Irish Pub News

Owners of Dallas' Dubliner will open a new Irish pub in Lake Highlands

Group of people drinking beer at a bar cheers

Here's a toast to Irish pubs.

Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury/Getty Images

UPDATE 2-5-2020: Lochland's Food and Spirits will open on February 6.

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Lake Highlands is getting the kind of bar that Dallas loves the most: an Irish pub. And it's from a couple that many would agree are masters of the craft.

Peter and Cheryl Kenny, who own The Dubliner on Greenville Avenue and Capitol Pub on Henderson Avenue, will open a third pub at the intersection of Lake Highlands Drive and Northwest Highway.

Called Lochland's, it will open in January 2020.

"Yes, we are opening a new spot in Lake Highlands in January," Cheryl confirms. "We live in East Dallas and it's such an underserved area — we’re just hoping to make a contribution to this gem of an area in Dallas."

Peter Kenny is a native of Dublin who opened the Dubliner in 1994. It's become a staple of Greenville Avenue and a centerpiece of the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. It also serves as a headquarters of sorts for Dallas' community of Vespa scooter riders.

He and Cheryl opened the Capitol Pub in 2007, just as Henderson Avenue was transitioning into a buzzy area.

For Lochland's, they've snagged a really cool building at 8518 Plano Rd.

"We’ve been looking for years for a property to purchase," Cheryl says. There’s so little available for small business owners like us — but we persisted with calling on this building that had been sitting unoccupied for some time."

Previous tenants were a veterinary clinic.

"It was in horrific shape," Cheryl says. "We had to completely gut the building & remove part of the rear portion of it for parking. It’s been a long, difficult road, but I think it will be a hit in the long run."

While Capitol Pub and the Dubliner have similar pub DNA, they also both have their own particular DNA, with the Dubliner functioning as a classic Irish pub with a focus on beer, and Capitol Pub serving as a neighborhood hangout with good food and a legendary brunch — a tradition they'll recreate in Lake Highlands.

"We're trying to take favorite bits from every place we've had — The Dubliner, The Gin Mill, & Capitol Pub — and bring them together at Lochland's," Cheryl says. (The Gin Mill was a restaurant-pub they opened on Henderson Avenue which was noted for its great food, but it closed in 2015.)

"Again, so little options in this area, so we feel our Irish Pub hospitality might be a welcome addition to East Dallas," she says.

openings

Deep Ellum News

Mexican 'vibe' restaurant from California to open in Deep Ellum Dallas

Mama Por Dios

A buzzy concept from California is coming to Dallas: Mama Por Dios, a Mexican restaurant chain known for its vibe, will open its first location in Texas in Deep Ellum in the Epic development at 2525 Elm St., taking over the former La Neta space, which shuttered in May.

According to a spokesperson, the restaurant will open in early to mid-January.

Mama Por Dios was founded in Southern California in 2020 by chef Misael Guerrero, who famously got his start selling Mexican sushi out of his garage.

Since those early days, he's gone on to form a restaurant empire called Emme Group, with concepts that include Los Amores de Julia, El Rincon de Los Dolidos, and Culichi Town, a lower-priced chain known for Sinaloa-style Mexican sushi & seafood, which has a local presence: It opened a location in Mesquite in 2022.

Mama Por Dios — which translates to "Mother of God" — describes itself as modern Mexican, offering a unique blend of steakhouse, sushi bar, and seafood. The menu includes favorites like tacos and enchiladas, alongside luxe dishes like lobster with spaghetti, lobster enchiladas, and a surf & turf featuring a lobster tail balanced atop a skirt steak. Prices range from $18 for birria tacos to $48 for a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

But they also have a showy side that includes flamboyant presentations such as the bacon-wrapped shrimp which come strung on clothespins; or the trompito al pastor, served on a personal spit, as well as servers who walk around with shots while dancing with patrons.

There's a Gold Burger for $65 featuring Prime beef on a brioche bun garnished with 24k gold leaf, and a similarly gilded tomahawk steak for $400 that brings to mind the good old days of Salt Bae. Decor is swanky with low lighting, and there'll be a serious brunch offering on weekends.

Cocktails such as the Al Agua Pato — served in a mini bathtub with a rubber ducky — are made for Instagram. They offer margarita and mezcalita flights with flavors such as mango, tamarindo, and strawberry, and intriguing sips like Carajillo, a Spanish cocktail with Licor 43, espresso, and 43 different fruit, citrus, aromatic, and herbal ingredients.

There’s also a $20 per-person minimum spend, and the menu comes with a warning that everything is cooked to order — meaning some dishes may take 30 to 40 minutes. For many diners, waiting will surely be part of the experience.

deep-ellum tex-mex openings