Award-winning bakery opens at downtown Dallas AT&T Discovery District

Cookies, cupcakes, and cinnamon rolls at The Flour Shop Bakery.

Flour Shop Bakery

An award-winning bakery from Flower Mound is expanding into downtown Dallas: Called The Flour Shop Bakery, it just made its debut in the AT&T Discovery District at 308 S. Akard St., where it's serving cupcakes and other portable sweet treats.

The Flour Shop Bakery is owned by Cara Vasquez, a pastry chef who opened her first shop in 2011 in Highland Village before later relocating to Flower Mound.

"We were looking for another opportunity," Vasquez says. "When this one presented itself, we thought it would be an awesome way for us to be able to get into a new market in Dallas."

The Flour Shop Bakery consistently wins "Best of Denton County" and "Best of Flower Mound" awards for their cakes, pastries, and cookies. Its arrival is a coup for the Discovery District, which has undergone some big changes since its management was taken over by Legends Hospitality in August 2023.

Diligent and dedicated, Vasquez attended culinary school at El Centro College in Dallas, then worked for the the Bread Winners chain for 10 years, as a baker and bakery manager at two of their three locations. But her dream was always to open her own bakery.

“The expansion is big for us, especially from being a 13-year-old company,” she says. “I never thought about expanding, because I'm particular about what we do. But this allows me to still have my hands on all the baking.”

At Flower Mound, she serves a wide selection of sweets and pastries, including pies, cupcakes, quick breads, brownies, cookies, and cheesecakes. There are whoopie pies and cinnamon rolls, plus coffee drinks and lemonade.

The menu at the Discovery District location is smaller, with a focus on "walkable" items, such as cupcakes and bars that can be consumed on-site. Prices start at a reasonable $4 for a cupcake, and she rotates flavors in more than 30 varieties such as:

Gingerbread — a gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting, topped with a miniature gingerbread man
Creme Brulee — a vanilla cupcake filled and topped with Crème Brulee icing, then dusted with sugar that's torched for a crackly topper

"Our cupcakes are kind of a big deal, most of them have fillings or some kind of surprise,” Vasquez says.

At the Flower Mound location, Vasquez hosts dessert workshops and events and plans on doing them in Dallas, as well.

"Our desserts are delicious, but it's also about nostalgia — desserts bring back memories of childhood," she says.

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 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 bar in Tempe in 2018 called Rodeo Ranch which served as a template for the concept, featuring 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