Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 8 newly opened restaurants in June

Spread from Culinary Dropout.

Courtesy photo

The summer heat of June is fueling our appetite for another edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap's monthly column highlighting restaurants to try.

From a family-owned cafe to chicken and waffles, here are the latest spots to eat this month:

Amelia
This Southern food and cocktails concept recently opened at 3005 Routh St. — a location with history dating back to the '80s when it was home to Stephan Pyles' legendary Routh Street Cafe. Amelia serves Cajun eats like gumbo, cajun pasta, lamb chops, and a twist on dirty rice, in a modern space with a marble bar, murals, a street-facing patio, and a second-floor cigar bar.

Cerulean Blue
Coffee shop newly opened in Flower Mound's Parker Square is designed to provide a space to wind down or get work done over pastries, sandwiches, quiches, biscuits, and salads. Owned by Paul and Jackie Dietzler, Cerulean Blue will also offer community events and a board to post local opportunities.

Culinary Dropout
Gastropub in Dallas Design District at 150 Turtle Creek Blvd. comes from Fox Restaurant Concepts, the same group that brought us Flower Child. Known for comfort food and sushi amidst rockstar decor and vibes, their menu includes California roll sushi, shrimp tempura crunch, pub burger, 36-hour pork ribs, steak frites, Peking duck, and shrimp fried rice.

Johnny's Chicken & Waffles
Brunch concept with music theme from Atlanta founded by singer Ne-Yo, ex-wife Crystal Renay, and reality star Karlie Redd recently made its Dallas debut at 1326 Botham Jean Blvd. It has chicken & waffles with choices from wings and tenders, with waffle flavors such as buttermilk, strawberry, red velvet, or pecan.

Kanvas Sport + Social
Elevated sports bar in Deep Ellum opened in the former Harlowe MXM space at 2823 Main St. on June 14. Founded by Kevin Kelley of Southern dining concept Kitchen + Kocktails, this new concept adds sports to the dining experience with a doughnut sandwich, wings, oysters, flamed nachos, egg rolls, and more. Kanvas also has a second level for its rooftop bar.

Mas Street Tacos
New taqueria from West End restaurateur Jay Khan serves street-style tacos and breakfast tacos. With dishes by chef Juan Sanchez, who leads the kitchen at Liam's Steakhouse, tacos aren't all that's on the menu. Meat comes either smoked or marinated, and there are quesadillas, sopas, burritos, tortas, and flautas, and all-day breakfast tacos.

Neon Cactus
Buzzy taco spot in Fairview at 241 E Stacy Rd. is in the former Wild Salsa where it offers Mexican classics, fusion dishes, and a couple meatless options: chicken tinga flautas, birria tacos, crispy orange chicken tacos, birria ramen, prickly cactus tacos, and avocado quesadilla.

Uchiko
Japanese restaurant from Austin chef Tyson Cole (Uchi) made its Plano debut June 18 inside Legacy West — the third Uchiko location in Texas. The menu features karaage-style fried chicken, smoked and cured meats, oysters, and roasted lobster. The Plano location also has a shareable family-style For the Table option.

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Boots & Booze

New Deep Ellum venue vows to win hearts with food, fun, and wedding chapel

Photo by Kathy Tran

The Window at Boots & Booze will serve Deep Ellum early morning through late night.

A new all-day hangout will soon bring comfort food and cocktails, a dog-friendly courtyard, live music stage, and even a whimsical wedding chapel to Dallas' Deep Ellum. Boots & Booze, a new concept from Dallas-based Wush Hospitality Group, will debut its first phase on Friday, October 23 at 3014 Main St., across the street from Terry Black's Barbecue.

The first phase includes The Window, a walk-up kitchen; The Courtyard, an outdoor bar and gathering space; and its signature Shotgun Wedding Chapel.

“This is meant to be a place where you can grab breakfast or coffee before work, bring your dog for the afternoon, meet friends for a drink, catch live entertainment or celebrate something completely unexpected,” Sherry Hazrati, co-founder of Wush Hospitality Group, says in a release. “You don’t need a special occasion to come here. We want people to feel welcome the minute they walk in.”

The Window will serve coffee and breakfast starting at 6:30 am on weekdays, with brunch beginning at 11 am on weekends. The menu, developed by Hazrati and the group's culinary team, changes throughout the day.

Breakfast options include the Crispy Potato and Egg Sandwich and Quick Shift Meals. Lunch brings the Golden Honey Chicken Breast Sandwich, Double Onion Chopped Beef Sandwich, Main Street Philly, and Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese. Dinner offerings include Hearty Chicken, Crispy Potatoes, and After Hours Potatoes.

Weekend brunch features Hot Honey Chicken French Toast and shareable brunch boards, along with lighter and gluten-free options.

The beverage menu includes coffee drinks, sodas, cocktails, wine, and beer, including a gluten-free option. One signature drink is the Cold Fashioned, a frozen take on the Old Fashioned made with Still Austin Whiskey.

Guests can grab to-go meals or settle into The Courtyard, which has a bar, stage, and flexible seating for everything from game-day gatherings to live entertainment and community events.

The Shotgun Wedding Chapel is a "playful” element, says the press release, which is not to say it isn’t a functional wedding venue for couples eager to tie the knot. The team expects ceremonies and other pageantry year-round inside Shotgun.

Sherry Hazrati Boots & Booze Sherry Hazrati and her Wush Hospitality Group are behind Deep Ellum's new Boots & Booze venue.Photo by Kathy Tran

Hazrati says the goal is to make guests feel welcome and give them a reason to return.

“We want people to leave remembering how we made them feel and come back because they feel like they belong," she says.

The group plans to expand the concept with Boots & Booze Scratch Kitchen, a full-service restaurant led by executive chef José Luis Rodriguez Perez, former owner of Dallas restaurant Mixtitos Kitchen. Details and an opening date have not been announced.

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