Restaurant debut

Mexican restaurant Sueño debuts with tequila lounge in Snider Plaza Dallas

Tres Leches de Horchata at Sueño.

Photo courtesy of Sueño

The highly anticipated second location of acclaimed Mexican restaurant Sueño is making its debut in Dallas — and it's bringing a tequila lounge with it.

Officially called Sueño Cocteleria Mexicana, the elevated Mexican restaurant from founders Julio Pineda and Cristian Lujano, is opening at Dallas' Snider Plaza on Wednesday, June 10. The restaurant is located at 6600 Snider Plaza, in a 6,259-square-foot space with a main dining room, patio, and a dedicated tequila lounge called Alma Agave.

The opening comes about eight months after Sueño first revealed plans to expand from Richardson to the popular Dallas shopping center near SMU. Founded in 2021 by cousins Pineda and Lujano, both originally from Mexico City and raised in Texas, Sueño quickly earned a following for its refined Mexican cuisine, cocktail program, and hospitality.

The Dallas location is a partnership with Bellomy Hospitality Group, the local company behind S&D Oyster Company, Rex's Seafood, and Caché.

At the center of Sueño's cuisine is its in-house masa operation, which uses heirloom blue and yellow corn to make nixtamal daily for tortillas, tetelas, and tlayudas.

The kitchen is led by executive chef Cristos Andrade, a native of Monterrey, whose menu blends traditional Mexican flavors with influences from French, Italian, and Japanese cuisine, the release says.

$Sue\u00f1o$ Pollo à la Plancha.Photo courtesy of Sueño

Menu highlights include:

Bone Marrow Pork Belly with salsa tatemada, avocado puree, and bone marrow-infused crema Oaxaqueña
Tamarind Ponzu Sashimi Scallops with cucumber, avocado, and fried parsnip
Sushi-Grade Ahi Tuna Tartare with serrano tomato herb vinaigrette
Jalisco Birria Tacos with braised lamb, consommé, cheese, onion, cilantro, and lime
Enchiladas Suizas with pulled chicken, cheese, and creamy poblano sauce

Live-fire dishes are a highlight of the menu and will include:

Wood-Fired Carne Asada with Rosewood Ranch New York strip and chorizo enfrijolada
Pollo a la Plancha with pipián verde
Fire-grilled fajitas with chicken, sirloin, pork belly, or a combination of meats
Salmon a la Crema with white wine mushroom sauce

An exciting addition to the new location is Alma Agave, an intimate lounge dedicated to tequila, mezcal, and other Mexican spirits, according to a release. The 23-seat space is designed as a destination of its own, the owners say, serving cocktails along with small plates inspired by different regions of Mexico.

The beverage program showcases tequila, mezcal, and lesser-known Mexican distillates, as well as ancestral drinks such as tejuino and tejate, they say. Cocktails incorporate housemade ingredients, fermented elements, masa foam, and squash-based sodas.

$Sue\u00f1o$ Pretty cocktails at Sueño.Photo courtesy of Sueño

"With this location, we really focused on how the experience unfolds for our guests," says Lujano in the release. "From the front window where masa is prepared to the open kitchen and into the intimacy of Alma Agave, every element is designed to draw people in."

The restaurant was designed by Mexico City-based JSa and Arlington's ch_Studio. According to the release, the design draws inspiration from traditional Mexican haciendas and incorporates volcanic stone, wood, leather, handwoven textiles, and artwork by Mexican artisans. A patio "reinterprets the Mexican courtyard," they says, as a shaded, inviting space for outdoor gatherings.

"For us, this project is deeply personal," says Pineda. "It's about honoring where we come from while creating something meaningful for our community — an experience that celebrates Mexican culture through food, drink, and genuine hospitality."

Sueño will open for dinner service and weekend brunch beginning June 10. Hours will be 4-10 pm Monday-Thursday, 4-11 pm Friday, 10 am-11 pm Saturday, and 10 am-10 pm Sunday. Alma Agave will be open 4-11 pm Sunday-Thursday, and 4 pm-midnight Friday-Saturday.

Reservations are now open through Resy.

mexican cuisine snider plaza sueno tex-mex openings

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."

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