Design District News

Baja California style restaurant to open in Dallas Design District

Puerto Cocina

Courtesy rendering

A new restaurant celebrating California's Baja coast is coming to Dallas' Design District: Called Puerto Cocina & Bar, it'll be a seafood-forward restaurant opening at the new 155 River Edge development in early December, with a coffee program, breakfast, lunch, grab-and-go items, and dinner.

According to a release, the restaurant is from culinary entrepreneurs and restaurateurs Mauricio Gallegos and Gerardo Barrera, following the success of their other concepts, Xaman Café and Ayahuasca Cantina.

“When we partnered up years ago, we wanted to create culturally aware new brands that highlight the richness and diversity of our Mexican culture,” Barrera says in a statement. “Puerto Cocina & Bar is yet another extension of our Mexican heritage, offering guests a menu of dishes with highly curated flavors, works of art and design that enhance awareness, and music to complete the full, sensory experience.”

Gallegos calls it "the next chapter of the work we started at Xaman Café and Ayahuasca Cantina."

“The spaces we create illustrate our passion for our cultural heritage and community," Gallegos says. "They help us pass down our experiences and highlight our roots through storytelling, all while capturing the places of our travels through design and world-class hospitality.”

Puerto Cocina & Bar will celebrates the relaxed sophistication of the Baja California coast, with a focus on craft, culture, and community.

The culinary program and operations are being developed in partnership with Oh Hi! Hospitality, a new hospitality and consulting group launched earlier this year by award-winning culinary veterans Chef Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, Victor E. Rojas, and Carlos Marquez. The menu will feature seafood including a raw bar, crudos & tiraditos, house-made tortillas, and an emphasis on various shellfish and roe/caviar.

The wine list will spotlight the depth and diversity of Mexican winemaking, with 100 percent of the offerings coming from producers in Mexico including winemakers from Valle de Guadalupe and Baja California Sur, Queretaro, and Coahuila.

The cocktail program will blend regional Mexican flavors and contemporary techniques — a continuation of the innovative program employed at Ayahuasca Cantina.

The interior design led by Dallas-based Coevál Studio will feature an elegant-yet-relaxed space echoing the contemporary coastal direction of the concept as envisioned by Barrera and Gallegos, with handmade ceramics, natural textiles, and a warm color palette of ocean greens, sand, and coral.

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Deep Ellum News

Mexican 'vibe' restaurant from California to open in Deep Ellum Dallas

Mama Por Dios

A buzzy concept from California is coming to Dallas: Mama Por Dios, a Mexican restaurant chain known for its vibe, will open its first location in Texas in Deep Ellum in the Epic development at 2525 Elm St., taking over the former La Neta space, which shuttered in May.

According to a spokesperson, the restaurant will open in early to mid-January.

Mama Por Dios was founded in Southern California in 2020 by chef Misael Guerrero, who famously got his start selling Mexican sushi out of his garage.

Since those early days, he's gone on to form a restaurant empire called Emme Group, with concepts that include Los Amores de Julia, El Rincon de Los Dolidos, and Culichi Town, a lower-priced chain known for Sinaloa-style Mexican sushi & seafood, which has a local presence: It opened a location in Mesquite in 2022.

Mama Por Dios — which translates to "Mother of God" — describes itself as modern Mexican, offering a unique blend of steakhouse, sushi bar, and seafood. The menu includes favorites like tacos and enchiladas, alongside luxe dishes like lobster with spaghetti, lobster enchiladas, and a surf & turf featuring a lobster tail balanced atop a skirt steak. Prices range from $18 for birria tacos to $48 for a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

But they also have a showy side that includes flamboyant presentations such as the bacon-wrapped shrimp which come strung on clothespins; or the trompito al pastor, served on a personal spit, as well as servers who walk around with shots while dancing with patrons.

There's a Gold Burger for $65 featuring Prime beef on a brioche bun garnished with 24k gold leaf, and a similarly gilded tomahawk steak for $400 that brings to mind the good old days of Salt Bae. Decor is swanky with low lighting, and there'll be a serious brunch offering on weekends.

Cocktails such as the Al Agua Pato — served in a mini bathtub with a rubber ducky — are made for Instagram. They offer margarita and mezcalita flights with flavors such as mango, tamarindo, and strawberry, and intriguing sips like Carajillo, a Spanish cocktail with Licor 43, espresso, and 43 different fruit, citrus, aromatic, and herbal ingredients.

There’s also a $20 per-person minimum spend, and the menu comes with a warning that everything is cooked to order — meaning some dishes may take 30 to 40 minutes. For many diners, waiting will surely be part of the experience.

deep-ellum tex-mex openings