Opening News

Massive list of the many recent restaurant openings in Dallas

Shoals BBQ has arrived at the Toyota Music Factory.

Photo courtesy of Visit Las Colinas

Dallas' restaurant scene right now is on fire. There've been closures but that list is equaled by an even greater number of openings. Documenting openings and closures is a CultureMap specialty, so here we are with a list of the nearly two dozen restaurants that have opened just within the past few weeks. There are still dozens more to come (and we have that list, too).

Here are all the restaurants that have recently opened around Dallas:

Beyond the Bun
Artisanal sandwich shop opened on January 15 inside an antique mall at the Lakeland Plaza Office Building, where it's serving a lineup of classic artisanal sandwiches — roast beef, Buffalo chicken, a BLTA — but all plant-based. 1165 S. Stemmons Fwy. #128

Chinchikurin Hiroshima Okonomiyaki
Japanese teppan dining concept from Los Angeles is making its Texas debut in Carrollton with a soft opening this week and a grand opening February 1. The menu features okonomiyaki, a Japanese savory pancake "grilled as you like it" with choice of protein and tasty toppings, served in huge portions. 2225 Old Denton Rd. #320

Claremont Neighborhood Grill
New neighborhood restaurant from the Katz brothers (Beverley’s, Clifton Club, Green Point Seafood) is in Midway Hollow, in the former Suze, where it's serving a very Dallas menu of deviled eggs, pimento cheese, brisket sliders, tortilla soup, Caesar salad, crab cake, and Texas red chili. 4343 W. Northwest Hwy.

DH Noodles
New Asian restaurant has opened in Plano featuring hand-pulled noodles and authentic Chinese dishes including lamb ribs, lamb shank, and cucumber salad. There are fried noodles, potato noodles, and noodles with chicken & sauce. It's also Halal-friendly. 2001 Coit Rd. #165

Dozo Omakase & Handroll Bar
New omakase sushi spot has opened at Trinity Groves with a compact menu with basically four options: omakase in either small (7 courses) or large (15 courses); hand rolls; or a nigiri-handroll combination, with prices ranging from $28 to $120. Open for lunch and dinner, currently accepting walk-in’s and reservations. 3011 Gulden Ln. #109

Easy Slider
Beloved slider spot that once reigned in Deep Ellum has re-emerged in a new space in east Dallas, at where it's serving signature baby-burgers and other miniature sandwiches. 3905 East Side Ave.

Noodle guy at DH NoodlesDH Noodles

Fan Chinese Restaurant
Chinese restaurant just opened in Melissa with dishes from northeast China such as walnut shrimp, garlic pork rib, and stir fried clear noodles with pork belly. It's been mobbed: With few Asian restaurants in the area, they’re sometimes experiencing hour-long wait times. 2901 McKinney St. #100, Melissa

Farina In Grani Pizzeria
Small pizzeria in Richardson with limited menu does a kindof-messy version of Neapolitan-style pizza in four varieties, plus sandwiches and an arugula salad. 514 Lockwood Dr.

Hugo's Seafood Bar
Small casual spot in Bishop Arts with seafood and cocktails is from two talented Hugos: veteran chef Hugo Galvan, and veteran mixologist Hugo Osorio. The restaurant just opened softly in the former Greek Cafe space, with caviar, crudo, cocktails, tartare on toast, and a raw bar featuring oyster shooters. 334 W. Davis St.

Hurtado BBQ in Dallas Farmers Market
Family-run Fort Worth BBQ chain just quietly opened its newest location in Dallas at the Dallas Farmers Market in the former (and ill-fated) Mudhen space, where they're joined by Fort Worth chef Stefon Rishel. Specials include housemade sausages and bologna. This is their fourth location and first in Dallas. 900 S. Harwood St.

Kafi BBQ
Texas barbecue spot just opened in Irving, with a menu that features halal Wagyu beef including brisket, ribs, and sides such as jalapeno cornbread and elote corn. They're currently open limited hours for weekend lunch only. 8140 N. MacArthur Blvd. #100, Irving

Little Blue Bistro
Wine bar and bistro in Bishop Arts is from Olivia Genthe (Fount Board+Table) and is doing oysters, pot roast, Caesar salad, escargot, cacio e pepe pasta, and kielbasa stew. 320 W. Eighth St.

Palate. New wine bar and bistro just debuted in North Dallas from Tom Burt and Christopher White (Lekka Retail Concepts), with executive chef Eddie Ledesma-Porter, a CIA graduate and certified sommelier who has worked at the Ritz-Carlton and Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (Ocean Prime). 17390 Preston Rd. #246

Pesca Coastal Cuisine and Cocktails
New seafood spot is open at Trinity Groves in the former Amberjax space with oysters, tuna crudo, crab croquettes, and lobster rolls. It's from Jesus Carmona (Milagro Tacos Cantina, Chimichurri), a restaurateur who has been featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners Drive-ins and Dives, and on Good Morning America’s taco cook-off. 3011 Gulden Ln. #107

Pillar
New bistro from chef Peja Krstic, owner of Mot Hai Ba, the popular Vietnamese-fusion restaurant in East Dallas, has opened in Bishop Arts in the former Boulevardier space. It's been designed as a quintessential neighborhood place, with dishes such as agnolotti with housemade ricotta and caramelized onions served with short ribs. 408 N. Bishop Ave. #108.

Pizza Twist
Pizzeria chain from California opened on January 24 at The Realm at Castle Hills in Lewisville. Pizza toppings incorporate Indian flavors such as their veggie pizza with tikka masala sauce. There are also wings, pasta, and salad. It's the fifth location in DFW, joining Irving, Murphy, Frisco, and McKinney. 3517 Windhaven Pkwy. #400, Lewisville

Shun by Yama Sushi
Shun is a new spinoff of Yama Izakaya and Sushi, the acclaimed sushi and izakaya concept with locations in Plano and Dallas from chef Shigekazu Tateno, located in the District 121 dining and entertainment venue, where it is doing sushi in a fine-dining setting. 6651 Alma Rd. #200.

Tanghuo Kungfu Malatang
First location in Texas of a chain from Korea named for malatang, a popular street food from China, has debuted in Carrollton. At malatang shops, customers select fresh ingredients that are displayed on shelves — almost like a supermarket — which they pile into a bowl and take to the counter to be cooked for them in a spicy broth. 2701 Old Denton Rd. #164, Carrollton

Trinity Cider X Picadera
New combination restaurant and cider spot just opened in Deep Ellum with Trinity's house-made craft ciders and sake, and Dominican street food from Picadera, a pop-up concept from chef Michael Tavarez. Dishes include Dominican fried chicken, chimi burger, empanadas, and yucca fries. 2721 Main St.

Shoals Smokehouse
According to Visit Las Colinas, this new BBQ spot has arrived at the Toyota Music Factory, bringing bold flavors where the soulful spirit of Muscle Shoals comes alive through Southern BBQ, including brisket and ribs. 340 W. Las Colinas Blvd., #120, Irving

Written By The Seasons
Impeccable farm-to-table restaurant has debuted at The Quad, where it's serving seasonal fare such as grilled shrimp & avocado with mango and Asian pear, or snapper with sticky jasmine rice. This is the second location of a restaurant founded in Bishop Arts in 2021 — a restaurant with a rock star team behind the scenes that also just earned a nod from the new-to-Texas Michelin Guide. 2681 Howell St.

openings lists

Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun