Deep Ellum News

Dallas vegan restaurant in Deep Ellum co-owned by Oliver Peck will close

Tacos, pancakes, smoothies, Tiki Loco had it all.

Tiki Loco

There's a restaurant closing that represents tragic news for Dallas vegans and the Deep Ellum community: Tiki Loco, a vegan restaurant that's been open in Deep Ellum for four years, will close in early 2023.

Founder Audra Cabral confirmed that the restaurant would be closing, with its final day on January 3.

"We're sad to close after serving the vegan community for more than four years," Cabral says. "But trying to maintain the business has been a challenge, between the pandemic, declining foot traffic, and increasing costs."

Their January 3 closure date is a gesture to support their staff through the holidays.

Their new hours will be 12 pm to 10 pm (they previously opened at 10 am), although Cabral says they anticipate some fluctuating hours, depending on staffing and inventory.

"Truth be told, the last year and a half we've ridden this rollercoaster of extremes like so many have, and ultimately it has financially drained us," she says.

Tiki Loco opened in 2018 with a focus on vegan and healthy food, although it earned just as much attention for its celebrity ties, including being co-owned by tattoo artists Dean Williams and Oliver Peck, owners of Elm Street Tattoo shop also in Deep Ellum. People love celebrities. (See headline above.)

The restaurant served both vegan and GF food as well as local coffee from White Rock Coffee. The menu featured tacos, nachos, smoothies, juice, grab-and-go items, and even cocktails, with happy hour deals.

Its combination of fresh food, cheerful atmosphere, and friendly hipster staff was so winning that the restaurant earned a nomination for Best Neighborhood Restaurant in CultureMap's annual Tastemaker Awards in 2022.

They were one of four restaurants in Dallas to use Tindle, a juicy, plant-based chicken and the first chicken made from plants created specifically by chefs and for chefs.

And their presence definitely helped elevate Dallas' profile as a vegan-friendly city in 2019, when for the first time Dallas made the list of Top 10 Vegan Cities in the U.S.

At a time when Deep Ellum has become deluged with restaurants, many of which include chains and concepts from out of town, Tiki Loco stood as a sweet reminder of the funky Deep Ellum vibe that first attracted the newcomers.

Deep Ellum's central location would seem to make it a good place for a vegan restaurant, but Dallas' vegan community is geographically scattered and hasn't shown a pattern of supporting local vegan businesses such as Tiki Loco; Belse, the vegan restaurant in downtown Dallas; and Lucky Mouth Grocery, the vegan grocery in Oak Cliff. They'd rather order pizza from a suburban location of the Mellow Mushroom. People, you get what you deserve.

deep-ellum closings vegan

Coming soon

Cuban-style burger chain Frita Batidos to make Texas debut in Dallas

Photo by Noah Fecks

Frita Batidos' signature burgers and milkshakes, along with crispy fried plantains.

An acclaimed Cuban-inspired burger restaurant from Michigan is making its Texas debut in in Dallas' buzzy McKinney-Knox neighborhood: Called Frita Batidos, it will open at 4620 McKinney Ave., just off the Katy Trail, on August 17, a release says.

Founded by chef Eve Aronoff Fernandez, Frita Batidos debuted in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2010 and has since expanded to Detroit and Brooklyn. The Brooklyn location earned national attention after its signature Frita was named one of New York City's best burgers by The New York Times.

The restaurant serves Cuban-style street food and takes its name from two Cuban staples that are the focus of its menu: fritas, the island's signature burgers, and batidos, tropical fruit milkshakes.

Their fritas are served on a soft egg bun and topped with shoestring fries. Options include beef, housemade chorizo, chicken, black bean, and Gulf redfish, with toppings such as cilantro-lime salsa, avocado spread, tropical slaw, Muenster cheese, and a sunny-side-up egg.

Frita Baditos Frita, a Cuban-style burger.Photo by Noah Fecks

Their batidos are made with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh fruit in flavors such as coconut cream, passion fruit, fresh lime, hibiscus, chocolate español, and cajeta. Guests can also order a lighter version made with mango, pineapple, and crushed ice, or add a splash of dark rum to any shake.

Other menu highlights include crisped plantains with dipping sauces, loaded plantains topped with black beans and cheese, coconut-ginger rice layered with black beans and Muenster cheese, churros, cinnamon-sugar plantains, and rotating housemade paletas.

The beverage menu features cocktails such as a margarita, mojito, piña colada, daiquiri, sangria, and pisco hibiscus lemonade, along with housemade tropical sodas, fresh juices, and nonalcoholic versions of its cocktails.

"Frita Batidos emphasizes fresh, high-quality, locally sourced ingredients, served with care in a warm and welcoming atmosphere to create a community gathering place," the owners say in the release.

The Dallas restaurant occupies a bright, airy space designed by architect Neal Robinson, a longtime collaborator on the brand's restaurants. The dining room features communal picnic-style tables, outlets for guests who want to work while dining, and dominoes for customers to play. A mural by graffiti artist FEL3000ft emblazoned with the phrase "Por Que No?!" serves as the centerpiece.

Frita Baditos Badito, a tropical milkshake.Photo by Noah Fecks

Frita Batidos founder Aronoff Fernandez is a a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef who previously owned the acclaimed Ann Arbor, Michigan restaurant Eve and authored the cookbook Eve: Contemporary Cuisine/Methode Traditionelle. She founded Frita Baditos in 2010, she says, "grounded in the tenets of the Slow Food Movement, following the seasons, cooking from scratch, working with small, local purveyors and farmers and most importantly fostering warmth and conviviality around food."

Frita Batidos will be open Sunday-Wednesday from 11 am-10 pm and Thursday-Saturday from 11 am-11 pm.

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