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

Steakhouse News

New Dallas-area location of Outback Steakhouse is bloomin' in Forney

Photo courtesy of Outback

Outback Steakhouse steak and fried shrimp

The bloomin' onion is about to bloom in Forney: Aussie-themed chain Outback Steakhouse is opening a location in Forney, at the Victory Marketplace, a new shopping center at the northwest corner of US 80 and FM 548, joining other coming-soon businesses such as Kohl's, Torchy's Tacos, and Firehouse Subs.

The center is so new that there does not appear to be a confirmed street address yet, although one site lists it as E. 630 W US Hwy 80. According to a release, the restaurant will open on October 15.

Outback Steakhouse claims to have a "special spirit with a dash of Aussie hospitality," meaning that it's perfectly acceptable to call your dining partner "mate." Decorative elements summon that Australian theme including a large bar area inspired by the Great Barrier Reef.

They're known for their iconic Bloomin' Onion, a dish created in 1988 by Outback founder Tim Gannon, in which a very large onion is cut into petal-like strips so that it resembles a flower, then battered and deep-fried. It comes with a sauce made from mayo, ketchup, horseradish, and paprika. It's a good sharing dish.

Prices are lower than your typical steakhouse, with steaks ranging from $28 to $36. There's also pork chops, pasta, salmon, shrimp, chicken, and ribs. Plus burgers, plus sides like mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts, plus appetizers like cheese fries, wings, coconut shrimp, and mac & cheese bites.

The dining room at Forney will seat approximately 187, and will reflecting the local Forney community with a unique piece of art in the dining room: a Koala surrounded by notable regional elements including bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas, a Texas lone star, and a jack rabbit, which is Forney High School's mascot.

“We couldn’t be happier to officially open our doors in this community,” says Forney Outback Steakhouse proprietor Stacy Rheams in a statement.

They'll host a Ribbon Cutting ceremony with the Forney Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, October 17 at 10:30 am. Guests can grab free Outback merchandise starting Tuesday, October 15, while supplies last. This includes free appetizer and kids’ meal offer cards (redeemable on the following visit), branded accessories, and a chance to win free Outback for a year by signing up for the loyalty program.

Forney joins a dozen other locations in the area including Addison, DeSoto, Mesquite, Garland, Plano, Euless, Lewisville, Irving, Arlington, Frisco, and Hurst.

steakhouse openings