Burger News

Buzzy burger joint with Michelin ties to open in Uptown Dallas

NADC Burger

Courtesy of NADC Burger

An ultra-buzzy burger joint is opening in Uptown Dallas: Called NADC Burger, it's a chef-driven cheeseburger concept serving Wagyu burgers that will open at 2908 McKinney Ave., in the former Playground Bar, which closed in 2024.

According to a spokesperson, it'll open in early August.

NADC — which stands for "Not a Damn Chance" — is a partnership between chef Phillip Frankland Lee (co-founder of Sushi by Scratch Restaurants and Pasta Bar) and professional skateboarder and Fort Worth entrepreneur Neen Williams.

NADC started in Austin in 2022, and has since expanded in Austin, Denver, Chicago, Nashville (inside Jelly Roll's Goodnight Nashville bar), and Fort Worth, which opened in January 2025 (and which promptly won Best Burger at the Fort Worth Food & Wine Festival in April 2025).

United by a love of food and skateboarding, the two set out to create the kind of burger they couldn’t find. The result was “the ultimate backyard burger,” featuring two 6-ounce Wagyu patties, American cheese, grilled onions smashed into the beef, secret sauce, pickles, and pickled jalapeños.

They keep the menu simple:

Double patty cheeseburger with Wagyu beef, American cheese, sauce, onion, pickle, and seasoning by Williams' NADC spice company, for $16
Fries double-fried in beef tallow, either plain or in loaded "Beast Mode" with cheese, chopped pickles, jalapeños, sauce, and seasoning

NADC Burger fries Loaded fries at NADC BurgerNADC

There are also brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Every detail — from the seasoning to the burger-to-bun ratio — is meticulously considered.

Some NADC locations are inside other venues such as comedy clubs, including Fort Worth.

But Uptown Dallas will be a first-of-its-kind model, says Scratch Restaurants Group CEO Gavin Humes.

"This is a standalone NADC Burger restaurant," Humes says. "We’re fully transforming it into our own concept. There will be a full bar onsite to support our new cocktail offerings, but it’s 100 percent a dedicated NADC space."

Uptown will also be their first location to stand two stories tall, and will feature counter service, a full bar serving specialty NADC cocktails, and a casual hangout area with indoor and outdoor seating.

"Uptown felt like the right move — it's a vibrant neighborhood that’s surprisingly underserved when it comes to fast-casual food done at a high level," Humes says. "From the start, Dallas was a priority market. It’s one of the biggest food cities in the country and a natural fit for the energy and flavor of NADC."

Lee has previously earned Michelin stars for Pasta | Bar in Encino, California, and Sushi by Scratch in Montecito, California. (There's also a Sushi by Scratch at The Adolphus in downtown Dallas.)

burgers openings

New 'cue

Seasoned pitmaster fires up Latin-inspired Texas BBQ for Uptown Dallas

Photo courtesy of Rodeo City Provisions

Meat platter with sides at Rodeo City Provisions.

A barbecue restaurant from Mesquite is coming to buzzy Uptown Dallas before the end of the year: Called Rodeo City Provisions, it will take over the short-lived NADC Burger spot at 2908 McKinney Ave.

The restaurant comes from Leo Morales, a seasoned chef and pitmaster. Born to a Colombian mother and a Mexican father and raised in New York, Morales draws heavily on his roots to shape the distinct flavors in his food.

Morales has worked in kitchens since he was a teenager, rising from dishwasher to director and operating partner at Barrel & Bones Craft Bar and Smokehouse, then general manager at Smoky Rose in Lakewood. He briefly owned his first barbecue spot in Fair Park, Parry Avenue Barbecue Company, which earned him a Rising Star Chef nomination at CultureMap’s 2022 Tastemaker Awards.

He later became chief operations officer for Refined Hospitality, overseeing culinary operations for the restaurants at The Statler and the Mesquite Rodeo. That experience paved the way for a return to barbecue in 2024, when Rodeo City Provisions debuted as a concession and suite vendor at the Mesquite Rodeo.

A year later, Morales expanded into a vacant space next to the arena (at 1818 Rodeo Dr.), opening a full-service restaurant under the same brand.

“We are a traditional Texas barbecue restaurant, where I put who I am into it, so I do a lot more than salt, pepper, and garlic,” Morales says. “We use spices like guajillo, chile de árbol, and achiote — real flavors that I grew up with.”

Rodeo City Provisions is going into the old NADC spot at 2908 McKinney Ave.Photo courtesy of Rodeo City Provisions

This approach shines through in a menu featuring prime brisket, ribs, pulled pork, turkey, and chicken by the pound, paired with Latin-inspired sides like creamed corn with queso fresco and Tajín, and borracho pinto beans. Beyond traditional barbecue cuts, the menu offers tortas, tacos, sandwiches, smoked brisket queso, and quesi-birria quesadillas.

Rodeo City Provisions also serves breakfast, including tacos, pork belly French toast, jalapeño cheddar sausage biscuits with gravy, and a loaded “Brekky Sandwich” stacked with chorizo, pork belly bacon, birria brisket, cheese, and a fried egg.

Prices are relatively affordable, ranging from $2 tacos and sandwiches for less than $15 to two-meat plates for $19 and three-pound meat boards that serve up to six people for $140. Weekly specials include pork belly burnt ends on Fridays and $20 racks of ribs on Sundays.

Just a year after launching the Mesquite location, Morales had an opportunity to expand to McKinney Avenue through longtime friends who own the building. The two-story space will feature counter service downstairs, with seating for about 50 guests. Upstairs, seating for roughly 80 will accommodate a hybrid service model, with full service and QR codes at tables for easy ordering. An outdoor smoke pit will sit next to the patio.

The Uptown location will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with a few exclusive menu items. Those include a turkey club stacked with smoked turkey, pulled pork, pork belly bacon, lettuce, tomato, and beef tallow mayo, plus a smoked brisket French dip on bolillo bread with Gruyère cheese and au jus.

Rodeo City Provisions in Uptown will be open 7 am-7 pm Tuesday-Sunday; closed Mondays.

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