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Restaurant News Roundup Time

H-E-B supermarket opens in Melissa and more Dallas restaurant news

Raven Jordan
May 15, 2025 | 7:41 pm
H-E-B Melissa

New H-E-B Melissa store

H-E-B

It's May, a time of the year when CultureMap's twice-monthly restaurant news roundup gets a little sleepy, and this May is no exception. This roundup might have fewer items than usual, but they are still must-reads: openings, closings, and even a few delinquent spring menus just being introduced.

Here's what's happening right now in Dallas restaurant news:

H-E-B the supermarket chain has opened a location in Melissa at 1230 Central Expy., at the northeast corner of US-75 and Sam Rayburn Hwy 121. The store broke ground in December 2023, and at 136,000 square feet, it's a biggie, even by H-E-B's gargantuan standards. In addition to the staples that all H-E-B stores have — bakery making breads, cakes, and tortillas, big produce section, SushiYa sushi counter — Melissa has a few distinctive features including a two-level True Texas BBQ restaurant with drive-thru; a full-service H-E-B Pharmacy with drive-thru; and a fuel station with car wash. H-E-B Melissa joins seven other H-E-B stores and two Joe V’s Smart Shop locations that have opened in DFW.

Piada Italian, an Italian street food chain, is now open at 9605 Coit Rd., #101 in Plano. This is the restaurant's second Plano location. They serve baked piada pockets, wraps, pasta bowls, and chopped salads. There are other Dallas locations in Lakewood, Frisco, McKinney, and Richardson.

Banh Shop, the small Asian restaurant chain dedicated to the banh mi sandwich, has closed its "streetside" locations which include a location in Fort Worth at 3051 S. University Dr., and a location in Irving at 7601 N. MacArthur Blvd. #105. According to a spokesperson, there are five locations open, all in airports, with more airports to come.

Keto Kitchen Creations, a meal prep store, is closing its Plano location on May 24. The shop was open for four years serving family-sized keto-friendly meals like stacked enchiladas, keto nuggets, cinnamon rolls, and lasagna, plus personal meal requests. Meals also catered to diets like gluten-free lifestyles. They'll continue accepting bulk meal prep orders, such as green beans or protein mac & cheese, until the last day of service.

Panda Express, the quick-serve Asian chain, has brought back eggplant tofu at some DFW locations. The dish — featuring eggplant, tofu, and red bell peppers in a sweet and tangy brown sauce — has developed a cult following over the years, inspiring lots of copycat recipes as well as websites dedicated to finding every Panda Express location that offers it. It used to be a regular item, and was recently revived. There are 18 Panda Express locations in DFW, not all have it. Panda Express has dabbled previously in plant-based offerings, including its revered Orange Chicken, which it has more than once offered, with Beyond plant-based chicken.

Cafe Dior by Dominique Crenn, the frou-frou restaurant at the Christian Dior boutique in Highland Park Village, has added afternoon tea. It comes with chicken salad sandwich, caviar & watercress choux, salmon gravlax crackers, hazelnut chocolate cookie, piña colada baba au rhum, and banana and sesame canelés, and is $75. But get this: The tea itself costs extra. So does champagne, which is $25 per glass. Reservations are available from 10 am-4:30 pm.

Crown Block, the restaurant atop the Reunion Tower, has a new spring menu that includes oysters Rockefeller, burrata with rhubarb jam, scallop gratin, Westholme Wagyu strip loin, gnocchi pasta tossed in a lemon & basil pesto with English peas, asparagus, artichokes, & whipped ricotta, Lumina Australian lamb with Hatch chile Greek yogurt, cucumber sumac salad, and pretzel crusted onion rings, and spring roll sushi with avocado cream and fresh greens. Desserts include Baked Texas — a “Baked Alaska meets Strawberry Shortcake” filled with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sherbet, topped with toasted meringue — and Lizbeth’s basque cheesecake.

Dive Coastal has a new spring menu with BBQ chicken salad, brisket Cuban sandwich, gazpacho, Egyptian spinach soup, tri-colored cauliflower, blackened pineapple shrimp skewers, jumbo crab cakes, Alaskan wild halibut, and wild mahi mahi. available throughout May.

The Henry has new seasonal menu items including strawberry and watermelon salad, pressed yellowtail sushi, and wild caught bay scallops. These items are $20-$38.

White Rhino has a nw menu for summer with strawberry pistachio matcha, the Strawberry Pistachio Latte, and the Pineapple Yuzu Matcha. They've also added a new line of energy drinks including The Avalanche, with almond, white chocolate, and vanilla; Matcha My Energy, with starfruit yellow flavor and a matcha float; and The O.J., a mix of orange juice, strawberry, and passionfruit. Summer drinks start at $5.50.

Lazy Dog has a new frozen cocktail: the prickly pear sloshie. It's inspired by founder Chris Simms’ adventures in Wyoming, and blends Pantalones Organic Reposado Tequila, prickly pear purée, agave nectar sweet and sour, triple sec, and a salt rim. It's $13.75. Available for a limited time.

Original Chop Shop is launching a new tikka masala chicken bowl with jasmine rice, grilled chicken, roasted veggies, kka masala sauce, green chutney, smoked almonds, and black currants. Available starting May 20.

Wingstop has a new flavor on the menu: Mexican street spice. The Mexican street corn-inspired flavor is a dry rub featuring chili, paprika, chipotle, roasted garlic, lime, and parmesan cheese. The flavor can also be added to fried corn and fries.

Golden Corral has three new sauces for chicken tenders during dinner including garlic buffalo, mango habanero, and honey mustard. Available at all Dallas locations through June 29.

Golden Chick has a new sandwich on the menu: Pimento Crunchwich. The sandwich has fried chicken with pimento cheese spread, jalapeño crisps, and extra-thick pickles. A sandwich is $6, a combo with a side and drink is $9. Available through August 3.

Eight Elite Light Beer, the beer brand from ex-Dallas Cowboys Troy Aikman, is launching a new slim can. It's still a 12-ounce can but it's taller and slimmer than a regular beer can. Eight is brewed with three ingredients — water, malt, hops — for a crisp, full-flavored beer with 90 calories and 2.6g of carbs, without the additives many mass market light beers contain.

Shiner Bock has new summer releases: the Shiner Shandy Lemonade variety pack and Ruby Sunburst. The variety pack flavors include raspberry lemonade, mango lemonade, and lemonade, with 24 cans for $18. Ruby Sunburst is tangerine flavored and comes in a six-pack for $11.

Texas Barbecue is a Facebook group founded by Desert Storm veteran and Rockdale native Derik Strelsky. He channeled his PTSD into a positive force to connect with others on BBQ trips and share reviews. The group spotlights barbecue joints, family recipes, and the talents of pitmasters across the state.

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Spring Arrival

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

Luciana Gomez
Sep 18, 2026 | 4:27 pm
Ulloa's
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.

Kent Rathbun 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.

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