Tex-Mex News

Chef-driven Tex Mex favorite to open in downtown Dallas' East Quarter

Tex-Mex done Muchacho style.

Courtesy photo

Downtown Dallas gets a new restaurant featuring a chef's take on Tex-Mex: Muchacho, the Mexican concept from local chef Omar Flores, will open in East Quarter, the downtown development from Todd Interests.

According to a release, Muchacho will open at 2110 Jackson St. at the corner of Cesar Chavez Boulevard in the 300 Pearl building in early 2023.

Flores, who's been nominated twice for a James Beard Award and who won a CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Award for Best Chef, founded Muchacho in 2019.

"Growing up in El Paso exposed me to great, authentic Mexican food," he said at the time. "While there isn't a shortage of Tex-Mex restaurants in Dallas, we are striving to bring a unique restaurant that is better than the rest."

He opened the first location in Preston Center in 2019, then followed that up in 2021 with a location in Southlake, where he also has a branch of his fried chicken concept Whistle Britches.

Muchacho in East Quarter will be the third DFW location.

The menu adds a modern flair to both Texan and regional Mexican cuisine. There are enchilada dinners and chef's versions of combo plates such as the Combo # Juan, with a beef picadillo taco, cheeses enchilada, chicken al carbon rolled taco, rice, and refried beans.

Tacos are varied and intriguing, from rolled tacos with redfish or fried shrimp to hard-shell tacos with spiced beef picadillo to a veggie taco with fried cauliflower and pepitas. Flautas come with choice of brisket or pulled chicken.

There's a big assortment of fajitas, including steak, pork belly, shrimp, chicken, or portobello mushrooms, and a whole bunch of fun appetizers such as nachos, brisket sopes, picadillo empanadas, and tuna taquitos.

A separate brunch menu features favorites such as chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, and tacos with chorizo, potato, & egg. Margaritas come in eight varieties with all sorts of exotic ingredients such as Nixta corn liquor, Amaras Verde mezcal, tamarind, and prickly pear puree.

Muchacho will join three other restaurants in the East Quarter, all from chef Nick Badovinus: National Anthem, which is already open, plus two more opening this fall, called Brass Ram and Pop Top.

"With the addition of Muchacho alongside National Anthem, East Quarter has solidified itself as a premier culinary neighborhood in Dallas," says Todd Interests managing partner Patrick Todd in a statement. "Muchacho is a fun and lively eatery that executes at the highest level."

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Supermarket news

H-E-B to open 2 new stores in Garland, including Joe V's Smart Shop

newsroom.heb.com

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Texas grocery chain H-E-B is expanding into the Dallas suburb of Garland, with not one but two stores in the works.

A February 24 news release breaks down the double projects:

Joe V's Smart Shop
"First, the company will revitalize a vacant shopping center located on the northeast corner of Centerville Road and LBJ Freeway," the release says. "The approximately seven-acre site will soon be home to North Texas’ fourth Joe V’s Smart Shop, an innovative price format that focuses on offering fresh, high-quality products at the lowest prices in the marketplace."

Joe V’s Smart Shop is an H-E-B spinoff that operates 14 stores in North Texas and Houston. The first one in DFW opened in Dallas in June 2024 at 4101 W. Wheatland Rd. A second opened in far east Dallas in March 2025. The third opened on Airport Freeway in Irving in November 2025.

Products include fresh produce, organics selections, in-store cut meats, in-store made tortillas, breads, and sushi made daily.

"Construction is expected to begin in the coming months," the release says.

H-E-B grocery store
"The second project involves H-E-B’s intent to develop an H-E-B store on a 21-acre site located between Crist Road and Firewheel Parkway off President George Bush Turnpike," the release says. "The purchase of that property is not yet final."

The Garland location will join H-E-B stores that have opened in Forney, Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Melissa, Prosper, and Rockwall, plus two in Tarrant County: Fort Worth/Alliance, and Mansfield. Stores in Irving, Denton, Dallas, Carrollton, and the Mid-Cities are in the works.

Although details of the Garland store have not been revealed, if it's like other H-E-B stores, it could include a full-service H-E-B Pharmacy with drive-thru, Curbside and Home Delivery service, Wellness Primary Care clinic, and a True Texas BBQ restaurant with drive-thru.

San Antonio-based H-E-B has been in Dallas since 2001 when it opened its first high-end chain Central Market, which now has six locations in Dallas, Plano, Southlake, and Fort Worth. The regional supermarket chain is consistently rated among America's best grocers by industry and consumer reports.

Additional details on the Garland projects will be shared as they develop, the company says.

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.

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