Relocation News

Dallas foodie fave restaurant Cris and John relocates after 7 years

Cris and John tray

Cris and John

A major Dallas foodie favorite is on the move: Cris and John Vietnamese Street Food, is leaving its location in Far North Dallas at 5555 Preston Oaks Rd, and moving yet further north to 6090 Campbell Rd., in a shopping center at the corner of Preston Road.

The move is in response to a "problem" that every restaurant wants: Too many customers, and not enough room. According to co-owner Cristina Mendez, the relocation has been in the works for years, although it got derailed by the pandemic in 2020.

"We considered a lot of factors for our relocation such as staff, vendors, and rent," Mendez says. "This little spot we’re in now really exceeded our expectations of what Cris and John would become."

They're planning to move in early June, and will remain open at their current location until shortly before the move takes place.

Mendez and her husband John Pham opened Cris and John in 2018, based on Pham's first-hand knowledge of Vietnamese street food, combined with Mexican cuisine in a menu featuring pho noodles, dumplings, and birria bao buns.

They earned lots of attention for their unique Vietnamese-Mexican fusion, in outrageous dishes such as their pho-rrito, featuring all the ingredients of pho wrapped into a tortilla, and its spinoff, the ramenrrito, with all the ingredients of ramen stuffed into a burrito.

Dishes like these not only turned them into a trendy Instagram favorite, it got them on the radar of Nickelodeon, who recruited them to participate in a national celebration of Nickelodeon cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants. The 2024 promotion took place in a dozen cities including Dallas, with select restaurants called on to create their own version of the cartoon's signature Krabby Patty sandwich. Cris and John was among the 10 restaurants in Dallas that participated.

The ensuing growing popularity brought a need for greater space and especially more parking than they had in their original space.

"John and I are there everyday and that really allows us to listen to our customers and what they need," Mendez says. "We’re so blessed to have customers that will wait in line and that are so patient with us. So when we started looking for a new location, parking was a priority, followed by getting a bigger space to allow more seating."

Comments on their Instagram expressed approval, such as "Praise the Lord.... parking is atrocious but the food delicious."

The new dining room will seat a little over 100 guests — which helps offset the fact that it's 3 and 1/2 miles north of their previous location, further away from central Dallas.

"I think a lot of people were hoping for us to open in the heart of Dallas, but Cris and John started in north Dallas and it only felt right to keep it in the neighborhood," Mendez says. "We’re hoping this new location can be what we couldn’t give Cris and John before."

openings

Hummus News

Revered family-owned Mediterranean restaurant debuts in North Dallas

Samantha Marie Photography

Zon Zon food spread

An upscale Mediterranean restaurant is coming to North Dallas from a trusted name: Called Zon Zon, it'll open at 5455 Belt Line Rd. #130, in the Work/Shop center, and it's hospitality group Yela Concepts led by Yaser Khalaf (Darna, Baboush), together with his son Mak Khalef in their first collaboration.

According to a release, it'll open on December 22.

Named for Mak's sister Zaina (“Zon Zon”), the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with a refined take on Mediterranean dining, rooted in tradition but with modern influences.

"We tried to merge what embodies Mediterranean cuisine with dishes that people in Dallas love," Mak says. "A lot of the dishes we have on menu are Mediterranean but have American and Texan influences."

Mezze favorites include hummus topped with green shatta and extra-virgin olive oil; baba ghanoush with charred eggplant, tahini, dukka, and pomegranate; crispy cauliflower with saffron labneh; tuna neya with tahini, mixed pickles, and Aleppo pepper; and kibbeh with ground lamb, onions, pine nuts, and dill labneh.

Salads include seared tuna salad with freekeh and golden beets; Tahini Caesar with tahini–Caesar dressing and za’atar croutons; and roasted beets with burrata, oranges, and pistachios.

Entrées include roasted chicken with garlic-batata and pomegranate jus; chicken shish kebab over saffron rice with almonds and raisins; hanger steak shawarma frites — a clever twist on steak frites with hand-cut fries; ZZ’s Wagyu cheeseburger with smoked provolone and house pickles; Prime ribeye with za’atar chimichurri and heirloom carrots; and apricot lamb couscous.

The beverage program complements the menu with a Mediterranean-focused wine list and creative cocktails such as the coffee-kissed Midnight Istanbul and ZZ’s Margarita, with burnt pineapple and ras el hanout.

Designed in collaboration with Dallas-based Coeval Studios, the restaurant features a 2,130-square-foot interior with an expansive 735-square-foot patio that seats 76, for a total occupancy near 100.

The restaurant boasts an open kitchen, while decorative finishes include modern woodwork, rich textures, and Middle Eastern-inspired details — stylish yet inviting, with a setting that feels like home.

“The inspiration behind Zon Zon came from wanting to create the kind of place we’ve always wished existed — a neighborhood Mediterranean spot that feels both familiar and exciting - we wanted to create a comfortable space where guests can meet up with friends or neighbors on a regular basis,” says Yaser in a statement.

Mak went to college to sudy biomedical engineering, but says he couldn't resist the lure of the restaurant world in which he grew up.

"Zon Zon is a reflection of everything we love about food," Mak says. "What makes this especially meaningful is building it with my dad — bringing our family’s story and passion to the table."

openings