News You Can Eat

Pizza and wings rank as favorite things in this dose of Dallas restaurant news

BonChon Chicken is Korea's version of a wings place.
Photo courtesy of Bonchon
Pizza Snob will allow TCU students to get their pizza in minutes.
Via 313/Facebook
Eddie "Lucky" Campbell has a new gig at Abacus.
Photo courtesy of Sunset Lounge
Emporium Pies is expanding to Collin County.
Emporium Pies/Facebook

Fort Worth's trending, chicken's being fried and – pizza. Because no report on restaurant news around Dallas is complete without news of more pizza. Pizza always wins.

Korean chicken chain BonChon Chicken will open on Greenville Avenue and Lovers Lane in the defunct Another Broken Egg spot. It's basically a wings place, but you can also get drumsticks or boneless strips. There are currently approximately 30 branches in the U.S., mostly up the East Coast, with one in Sunnyvale, California (and more to come). Do they know that WingStop's headquarters are in Richardson?

A new seafood spot called The Shell Shack will open on McKinney Avenue in Uptown, taking over two forlorn spots, the old Rock 'n' Taco and The Stand. The place describes itself as an "exciting seafood bar and grill concept." But with "shack" in the name, you shouldn't get your hopes up. That location has terrible juju, and if you call the number listed on The Shell Shack's Facebook page, you get a perky answering service asking if you'd like to be added to the opening night party. Hope springs eternal.

Oak Cliff pie shop Emporium Pies will open a second location in McKinney; Eater Dallas says that co-owners Megan Wilkes and Mary Sparks will split their time between both locations, and the new location will open in the fall.

Fort Worth now has arepas at Sol de Luna, a Mexican-Venezuelan fusion restaurant on University Drive near TCU, from recent TCU grad Frank Sigala. In addition to those puffy corn cakes, Sol de Luna also serves empanadas plus tacos, burritos and quesadillas.

And not far from Sol de Luna, a new pizza place called Pizza Snob will open this fall, also on University Drive near TCU. The concept is like Pie Five, with build-your-own pies baked in a turbo oven, but with more gourmet toppings (if you can call "bourbon bacon" gourmet).

Miss Saigon Cafe, a popular Vietnamese restaurant in Hurst, opened a second branch in Fort Worth's Camp Bowie District. Along with rice and noodle dishes, it offers the two essential items for any Vietnamese spot: banh mi sandwiches and pho. Not so essential but probably more popular: an appetizer called Lone Star Wings.

Eden Restaurant on Lovers Lane is open for breakfast at 6 am, serving muesli, yogurt, biscuits, potatoes and smoothies.

Cook Hall at W Dallas-Victory added some new late-summer dishes, including cheddar corn pops, charred snap peas (like a spin on shishito peppers), asparagus bruschetta, gnocchi with peas and prosciutto, seafood boil with corn and potatoes, and seared scallops with fennel salad. New sides include caramelized cauliflower with hummus and crispy potatoes with chile aioli. New desserts include doughnuts with rhubarb-lager jam, Okay, all over that.

Michael Bratcher is now general manager of SĒR Steak + Spirits at the Hilton Anatole; he left his longtime job as general manager at Stephan Pyles Restaurant. Former SĒR Steak manager Mark LaRocca is now at Nick & Sam's. Troubles at SĒR?

Battuto Italian Kitchen, the North Dallas restaurant from Gene and Julie Gates, has a new chef: the peripatetic Joel Harloff. Harloff will oversee all aspects of the culinary program as well as personnel and revenue management. He’ll also be creating a new lunch menu. Troubles at Battuto?

Abacus has a new bartender: the peripatetic Eddie "Lucky" Campbell. The release says that Lucky has a "storied career" with stints at Bolsa, The Chesterfield and Standard Pour. Campbell will add some favorite recipes incorporating global flavors, such as yuzu, ginger, jasmine and chai spices.

After 22 years as a co-owner of jazzy restaurant chain Sambuca, Holly Forsythe is getting out of the restaurant business. Her brother and co-owner Kim Forsythe will take over the chain, which has locations in Uptown Dallas, Plano, Houston and Nashville.

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Charitable Event

Volunteers wanted for H-E-B's free holiday feast at Fair Park Dallas

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

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H-E-B and its family of brands, including Central Market, Joe V’s Smart Shop, and Favor, will bring back the annual Feast of Sharing dinner this holiday season to both Dallas and Fort Worth.

The two events are as follows:

Dallas Feast of Sharing is on Thursday, November 20 from 3-7 pm at Centennial Hall in Fair Park
Fort Worth Feast of Sharing is on Wednesday, November 12 from 3-7 pm at Dickies Arena

Both events will feature a Texas-style holiday meal alongside a festive celebration complete with a kid’s zone, live entertainment, health and family services, Santa greetings, and more. Meals are FREE and open to the public (first come first serve).

Anticipate preparations to serve meals to 10,000+ people, music, family activities, wellness screenings, and visits from Santa.

Volunteers
The organizers are seeking 1,000 volunteers in each city to assist with serving meals, clearing tables, hosting, and supporting the kid’s zone area during the four-hour events. All businesses, civic organizations, churches and schools are encouraged to sign up at www.centralmarket.com/community.

“We couldn’t bring this event to life without the dedication of our volunteers,” said Mabrie Jackson, managing director of public affairs, H-E-B/Central Market. “The holidays are about giving and community, and this year we’re proud to make a meaningful difference by sharing a delicious holiday meal with more families.”

The event, which has been held in Dallas since 2006 and Fort Worth since 2011, typically serves 10,000-15,000 residents in each city. In addition, more than 40 social service agencies are on hand with representatives to provide information and resources.

Since 1989, Central Market’s parent company, H-E-B, has invited people to celebrate the holidays with food, music, and good cheer at its Feast of Sharing events. The free holiday feasts, which are held in more than 34 cities in Texas and Mexico, bring together family, friends, and neighbors, and provides H-E-B an opportunity to give thanks to its loyal customers, regularly serving more than 340,000 meals.

In the more than three decades H-E-B has held these celebrations, more than 375,000 volunteers have helped serve nearly four million meals. This initiative is a part of H-E-B’s Hunger Relief Program, which works year-round to prevent hunger in the more than 300 communities H-E-B serves. Last year, H-E-B’s Hunger Relief Program donated 33 million pounds of food to families in need. Since 1982, the year the program was founded, H-E-B has donated more than one billion pounds of food to 5,500 non-profit organizations in Texas and Mexico.

Dallas Feast of Sharing – 19th Annual Holiday Dinner. Thursday, November 20, 2025, 3-7 pm, Fair Park – Centennial Hall, 1001 Washington St.
Fort Worth Feast of Sharing – 13th Annual Holiday Dinner. Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 3-7 pm, Dickies Arena (Lower level – southeast side of arena)1911 Montgomery St.

charity h-e-b holidays