There's a fun and casual new restaurant opening in the newly emerging Maple Avenue District and it's opening ASAP.
Called Merchant House, it's the latest concept from Apheleia Restaurant Group, which owns Oak Dallas, Pakpao Thai, El Bolero, and Royale Burgers. According to a release, Merchant House opens on September 17 at 5 pm for dinner at 4040 Maple Ave.
If you hurry, you could be first.
Viewed as two concepts in one, Merchant House has a restaurant on the bottom floor and a separate upstairs bar that is a concept in and of itself, with cocktails, local beer, and cocktails-on-tap. The upstairs bar offers views of downtown with an intimate lounge atmosphere.
At the restaurant, the menu is new American and globally inspired, with shared items and entrees designed to create a fully social dining experience.
The menu also has cuteness: You can choose from sections labeled as "selfish" and "selfless."
Pricing is described as approachable. The food ranges from decadent to healthy. It features local ingredients and focus on house-made, high-quality offerings.
Apheleia Restaurant Group (ARG) owner Richard Ellman calls Merchant House a "fantastic complement" to the ARG family, and says he is hoping to attract not only diners in the area but also from the suburbs. Plano, Frisco, come on down.
"We designed Merchant House to be a weekly staple in the lives of locals," he says in a statement. "We believe that our global menu will attract people from all over the city, including the suburbs."
Merchant House also has "plenty of TVs," music, and an upstairs lounge and patio.
The space itself boasts 30-foot ceilings, with a light, airy setting and a touch of Wes Anderson. It's been described as a "dollhouse on the outside, and an apothecary on the inside," which is hard to imagine, with many black and white photos on the wall.
The location is steps away from the Trammell Crow campus, in the heart of the growing Maple Avenue District, with proximity to major traffic arteries like the Dallas North Tollway and I-35. For those suburbanites.
Merchant House will open for dinner, with lunch and then breakfast soon to follow.
