Opening News

7 hot new Dallas openings include some pretty high-profile restaurants

Spring rolls are a quirky signature at Davio's.

Photo courtesy of Davio's

Despite the coronavirus, restaurants have been opening and reopening in Dallas with increasing frequency. But this first week of November stands out as a banner week for high-profile newcomers.

These are not your fried chicken joints nor your safe-bet ghost kitchen pop-ups. These are full-blown deals with big dining rooms, cocktail menus, wine lists, and more.

Most have been in the works long before COVID-19 came along. May they all be there for us after COVID-19 is gone.

Chimichurri Bishop Arts
Argentinian-themed bistro opened on November 6 in Bishop Arts in the former Tillman's Roadhouse space with a menu featuring grilled meats served in the asado style, empanadas, Argentinian pizzas, choripáns (chorizo sandwiches), and dulce de leche, with a vibrant bar program, as well. Named for the tasty green sauce made of parsley, garlic, and olive oil that is served with grilled meats in Argentina, Chimichurri is from Jesus Carmona, founder of Tacos Mariachi, and Ramiro Fernandez Pazos, a native of Argentina.

Davio's
Northern Italian steakhouse from the Northeast opened on November 5 in The Colony with a bountiful menu featuring pasta, steak, seafood, cocktails and 300-plus bottles of wine. Handmade pasta such as potato gnocchi and tagliatelle Bolognese plays an integral role. They also have a quirky trademark dish: spring rolls in a variety of options that include their signature Philly Cheese Steak Spring Rolls.

Oak'd BBQ
Barbecue restaurant opened on November 6 in the Old Town Shopping Center at 5500 Greenville Ave., from a group of owners that includes radio power couple Allen and Kellie Rasberry-Evans and founder Clint Norton, whose brother co-owns County Line BBQ in Austin. The menu features meats by the pound such as brisket, pork spare ribs, and burnt ends; sandwiches, salads, and sides; and a bakery operation with pies, ice cream, cornbread, and biscuits.

Swizzle
Husband-and-wife Marty Reyes and Jen Ann Tonic built a buzz via a series of Polynesian-style pop-ups before opening the doors on November 4 to this adorable tiki bar at 1802 Greenville Ave. In a space rich with tiki decor, they're serving rum classics like mai tais, plus fun drinks for two served in the hollowed-out shell of a fresh pineapple. To survive in the COVID world, they've added a restaurant operation serving Polynesian/Hawaiian food such as pork, Spam, and chicken katsu, but also edamame dip with taro chips and, best for last, Dole Whip, the frozen pineapple dessert.

Tom Thumb Live Oak
The Tom Thumb chain doubles down on downtown with this November 6 opening in the Gabriella apartment building, just outside the Central Business District at 2727 Live Oak St., at the corner of Texas Street. In the past few years, oodles of apartments have sprung up in this neighborhood, and the store also represents the first big chain to open a store so close to Deep Ellum. Tom Thumb is killing it on downtown stores, having previously opened a store by Victory Park on 2380 N. Field St., on the ground floor of the Union building in spring 2019.

Heim Barbecue
Fort Worth BBQ fave opened its Dallas sibling on October 22 at 3130 West Mockingbird Ln. in the former Mockingbird Diner space. The menu is pretty much the same as Fort Worth: brisket and other smoked meats by the pound, sandwiches, bacon burnt ends, green chile mac & cheese, potato salad, and baked beans, plus BBQ alternatives that include sandwiches, burgers, breakfast tacos, and corn dogs.

Yo! Lobster
Dallas loves its lobster rolls and chef Nick Badovinus (Neighborhood Services, Town Hearth, Montlake Cut) knows what Dallas likes. Which brings us to Yo! Lobster, a new restaurant he opened on November 3 in Highland Park Village, in the former Perfect Union Pizza spot (sniff). The menu features five lobster roll spins from the original Maine version to a California roll with avocado, plus oysters, crab claws, tacos, burgers, mussels, and steamed clams.

openings

There Goes the Biscuits

Mom-and-pop restaurant chain Biscuit Bar closes all Dallas locations

Photo courtesy of Biscuit Bar

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A Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant chain dedicated to biscuits is shutting down: The Biscuit Bar, a chain with six locations including five in the Dallas area, is closing them all. According to the owners, the closures are effective immediately.

Owners Jake and Janie Burkett say they were poised to sell off the chain to keep it afloat, but the sale fell through at the last minute — forcing them to shutter the business entirely.

The chain has five locations in the DFW area and one in Abilene. All locations are closed including these five in DFW:

Deep Ellum, at The Epic, the mixed-use project at 2550 Pacific Ave.
Plano, at The Boardwalk in Granite Park, at 5880 TX-121 #102B
Arlington, at Champions Park, at 1707 N. Collins St.
Fort Worth Stockyards, at Mule Alley, at 122 E. Exchange Ave.
Coppell, at 104 S Denton Tap Rd. #102

The couple blamed a variety of factors, including "rising costs, supply chain instability, and a commercial environment increasingly shaped by large institutional interests" which "created pressures no small business was prepared to endure."

The concept made its debut in April 2018 at The Boardwalk in Granite Park in Plano, before expanding in 2019 with a bang, targeting five locations all at once — a bold move for a new concept, especially one dedicated entirely to one food group. (They also opened a short-lived location on Hillcrest near SMU which is now home to D.L. Mack's.)

They were open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, offering biscuits, tots, and beer on tap — very ambitious — with a menu featuring both savory and sweet biscuit sandwiches made in house; tots, which could be customized; plus a bar with cocktails, local beer, cold brew coffee, and kombucha, all offered on tap.

Its most popular menu item, The Hoss, featured Southern fried chicken, bacon, Jack cheese, sausage gravy, and honey butter.

Their post says that by early 2025, they entered Chapter 11 — "not to walk away but to rebuild and secure a future for our employees," they say. "And for a time, it looked like that future was within reach. A respect restaurant group stepped forward, committed to acquiring and growing Biscuit Bar. The sale was structured, terms were agreed upon, and the closing was set for December."

Unfortunately, not everyone was on board.

"While many partners supported a workable plan, several key financial stakeholders did not," their post says. "This included a few landlords whose participation was essential. Their refusal to compromise or support a path forward ultimately made the sale impossible, leaving us with no legal or financil ability continue operating. And so just days before Christmas, we were forced into the most painful decision of our lives."

They've launched a GoFundMe for their employees and are encouraging their fans to contribute.

"If The Biscuit Bar ever served you a meal, became part of your routine, or gave you a place to gather with family and friends, we humbly ask you to consider donating or sharing this campaign," they say.

closings