Lunch Break News

New Park Bistro in Richardson is now open in a most unlikely location

Fresh fare at Park Bistro at Galatyn Commons.

Photo courtesy of Park Bistro

There's a surprising new place in Richardson to find gourmet food at an amazing price: Called Park Bistro, it's a unique food hall now open at Galatyn Commons, an office complex at 2375 N. Glenville Dr., across from the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and the Galatyn Park Station DART rail stop, where it's serving a broad menu of chef-caliber fare.

Park Bistro is like a cross between corporate cafe and food hall, featuring six mini-concepts under one roof, each serving a different menu and cuisine:

Park Bistro: salads, soups, and sandwiches such as turkey club, grilled cheese & tomato soup, and chicken Caesar wrap
Char & Co. Grill: burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and kabobs
D'Oro Italiano: Neapolitan-style pizzas in a convenient 10-inch size including margherita, pepperoni, fennel sausage, and mushroom with ricotta, fontina, & burnt honey; plus pastas such as rigatoni with vodka sauce, and beef Bolognese
Vaquera Mexican Taqueria: tacos, enchiladas, queso, and street corn
Mezza & Masala: chicken tikka masala, gyro sandwich with lamb & beef, veggie wrap, and Olympia bowl with hummus, greens, & basmati rice
Field's: salad bar for $9, as well as composed salads such as chicken Cobb salad

There's also a robust breakfast menu with items like an egg muffin with smoked Gouda; bagel sandwich with bacon, egg, & American cheese; breakfast taco with potato, egg, & cheese; avocado toast, overnight oats, and granola-yogurt parfait. Plus a location of Rise & Thyme, the company's signature all-day cafe featuring coffee from Lemma Coffee Roasters.

And check it out: Everything is under $10, and the eateries are open to the public.

Park Bistro turkey club Turkey club sandwich at Park Bistro.Photo courtesy of Park Bistro

Park Bistro is the latest enterprise from Hospitality Alliance, the food & beverage firm that has created similar ground-breaking food programs at AT&T's Discovery District in downtown Dallas, Victory Social in Victory Park, and Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

This latest is the first that is pointedly focused on the office setting, says Hospitality Alliance CEO Kevin Lillis.

"Office tenants are demanding more," Lillis says. "With people returning to work, employers need to provide a better culinary offering that's fresher, faster, and at a more attractive price. It can't just be the old-school company cafeteria. We're doing different offerings under the Park Bistro banner in a setup that's similar to what we did at Victory Social, our multi-concept eatery on the ground level of One Victory Park."

Unlike some other players in the corporate cafeteria world, Hospitality Alliance homes in on quality and execution.

"We're doing things like making our own burger buns and English muffins from scratch," Lillis says. "And we're nimble enough to be able to respond to requests. If the client wants Indian food or another cuisine in the mix, we're ready to do it."

Having an amenity like this becomes a major selling point for landlords who are trying to attract tenants, and Lillis has a successful track record, with the most recent example being Victory Social, which has earned raves and brought a welcome burst of fresh energy to Victory Park.

Galatyn Commons may appear officey from the outside, but the setting is pastoral, with four office buildings surrounding a greenspace — the same greenspace where the annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival takes place — as well as a garden next to the Eisenmann Center with herbs that Park Bistro uses in its cocktails. There's even a beehive on site to facilitate pollination.

Park Bistro is also serving as an in-house catering option for businesses in the complex, and there's a tenant happy hour program in the works.

"We're doing genuine hospitality — it's more like a neighborhood restaurant that happens to be in an office building," Lillis says.

chefs openings

Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun