Opening News

These 9 new restaurants have opened in Dallas in unusual December

Don't worry, the list includes a hot chicken place.

Photo courtesy of Hot Chicks

December is generally not a big month for restaurant openings. Fall and spring is when that kind of thing usually happens.

But there's nothing usual about 2020, and we have a whole flurry of restaurants opening in Dallas. Also, one high-profile closure.

Here's the list, openings first:

OPENINGS

Corndog With No Name
This concept from members of the Fletcher family, of State Fair of Texas fame, is opening a second location at Preston Center, the week before Christmas. It'll go into the space at 6030 Luther Ln. previously occupied by Urban Caphe (between Hopdoddy Burger Bar and Gem juic bar).

Corndog With No Name was founded in 2019 by mom-and-daughter duo Vic & Jace Fletcher who opened their first location in northwest Dallas at 10220 Technology Blvd E. with a menu of corn dogs and funnel cakes. They'll have that same menu but are also applying for a liquor license so they can serve cocktails.

They'll initially operate at Preston Center via curbside and patio service only, Monday-Saturday 11 am-5 pm.

Hot Chicks
This local Nashville hot chicken concept that started as a pop-up has made its brick-and-mortar debut. The restaurant opened December 14 in Plano at 1885 Dallas Pkwy. #300 off Park and the Dallas North Tollway.

Hot Chicks has spicy chicken, jumbo tenders, a big salad, tacos, and boozy slushies, which you can get onsite or through DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber EATS. You can also order ahead for curbside pickup by calling 214-758-0310. They're open Sunday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm and Friday-Saturday until 10 pm.

Founder and veteran restaurateur Sam Sameni plans to expand with locations in Dallas, Las Colinas, Arlington and San Marcos in early 2021.

Bar None
East Dallas family-owned bar opened on December 4 in White Rock Center, at Buckner Boulevard and Northcliff Drive. Local diners may recognize co-owner Todd Dickerson as a career restaurateur with 31 years food and beverage experience, including his role as managing partner of Angry Dog for 20 years. Wife and co-owner Jennifer brings industry savvy via her family's business, Bud's Salads.

They're serving all-American fare, including a burger made with meat ground in-house, plus other sandwiches and family favorites that include clams Casino, wings, Todd’s Sunday gravy, and Manhattan clam chowder.

Well Grounded Coffee
New cafe in Casa Linda has a mission similar to Cafe Momentum. An extension of Dallas nonprofit Exodus Ministries, it provides occupational training for mothers who were formerly incarcerated. The shop opened December 14 at 9219 Garland Rd., where it serves coffee with beans from Full City Rooster, as well as soups from Maya's Modern Mediterranean, bread from Empire Baking Co., and pastries from Unrefined Bakery.

Velvet Taco Richardson
Local upscale taco chain has opened its newest location in Richardson at 102 W. Campbell Rd., featuring their first-ever functional garage door for open-air dining.

The space features murals that pay homage to its origins as a gas and tire shop (C&M Tire) with a retro Richardson background, as well as a larger-than-life painting of Marie Antionette eating red velvet cake.

The menu offers tacos, sides, rotisserie chicken, red velvet cake, beer, and margaritas. There are currently 9 locations in the Dallas area and 17 across the U.S.

Son of a Butcher
Slider concept opened on December 14 in the former Char Bar space at 2026 Greenville Ave. The menu features Wagyu sliders with unusual ingredients like blackberry jam and crunchy peanut butter. They also have chicken sandwiches, hot links, a veggie black bean burger, waffle fries, nachos fries, and shakes in flavors such as lemon meringue and cookie butter.

The original debuted at Plano's Legacy Hall in 2019. This location is open late on weekends and features a drive-thru.

Monkey King Noodle Richardson
Destination for dumplings and noodles — which you could watch being pulled in a display window — has opened a location in Richardson, at 520 Lockwood Dr. This marks the third location, following the original in Deep Ellum and a restaurant that opened in Lake Highlands, next to the Alamo Drafthouse on Abrams Road, in October. (Locations in Carrollton and Legacy Hall have both closed.)

Chipotle Mexican Grill
National chain is opening two new restaurants in the DFW area featuring a Chipotlane — a drive-thru pick up lane that allows customers to pick up orders without leaving their cars:

McKinney at 5151 W University Dr., which opened December 4.
Fort Worth, at 3460 TX Hwy 114, which opens in early 2021.

These following three recent openings in Forney, Kessler Park, and Richardson.

Golden Chick
Southern chicken franchise opened its first location in Allen at 839 Baumgartner Way. That makes 200 locations total; they've opened 16 locations in 2020.

CLOSURES

Captain Nemo's
Longtime sub shop in Irving is closing after 47-plus years in business, news they shared via a Facebook post. The coronavirus pushed them over the edge.

"Due to the difficulties during COVID-19, we have come to the point in our lives where we realize that we cannot continue the daily grind required, physically and financially, to keep things rolling along as they are," they said. "We have explored the possibility of finding someone to continue our legacy but have not found a suitable path to this end."

Their final day will be December 31.

closings openings

Burger News

Northeast burger chain Slap Burger set to smash in Richardson

Slap Burger

Smash burger from Slap Burger, coming to DFW.

A buzzy burger concept from the Northeast is coming to Texas: Called Slap Burger, it's a small smash burger chain based in New Jersey, and it's opening its first Texas location in Richardson, at 888 S. Greenville Ave., in a center called the Arabian Village, taking over a space that was previously occupied by a CBD shop.

Slap Burger was founded in Paterson, New Jersey as a smash burger joint that adheres to the principles of halal, including using meat from halal purveyors and avoiding certain ingredients such as pork. (Their bacon and hot dogs are made from beef.) Halal has been increasing in popularity, due to both a growing Muslim population as well as a rising demand for "ethical" clean-label food.

Slap now has five locations in the Northeast — two in NJ and three in NY — as well as an expansion to Tampa, Florida.

They specialize in smash burgers, loaded hot chicken tenders, and cheese fries topped with slap sauce. They make a decadent banana pudding dessert, and they also keep late-night hours.

Their burgers are four ounces, featuring the lacy and crispy edges that are a signifier of a smash burger, topped with caramelized onions, American cheese, and pickle on Martin's potato buns, which they toast on the outside, leaving the inside of the bun soft.

They do two other burger styles: the Slap’N Melt, which features cheese stuffed into a beef patty, then seared so the exterior is hard and the interior is melting cheese; and the Slap N Jack, a double patty burger with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and pepperjack cheese.

Other menu options include hot dogs, as well as fried chicken in a number of ways: as a sandwich with pickles and cole slaw on a griddled bun; as tenders; in a loaded platter over choice of mac & cheese or fries; or chicken & waffles, with choice of an Oreo or Fruity Pebbles waffle.

Alcohol is not allowed at a halal restaurant, but Slaps has house-made lemonade in a variety of flavors such as dragonfruit, strawberry, orange Curacao, and mango.

Shepherding the concept to DFW is Adam Shawish, the enterprising owner of Arabian Village, who is transforming the center into an exciting foodie destination with businesses such as Arwa Coffee, recognized as the first Yemeni-style coffee shop in DFW.

Shawish was inspired after visiting Slap Burger while on a trip to the Northeast, seeking interesting concepts that might make a good fit at the center.

"One night, my wife and I had already had dinner, but I was determined to try it and they were open late," Shawish says. "I fell in love with it on the first bite. Texas has a lot of burgers, but I said, 'This is my type of hamburger.' It's very simple, not mixed with anything, the buns are not too soggy — just a pure burger experience, not like anything else in Dallas-Fort Worth."

Shawish says that construction is underway and they hope to get it open by Christmas.

"My office is right next door," he says. "Every time I get ready to go home for the day, I ask the kids what they want for dinner, and I can't wait for Slap Burger to open so that I won't have to ask."

burgers openings