Closure News

Houlihan's in Garland closes, leaving one restaurant in Dallas area

Houlihan's

In bad news for fans of the "Famous 'Shrooms," Houlihan's, the restaurant chain dating back to the early 1970's, has closed its location in Garland, on the south side of Firewheel Town Center at 660 Town Center Blvd., where it had been open for 15 years.

According to Houlihan's COO Bill Leibengood, the restaurant had reached the end of its lease.

“Following the end of our lease agreement, Houlihan’s at 660 Town Center Blvd. ceased operations on August 24, 2025," Leibengood says. "We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Garland community for their loyal support over the years. We look forward to continuing to serve guests at Houlihan's Denton and other locations nationwide.”

The location had been there since early 2010, opening a few years after the Firewheel Center itself opened in 2005. The closure appeared to be an 11th-hour decision since they were still touting their $10 lunch deal as recently as July. Sadly, the Garland Chamber of Commerce will now have to find another site for its September 23 happy hour. Houlihan's filled the niche for this kind of meet-up and so many more.

The closure leaves only one Houlihan's in the Dallas-Fort Worth area: Denton at 3120 Town Center Trail, next to the Embassy Suites off University.

That means one last outpost if you're craving their trademark Famous Shrooms stuffed with garlic-herb cream cheese, their bargain lunches, their happy hour deals, their Bavarian pretzel twist "bigger than your face," their Thai chili wings, brownie batter cake, reasonably priced steaks, and great service.

Houlihan's was founded in 1972 in Kansas City, initially known as Houlihan's Old Place, due to its location in the former Houlihans Clothing Store — one of a wave of restaurants from the '70s that fell between fast-food and fancy, offering steaks at an affordable price, in a fun atmosphere. The chain was good about keeping up with the times, adding gluten-free and vegan dishes such as the crispy cauliflower stir-fry with General Tso-style sauce over brown rice, with stir fried red bell peppers, snow peas, and scallions.

They opened their first location in Dallas at 5225 Belt Line Rd. in 2007, followed by locations in Allen, Arlington, Fort Worth, and Garland. Dallas was not their first foray into Texas. According to a DBJ article, Houlihan's originally operated two locations in Houston in the early 90s, then tried again in 2005.

"But after opening just one Houlihan's -- which closed after eight months in operation -- restaurateur Mohammed Amin mutually agreed with the company to tear up his contract," the article says. They also opened a location in downtown Austin in 2006, which only lasted six months. In 2007, they had 92 restaurants total.

After changing ownership a few times, Houlihan's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 — among the many concepts dealt a blow by the pandemic. They closed a number of locations including Dallas and Fort Worth, and were subsequently acquired by Landry's. There are currently 27 locations across the U.S.

closings

Chocolate News

Richardson dessert shop Chocolate Drip lays out eye-catching treats

Chocolate Drip

Chocolate bear with pistachio sauce at Chocolate Drip

A dessert shop in Richardson has become the toast of the sweets world: Called Chocolate Drip, it opened in August at 1057 S. Sherman St., in a center east of US-75 near Spring Valley Road, where it's rolling out some eye-catching chocolate treats.

Chocolate Drip is a passion project from Mohammad Quzmar, a Palestinian-born owner who moved to Dallas four years ago and taught himself to cook through tinkering. That experimentation has translated into a constantly evolving menu, with new creations appearing whenever inspiration strikes — earning him a growing reputation as something of a modern-day Willy Wonka.

"Chocolate is my passion. I just love being in the kitchen and creating,” he says.

The cafe's offerings are extensive, from sweet breakfast staples like pancakes and waffles to off-menu items teased on the café’s Instagram, such as the Dubai Drip platter — an interactive fondue plate with fruit, brownies, waffles, marshmallows, to be dipped into melted chocolate and pistachio cream.

Many of his items have the kind of eye-catching twists and table-side presentations that draw attention on Instagram, such as the cruffle (a waffle made from a croissant) topped with spaghetti-like strands of gelato, which a server extrudes through a potato ricer right before your eyes.

Other signatures include a teddy bear made of chocolate mousse and kanafa, finished with pistachio sauce for $13.30, and crepes filled with a brownie, with pistachio and chocolate sauce for $15.

Prices are not cheap but these are ultra-decadent items with generous portions, often meant for sharing.

The drink list is ambitious, spanning coffee, matcha, smoothies, milkshakes, and nonalcoholic mocktails. It's obvious Quzmar is having fun, rolling out his versions of viral items like the famous s'mores hot chocolate pioneered by New York dessert shop Glace, which features a cap made of marshmallow meringue that’s torched.

There are also a few savory offerings like egg-and-cheese crepes, a salmon croissant, and a turkey waffle. Those in the know also come to order Middle Eastern treats like salab, a creamy milk drink topped with cinnamon; and Om Ali, a sugary pudding with nuts, dried fruit, and coconut.

Named after the Gen Z slang for “cool” or “stylish,” Drip is meant to be a hangout spot more than a quick dessert stop, Quzmar says — a place to linger over brunch, then return late night to a place that feels buzzy and fun sans alcohol.

“Everyone who works here is either family or treated like family and everything is homemade with love," he says.

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