Uptown News

Vegan-friendly fresh-Mex restaurant moves into Uptown Dallas high-rise

Fresh-Mex most definitely includes avocados.

Courtesy photo

A space in Uptown Dallas in search of the perfect tenant has something promising in the works: Called Toluca, it's a fresh, healthy Mexican restaurant from TJ Frank, co-founder of Southpaws Grill, and will open at 2600 Cedar Springs Rd., on the ground level of the Gables Villa Rosa building in late fall 2019.

Toluca will feature local, organic, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free offerings, with a goal of being both vegan-friendly and non-vegan-friendly, as well — a place where vegans and non-vegans can eat at the same place, and enjoy great food.

"By using the highest quality ingredients and spices on our modern Mexican menu, we can offer delicious, flavorful food to those who want either a plant-based diet or else a full range of proteins," says TJ Land, Toluca's chef.

Their lineup includes salads, tacos, bowls, and burritos, with a versatile approach that includes plenty of options for customizing. They'll go for local products, and rotate dishes in based on season and availability.

The menu includes items such as:

tacos with spicy vegan refried beans, tortilla strips, pico de gallo, and avocado fresca sauce
kale salad with quinoa, avocado, crispy tajin-dusted chickpeas, watermelon radish, and red onion in cilantro-lime vinaigrette

All of the dishes start out vegan. Diners then add chef-recommended proteins such as carne asada, ahi tuna, chipotle tofu, crispy avocado, and vegan barbacoa. Gourmet toppings include pineapple salsa, fire-roasted jalapeño ranch, and queso oaxaca.

There'll be a bar serving organic beers and wines, tequila cocktails, kombucha, and even kombucha cocktails.

The service style will be fast casual in the restaurant, with full service at the bar.

Toluca's team has lots of experience: Chef Land has more than 20 years in the restaurant business, while Frank has charted 13 successful years with Southpaws Grill. But he felt the urge to try something new.

"I wanted to expand with a new concept that separates itself from traditional Tex-Mex restaurants," he says. "We have always kept in touch with the trends over the years, and want to offer something unique that Uptown wants."

Being at the base of the Gables Villa Rosa building seems like it would have a built-in audience of potential diners among the building's residents. But the space has experienced turnover. One obstacle: parking. There's parking on the street, but Dallas diners like to see at least three drive-up spaces in front.

The first tenant, Naan Sushi, did okay by offering deep discounts. After Naan left, they tried a food hall, but as is often the case with food halls, the individual operators had trouble staying afloat.

But Frank has relevant experience, having run a Southpaws Grill on the ground floor of the residential high-rise at 3227 McKinney Ave.

He also has confidence in Toluca's menu. "The spicy vegan barbacoa may change the way you eat forever," he says.

Pizza News

Celeb-owned L.A. pizza chain Pizzana to open in north Dallas

Courtesy of Pizzana

Toppings are robust and very California-style.

An acclaimed pizza from California is sliding into north Dallas: Pizzana, the small pizza chain from the founders of Sprinkles Cupcakes, will open a shop at Dallas' Preston Forest Shopping Center, at 11700 Preston Rd #732, taking over a storefront previously occupied by Haystack Burgers, which closed in September 2024.

According to a Pizzana representative, the restaurant will open in fall 2025.

It'll be the second location in the Dallas area, following a first that opened at 3219 Knox St. in November 2022 — the first outside of California at the time it opened. They've since expanded to Houston, opening a location there in March 2024.

Pizzana debuted in Los Angeles in 2017, and stars the expertise of pizzaiolo Daniele Uditi, who has appeared on Hulu's "Best in Dough" pizza competition series.

Described as neo-Neopolitan, Pizzana’s dough is fermented for 48 hours and cooked in a wood-burning oven. It has a more crispy crust than traditional Neapolitan, which can sometimes be a little damp for the American palate. Their goal is to create a light, easy-to-digest crust still sturdy enough to pick up with one hand.

Toppings range from traditional such as to Pizzana originals such as Uditi's signature cacio e pepe pizza, making him a trendsetter on that very buzzy pasta and spawning copycat pizzas far and wide.

There's a regular Margherita with San Marzano tomato, fior de latte, and fresh basil leaves, but also Neo-Margherita that's like a Margherita but with an extra "basic crumb" — like a toasty basil grit.

The menu also features antipasti, salads, and desserts. There are two vegan pizzas, and they also offer a gluten-free crust. They have beer, wine, and cocktails with Italian flair including their Sorrento Spritz, Negroni di Napoli, and Limoncello Martini.

The Knox location can be a tight squeeze, especially for their signature "pizza towers" — little swing-out platforms for hot pies to be presented and stacked above the surface of the table — but the new location promises a little more breathing room.

When they made their Dallas debut, Candace Nelson called Dallas "a very special city" that had already been so welcoming to her Sprinkles Cupcakes venture, before righteously boasting that "Pizzana’s menu will satisfy any carb craving and everything on the menu is worth the indulgence.”

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