Frisco Closure

Frisco location of Zaytinya restaurant from famed chef Jose Andres closes

They may re-open in Dallas.

Photo courtesy of Zaytinya

A Frisco restaurant from an internationally famous chef has closed: Zaytinya, the Mediterranean restaurant known for its inventive Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese cuisine, closed on November 18, after less than two years in the space.

Employees were notified of the shutdown at the restaurant on Monday, according to Escape Hatch.

The restaurant opened in early 2018 as a spinoff of the original in Washington, D.C., where it's been a top dining destination since 2002. The opening was accompanied by great fanfare, thanks to the sterling reputation of its chef and founder José Andrés, whose accolades include two Michelin stars for Minibar by José Andrés, as well as having been named one of the "100 Most Influential People" by Time magazine.

Andrés opened the restaurant in partnership with D.ream is a subsidiary of Dogus Holding, a high-flying Turkish corporation that owns not only restaurants, but car dealerships, retail, construction companies, and banks. Dogus launched D.ream in 2012; it claims to run 170 restaurants in 10 countries.

Frisco is surely booming but The Star has not been a sure bet for restaurants, with closures such as Liberty Burger and East Hampton Sandwich Co.

A statement from management suggests that they're not done with DFW, and a spokesperson says that the team is "well into discussions" to relocate to Dallas.

"We’re incredibly grateful to our dedicated employees and for our friends and neighbors in Frisco and the Star community, who have been extremely supportive of the introduction of the Zaytinya brand in Texas," the statement says. "We've enjoyed being part of such a dynamic and exciting location like The Star and wish them continued success in the future. We’ll share details of a new location in Dallas soon."

closings

Closure News

El Bolero in Dallas Design District closes along with 2 siblings

Photo courtesy of El Bolero

undefined

A trio of restaurants in Dallas' Design District, including a gourmet Mexican restaurant that's been open a decade, have all closed.

The Mexican restaurant is El Bolero, opened by restaurateur Richard Ellman in 2015.

Also closed:

Pakpao, an Asian restaurant, also from Ellman
Shodo, a Japanese sushi restaurant that Ellman opened in 2023

Ellman did not respond to inquiries. But a spokesperson for the landlord said that all three locations had been shuttered, and that the spaces were already being shown to potential tenants.

Notices were posted stating that the premises had been secured as a result of a default on the lease.

"We don't know what [Ellman]'s plans are but these locations are definitely closed, and we've already received a number of interested calls," the spokesperson said.

The restaurants' phone numbers have been disconnected, and it is no longer possible to make reservations online.

All three restaurants were part of Route 62 Hospitality, a group Ellman founded in 2022, on the ashes of Apheleia Restaurant Group, which he originally founded with his ex-wife in 2000.

El Bolero was a revelation when it opened with innovative Mexan food and craft cocktails in a brightly colored and airy setting. It was and a popular destination for office worker lunches and apres-work happy hours and notably, an early restaurant settler in the Design District — opening at a time when the Design District was not yet on the dining radar, followed by restaurants such as FT33, Sassetta, and WheelHouse (all of which have since closed).

Pakpao, featuring regional Thai cuisine, was also a concept they envisioned for expansion, opening the original next door to Oak in 2013, and then a location in Preston Hollow Village.

It was sufficiently popular to persuade Ellman to open a second location at 2650 N. Fitzhugh Ave.., in the then-new B & F Flats mixed-use development, in December 2017.

Shodo, a Japanese restaurant doing sushi with an accompanying omakase room, was just the latest restaurant in a location that had previously been home to other Ellman concepts such as Oak and Wits.

Ellman has had many concepts over the years, starting out on McKinney Avenue with a high-end restaurant called Belly & Trumpet, followed by Oak, a high-end restaurant that opened with great fanfare in 2012 at 1628 Oak Lawn Ave. For many years, it was the toast of the town.

In the ensuing years, Ellman also opened two short-lived concepts: a burger place called Royale Burgers; and Merchant House, a restaurant-bar on Maple Avenue.

In 2021, in the pandemic scrum, Ellman replaced Oak with Wits, a steakhouse. Which then was replaced by Shodo, a Japanese concept serving sushi with a companion omakase room.

He also tried a steakhouse, Hawthorn Sushi, Seafood & Steak in the AT&T Discovery District in downtown Dallas, but that, too, was short-lived.