Noodle News

East Dallas restaurant with Laotian noodles premieres on bizzy corner

Get ready for noodles.

Photo courtesy of Khao

A new Asian restaurant, Khao Noodle Shop, with Laotian food is coming to East Dallas. According to a release, the restaurant will open on November 20, at the hot foodie intersection of Fitzhugh and Bryan Street.

Khao comes from chef Donny Sirisavath, and features his signature boat noodles and Laotian bites. The shop and its recipes are inspired by his mom, his childhood memories of her home-cooking, and his travels throughout Southeast Asia.

"From a very young age, I grew up helping my mom in the kitchen at home and at our family restaurant," Sirisavath says. "I did everything, from bussing tables, chopping veggies to cooking. Everything was made from scratch and with love. I want to model that at Khao Noodle Shop."

The word "khao" has many meanings. Let's go through some, shall we?

By itself, "khao" means rice or food. "Khao gun" means come together. "Kin khao" means to come eat. "Khao kin" means food.

"The name represents everything I hope the shop to become — a home for friends and family to come together to enjoy great Laotian food," Sirisavath says.

The menu is designed for sharing and tasting. You can order one bowl for yourself, or smaller bowls of different noodles and soups to share. When you're done, you stack the bowls up.

The menu includes khao poon, which is spicy vermicelli soup; and sakoo, which are tapioca dumplings.

The cult dish khao soi is called boat noodle soup, and it's done Laotian-style, with chicken and pork broth, fermented soybeans, ground pork and crispy rice.

Fried shrimp balls have cured shrimp and bean curd. "Chicharrones" are fermented pork belly, with fish sauce, lemongrass, kaffir, and garlic.

Vegan options are also available.

Khao will source its ingredients from farmers markets and from the community garden in the neighborhood, to reducing its environmental footprint. Sirisavath sought out his location in East Dallas because his wife's family and Southeast Asian refugees call it home.

On opening, there'll be a limited menu and hours: 11 am-3 pm, 5-9 pm on Tuesday and limited hours on other days.

Khao opens kitty-corner to Jimmy's Food Store, the longtime Italian market. It's the same buzzy intersection where La Popular Tamale House just opened its satellite shop, Dallas Tamale Shop, which will be open through the holidays.

openings

Bar News

Rodeo Dallas bar takes party to Uptown Dallas at new location

Rodeo

Rodeo bar is open in Uptown

A bar with Deep Ellum roots is expanding to Uptown Dallas: Called Rodeo Dallas, it'll open at 2922 N. Hall St. in the space previously occupied by Palms Bar. According to co-owner Joseph "JD" Ybanez, it'll open on November 28.

The first Rodeo location in Dallas opened in 2023 at 2724 Elm St. from Ybanez and partner Josh Reagan, a pair of hospitality veterans whose prior venues include Longshots in Dallas, plus two locations of Varsity Tavern, in Fort Worth and in Tempe.

Ybanez' first bar was Trophy Ranch in Fort Worth which had a mechanical bull. "That's where I learned how popular it was," he says. (He also became familiar with Fort Worth's bar scene and went on to open a Rodeo spinoff in Fort Worth's West Seventh district in 2024.)

In August 2025, the Deep Ellum location became the focal point of neighborhood concerns about crime and was closed via an order from the Dallas city attorney. Ybanez says the city is scapegoating Rodeo for other problems in the neighborhood, and that the Deep Ellum location isn't going anywhere.

“This is not a relocation,” he says. “We maintain an ongoing legal dispute with our landlord Asana Partners regarding the re-opening of our Deep Ellum establishment. The Uptown location represents an expansion of the brand.”

Prior to opening Rodeo in Deep Ellum, they opened a predecessor in Tempe in 2018, called Rodeo Ranch. It served as a template for the concept, with an "adult playground" with mechanical bull, bottle service, girls in bikinis, DJs, dancing, and light show.

According to Ybanez, visitors to the Uptown location can expect to take these factors to the next level.

“The Uptown space offers an expansive back patio,” Ybanez says. “This area will feature a massive video wall, optimizing it for communal sports viewing. Furthermore, we have executed a comprehensive refinement of our food menu, which we are confident will elevate the guest experience."

The menu is rendered by Donde Los Tacos, the highly regarded Mexican taqueria in Oak Clifff, with $3 and $4 tacos, like trompo, barbacoa, and suadero. The Uptown location will also serve brunch with dishes such as chilaquiles.

"We have meticulously preserved the core of the Rodeo experience: the unparalleled atmosphere and vibes, our commitment to genuine hospitality, the homegrown character of the brand, and the inclusive spirit that welcomes every member of the community," Ybanez says.

uptown openings