BBQ News

Longtime barbecue restaurant in Deep Ellum Dallas shuts it down

BBQ closure is coming.

Photo courtesy of Baker's

A longtime restaurant in Deep Ellum is about to close, after more than three decades of serving barbecue. Baker's Ribs will close its location at 3033 Main St., and it's happening soon: Their last day will be September 29.

According to a representative from the company, they're leaving because the building they're in has been sold.

Baker's is a small chain that was founded in 1988 by pit master Joe Duncan. The first Baker's Ribs opened on Buckner Boulevard before moving over to Deep Ellum, where it's been for 31 years.

It's known for its St. Louis Cut pork ribs and brisket, smoked over hickory and served with warmed BBQ sauce. Sides include an herbed dill potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, fries, and fried okra.

They're also noted for their massive fried pies, which they sell out of a separate stand inside the restaurant, in options that extend from chocolate and pecan, to fruit fillings such as peach and cherry, to savory fried pies filled with brisket.

This was not Baker's first address in Deep Ellum. It started out on Commerce before moving to Main Street. There was also once a Baker's on Greenville Avenue; that location moved to Northwest Highway in 2013.

While one's tendency may be to question the landlord, in this case there's no room to grumble. Baker's owned the building and sold it in June to a group called 3033 Main Investors.

Their gameplan is said to be to build a new bank on the site — something that Deep Ellum surely needs.

It has eight other locations around DFW, in Grapevine, Mesquite, Garland, Weatherford, Caddo Mills, Canton, and Eden Prairie. For those wanting to dine in, it's referring customers to the closest location which is the one on Northwest Highway.

The company representative says that their intent is to return to the area.

"Hopefully in the next year," he says. "We're looking for a building closer to downtown. We're not gone for good."

Greek News

Savvy chef team to open Elia Greek Tavern in Dallas' Bishop Arts

Weight Watchers

Branzino with olives and tomatoes

A new restaurant is coming to a revered Oak Cliff location: Called Elia Greek Tavern, it will open this summer in Bishop Arts at 205 N. Bishop Ave., better known as the former home of Nora Restaurant and Bar.

Elia is from highly prolific chef Habip Kargin and his partner Hayko Sherenian, who also own Selda Mediterranean, the growing Turkish restaurant concept which now has four locations in Dallas — including The Mayor's House by Selda, also in Bishop Arts — as well as a location in San Antonio.

When Nora closed in May, they saw an opportunity to offer something new to the neighborhood.

"We wanted to bring an authentic Mediterranean/Greek seafood restaurant to Bishop Arts and also bring another attraction to the area," Sherenian says.

Elia will be a fusion, combining Turkish and Greek cuisine, especially seafood such as baked Greek branzino, dorado, swordfish, and snapper, as well as Greek classics like chicken and lamb.

They'll also do classic Greek dishes like tzatziki and caviar dips, calamari, and saganaki — a pan-fried Greek cheese. Prices will be reasonable for a nice place, from $20-$40 per person.

As is their habit, they're bringing in chefs with expertise: Abdullah "Apo" Acik and Yusuf Alasulu, two chefs from Cyprus, an island south of Greece, to head the culinary team.

The restaurant will be open late nights until 2 am and feature a full bar with wine, beer, and cocktails, as well as a weekday happy hour from 3-6 pm.

The inside of the restaurant is also being renovated with a classic Greek vibe incorporating lots of the color blue.

"It will be upscale but cozy and relaxed at the same time," Sherenian says. "We want the customer to feel as if they just had a meal at a small family restaurant in Greece."

Kargin opened his first restaurant in Mersin, Turkey, before moving to the U.S. He founded Pera, a Mediterranean concept, in 2012 and later opened the original Selda on Belt Line Road in 2020. Sherenian became a partner when they expanded with a location in Frisco, which opened in May.

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