State Fair News

Dallas restaurants salute the State Fair with their own funky fare

CBD Provisions is doing fried Oreos.

CBD Provisions

As the State Fair of Texas readies for its 2024 debut, fairgoers are anticipating the dozens of new food items that have been added this year's lineup. But on those days you're not visiting the fair, you can still indulge, since some Dallas restaurants are joining in with their own renditions of State Fair-style food.

Here are restaurants where you can to find State Fair of Texas themed food and beverages with specials running from September 27-October 20. (And we'll be adding more as they come in.)

CBD Provisions restaurant at the Joule Dallas hotel in downtown Dallas has introduced two limited-time Fair-inspired dishes: loaded fries with smoked brisket and bacon; and deep-fried Oreos in cinnamon batter with cream cheese icing.

Chef Point Bar & Restaurant is bringing back their State Fair Bloody Mary, stacked with a turkey leg, corn on the cob, deep-fried PB&J, waffles, and more.

Community Beer Co. released its annual Funnel Cake Ale, a special State Fair-style brew it serves every year during State Fair time. It combines all of the sweet and toasty flavors of a funnel cake in a convenient beer. It was released on August 22 and will be available at both Community Beer on tap and in six-pack cans and at the State Fair of Texas.

Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa has $15 special bites, including The State Fair Poutine volcano salt fries topped with chopped brisket, BBQ sauce, scallions, cheddar cheese, and chopped onion; and blackberry cobbler, with white chocolate cream, cinnamon streusel, and graham cracker.

Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs will not only be at the State Fair of Texas, but it also has a food truck every Friday through Sunday from 11:30 am-7:30 pm at Klyde Warren Park, where it serves all six corny dogs including The Original, Jalapeño and Cheese, the turkey Bird Dog, and a veggie corny dog.

Flying Fish is offering a Larry’s Deep Fried Banana Pudding with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, powder sugar and topped with a vanilla cookie for $8; and alligator queso starting at $9 for a cup.

Lucky's Cafe has an $11 corn dog duo and fries paired with a $6 Cotton Candy Pilsner from Texas Ale Project.

Meddlesome Moth will offer several specials starting at $12 available after 4 pm, including Tex’s Blue Ribbon Feast, which is fried chicken, whipped sweet potatoes and marshmallow, cheddar mac and cheese, braised greens, and cornbread.

Pete's Dueling Piano Bar has a limited-time $14 cotton candy cosmopolitan featuring a lemon-flavored vodka-base, lemon juice, a splash of soda, and cotton candy-infused simple syrup.

Snuffer's is serving $8 chili cheese mini corn dogs topped with house-made chili, onions, cheddar, and jalapeños.

The Statler is all in on the fair: Overeasy will offer guests fried Monte Cristo bites for $16; Scout has funnel cake fries for $8; and Waterproof has a cotton candy cosmopolitan for $12.

UnaVida has a churro banana split, featuring fresh strawberries, Mexican vanilla ice cream, espresso chocolate sauce, brûléed bananas, caramel-filled churros, and fried candied peanuts for $12.

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Downtown News

Mom-and-pop Italian grocery in downtown Dallas closes after a year

Ari's

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A buzzy grocery store in downtown Dallas has closed: Ari’s Pantry, the small local chain specializing in Italian groceries and to-go foods, has closed its location in the heart of the Central Business District at 1800 Main St.#124.

A statement from the owners called it "a difficult decision." The closure is effective July 15.

"We are truly grateful for the welcome Ari's Pantry received from the downtown Dallas community. You have supported our business and shared in our passion for Italian food and hospitality. After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our Downtown Dallas location effective today," their post said.

The closure comes a little over a year since they opened in May 2025.

Downtown was the third location for the small mom-and-pop market, which debuted in Winnetka Heights in December 2023 to fulfill owner Ari Lowenstein's passion for all things Italy, with pastas, gourmet goods, dried foods, produce, plus meals for dining in or to go.

They opened a second location in Trinity Groves in 2024, which is currently marked on their website as "closed for the summer," although it does not list a re-opening date. Lowenstein was unavailable for comment.

The downtown location was originally a joint venture between Lowenstein and Alan Kearney, a downtown enthusiast who owns businesses nearby such as The Crafty Irishman and Patrick Kennedy's Irish Pub, as well as Cannon's Corner Irish Pub in Oak Cliff. However, Kearney withdrew from the store after it opened.

To accommodate the needs of downtown workers and residents, Lowenstein added a coffee shop and gelato stand. It was open for coffee at 7 am and until 9 pm, with a dining area where customers could have wine and cheese.

The location at 1800 Main St. seems to be in a favorable spot, surrounded by residential buildings and hotels such as the AC Hotel and Statler Dallas. Who has not spent a night in a hotel and longed for a market nearby with snacks and wine? It's also across the street from Neiman Marcus, whose imminent closure in September has provoked some pearl-clutching about the prosperity of downtown. But the downtown population does not always support local businesses.

Ari's was not the first to find the location challenging: It was previously occupied by the well-mounted Berkley's Market, which closed in 2024 after six years in the space.

The owners stated that they would "continue focusing on our locations in Coppell and Bishop Arts as we look ahead to the next chapters of Ari's Pantry," before thanking "every customer who stopped in for coffee, lunch or gelato, picked up dinner, discovered a new favorite ingredient."

downtown closings

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Downtown News

Mom-and-pop Italian grocery in downtown Dallas closes after a year