Wine News
East Dallas favorite Urban Vines Wine Bistro closes after 10 years
One less glass of wine gets poured today.
A darling wine bistro in East Dallas has closed: Urban Vines Wine Bistro, a quintessential neighborhood spot in Casa Linda at 9219 Garland Rd., closed on September 28, after a decade in the space.
Chef and owner Tony Aguirre called it a "sad decision" and expressed gratitude to customers and staff, stating that "we are thankful to our staff who work hard everyday to provide the best service to our guests. We are extremely grateful to each of our guests who came into Urban Vines Wine Bistro and shared their time with us at our restaurant."
Urban Vines Wine Bistro opened in 2013 from husband-and-wife Jon Sparks and Jennifer Rodriguez who wanted to bring a quaint and personal wine experience to East Dallas.
Located on the ground floor of the Reserve at White Rock Apartments, Urban Vines had a cozy neighborhood vibe, with a bar plus lots of little nooks throughout the space and a pet-friendly sidewalk patio.
The menu spotlighted wine, plus a menu with appetizers, bruschetta, flatbreads, sandwiches, and charcuterie — well before charcuterie was a trend. It benefited from a location that was convenient to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.
This is a wine-friendly area, that's also home to Terroir – A Place For Wine, a boutique wine shop that opened in the same center in 2022.
Urban Vines' original owners sold the business to Aguirre in 2020, who maintained the menu while adding Peruvian dishes such as ceviche, that reflected his heritage.
They ran frequent specials such as half-off wine by the glass, and also hosted musicians on weekend nights.
The place was beloved by its regulars and did steady business. But like many businesses, it struggled during the pandemic, and "Chef Tony" told customers that his overhead, including lease, energy bills, cost of ingredients and more, had increased greatly since the pandemic.
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