Hi Are You New in Town

9 mega-restaurants from out of town coming to Dallas in fall 2024

Pasta from Due Cocina

Due Cocina

Dallas has always been an appealing place to open a restaurant, both to locals and out-of-towners alike. But with so many forecasts about Dallas' growing population and economic prosperity, the out-of-town interest has escalated, with many high-profile and high-roller openings now on the books.

Dallas can be pretty provincial when it comes to restaurants — the locals love the locals — so Godspeed to these newcomers and their chances for success.

Catch Dallas
Seafood restaurant from Catch Hospitality Group will open at Maple Terrace, the mixed-use development in Uptown Dallas. Catch Hospitality Group is from Tilman Fertitta, Mark Birnbaum, and Eugene Remm, who opened the first Catch in 2011 in New York. There are now locations in Los Angeles, Aspen, and Las Vegas. The menu features grilled seafood, sushi, and large-format dishes like whole snapper. Opening fall 2024.

Domodomo
Chef-driven "dock-to-table" concept coming to The Quad mixed-use development in Uptown Dallas is by Brian Kim, a Culinary Institute of America graduate who opened the original location in New York. It is recognized not only for its hand rolls but also for its ever-changing, inventive "domokase" menu – an attainably-priced, omakase-inspired menu offering best-in-class sushi alongside hot and cold dishes. Opening in November.

Due Cucina
Italian eatery from Seattle that brands itself as “the official restaurant of Italian food snobs” is expanding to Dallas with its first restaurant outside of Washington state. Due’ Cucina will open in the Lakewood Shopping Center at 1900 Abrams Rd. #1900, taking over the space from Unleavened Fresh Kitchen, which closed in 2022. The restaurant serves a variety of Italian dishes at a $10-15 price point, and they make their pasta in-house daily. Opening September 16.

The Hampton Social
Breezy hangout with lobster rolls and rosé will open in downtown Dallas, taking over the former Iron Cactus space at 1520 Main St. The concept is from Parker Hospitality, a Chicago-based restaurant group founded by entrepreneur Brad Parker, who opened the first Hampton Social in Chicago in 2015. Hampton Social is all about the ladies, with a menu featuring shareable dishes and large-format drinks, and a "rosé all day" theme with more than a dozen selections of rose by the glass. There are currently 11 locations in Chicago, Florida, and Nashville. Opening fall 2024.

Local Public Eatery
Convivial restaurant-pub-sports bar based in Vancouver is opening a location at 2323 N. Henderson Ave. #100, in the center where fine-dining restaurant Gemma is, in the space previously occupied by Sushi Axiom. Founded in 2009, LPE is part of Joey Restaurant Group and a younger sibling of Joey, the upscale-casual chain that opened a location at Dallas' NorthPark Center in January 2024. Its menu includes smash burgers, fried chicken, fish & chips, and steak frites. Opening September 2024.

Nouveau Noir
Restaurant coming to Addison's Village on the Parkway is an elevated spinoff of Nouveau Bar & Grill, the Chicago-themed restaurant opened in Atlanta in October 2019 by restaurateur-chef Ebony Austin. It's been highlighted by Today, Good Morning America, Forbes, Essence, Parade, and Eater. Their signature dish is the Ultimate Cajun Seafood and Grits, with shrimp, salmon, and crab over stone-ground grits, topped with peppers and onion and Cajun cream sauce. Opening fall 2024.

San Marzano
Italian restaurant specializing in house-made pasta will open a location in the West Village neighborhood at 3700 McKinney Ave., in the prime spot previously occupied by Public School 214. Named for the famed tomato grown in Italy, San Marzano has been a neighborhood favorite in New York's East Village since 2014, where it draws locals and NYU students for its well-made pasta and upscale-casual setting. Opening late September 2024.

Talkin’ Tacos
Small-but-growing fast-casual Mexican chain serving scratch-made, innovative Mexican dishes, will open their first Texas location at 8442 Parkwood Blvd. at Parkwood Village in Plano. Talkin' Tacos was founded in 2020 as a food truck on the streets of Miami. The brand has grown tremendously in four years, with 16 locations open across Florida and the East Coast, and another seven set to open this year. Opening September 13.

Two Hands
Casual all-day restaurant which draws its inspiration from Australian café culture was founded in 2014 in New York and will open its first Dallas location at The Quad. it'll be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a coffee program and full-service bar, plus indoor-outdoor dining. Opening fall 2024.

openings

Grandscape goals

Soccer and dining venue from the UK gears up for U.S. debut in The Colony

Photo courtesy of TOCA Social

TOCA Social will make its U.S. debut in Grandscape in The Colony.

In time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup frenzy taking hold of Dallas, a soccer-themed entertainment and dining venue from the United Kingdom will make its U.S. debut in DFW this spring: Called Toca Social, it will open at The Grandscape complex in The Colony on March 6.

First announced for Grandscape in 2024, Toca Social combines soccer, entertainment, and dining, with a state-of-the-art venue and innovative soccer-based games. (A Toca Social was originally planned for Dallas, but that location was scrapped.)

The concept was founded by two-time U.S. World Cup veteran and MLS player Eddie Lewis and is backed by soccer legend Abby Wambach. It's billed as "the world’s first soccer social club" and only has three other locations - two in London and one in Birmingham, England.

“Toca was born from my obsession with the technical side of the game and the belief that a soccer ball should be at everyone’s feet,” says Lewis in the release. “After seeing the incredible reception in the UK, bringing our Social flagship home to the U.S. — and specifically to a soccer-rich market like Dallas — is a dream realized. We’ve created a place where the skill of the pros meets the energy of a world-class night out.”

Toca Social soccer Toca Social coming to Granscape in March 2026. Toca Social

The 20,000-square-foot high-tech venue features "social boxes" where players kick soccer balls against a screen that keeps score on best kicks. Cleats are not required. They tout their proprietary ball-delivery and tracking technology — an evolution of the "small ball" training method Lewis used during his 14-year professional career, the release says.

“Soccer is the ultimate unifier, but for too long, the 'entry fee' was being a pro-level athlete,” says Wambach in the release. “Toca Social is changing that narrative. This Dallas-area flagship is where the next generation of American soccer culture is being built.”

Sustenance comes by way of a chef-driven “Global Street Food” menu featuring Birria Tacos and Spicy Fried Chicken; along with a bar program that includes something called a "Pitch Invader" cocktail, which the release does not describe but calls a fan favorite.

There are massive 4K screens, ensuring Toca Social will be a premier location for FIFA World Cup watch parties this summer. Nine World Cup matches will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in June and July. Dallas' Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will serve as the official will also serve as the International Broadcast Center.

Toca currently operates another concept, Toca Soccer and Sports Centers, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with locations in Allen, Carrollton, The Colony, Keller, and Mansfield. The company also has a strategic partnership with MLS club, FC Dallas.

“Our partnership with MLS is a cornerstone of our mission to engage fans in innovative new ways,” says Yoshi Maruyama, CEO of Toca. “By launching our U.S. Flagship at Grandscape now, we are providing a world-class destination where fans can play, dine, and celebrate the global game."

Reservations are now open at Toca Social in Grandscape for group outings, celebrations, corporate events, and matchday gatherings.

---

Raven Jordan contributed to this report.

world cup soccer openings sports