New Restaurants

The Realm at Castle Hills in Lewisville adds 8 new dining options

Cocinero

Courtesy photo

A mixed-use development in Lewisville is adding a slew of new food & beverage spots: The Realm at Castle Hills, a 324-acre mixed-use development along SH 121 in Lewisville, is expanding its eating and drinking lineup with beer, pastries, coffee, pizza, gelato, tacos, and more.

According to a release, eight new concepts will come to the development. Once complete, The Realm will be almost an entire city unto its own, with 5,000 multifamily units; 1.5 million square feet of retail, office, & restaurants, a boutique hotel; a trail system, and an outdoor entertainment space.

The goal: To. position The Realm as a destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

"We’re excited to be able to offer a range of options to the surrounding area," says Britton Lankford, development manager for Bright Realty. "We’ve created a dynamic hub at The Realm, and as foot traffic increases, it’s indicative of the vibrant community we have here."

New openings coming soon include:

RT Bakery: The 1,507-square-foot European-style bakery will offer a variety of pastries and coffee.
The Monk’s: Discover authentic flavors from China and India at this 3,869-square-foot restaurant, where dishes are expertly braised, blended, tossed, tempered, and stirred up.
Voodoo Brewing Company: Immerse yourself in the craft beer scene at this 4,346-square-foot brewery, founded in 2005.
Haraz Coffee: Be transported to the village of Haraz through the flavors of Yemeni coffee in this new 1,800-square-foot space complete with drive-thru for on-the-go options.
Pizza Twist: Stateside-style pizza takes on the flavors of India with traditional, veggie, halal, vegan and gluten-free options in this 1,115-square-foot pizzeria.
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato: Tifa Chocolate & Gelato offers a selection of handcrafted gelato in the 1,390 square feet restaurant, artisanal coffees, rich chocolates, and other sweet treats. It's your go-to coffee house fused with the warm, inviting charm of a neighborhood bistro.
Fox House Bar & Grill: A welcoming atmosphere in a sprawling 3,689-square-foot eatery with a diverse menu of classic American dishes, craft beers, and specialty cocktails.
The Dream Tacos: A 3,354-square-foot global fusion taco joint and cocktail lounge that blends French, Japanese, southern BBQ, southern East Asian and Mexican cuisine and infused a breakthrough tacos.

These new retailers will join current Realm tenants the Food Network-featured The London Baker; Little India, Indian grocery store and fine dining restaurant; Mochinut, a combination of an American doughnut and Japanese mochi; and Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, offering coal fired, brick-oven pizza and calzones.

Plus other recent additions that include bagels, ice cream, Mexican food, and brunch:

Marble Slab Creamery/Great American Cookies: Indulge in freshly made small-batch ice cream and cookies. The 1,600-square-foot shop offers ice cream cakes shakes and cookies!
Bagel Bar: Enjoy handcrafted bagels, tasty spreads and a variety of beverages in the 1,186-square-foot retail space.
Ked’s Artisan Ice Cream & Treats: Local boutique ice cream shop serves in regular and exotic flavors plus crepes, waffles, coffee, and boba tea. (There's also locations in Plano and Frisco.)
Cocinero Mexican Restaurant: Restaurant serves Mexican, Tex-Mex, as well as American basics like burgers, plus a full bar, in a 3,800-square-foot space.
Bluebonnet Brunch House: A 2,479-square-foot eatery known for its cozy atmosphere and delicious breakfast and brunch offerings.

The Realm also features Crescent Park, which has shaded seating, a water feature, and green space; plus an entire host of office buildings, rentals, condos, and apartments: Offices at the Realm, a nine-story office building with first-floor restaurants; Cottages at The Realm, an all-rental community with 72 single-family houses; Sojourn at The Realm, 80 condos over first-floor retail; and Valor at The Realm, Tapestry at The Realm, Discovery at The Realm and Olivian at The Realm, multifamily communities that include apartments and townhomes for rent and convenient first-floor retail.

Founded in the 1950s by the late H.R. "Bum" Bright, Bright Realty is the full-service commercial and residential real estate arm of parent company Bright Industries. Led by a family legacy of integrity and dedication, the Bright Realty team acts as developer, owner and operator of its residential and commercial developments. Best known for the highly successful 2,900-acre, master-planned residential community, Castle Hills, in Lewisville, Texas, Bright Realty also specializes in mixed-use, office, retail and multi-family development and brokerage.

openings

What Just Opened

Crazy wave of Dallas restaurants and bars have all just opened

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1519 Main St.

The Dallas hospitality scene almost never sleeps and right now it's pulling an all-nighter, with a big slate of fresh openings, all of which have debuted within the past days, give or take.

Everyone's hustling to get their doors open in time for the holidays, and these establishments have all made it happen: From a cosmopolitan new lounge in downtown Dallas to a modern Asian restaurant in Plano to a bountiful AYCE Chinese seafood spot in Richardson, there's something here to pique everyone's interest and appetite.

1519 Main
Spectacular lounge is now open in downtown Dallas at 1519 Main St., in a nearly century-old building across from the Joule Dallas hotel where it's serving up stellar drinks in a space that's both cosmopolitan and low-key. The bar is from Hospitality Alliance, the company led by restaurant wunderkind Kevin Lillis, who helped create the original AT&T Discovery District. It's a stunning space with many original features like rose-and-cream marble floors from the 1920s and brick walls with signage from prior businesses in the space, dating back decades. The menu has cocktails from Brian Van Flandern, who oversaw the program at Per Se, The Carlyle Hotel, The Plaza Hotel, and Palm Court restaurant, and also has a homage menu featuring recipes from some of the most impactful but now closed cocktail lounges in the country. They're open Thursday-Saturday from 5 pm-12 am.

Centrale Italia
New concept from veteran restaurateur Patrick Colombo (Cru Wine Bar, Princi Italia) opened in November at Preston Hollow Village at Walnut Hill Lane and US-75 with Neapolitan style pizza, pastas, and gelato made in-house. They're debuting brunch on Sunday December 7 and lunch on Monday December 8, with a menu that includes spicy meatball sub, chicken parm on toasted ciabatta, and a parmesan garlic cheeseburger with Wagyu beef and arugula. Salads include Little Gem Caesar, chopped salad with salami, prosciutto, and soppressata, and an Italian Cobb salad with chicken, Romaine, radicchio, avocado, beets, prosciutto, eggs, and Campari tomato in a creamy gorgonzola.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Restaurant in Richardson which just opened in the former Maxim's space is an all-you-can-eat sushi/seafood buffet featuring a daily rotating menu with 300-plus items from various Asian cuisines. There are oysters, crab legs, lobster, sushi bar, ramen bar, dumplings bar, skewers bar, noodles, stir-fries, and Chinese dishes both Cantonese and Sichuan, such as spicy boiled beef and kung pao chicken. Plus dim sum and desserts such as precision-cut layer cakes and a chocolate fondue station where you can dip strawberries and other fruit. The price is $20 at lunch, $30 at dinner on weeknighs, and $35 all weekend long. (The lobster and crab are available at dinner and weekends only, not at lunch.)

Jashan
Ambitious new Indian restaurant with a one-of-a-kind menu offering has opened at Plano's Legacy North with a chef team who are bringing flavors from cities and regions across India, from Dehli's fried potato tikkis to pepper chicken from the south. For those seeking something truly unique, they offer a Dil Se menu — an omakase-style tasting, available in 7- or 13-course versions, featuring a procession of these flavors, letting guests discover the stories of these cities in one visit.

La Stella Italian Steakhouse
Stupendous Italian restaurant just opened at a storied North Dallas address at 14655 Dallas Pkwy. in the former Lawry's space, where it stands as a bigger, grander spinoff of its sibling La Stella Cucina, the Italian restaurant in Dallas' Design District. The menu is an expanded version of the original: combining Italian seafood and a chophouse, plus an accompanying music lounge for live entertainment.

LuLu Modern Chinese
Glamorous new Asian restaurant just opened in Plano at 3310 Dallas Pkwy. #121, with a goal is to bring an authentic and modern Chinese American dining experience. The menu features classics like Peking duck, xiao long bao (soup dumplings), and seafood executed with spices and recipes from various regions of China — from Shanghai to the Pan Asian continent. The 4,300-square-foot space features a subtle lounge theme — a place you can dine or grab tequila shots over a soundtrack of '90s hip-hop and pop, plus craft cocktails, and a serious collection of sake and wine — not what you'd typically find at a Chinese restaurant.

Mendocino Farms
California chain known for creative sandwiches, salads, soups, and other healthy fare, has opened its newest DFW-area location — the sixth — at NorthPark Center, joining Addison, downtown Dallas, Plano, Preston Hollow, and Dallas' West Village. With its casual but upscale menu, featuring staples such as the Chicken & Hummus Crunch Wrap — as well as seasonal offerings like the November to Remember sandwich with turkey, mozzarella, mushroom & turkey sausage stuffing, spicy cranberry chutney, and Romaine on toasted cranberry walnut wheat bread — NorthPark seems like a perfect fit.

Old Ferry Donut
Doughnut shop chain from Korea entered the U.S. in 2023, with five locations in California. Now they've made their Texas debut in Carrollton at 2225 Old Denton Rd. #215, Their doughnuts are unique with a slightly chewier, more bready texture than the fluffy texture of a Krispy Kreme, and not as sweet as traditional American doughnuts. Many have fillings, made from premium ingredients. The menu includes old-school flavors such as Boston Cream, Original Glaze, and Cinnamon Sugar — but also new-school flavors like White Chocolate Sesame, Earl Gray, and Matcha Cream.

Roots Chicken Shak
Fried chicken restaurant concept from celebrity chef Tiffany Derry just opened a location at 3748 Belt Line Rd. #118, in a former Einstein's Bagels on the southeast corner of Marsh Lane. There are chicken wings, tenders, nuggets, and sandwiches on sweet potato buns. Derry opened the first Roots Chicken Shack at Plano's Legacy Food Hall in 2017, but this Addison location is owned by franchisees.

Yearby’s Barbecue & Waterice
Halal BBQ spot which originated in Pilot Point is in soft opening mode at a new second location in Plano at 3201 Alma Dr., just west of US-75, where they'll be open from 11 am–3 pm or sell out. There's likely to be a line, because BBQ places like to have a line, but also because the Yearby's in Pilot Point made Texas Monthly's 50 Best BBQ list for 2025.

openings