Bye Poke

East Dallas restaurant closure raises red flag regarding poke trend

Is it time to stick a fork in poke?

Photo courtesy of Mamasan

An East Dallas poke restaurant that seemed to have the right DNA has closed, raising serious questions about the Hawaiian poke trend: Mamasan Poke, one of the many poke restaurants to have opened in Dallas-Fort Worth in the past two years, has closed.

Mamasan had a short and not all that bright life, open for a mere five months.

Calls made to owners Royce Ring and Alex Urranaga went unanswered. But a representative from the company confirmed that the restaurant's final day was November 30. The restaurant offered 30 percent discounts on all food that day.

Mamasan opened rather quietly on June 27, in a former bank building at 2818 N. Fitzhugh Ave., a few blocks east of US-75, and an area that is undergoing a major transformation.

Mamasan's space was nicely designed, and the neighborhood is definitely on the upswing with new residential buildings, a new Starbucks, and restaurant openings such LDU Coffee and El Bolero.

The menu combined poke — the super-trendy raw fish dish from Hawaii — with bowls and burrito-style "sushirrito" sushi rolls centered around items like shrimp tempura and Japanese short rib.

A poke place in that location would seem like a slam-dunk, especially given the resumes of Ring, an ex-Carlson Restaurants VP, and Urrunaga, whose company Plan B has had a hand in the creation and design of concepts such as Bolsa and the restaurants at the Statler Dallas hotel to Legacy Hall.

So has Plan B lost its mojo, or has poke peaked?

The poke trend has been going in Dallas for about two years, with dozens of poke restaurants opening or in the works, beginning in 2016 with Pok the Raw Bar in the West Village.

Poke restaurants that have opened since include Go Fish Poke in Irving, California-based LemonShark Poke in Irving, Poké Bop, with two locations on Lemmon Avenue and in the former Zuzu space at Mockingbird and Abrams, Poke O at Mockingbird Station, Malibu Poke in Turtle Creek Village from the owners of TJ's Seafood, Poke Sushi Roll at Greenville Avenue and Mockingbird Lane, Mola Mola Poke at Inwood Village, California-based Low-Key Poke Joint in Addison, New York-based Pokeworks opening two DFW locations, Purple Tako in The Colony, and still more in the works such as Poke GoGo in Uptown, I mean, who in their right mind.

So much poke.

If there's anything happening in raw fish right now, it seems to be hand rolls, the loosely-rolled sushi concoction, with openings such as Namo in the West Village, Sushi de Handroll at The Hill in North Dallas, and Nori in Deep Ellum. Bye poke, hello hand rolls.

closings trends

Sudden shutdown

Eno's Pizza Tavern suddenly closes one of its 3 Dallas-area restaurants

Eno's Pizza Tavern/Facebook

Eno's closed its most recently opened location, at The Sound in Cypress Hill.

An iconic name in Dallas pizza is closing one of its restaurants: Eno's Pizza Tavern at Cypress Waters at The Sound announced on social media that its last day was Sunday, November 1.

The closure of this Eno's in Coppell — which opened in 2019 — came as a surprise to customers, judging by the reaction on social media. Several Facebook and Instagram users expressed shock, saying they had just been there and couldn't believe the news. As one commenter put it, "Nooooooo."

As recently as Halloween, the restaurant hosted a costume contest and pizza giveaways — those gift cards can be used at the other two locations.

The notice, posted on Facebook and Instagram, read:

"A note from our table to yours. Eno's Cypress Waters served its final guests on Sunday, November 1. Thank you for the birthdays, date nights, game days, and weeknight pizzas you shared with us there. It was an honor to be your neighborhood spot. Eno's is still here for you at Bishop Arts and Forney, and your Cypress Waters gift cards and loyalty points are good at every Eno's location."

Eno's opened its original restaurant in the Bishop Arts District of Dallas in 2008. The pizzeria developed a following for its thin-crust pizzas and pioneering selection of craft beer. Signature pies include the Pig Smiley with Benton's ham, Eno's sausage, honey, and pepperoni; and The Original with tomatoes, garlic mushrooms, Genoa salami, and sport peppers.

The restaurant was one of the first businesses to open in Bishop Arts, which over the next decade began booming, and now bursts at the seams with all manner of eateries, coffee shops, bars, and boutiques.

The restaurant expanded beyond Oak Cliff in 2017, opening a second location in downtown Forney. That restaurant serves the familiar pizzas, pastas, and sandwiches, along with appetizers, salads, soups, desserts, and a daily lunch special.

The Cypress Waters restaurant came two years , bringing Eno's to The Sound, a lakeside entertainment and dining destination. Its location featured an 1,800-square-foot rooftop patio overlooking the water. The Sound's official Instagram account responded to the closure announcement: "Thank you for being a part of our community at The Sound. The Cypress Waters Eno’s storefront will be missed."

Partnerships with local organizations and independent businesses have also been part of Eno's history. The restaurant was an early supporter of North Texas craft beer, established Brew Riot, a Dallas-area homebrew competition, and partnered with a local elementary school on the iBike Rosemont initiative to encourage students to stay active. It has also been involved with the Bishop Arts District Merchants Association and VisitDallas.

With Cypress Waters now closed, Eno's continues to operate its original restaurant at 407 N. Bishop Ave. in Bishop Arts, Dallas, and in Forney, at 215 S. Bois D'Arc St.

CultureMap has reached out to Eno's for further comment and will update this story if more details become available.

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