Spicy Food News

Asian restaurant with Lao and Thai food takes the spice to East Dallas

The restaurant has a big following in the foodie world.

Photo courtesy of Zaap Lao

A venerable East Dallas center is about to get a new buzzy Asian restaurant, opening its second location: Zaap Kitchen Lao & Thai Street Eats, a Greenville Avenue restaurant that serves food from Laos and Thailand, is opening a location at Casa Linda Plaza, at the corner of Buckner Boulevard and Garland Road.

Owner Tony Singharaj confirmed that he and his family are opening their second location and aim to have it open by the end of the year.

Construction is currently underway. A spokesperson for Edens, which owns Casa Linda Plaza, said that the restaurant will open on the northeast corner, in the same quadrant as Petco.

"The space is being renovated and getting a facelift by the landlord right now," Singharaj says. "And then once they are done, we can start building out the interior."

Zaap serves Laotian cuisine alongside Thai street food. Singharaj and his wife opened their first location in 2018 at 6107 Greenville Ave. to bring Laotian food to a new neighborhood.

Singharaj is a restaurant veteran whose brother Boi owns Sabaidee Lao & Thai Cuisine, which, like Zaap, offers both Laotian and Thai dishes. But its two locations — the original at 5200 Lemmon Ave. and a second that opened in Rowlett in early 2019 — are take-out only. (Sabaidee is also opening a location in Prosper, still under construction.)

Zaap was designed as a more spacious place where diners could sit down.

They make everything to order and with a higher level of spice than other Asian cuisines. "Laotian flavors are more bold," a Zaap spokesperson says.

There is sizzling Lao sausage, heavenly beef jerky, crispy wings, dancing garlic riblets, and juicy pork shoulder bites. Pineapple fried rice is a dish with ingredients that teeter between savory and sweet, with egg, cashews, pineapple, raisins, peas, carrots, onion, tomato, and garlic.

There's Laotian fried rice with egg, white onions, green onion, tomato, and garlic, which you can get as-is or with chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or tofu.

Zaap follows a fast-casual service model, to make it faster for those who are on tight lunch hours, and its to-go business is brisk.

openings

Closing News

Longtime Dallas restaurant Sevy's Grill to close after nearly 30 years

Photo courtesy of Sevy's Grill

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A longtime Dallas restaurant is closing in 2026: Sevy's Grill, which has been open at 8201 Preston Rd. near Preston Center for nearly 30 years, will close on June 27, 2026.

According to a release from the owners, they're closing due to what appears to be an increase in rent.

"After months of negotiations, we were not able to come to a mutually beneficial agreement for our fourth 10-year lease," the post said.

The restaurant is located in Preston Sherry Plaza, which was acquired in September 2025 by Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate. Somebody gotta foot the bill.

Sevy's says they are looking at other locations.

"Our focus now is to finish these next 6+ months taking care of our guests and staff at the same caring level we built our brand on: Warm, professional service, consistently good food and a comfortable ambiance where the guest is always first," the post says. "First on our list of priorities is taking care of our guests in December and all the wonderful celebrations of family, friends and business groups. We do still have some availability for reservations, including our last New Years Eve at Preston Sherry. Come celebrate with us as the exciting anticipation of a new year for all of us."

"Our second priority will be the search for a new location to continue doing what we love," they said. "We are already reviewing possible sites and will keep everyone updated regularly."

Owned by chef Jim "Sevy" Severson and his wife Amy Severson, the restaurant has long been a neighborhood favorite with a lively bar scene, and was nominated in CultureMap's 2018 Tastemaker Awards for Best Neighborhood Restaurant. They were a frequent choice for winemaker events and are also known for the longevity of their staff.

"Eight team members have been with us all 29+ years, with an average tenure in the kitchen of 15+ years and a Management team that you all know," their post said. "Come support our staff as we celebrate the next 6+ months.Thank you again for your support through all the normal challenges of running a restaurant as well as economic downturns, market bubbles, Y2K, and of course the COVID era. As I tell my family and friends to “enjoy the ride in life”, wow, what an amazing ride it has been for us! And as always, Sevy’s Grill is here for you."