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."
