One of Dallas' most critically acclaimed restaurants is calling it quits: Petra and the Beast, the small chef-driven restaurant from chef Misti Norris, is closing this weekend.
According to a post from the restaurant, the final day will be Sunday, December 29.
Morris posted the announcement with what she said was "a heavy heart," stating that the decision "wasn’t made lightly, and while it’s bittersweet, it’s also a moment of reflection and growth."
The closure stems from the restaurant's move to a larger space in Lakewood.
"When we moved to a larger space, there were moments when I felt stuck—torn between my desire to be in the kitchen, creating and connecting and the reality of having to make compromises to the restaurant to meet the demands of a bigger audience," she said. "In doing so, Petra lost the soul that made it so special: The intimacy, the romance, and the storytelling that defined the old Petra were hard to preserve."
Norris founded Petra and the Beast in 2018, first starting out as a popup before graduating to a real restaurant in August — located in a former 1930s gas station at 601 N. Haskell Ave., where she unrolled Misti specials like fried chicken hearts wrapped in a pale-green garlic crepe, or pigtails with sour purple cabbage.
Chef Misti Norris and her mushrooms.
Nicole Gossling
Despite — or maybe because of — its modest hidden-find setting, it became an instant smash hit, as well as earning acclaim from national publications. Esquire magazine named Petra one of the best new restaurants of the year, and Bon Appetit included it on its list of America's 50 best new restaurants. Most importantly, it earned multiple nods from CultureMap's Tastemaker Awards, most recently winning "Restaurant of the Year" for 2024.
Norris went on to amass her own awards including Food & Wine's list of "Best New Chefs" in 2019, as well as repeat nominations from James Beard.
The original location on a modest stretch of Haskell had some shortcomings, including its small size, at 1,540 square feet, limiting the number of customers as well as the size of the kitchen. (The Haskell Avenue space is now home to a location of Baker's Ribs.)
In addition, Petra was BYOB — which, while surely a plus for frugal wine-drinking customers, was ultimately a minus for Petra's bottom line.
That Norris would feel persuaded to seek out a location with more space was not surprising, and she relocated the restaurant to 1901 Abrams Rd. in Lakewood in 2023. The new space was beautiful, with pale woods that created a calming, elegant atmosphere, and there was now a full bar.
But the new location was not without its challenges: The previous tenant, BBQ restaurant Lakewood Smokehouse, had not survived in the space, and generally speaking, Lakewood is not an easy market for restaurants.
Norris called the move "a new beginning," and thanked her staff and customers.
"While this chapter is coming to an end, I’m incredibly grateful for the lessons I’ve learned," she said. "Petra taught me so much about what matters most to me as a chef and as a storyteller."
"This isn’t the end—it’s a new beginning," she said. "I look forward to moving into a space where I can stay true to my core values as a chef and a team, one where creativity, connection, and soul come first."
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