Greenville Avenue Turnaround

The most surprising foodie neighborhood in Dallas

For decades, Lower Greenville was the last neighborhood that came to mind if you were looking for a good meal. The area had its exceptions, and a few old-timers remain: Pietro's, Thai Thai, New Big Wong, Greenville Avenue Pizza and what many consider to be one of Dallas' best sushi places, Teppo.

But what Greenville Avenue was mostly noted for was bars. Bars and late-night partying and callous bar owners and, sadly, crime.

Cut to 2013, and things have changed. Bars must now get a special permit to stay open late, putting them under the scrutiny of the city. The streets have been narrowed, landscaping's been installed, and landlords are renting to restaurants. This once-boozy area stretching from Belmont down to Ross is now one of the most dining-friendly strips in the city.

What makes it unique is the fact that they're restaurants and businesses with specific angles – "foodie" angles.

Name any hot dining trend of the past couple of years, and it's now for sale on the Lower G.

Gluten free. GF is one of the biggest trends in food-eating. Company Cafe came early to Greenville Avenue and was ahead of the curve. This has to be the only place in the city with gluten-free chicken-fried steak. Burgers feature grass-fed beef, and the fries are sweet potato. Definitely save room for a thick slice of gluten-free cake in flavors such as peanut butter.

Ethnic finds. Sophisticated gourmands like to try new cuisines. Nora is the younger sibling to Afghan Grill in North Dallas; signatures include the kadu, sautéed pumpkin with yogurt. Qariah is Lebanese, featuring Middle Eastern classics such as falafel, grape leaves and hummus.

Paleo. This year's version of the Atkins diet has developed a small but fierce following, especially among fans of the macho CrossFit workout program. The "HG" in HG Sply Co. stands for "hunt and gather," the cornerstone of the Paleo diet. The menu is broken into meat and vegetables, with a few sandwiches and bountiful salads in between.

Craft beer. These days, every neighborhood must have its craft beer presence. On Greenville, you can find it two ways: at the growler bar-store called The Bottle Shop, or at Dallas Beer Kitchen, a restaurant with a friendly menu – hummus, burgers – and a well-stocked set of taps.

Gourmet grocery. When a headliner like Trader Joe's moves in, you have a scene with a capital S. This much-anticipated California discount gourmet grocery chain could have chosen any neighborhood in town for its first foray into Dallas proper. It chose Lower Greenville. It's a great place to get nuts, wine, ginger cookies, frozen fish fillets, edamame, mochi ice cream and more.

Food trucks. Greenville Avenue doesn't just have food trucks; it has the big Kahuna: a food truck park called Truck Yard that's straight out of Austin. Finally, a place to sit outside on picnic benches and drink beer and nosh on cheesesteaks and food from trucks served in throwaway containers.

Vegan. While no dedicated vegan restaurant has yet to open on Lower Greenville, it is surely a matter of time. Meanwhile, congenial bar Libertine picks up the slack with vegan beer dinners and vegan dishes on its menu, such as seitan tacos and delectable tempura-fried portobello mushroom fries.

Coffee. With Mudsmith, Barcadia's Brooke Humphries gives Greenville Avenue the "third wave" coffee spot it desperately needs. Mudsmith does great espresso and coffee drinks brewed via a variety of methods, including Chemex, V-60, French press and two gleaming La Marzocco machines, custom-made for Mudsmith. In addition to coffee, Mudsmith serves craft beer and wine on tap.

HG Sply Co. has salads such as this kale and spinach, as well as a wide selection of meats.

Power salad at HG Sply Co. restaurant in Dallas

HG Sply Co. Facebook

HG Sply Co. has salads such as this kale and spinach, as well as a wide selection of meats.

unspecified

News You Can Eat

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar is headed to Garland and more Dallas dining news

Lazy Dog

Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar is expanding in DFW.

This roundup of restaurant news around Dallas is topped by a mega-exciting opening for Garland, plus new dishes for spring and lots of fresh new beverages.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, the casual dining restaurant known for its innovative twists on American dishes served with small mountain-town hospitality, is opening a location in Garland. It'll be located at 5180 N. President George Bush Highway, and marks their sixth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. According to a release, it'll open in spring 2024.

“We look forward to bringing our concept of delicious food, warm hospitality and small mountain-town vibes to Garland. Lazy Dog has been received with open arms as we’ve joined new neighborhoods, and we can’t wait to be part of this community,” says Chris Simms, Lazy Dog founder & CEO in a statement.

Influenced by the lifestyle of the Rocky Mountains, Lazy Dog Restaurant serves made-from-scratch American food and drink with seasonally inspired ingredients. Other DFW locations are in Addison, Allen, Arlington, Euless, and Plano.

Salad and Go has four new drive-thru locations coming to DFW: 1102 W Main St, Lewisville April 1; 3401 Midway Rd, Plano April 3; 211 E. Euless Blvd, Euless April 10; and 3820 Belt Line Rd., Addison April 22.

Taco Bell opened a location at 12015 University Dr. in Frisco. This location utilizes Taco Bell's Endeavor model which is outfitted with the latest digital channels, free Wi-Fi, power outlets, and comfortable seating. The drive-thru features an easy-to-navigate menu board with an electronic ordering system.

A-T Bistro is the new name for Au Troisième, the Park Cities bistro that opened in Preston Center in 2022. A-T Bistro has been its nickname all along. Now they've decided to make it official. The restaurant is a nominee for Best New Restaurant in CultureMap's 2023 Tastemaker Awards and also madeTexas Monthly's "10 Best New Restaurants in 2023" list. In addition to the name change, A·T Bistro has also added a 600-square-foot outdoor dining space, 14-seat private dining room, 600-bottle wine cellar, Sunday brunch, daily lunch specials, and happy hour menu.

Boneless Butcher, the Dallas startup that makes vegan BBQ ribs and steaks, is now popping up at the Dallas Farmers Market every weekend with a small menu, three-to-four items including Korean BBQ burritos, a bulgogi steak sandwich, steak nachos, sloppy BBQ sliders, loaded steak nachos, and a banh mi.

La Madeleine has new limited-edition bakery items for spring: Blueberry & Lemon Individual Cheesecake topped with tart lemon whipped cream; Blueberry and Lemon Crepe with blueberry-cheesecake filling and fresh blueberries; and Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting. Three seasonal favorites are also returning: Lemon Blueberry Danish with blueberries and a lemon cream center; Lemon White Chocolate Chunk Cookie with tangy lemon glaze; and Lemon Poppyseed Muffin with a sweet lemon glaze drizzle.

Dog Haus has a new creation: the Pepperoni Pizza Sausage, a savory link with pork and fennel Italian sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella, tomato, and oregano. Guests can get it the Würst Way, served on King's Hawaiian rolls with spicy basil aioli and grated cheese; the Corn Dog Way dipped in Dog Haus’ root beer batter; and “Sliced Way” grilled and sliced with spicy basil aioli. A new item in the Absolute Würst Sausage Series arrives each month.

Cowboy Chicken, famous for its rotisserie chicken, has added chicken tenders to its menu, served with honey blaze, ranch, BBQ, and honey mustard sauces.

Genghis Grill has partnered with chef Robert Kabakoff on a trio of new Fried Rice bowls: Kimchi Fried Rice with spicy pickled cabbage, fried rice, scrambled egg, in spicy Korean chili sauce; Jambalaya with chicken, sausage, shrimp, onion, bell pepper, and dirty rice; Farmhouse with chicken, bacon, jalapeños, ranch seasoning, fried rice with carrots, bell pepper, onions, and a cream BBQ ranch sauce. They start at $8.49.

Dunkin' has new Breakfast Tacos with scrambled eggs, sharp white cheddar cheese, fire-roasted corn, and tangy lime crema in a soft flour tortilla, with or without bacon. What sets Breakfast Tacos apart is the fact that the fire-roasted corn takes center stage.

Cicis Pizza is collaborating with Mike’s Hot Honey to offer a Hot Honey pepperoni pizza, drizzled with the signature chili pepper-infused honey. Now through April 30, the Hot Honey Pizza will be in the third slot after Garlic Cheesy Bread and Pepperoni Pizza, or to-go, $10 for a medium, $12 for a large, or $15 for a giant.

Yogurtland, the self-serve frozen yogurt brand, has two new seasonal fro-yo flavors: Thai Tea and Boba Milk Tea, inspired by two classic tea experiences. Thai Tea frozen yogurt is new, with a bold black tea flavor and sweet cream notes. Boba Milk Tea is a returning flavor, with brown sugar notes. They also have a new limited-edition topping: rainbow mochi.

Chick-fil-A has brought back Watermelon Mint Lemonade after six years. It's available as Watermelon Mint Sunjoy, Watermelon Mint Iced Tea, and Watermelon Mint Frosted Lemonade, starting Monday, April 3. According to a release, the Watermelon Mint Lemonade has a devoted following. "Guests loved the Watermelon Mint Lemonade in 2017, so we are thrilled to bring it back to our menu and introduce new ways for guests to enjoy this flavor," a spokesperson says.

Gong Cha has a new Sparkling Series of bubbly beverages featuring combinations of fruit flavors, pearls, jelly, milk foam, and sparkling water: Sparkling Milk Foam Mango with Star Jelly, a bright, fruity and fizzy mango drink topped with milk foam and chewy, peach flavored jelly in star shapes; Sparkling Lychee with Mango Popping Pearls, a tropical fruit blend of lychee with bursts of mango in each pearl; and Sparkling Hibiscus with White Pearls — sweet & sour hibiscus drink with tart, floral flavor and chewy white pearls. The chain has seven locations in DFW.

Häagen-Dazs Shops has a new ice cream confection: Pineapple Coconut Shake, an alcohol-free ode to the classic piña colada, made from Häagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut ice cream, topped with whipped cream and a slice of fresh pineapple, available April 1-June 14.

Milk Bar, the New York dessert company, has launched two new cookie types in grocery stores: bite-sized crunchy cookies (“crunchies”) and ready-to-bake cookie dough. Known for familiar-yet-unexpected items like their Compost Cookies, Milk Bar entered into the Grocery category in 2020. Crunchies will come in four flavors: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Toast, Pretzel-y Chocolate Chip, and Vanilla Butter Crunch, and sold at Whole Foods. The cookie dough comes in two flavors: Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow and Fruity Cereal, and is sold at Target and Kroger.

El Chico has two new cocktails featuring tropical flavors: Guava ‘Rita: with Monte Alban 100% Agave Silver Tequila, Gran Gala Orange Liqueur, Reàl Guava and margarita mix; and Sangria Swirl, a house frozen ‘Rita with El Toro Silver Tequila and red sangria swirl. Both are $7 and will be available April 3-July 3 at participating El Chico locations: 1549 S. Bowen Rd. Pantego; 7621 Baker Blvd., North Richland Hills; and 503 I-30, Rockwall.

Manhattan Project Beer is launching a blonde beer called Peacekeeper as a permanent offering. It's a blonde ale with a hint of guava and a crisp finish, and will be available in cans, and on tap at some bars, still TBA.

WES Brands, the Dallas-based company launched after the $610 million sale to Diageo of Aviation American Gin, has a slate of executive hires: Shawn Thurman as CEO, Sean Penn to President & COO, Kyle Stein as President, Lauren Ryan-Kiyak as Senior VP of Marketing, and Chris Jebbia as Senior VP of Finance. The company is focused on the growth of its existing brands — Mark Wahlberg's Flecha Azul Tequila and Jamie Foxx’s BSB Flavored Whiskey — and soon-to-launch spirits brands.

Chili’s is no longer using children’s activity placemats that promote keeping parrots and monkeys as pets, after a complaint was lodged in Nebraska. The North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance collaborated with PETA to discourage use of the placemats.

lists chefs news-you-can-eat