Mex-Tex News

Upscale Mexican Sugar to open on Addison's restaurant row

Mexican Sugar

An upscale Dallas Mexican chain is expanding: Mexican Sugar, part of the FB Society restaurant family, is opening a location in Addison, at 4951 Belt Line Rd. taking over the former iconic TGI Fridays location at the corner of Quorum Road. According to a spokesperson, the restaurant will open the heart of one of North Texas’ busiest dining corridors in the fall.

It'll be right near Ida Claire, an FB Society sibling — aww, it'll have family nearby. TGI Fridays closed in late 2024, after nearly a decade in the space; it had previously been home to Champps.

The nearly 9,000-square-foot restaurant will deliver a multi-sensory experience, starting with a lush courtyard entrance and leading into a two-sided tequila display. The interior will feature hacienda-style design, with artistic tiles and Latin art.

In a statement, Mexican Sugar president and COO Christine Magrann calls it a sort of homecoming.

“We’ve had such incredible support across DFW, and we’re excited to add something fresh to Addison while staying true to the energy and flavor that guests have always loved," Magrann says.

Mexican Sugar specializes in Latin flavors and agave-fueled cocktails, using time-honored techniques and modern inspiration — including tortillas made daily with heirloom masa, cocktails featuring fresh juices.

The menu offers a contemporary take on traditional Mexican flavors, featuring dishes such as chicken mole, Angus skirt steak, barbacoa tacos, bone-in pork chop, and Spanish mussels.

There's alo a serious brunch with like cajeta French toast, benedictos rancheros, vanilla cinnamon pancakes, and the breakfast Americano, paired with margaritas, Cava mimosas, or bloody Marias.

The restaurant’s collection of agave will feature more than 150 tequilas and mezcals, with tequila flights and tasting opportunities.

Mexican Sugar currently has locations in Plano, Las Colinas, Uptown, and Houston, with new locations penciled in for Austin and Frisco’s Fields West development.

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Meatball News

Italian restaurant Sicilian Butcher preps meatballs for North Dallas

Sicilian Butcher

The meatballs are about to land: The Sicilian Butcher, the modern-casual restaurant known for meatballs, house-made pastas, and butchery-inspired Italian fare, has circled a date for the opening of its Addison-adjacent location in North Dallas at 5225 Belt Line Rd. #240, and the date is: August 7.

This marks their second Texas restaurant following the smashing debut of its Fort Worth location in July 2024.

The Sicilian Butcher was founded in Arizona in 2017 by award-winning Chef Joey Maggiore, and is popular for its build-your-own meal experience featuring gourmet meatballs and Sicilian-style bruschetta boards — alongside The Sicilian Baker, an Italian bakery attached to each Butcher location, which has its own innovative build-your-own cannoli bar experience.

It's part of the Maggiore Group, an Italian family-owned hospitality company that also includes concepts such as Hash Kitchen, The Mexicano, and The Italiano, which partnered with the Savory Fund in 2021 to expand the brand into neighboring states.

The North Dallas location will feature signature offerings including Chef Joey’s dishes, build-your-own pastas, Sicilian family platters, bruschetta boards, and more.

Other enticing menu items include

char-grilled artichokes
Neapolitan-style pizza
piadina — sandwiches, including chicken parm and eggplant parm, served on a thin, rustic Italian bread

They have all kinds of meatballs — Sicilian, sausage, eggplant — which you can order solo or in a variety, served on a meatball "wheel."

Salads include a Caesar, chopped, and a "Sicilian wedge" with iceberg, pickled fennel, tomato, crispy prosciutto, with creamy dolce gorgonzola and smoked bacon dressing. Pastas include pappardelle, tagliatelle, spaghetti, rigatoni, and gnocchi.

Like their other locations including Fort Worth, the restaurant will also house a location of The Sicilian Baker, which features a build-your-own cannoli bar, authentic Sicilian cannoli, rotating gelato flavors, and Italian pastry classics such as lobster tails and sfogliatelle, and espresso.

“We are so excited to bring a taste of Sicily to Dallas,” Maggiore says in a statement. “From our amazing house-made pastas and signature craft meatballs to our Build Your Own Cannoli Bar, we can’t wait to welcome guests into our kitchen and show them what true Sicilian hospitality is all about.”

North Dallas will be the fifth location across the Southwest, with a third Texas location set to open in San Antonio later this year. Hash Kitchen is also flourishing, with 10 locations across the Southwest, including Fort Worth and Pearland, both of which opened in 2024.

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