied by Maguire's Bistro & Bar, after three years in the making.

Husband-and-wife Carl and Carrie Britton first purchased the building in 2022, intending to open a spinoff of The Funky Door, their fine-dining restaurant in Lubbock.

Carrie is a big wine buff who's certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers and is also a French Wine Scholar. She opened The Funky Door in 2010 — a rare fine-dining haven in Lubbock at the time. More recently, she's turned her attention to the Dallas area, opening a French restaurant called Vieux Carre in Flower Mound in 2023 (which is currently closed temporarily).

The Gibson was slated to open sooner, but in mid-construction, they were dealt a serious blow.

"In 2023, The Gibson was devastated by thieves," Carrie says. "They destroyed the building, doubling the remodeling budget in damage by stripping copper from the walls, stealing all the electrical wiring and components, stealing equipment, and destroying everything from the AC to the floors."

To make it worse, insurance wouldn’t cover the loss because it was theft.

"It was a blow that left me truly shaken, and for a long time I couldn’t even look at the pictures of the damage," she says. "Emotionally and financially, I had to really pray about whether I was going to get this done or not. But I really felt like it was something that I needed to do. I want to be victorious. I'm not going to be a victim."

She regained her passion, returning to the vision she had for the space.

“The building had its own personality — I felt like a kind of Hollywood glamor with a new Dallas edge would be perfect," she says.

The GibsonThe Gibson

The facade and decor have an Art Deco flavor with chandeliers, a color scheme with polished black surfaces and brass accents, and a swooping bar in the center. They've also added a patio, helping to make the space right off the Tollway feel more friendly and approachable.

The menu is American with steakhouse touches. There's a tomahawk for two, ribeye, filet, and NY Strip. Plus short ribs, salmon, a burger, vegetarian risotto, and sea bass with an unexpected white chocolate strawberry buerre blanc.

There are deviled eggs, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, and fried pickles. Entree prices start at $20 and top out at $59 for the sea bass.

Cocktails include a pear martini and a Gibson with gin and dry vermouth, garnished with an onion. A large wine list includes what Carrie describes as “unicorns” — bottles that are hard to find, including a 1982 Lafitte.

"There are very rare wines, but we also have everything, starting from $40 a bottle," she says.

They're currently open for dinner with plans to add lunch, and there's definitely an audience. Maguire's had a big following and when The Gibson got vandalized, the neighbors came out in support.

"The neighborhood has been really awesome," Carrie says. "They would alert me when things were going on, and they were really great to help watch over it. That was a big motivation."

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