Where to eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 8 hot new restaurants for January

Scrumptious avocado toast served at brunch at Monaco in Las Colinas.

Monaco

It's only a week or two into 2023, but there are already new restaurants opening like crazy around Dallas. That makes "brand new restaurants" the obvious theme for this edition of Where to Eat in Dallas Right Now, our monthly feature spotlighting restaurant picks.

The list includes sushi, Tex-Mex, plant-based, Italian, and Chicago-style hot dogs. Something for everyone.

Here are 8 brand new restaurants to try right now:

Earth Burger
The arrival of this San Antonio plant-based burger chain is not a stand-alone restaurant but is instead a new addition at Oomi Digital Kitchen, the digital food hall at 3510 Ross Ave. It's still a major big deal: Earth Burger is known for its burgers made with plant-based patties, chik-n, and “fishless” filets. The company is embarking on a national expansion expansion with assistance from Sinelli Concepts, the Dallas group founded by Jeff Sinelli that owns Which Wich Superior Sandwiches. They'll be available to order starting on Tuesday, January 17.

Green Papaya Plant-Based
This vegan restaurant opened in December in the former Green Papaya Vietnamese restaurant on Oak Lawn Avenue, representing a huge shift from its former identity as a neighborhood Asian favorite. But they are already wowing both locals and vegans with their quirky menu featuring breakfast dishes like bacon-egg-&-cheese bagel, mushroom toast, veggie burgers, acai bowls, smoothies, and a neat selection of latte drinks.

Kinzo Sushi
New sushi restaurant just opened in North Frisco near Little Elm, at 14111 King Rd. #2100, where it's serving sushi, plus special hot and cold dishes, plus a full bar. Kinzo is a partnership between manager Kyle Choi and chef Leo Kekoa, who previously worked for Nobu. Their mission: bring the omakase experience to residents in the area and saving them a drive to Dallas.

La Comida Mexican Kitchen and Cocktails
Former Spiral Diner space in Oak Cliff is now a Tex-Mex restaurant that built a following at its previous location in Addison from brothers Mario and Ivan Urtecho with a menu that includes ceviche, chicken flautas, empanadas, nachos, fajitas, quesadillas, tortas, combination plates, tacos, mole chicken, mahi mahi, plus eight kinds of salsas and four kinds of queso, and Queso Elegante with fajita chicken, spinach, white queso, red bell peppers. No liquor license yet, so margaritas are still to come.

Loro Addison
Addison gets its own location of Loro, the Asian smokehouse and bar from chefs Tyson Cole and Aaron Franklin, serving grilled and smoked meats with Southeast Asian and Japanese-inspired sauces, sides, and a bar serving craft beer, boozy slushees, and batch cocktails. Located at 14999 Montfort Dr., in the former Flying Saucer (which is actually officially Dallas), it's the second Loro in DFW, following the first that opened on Fitzhugh Avenue in Old East Dallas in July 2021.

Monaco Restaurant
Restaurant in Las Colinas inspired by the French Riviera actually opened a few months ago by food & beverage veterans that include the Lamberti family, who own Lamberti's Ristorante in Irving. They just updated their lunch menu with must-haves such as an Italian beef sandwich and an elevated grilled cheese sandwich made with upscale Raclette cheese with watercress on sourdough, and with their views of Las Colinas' canals, they're an awesome destination for brunch.

Portillo's
After much anticipation, Portillo's has opened its first DFW restaurant in The Colony. The menu of Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, crinkle-cut fries, and shakes is great for nostalgic Windy City natives, possibly inscrutable for everyone else. Located at the Grandscape complex, it's a sprawling 7,900-square-foot space with seating for more than 260, a double lane drive-thru, and a vintage 1967 Toyota Stout as a nod to the Toyota's headquarters nearby, a "local" touch.

Quarter Acre
New Lower Greenville spot in the former Rapscallion spot is from chef Toby Archibald (Bullion, Georgie by Curtis Stone), and features a menu of contemporary global cuisine inspired by Archibald's world travels and New Zealand roots, with an emphasis on local produce as well as national and international ingredients such as seafood and wine from New Zealand and Australia.

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Burger News

Family-owned Patty Lou's Smashburgers will open in old downtown Plano

Photo by Sara Aurora Cimminiello on Unsplash

Smashburger

A new restaurant starring a buzzy burger is coming to old downtown Plano: Called Patty Lou's Smashburgers, it will feature the namesake smashburger, and will open at 1004 E. 14th St. #105, in a historic location that was most recently home to a Starbucks.

Patty Lou's is a new concept from Urban Family Concepts, the hospitality company whose other restaurants include Urban Seafood Co., Urban Rio Cantina & Grill, and Italian restaurant Urban Crust, all located in the downtown Plano area.

Patty Lou's is their burger entry, a quick-service spot serving smashburgers, the flattened version of a burger with crisp edges that's been a hot trend for the past year.

According to Urban Family Concepts partner and spokesperson Dana Blaugrund, the restaurant will open in late spring.

Patty Lou's is also a sweet homage to a family member — named for Patty Lou Peters, of "Patty Lou and her Texas Sweethearts" fame, an all-female country & Western / Western swing group founded in the '40s, when female groups were a rarity.

Patty Lou was the mother of Bonnie Shea, who co-founded Urban Family Concepts with her husband Nathan Shea. Infusing the personal touch into everything they do is part of the company DNA, says Urban partner Michael Lee.

"Urban is generally driven by what we like," Lee says. "Urban Rio, our Mexican concept, came about because Bonnie loved that cuisine, and Urban Seafood Company, Nate loves seafood. Burgers are a favorite of their son-in-laws."

Their version of the smashburger will feature American cheese and onions that melt into the meat, Lee says. They'll be served on potato buns, and there'll be some toppings — but they won't go too crazy.

"It'll have onions, lettuce, and pickle, but we're going to stay minimal, with additional toppings on the side," he says. "Going overboard with ingredients can get complicated. Our goal is, very simple burgers that taste very good, at a value price, so that everyone can enjoy coming back and getting a burger."

The menu will also feature smashed chicken burgers, hand-cut French fries skin on, lightly battered onion rings, and milkshakes. They'll also serve alcohol, including bottled beers, wine by the glass, and a signature frozen cocktail. Eventually, they'll add specials like a burger of the month.

The location was originally home to the Ice House, built in 1917, an institution that provided ice products to Plano residents and businesses, says Urban partner Payton Hickey.

"You could pull up and get a block of ice from workers with tongs," Hickey says. "During remodeling, we could still see the raised floor where the freezer was, where they kept the ice."

They operated a licensed location of Starbucks in that space until 2024, when Starbucks opened a store nearby with a drive-thru in the former longtime Jack in the Box at 15th Street and US-75.

Decor at Patty Lou's will embrace a diner feel with counter seating, while incorporating elements from Patty Lou Peter's life, Blaugrund says. (It's a nice coincidence that her name syncs up with "hamburger patty.")

"We'll have her original guitar and some memorabilia in the restaurant — a cool mixture of country music and burger restaurant," Blaugrund says.

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