H-E-B opening

H-E-B's first Dallas County grocery store makes grand debut in Irving

H-E-B has opened at 2351 West Interstate 635, Irving.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

The ribbon has been cut, and dinner is being purchased at the long-anticipated new H-E-B store in Irving. The Texas grocery chain officially opened the doors to the supermarket, at 2351 West Interstate 635, at 6 am Wednesday, June 17.

The store, the first H-E-B in Dallas County, is technically in Irving but is also convenient to Las Colinas neighborhoods, Coppell, Grapevine, West Dallas, and DFW Airport. Irving is also home to a location of Joe V's Smart Shop by H-E-B, a spinoff H-E-B concept, at 2407 W. Airport Fwy.

“We’re honored to open our doors to this wonderful community, where our committed H-E-B Partners are ready to earn the loyalty and confidence of local families,” says Juan-Carlos Rück, an H-E-B executive vice president, in a release. “We are eager to provide our customers in the Irving area with quality service and an outstanding selection of H-E-B favorites and flavors from around the world.”

A look around
The massive 112,000-square-foot store features not only groceries and home essentials but a True Texas BBQ restaurant with drive-thru, H-E-B Curbside and Home Delivery services with a large Curbside parking area, and full-service H-E-B Pharmacy with drive-thru.

Additional highlights include an expanded hot food offerings with several breakfast, lunch, and dinner options; a Meal Simple section plus Asian grill items such as rice and noodle bowls, True Texas BBQ favorites, True Texas Boil House seafood selections, hot soups, and bakery goods.

Specific to the Irving store, H-E-B has introduced Masala House, described as "an H-E-B product line that offers customers meal options made in-house daily such as chicken masala, butter chicken, naan bread, chutney dips, and more." There's also an international assortment of rice, lentils, and specialty items from Central America, Latin America, Britain, and Asia.

"Inside and out, the new store reflects the unique character of the Irving community," says the release.

H-E-B South Asian foods There's a special emphasis on South Asian foods at the Irving H-E-B.Photo courtesy of H-E-B

Like in other H-E-B stores, the Irving location offers:

Bakery with artisan breads, cakes, warm tortillas, and vegan options made fresh daily
Deli featuring an extensive cheese selection and charcuterie island
Sushiya with fresh-made sushi and an Asian grill serving rice bowls, teriyaki, and more
H-E-B Meal Simple chef-inspired meals prepared in store
Cooking Connection with live demos, samples, and easy recipe ideas
Produce department with large organic and Texas-grown selections
Meat market featuring Prime, natural, organic, and Wagyu meats, plus ready-to-eat options
Blooms floral department with online ordering and delivery
Extensive beer and wine selection with a tasting station
Healthy Living department with bulk foods, sports nutrition products, and supplements
Expanded frozen foods selection
Beauty department with cosmetics and personal care essentials
Pet department featuring Heritage Ranch by H-E-B food, treats, and toys
Household Essentials department with tableware, storage products, and Texas Tough items

The store opened at 6 am June 17 with fanfare that included H-E-B and community leaders, plus Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders - essential for any opening worth its salt in DFW. The company also presented checks totaling $40,000 for Irving-based nonprofits including Irving Family Advocacy Center, Level Pathways, Coppell ISD Education Foundation, and the Canine Companions.

H-E-B Irving The Irving store is just off 635, convenient to Grapevine, Coppell, DFW Airport, and West Dallas.Photo courtesy of H-E-B

First announced in August 2024, the Irving store is the latest in the San Antonio-based grocer's march across Dallas-Fort Worth. It is the second DFW opening in a month, following the H-E-B Midcities store in Euless on May 20.

H-E-B has also unveiled plans for stores in Garland, Murphy, Walsh Ranch, Carrollton, and Denton. H-E-B owns land in Dallas at Hillcrest Road and LBJ Freeway, the site will be the company’s first H-E-B store in the city of Dallas.

The Irving H-E-B store is open daily 6 am-11 pm.

heb irving new store openings supermarkets h-e-b H-E-B

Restaurant closure

Beloved Bishop Arts Japanese restaurant Zen Sushi closes after 20 years

Zen Sushi/Facebook

After two decades Zen exits Bishop Arts

From the ever-evolving Bishop Arts District in Dallas comes news of another longtime restaurant closing: Zen Sushi, which served modern Japanese fare at 380 W. 7th St. in Oak Cliff for 20 years, shuttered without fanfare following Halloween dinner.

D Magazine was the first to report the closure.

Zen Sushi owner and chef Michelle Carpenter earned a national reputation after opening the restaurant in 2007. She was Dallas' first female sushi chef, the first woman to own and operate a sushi restaurant in the city, and one of the first to offer vegan sushi, years before plant-based dining became a major trend.

In a 2013 Ask Me Anything (AMA) discussion on Reddit, she also said that she invented the popular caterpillar roll — an eel and cucumber-stuffed roll topped with avocado. In the thread, she defended the less traditional approach, saying:

I have to pay the rent. I try to offer something for everyone, for varying levels and preferences. I personally don't like it, but [salmon and cream cheese] is a best-selling roll. There is place for the Philly Roll. I met the Master Itamae that invented this roll, and he is the much more traditional than I am. But he understood his audience and it took me a while to understand my audience."

Carpenter trained for years in San Diego beginning in the 1980s to become an itamae, or master sushi chef, and helped to pioneer the New American Japanese food movement by integrating Texas flavors into her sushi, rolls, and cuisine, as CultureMap has reported.

In 2023, while still operating Zen, Carpenter opened Restaurant Beatrice in Oak Cliff, taking over a beautifully repurposed old home and drawing on the Cajun side of her ancestry for the menu. Restaurant Beatrice was named a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category, just nine months after opening.

In June 2026, Carpenter closed the acclaimed Beatrice primarily because she was suffering a brain tumor. "I can’t do recovery and run Beatrice," she said then. She didn't want to give anything less than 100 percent to her work.

Zen Sushi remained open at that time, CultureMap reported.

In a November 5 story, D Magazine says Zen's closing also is largely related to Carpenter's recovery from brain tumor removal surgery. She is about 80 percent of the way through her recovery, and her condition has improved, according to the magazine. Still, Carpenter opted not to renew her lease this month. She wasn't forced out and could have stayed, but after 20 years, she felt it was a "natural conclusion." She also felt it was better to prioritize her recovery.

And that choice could leave the door open for more culinary achievements. Notes D, "Carpenter has an idea in mind for what she calls a 'legacy' restaurant to open when she is operating at 100 percent ... 'I’ve got one more restaurant in me, and this is beyond Beatrice and Zen.'"

bishop arts closings japanese cuisine oak cliff oak cliff happenings restaurant closure zen sushi zen sushi closure