Editor's note: Restaurant stories are some of CultureMap Dallas' most popular stories but which were the most popular of all? Two words: Guy Fieri. Other hot topics in 2024 Dallas dining included doughnuts, breakfast, and Trader Joe's. There were also two big closures, offset by two promising openings.
Here are the 10 most-read restaurant stories of 2024 in Dallas.
1. Which 7 Dallas restaurants did Guy Fieri visit for Diners Drive-ins & Dives. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri used a meet-and-greet in support of Santo Spirits, a tequila brand he owns in partnership with rocker Sammy Hagar, as the cover for his visit to secretly tape episodes at seven Dallas restaurants for Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, his massively popular long-running show on the Food Network. Everything was off the record, but we sussed out the secret seven.
2. Dallas gourmet doughnut shop sells out in an hour on opening day. A much-anticipated doughnut shop in Dallas got slammed on its first day: La Rue Doughnuts, the chef-owned shop at Trinity Groves which opened in August, sold out in just about an hour. Owners Casey and Amy La Rue got a surprise on Day One when they were greeted by a line stretching outside their door for their artisan doughnuts — lines that are still forming to this day.
3. Dallas bar closes after surviving a decade in Deep Ellum. Deep Ellum bar On Premise, which rode a decade-long wave in the often-turbulent neighborhood, closed on October 31 when they were unable to come to terms on a new lease. Founder Adam Salazar — who also owns two other successful concepts: The Mitchell, the swanky bar in downtown Dallas, and Ye Olde Scarlet Pumpernickel Tavern, the pub-style American tavern in downtown — called it "a helluva run."
Guy Fieri in Dallas on December 7.
Santo Spirits
4. Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives is taping in Dallas this week. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri came to Dallas in December — officially on a meet-and-greet in support of Santo Spirits, a tequila brand he owns in partnership with rocker Sammy Hagar. But the visit was also an opportunity for Fieri to secretly tape episodes for Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, his massively popular long-running show on the Food Network.
5. Trader Joe's grocery chain has new Dallas-area location in the works. Cult favorite grocery chain Trader Joe’s penciled in a new store for Coppell, at 120 S. Denton Tap Rd., at the intersection of Sandy Lake Road, in a former Natural Grocers store which closed in 2023 (and was previously a Tuesday Morning store). This marks the chain's first Dallas-area store opening in more than eight years.
6. Gifted Dallas chef and culinary visionary Joshua Bonee dies at 36. Joshua Bonee, one of Dallas' most gifted chefs, died on January 9; he was 36. A family member said the cause of death was pneumonia. Bonee, who'd earlier taken time off to combat Guillan-Barre Syndrome, helped open concepts such as Lucky's Hot Chicken, 42 BBQ Smokehouse + Market in Richardson, LimeHoney at the Shire, Columbian Country Club, and Teriyaki 4 U in Carrollton.
7. Growing Dallas-Fort Worth breakfast chain opens restaurant in McKinney. Breakfast Club 51, a restaurant dedicated to breakfast and brunch, opened in McKinney on Februrary 1. The small chain opened its first location in Roanoke in 2023, followed in December by a location in Fort Worth. Their goal is to offer breakfast with upscale atmosphere but at a slightly lower price point.
Lawry's the Prime Rib, RIPLawry's
8. Dallas bar Lawnie's conjures old-school icehouse vibe on Henderson Ave. New bar embodying the old-school Texas ice house opened at 2414 N. Henderson Ave., in a modest house that at one time was home to a barber shop. Lawnie's debuted in September with an assortment of canned alcohol, basic poured cocktails, and pre-packaged food offerings.
9. Lawry's the Prime Rib to close Dallas location after 40 years. After 40 years of serving the Dallas community, Lawry’s The Prime Rib closed in March. It had been a staple of the Dallas culinary scene since it opened in 1983, originally on Maple Avenue, where it was known for its elegance, hospitality, and prime rib dining experience. It was one of only three locations in the U.S., with the other two in California and Las Vegas.
10. Homey restaurant with rock-star cred opens in Dallas' Casa Linda Plaza. An exciting restaurant with rock star credentials opened in a venerable East Dallas center: Called Be Home Soon, the restaurant is from Madison King, a onetime Dallas musician-turned-chef who envisioned a warm, comfortable restaurant with a full bar and menu she describes as "home cooking, no matter where you're from." it opened in November at Casa Linda Plaza.
