Deep Ellum News
Dallas restaurant and Deep Ellum old-timer Green Room is closing
A longtime spot in Deep Ellum is closing.
A longtime restaurant and bar in Dallas' Deep Ellum is closing: The Green Room, which has been in the neighborhood at 2715 Elm St. for nearly 30 years, has reached the end of its lease and will not renew.
According to Christian Baird, who is the current owner, they'll close out with a going-away party on January 14.
Baird blames the closure on a drop in sales, as well as the neighborhood's changing demographics, telling the Dallas Observer that "the concept was always a rock 'n' roll sports bar, and it no longer fits the area."
But when it opened in 1994, the Green Room was actually a fine-dining restaurant — a rare foodie outpost in what was then a gritty neighborhood and an excuse for Park Cities diners to make a pilgrimage to Deep Ellum for 4-star cuisine and an exotic dose of danger.
It was founded by brothers Brandt and Brady Wood, who also owned Trees and wanted to provide a place to eat nearby for touring acts who played at the club. They injected charm by creating a grungy rock 'n' roll atmosphere with plates and guitars autographed by celebrities hanging on the walls.
The restaurant earned a dedicated following and helped launch the careers of chefs Chris Pyun, who opened the restaurant, and then Marc Cassels, who went on to open 20 Feet Seafood Joint in East Dallas (now closed).
Cassels initiated a popular dining option called "Feed Me, Wine Me" — basically his version of an omakase experience, with each course accompanied by wine — which nostalgic fans still wax on about.
This is not the first time the Green Room has closed. It shut down due to lack of business in 2006, then reopened, briefly, in 2010.
It had been vacant for three years when Baird came along in 2013. He reopened it with a greater emphasis on the bar side of business including its rooftop bar, at a time when rooftop bars were an early emerging trend. It thrived for eight years.
"We became a before-and-after spot for Trees and other live music venues," Baird says. "We would also see a big SMU crowd on Fridays and Saturdays. But that all went away after the lockdown, when we were closed for seven months. It never really came back."
Baird says he's in conversations with Westdale, the landlord, about what to do with the space in the future.
Deep Ellum, a primary restaurant zone, has experienced some recent churn, with closures that include Tiki Loco, the vegan restaurant that closed in early January, and Sweetgreen, which closed in December.
Mural at Desperados.Photo courtesy of Desperados