In Dallas restaurant news, we've hit the mid-August lull, where summer menus are fading but fall menus have not yet arrived. This edition has an opening or two, a relocation, some weekend specials, a chef appointment, and a notable vegan bakery. Meanwhile, the countdown is on for the return of an iconic Starbucks beverage.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:

Neitly Vegan Sweets is a DFW cottage bakery featuring sweets baked by founder Laneit Jones, who started Neitly after she switched to a plant-based diet and couldn't find vegan desserts she liked. She does cobbler, cupcakes, and pies, based on family recipes but without dairy or eggs. Her cookies are extra special: large format and in flavors such as snickerdoodle, oatmeal cream pie, chocolate chip, cookie butter, oatmeal raisin, and sweet potato cream pie. You can find Neitly at the Frisco Fresh Market on most weekends, or buy her cookies online. She also does a monthly "Batch Drop" cookie subscription with a quartet of flavors delivered to your door. (Dallas Vegan Insider does a snappy review here.)

Nothing Bundt Cakes, the Las Vegas-based cake chain, is opening a new location in Oak Cliff, in a storefront in the same center as the new Sprouts store, at 2005 Fort Worth Ave. This arrival is a relief because there are currently only 31 locations in the DFW area — out of 104 locations in Texas, and more than 600 across the U.S. But none in Oak Cliff so far.

Wu Wei Din Chinese restaurant has relocated its original Plano location on 15th Street to 1505 N. Central Expy. according to a notice on the website. It had been at the previous location since 2016. They serve soup dumplings, steamed dumplings, potstickers, wontons, and traditional Chinese dishes like broccoli beef and orange chicken, noodles, and fried rice.

Dive Coastal Cuisine has specials for August: Mango Summer Rolls: four rice paper rolls filled with cabbage, carrot, avocado, mango, and sweet chili; Chipotle Ceviche with shrimp and mahi mahi in chipotle coconut lime sauce; Gazpacho with carrot, cucumber, jalapeño, bell pepper, tomato, and shrimp; and Steak Carne Asada with Boursin mashed potatoes.

Hutchins BBQ has two new, weekend-only specials: Wagyu Brisket Pastrami, available at their Frisco location; and Tri Tip, available at their McKinney location, only on Saturdays and Sundays.

Starbucks iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte — made with real pumpkin — will return on August 26. It'll be joined by a slew of fall items, including Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai, and Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte, alongside a new Pecan Oatmilk Cortado and new Italian Sausage Egg Bites. The company just launched its "Green Apron Service," to ensure an elevated customer experience, featuring a warm welcome, ceramic cups for in-store sipping, a direct hand-off (rather than placing the drink on a counter for pickup), and a clean lobby and condiment bar.

MilkShake Factory, known for milkshakes and chocolates, has a new limited-time Banana Cream Pie Milkshake, featuring banana and chunks of vanilla wafers, for $9, available through September 12; as well as a permanent new bark: Cookies & Cream Bark, with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies in white chocolate.

Crown Block at the Reunion Tower has a new head sushi chef, Kesao Otake. With more than 20 years of global culinary experience spanning Japan, Russia, China, and the U.S., Otake blends traditional techniques with modern influences from French and Italian cuisine. Highlights include the Hokkaido Scallop with honey yuzu sauce and osetra caviar, tuna with sweet miso mustard and micro shiso, Snow Crab Aburi torched nigiri, Spicy Tuna with crispy shallots, and Snow Crab with yuzu mayonnaise.

Original ChopShop the fast-casual concept known for customizable bowls, has new menu additions for fall: The Glow Up Shake featuring coconut chia pudding, pineapple, banana, and dragonfruit; the Scottsdale Cobb with hard-boiled egg, cheddar, and cilantro lime ranch; and Piña-Dragonfruit Lemonade. The Arizona-based chain has nine locations across DFW including Allen, Lakewood, Fort Worth, Southlake, and Plano.

La La Land Kind Cafe will launch a kids’ menu on August 19 at all 23 of its locations including Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and Nashville partnered with Disney’s Mickey & Friends, featuring five flavored milks and three mini food items: Avocado Toast, AB & J Toast, and Hazelnut Toast.

Starship Bagel earned another accolade, this one from its homebase: The city of Lewisville proclaimed August 4, 2025 to be Starship Bagel Day. Lewisville Mayor TJ Gilmore presented a proclamation to Starship Bagel founder Oren Salomon that acknowledged Starship's various awards as well as its recent feature on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, an episode in which Lewisville City Manager Claire Powell also appeared.

Bourbon and Banter at the Statler Dallas hotel has added two WhistlePig whiskey flights: premium for $65 with Piggyback Rye, Small Batch Rye 10-year, and Farmstock Rye; and a rare and aged flight with WhistlePig’s 12-, 15- and 18-year varieties for $105.

Mister O1, the pizza chain with six DFW locations, is serving a limited-time pizza topped with burrata stracciatella, bacon, basil, and Cloud23 sauce, the brand by Brooklyn Beckham, through September 30.

Potbelly is adding Pork BBQ mac — three-cheese mac with pulled pork and BBQ sauce — to its Underground Menu, the app-only collection of menu items.

Cicis has a new Mix & Match Combo to-go menu featuring two items for $10 from a choice of a 7-inch two-topping pizza, five boneless wings, baked pasta, side salad, or four pieces of cheesy bread.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has partnered with Guinness on a new limited-edition Guinness stout flavored ice cream with chocolate chunks. A 14-oz pint is $11.15 at all Van Leeuwen scoop shops or purchase online with shipping nationwide for $12 (although it's currently showing up as Out of Stock).

White Rhino Coffee has appointed Sara Escamilla president & CEO, as founder Chris Parvin steps down to focus on family and other pursuits. Escamilla was previously COO for six years as White Rhino Coffee has expanded from two locations to 13 cafes.