Sushi News

New sushi restaurant in Dallas Design District has creative food & drink

Shodo, new Japanese restaurant open in the Design District.

Shodo

Sushi is so popular right now and there's a place that just opened in Dallas' Design District from a veteran operator: Called Shodo, it's a Japanese concept serving sushi, with a companion omakase room, that also incorporates Japanese flavors and ingredients in other components of the menu, as well.

Shodo is at 1628 Oak Lawn Ave. #110, in what was once Oak Dallas, and according to a release is by Route 62 Hospitality (PakPao, El Bolero), the company from Richard Ellman, who also owned Oak and who subsequently opened a steakhouse in the space called Wits in 2021. He's nothing if not nimble, and omakase is all the rage in Dallas these days.

Menu items include:

Wagyu Beef Tataki Sashimi - seared A5 Tataki
Mango Madai Crudo with Yellowtail
Tuna Tower
Shodo Roll with Lobster, A5 Wagyu and truffle scallion
Inari - a traditional sushi with sushi rice stuffed inside deep-fried tofu pockets, yummy

The beverage program features Japanese flavor profiles and ingredients with cocktails such as

Geisha Martini - Haku vodka, yuzu, and Lilet Blanc
Myoga Old Fashioned - Toki Whiskey, bitters, ginger, orange
Cherry Blossom - Grey Goose Cherry Noir vodka, dry vermouth, cherry
Yuzu Margarita - Tequila Herradura, Yuzuri, agave, lime
Sesame Mojito - Bacardi Rum, sesame, mint, lime, soda

Many a cocktail list has been featured on CultureMap, but few have been that enticing. There is also an extensive selection of sake and Japanese whiskey, as well as a regular wine list.

Decor in the 4,000-square-foot space features nods to ancient culture including artwork in the bathrooms, a private omakase room with a zen and buddha theme, and a large snow monkey mural with a nod to Jigokudani, the town in Tokyo where they live.

The main dining room offers seating for 60, bar seating for 20, 10 seats at the sushi bar, an omakase room with 12 seats and a private dining room for up to 40 people. The omakase room allows guests to enjoy special coursed dinners within the privacy of their own room.

The release says that "shodo" refers to the art of ancient Japanese calligraphy — not to be confused with the similar-sounding Shoyo, the acclaimed sushi restaurant from chef Jimmy Park on Greenville Avenue.

Plate Lunch News

Dallas Hawaiian foodie favorite Pine Isle expands to new DFW city

Pine Isle

A Hawaiian-inspired restaurant founded in Dallas is going west to Fort Worth: Pine Isle will be open in early fall at 3005 S. University Dr., near Texas Christian University.

Pine Isle is from Kevin Singharaj, who debuted the original Pine Isle in Dallas in 2025 as a takeout shop focused on Hawaiian dishes including poke, Spam, and the Hawaiian plate lunch — a comfort food dish featuring a protein like chicken paired with rice and macaroni salad, which has been a trendy item around DFW in recent years.

Singharaj, whose family owns the Zaap Kitchen chain, once lived in Hawaii and brings a personal and artisanal level to the genre, earning a following among foodies in the know.

"Hawaii was very special to me," he says. "Life was totally different there, and I want to provide an insight into my experiences in Hawaii to DFW residents."

The menu at Pine Isle features Hawaiian favorites like Spam musubi, the Spam version of sushi with a slab of Spam on top of rice; and loco moco, a plate with a beef patty and sunny side egg on top of steamed rice with brown gravy.

There's a big selection of lunch plates including Kalua pork with cabbage, teriyaki beef, garlic shrimp, miso chicken, chicken katsu, fried chicken, and kalbi Korean barbecued beef ribs. Other options include tuna poke bowls, poke nachos, hamachi, ahi tuna tataki, and garlic kimchi fries.

They recently added chicken teriyaki, which can be ordered a la carte or as a plate lunch; plus spicy Spam musubi; and spicy fried musubi.

Fort Worth will follow the same menu, quality, and overall experience as Dallas, but with a little extra.

"The biggest difference is that we’ll finally have indoor seating and an outdoor patio," Singharaj says. "Our Dallas location is only 950 square feet and was built around takeout, so this will give customers a different way to enjoy the food."

"We’re taking over the former Dutch’s Burrito Bar space, so we’ve had to get creative with the layout and operations to make sure we can maintain the same efficiency we’ve built in Dallas," he says. "I’m sure there will be some growing pains along the way, but our goal is simple: serve the same quality food and provide the same level of hospitality that got us here in the first place."

They weren't actively looking to open a second location, but Fort Worth turned out to be a perfect place for expansion.

"When Pine Isle started taking off, our first focus was investing back into the original store," he says. "We wanted to make sure we could handle the growth before chasing another lease. But this Fort Worth location just made sense. It’s right by TCU, and I also knew the area well since our Zaap Kitchen Fort Worth location is only a few minutes away."

"On top of that, customers have been asking us to come west for a while," he says. "Fort Worth has grown a lot over the years, and we’re excited to be a part of that growth."

trends openings