Opening News
Sports bar Local Public Eatery to open on Dallas' Henderson Avenue
There's an opening date for an out-of-town sports bar making its Dallas debut: Local Public Eatery, a restaurant-pub-sports bar based in Vancouver, is opening at 2323 N. Henderson Ave. #100, in the center where fine-dining restaurant Gemma is, in the space previously occupied by Sushi Axiom.
This is the second U.S. location after Seattle. According to a release, it'll open on September 26.
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.
“Home to a bustling food scene and rich sports history, we’re beyond thrilled to be debuting Local Public Eatery’s first Texas location in Dallas,” says Brody Jones, Regional Manager. “Our vibrant culinary culture and laid-back atmosphere uniquely aligns with Knox-Henderson’s neighborhood, delivering a new go-to hangout for community connections and celebrations.”
Local Public Eatery’s 7,144-square-foot space will feature hand-picked artwork (way better than machine-picked), sports memorabilia, cozy area rugs, and eclectic decor, a blend of modern aesthetics and rustic charm they hope will create a "home away from home feel".
But one thing you don't have at home is a massive beer board, a focal point of the bar at LPE, listing what beers are pouring and doubling as a screen for sports events.
The food by Regional Chef Oliver Lewis is "comfort food classics and innovative bites": fried chicken, Fully Loaded Crispy Potatoes (not partially loaded, phew), a burger, BBQ Rice Bowl, Steak & Fries, and pizza such as the Pepperoni Supremo, which the release says is "a delicious result of the LPE culinary team’s recent market research trip to Italy." Italy has pepperoni pizza?
The bar program has an "intentional" beverage menu — nothing slapdash or happenstance at the bar — with local beer on tap, wine, and cocktails like the Spicy Guava Margarita, Texas Mule, and Aperol Crush. There are also novelty items like the Porron, an entire bottle of wine in a pourable pitcher served sans glasses, OMG; as well as Espresso Mar-Tinys (shot-sized espresso martinis), and Cold Tea, a pot of Jameson infused tea.
This space has sports bar history. While it was most recently Sushi Axiom, it was once home to Henderson Tap House, which opened in that space in 2014, undeterred by what had been a bit of a jinx, having previously housed such doomed concepts as Pulcinella, Urbino Pizza, and Horne & Dekker and sowing the seeds for ensuing sports bar success.
An actual photo provided by Local Public Eatery to show what the "Porron" is.LPE