Mex-Mex News

Seasoned chef debuts Mixtitos Kitchen, new fusion spot in East Dallas

The unusual croque monsier sandwich at Mixtitos Kitchen.

Mixtitos

There's a new restaurant in East Dallas that's full of surprises. Called Mixtitos Kitchen, it's from chef Jose Luis Rodriguez, and it just opened at 2706 Samuell Blvd., previously home to La Acapulqueña, which served authentic Mexican food and margaritas in that space for 33 years before closing in December 2021.

At first sight, Mixtitos appears to be a traditional Mexican restaurant, with tacos, ceviche, fajitas, guacamole, and steamed fish.

But the menu is actually a fusion of cuisines that include American, Mexican, and French. The talker: the "Mix Croque Monsieur," a unique rendition of the classic French grilled cheese sandwich.

In place of the usual thinly-sliced ham, they use discada, a traditional preparation from agricultural Northern Mexico with a combination of meats that can include flank steak, bacon, ham, sausage, and/or chorizo, held together in this sandwich by the melted Swiss cheese.

Other unexpected dishes include:

Shrimp bisque: Cream soup with shrimp bites, garnished with cilantro
Schnitzel sandwich: Thinly-sliced breaded tenderloin topped with mozzarella cheese, beans, lettuce, tomato, and onion on toast, served with truffle fries
Japanese Shepherd's pie: Rice Karē (pork in a curry sauce) topped with white rice, pickled onions, and jalapeños, with Saltines on the side
Filet Mignon: 6-oz filet with blue cheese, and a wedge salad
Japanese tempura vegetables
Buffalo wings

It's a departure from La Acapulqueña and new for a neighborhood that is not-quite-yet gentrified.

But the menu reflects Rodriguez' varied experience, including seven years at Charlie Palmer at the Joule Dallas hotel, as well as Bistro 31, Sloane's Corner, Café Brazil, Enrique Tomás, Jalisco Norte, and most recently Perry's Steakhouse.

In January 2022, he broke out on his own, founding an earlier version of Mixtitos Kitchen as a ghost kitchen, where he refined his dishes and got his feet wet before finding the La Acapulqueña spot. It's an inviting, energy-filled space that seats 84, with a vividly colored mural on the wall for Instagram opportunities, and a stage for live music, which they host Wednesday-Friday.

The restaurant has a full-service bar with made-from-scratch cocktails such as the frozen margarita swirl, featuring house-made sangria and garnished with a slice of dried mango dipped in tajin. Prices are low, with entrees averaging $15.

La Acapulqueña had a loyal following after having been in the neighborhood since 1989, and Rodriguez is honoring their memory by doing a few customer favorites — although with his interpretation — including nachos, enchiladas, and oysters on the half shell (La Acapulqueña specialized in Mexican seafood).

"We want to bring some light to this neighborhood that does not have the reputation it deserves," he says.

openings tex-mex

Pizza News

Yonx Pizza seduces north Dallas suburbs with New York-style pies

Yonx

Yonx Pizza, by the slice.

A pizzeria with a dedicated following has debuted in Melissa: Yonx Pizza Bar & Co., an indie spot that does New York-style pizzas as well as pizza by the slice, has opened a location at 1521 McKinney St. #700 — an address that had pizza history as it was home for nearly a decade to a Palio's Pizza, which closed in 2025.

Yonx is from Robert Hede, a restaurant veteran who was previously involved with the Village Burger Bar chain, where he was a partner. He switched from burgers to pizza in 2022 when he connected with NY Pizza and Pints, a small local pizzeria chain, opening a location in Wylie at 1125 FM 544 #800. After two years, he broke off from the chain to found Yonx at the same address.

Yonx does the kind of New York-style thin-crust pizza that Dallas-Fort Worth loves, in a standard 14-inch, as well as a massive 24-inch "Kong" size. They also do slices, which can be ordered as a lunch with a Caesar salad for $9.99.

Varieties include familiar favorites like pepperoni, as well as slightly gourmet options with New York-inspired names such as:

Balsamic on Bleeker St., with garlic sauce, mushrooms, shaved ribeye, mozzarella cheese, arugula, and balsamic drizzle
Bronx Bomb, with Sicilian marinara, mozzarella, meatballs, mushrooms, and ricotta cheese
Brooklyn, basically a meat-lovers with Sicilian marinara, mozzarella, sliced ham, chopped meatball, beef, & pepperoni
Greenwich Garden, a vegetarian with Sicilian marinara, mozzarella, red & green bell peppers, white onions, mushrooms, spinach, & black olives

Prices range from $16 for a 14-inch cheese pizza to $46 for a NY Giant Supreme Soho with Sicilian marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, beef, red & green bell peppers, white onions, sliced mushrooms, & black olives.

Yonx Pizza soup in a bread bowl.Photo courtesy of Yonx

There are also sandwiches on house-made toasted focaccia such as the Italian tower with melted provolone cheese, sliced ham, salami, lettuce, red onion, pepperoncinis, & sundried tomato aioli.

Appetizers include comforting soups served in a bread bowl including tomato basil and jalapeno cream soup with charred jalapenos. Plus wings, garlic knots, and "Brooklyn Ballers" — their signature meatballs in marinara, made in-house. topped with whipped ricotta and Parmesan, served with pesto and focaccia ends.

A full bar features frozen margaritas and frozen mojitos made with agave gold tequila. The best day to order those is "Frozen Fridays" from 11 am-10:30 pm when the blueberry mojitos are $6 and the margaritas are $5.

The Melissa location opened in January, with the same menu as the Wylie original, and has been met with an unprecedented wave of positive reviews on Facebook: one comment after another raving over how great the pizza is, and what a godsend it is — positive reviews that began to stack up even before the place had officially opened, the likes of which have been rarely seen.

This location boasts almost double the size of the original in Wylie, with a covered patio where they'll host live music on the weekends outside.

Hede, who has been hands-on at the Melissa location since it opened, says he's all-in on these northernmost suburbs of Dallas.

"I like this area — I feel like all the growth is heading out in this direction, there's just a lot of activity up here," he says.

pizza openings