The Quad in Uptown Dallas signs on buzzy restaurant with Australian flair

There's an exciting new restaurant concept coming to Uptown Dallas: Called Two Hands, it draws its inspiration from Australian café culture and will open its first Dallas location at The Quad, the development at 2699 Howell St. that's undergoing a big renovation, where it will occupy one of the five retail spaces in a new office tower.

A release describes it as a casual restaurant featuring fusion cuisine, sharable plates, and "well-traveled classics." It'll be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a coffee program and full-service bar, plus indoor-outdoor dining.

It'll open in early 2024.

Two Hands was founded in 2014 (no relation to the Los Angeles-based Korean hot dog chain) by husband-and-wife Henry and Tara Roberts, who opened their first location as a coffee shop/cafe in New York. There are now six, including four in New York, one in Nashville, and one in Austin, which opened in 2020. Two more will open in 2023, in Denver and Franklin, Tennessee.

"Dallas is filled with so many unique, diverse neighborhoods, and The Quad development in Uptown is the perfect opportunity for Two Hands to enter the market,” says Henry Roberts, a native of Australia, in a statement. “Following our success in Austin, our expansion into Dallas will continue our growth in Texas and help establish our brand here."

Culinary Director and Chef Barney Hannagan follows what the release calls "a conscious approach" to health and lifestyle with bright, flavorful dishes, bold flavors, and locally sourced ingredients that vary by season and location. Being conscious is far preferable to being unconscious when you are creating a menu.

Popular items include:

• salmon quinoa bowl with salmon, egg, turmeric quinoa, hummus, crunchy shaved veggies, avocado, cucumber, seeds, and puffed rice
• tamarind chicken, a glazed half-chicken served with whiskey shoyu, sesame chili crunch, and ginger sauce.

Coffee options include a lavender matcha latte, while the bar will serve natural wines, local beers, and specialty cocktails.

Two Hands is the first retail lease signed at The Quad, with additional restaurant announcements anticipated by mid-2023.

Dallas-based Stream Realty is developing the a state-of-the-art office building and surrounding retail on the space formerly known as the Quadrangle, Dallas' first mixed-use development dating back to 1966. Chicago Title was the first office tenant to commit to the project in September 2022.

Amenities will include a penthouse tenant lounge and conference center, fitness studio with floor-to-ceiling windows, dedicated underground parking, bike valet, and outdoor seating and green space.

“We envision a collection of restaurants at The Quad that will engage not only the employees of our office tenants but also the thousands of residents in our neighborhood,” says Ramsey March, Executive Managing Director and Partner of Stream’s development group. “Two Hands has a devoted following in some of the country’s most sophisticated dining scenes and exemplifies the kind of offering we know will excite the Uptown market.”