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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Downtown News

Mom-and-pop Italian grocery in downtown Dallas closes after a year

Ari's

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A buzzy grocery store in downtown Dallas has closed: Ari’s Pantry, the small local chain specializing in Italian groceries and to-go foods, has closed its location in the heart of the Central Business District at 1800 Main St.#124.

A statement from the owners called it "a difficult decision." The closure is effective July 15.

"We are truly grateful for the welcome Ari's Pantry received from the downtown Dallas community. You have supported our business and shared in our passion for Italian food and hospitality. After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our Downtown Dallas location effective today," their post said.

The closure comes a little over a year since they opened in May 2025.

Downtown was the third location for the small mom-and-pop market, which debuted in Winnetka Heights in December 2023 to fulfill owner Ari Lowenstein's passion for all things Italy, with pastas, gourmet goods, dried foods, produce, plus meals for dining in or to go.

They opened a second location in Trinity Groves in 2024, which is currently marked on their website as "closed for the summer," although it does not list a re-opening date. Lowenstein was unavailable for comment.

The downtown location was originally a joint venture between Lowenstein and Alan Kearney, a downtown enthusiast who owns businesses nearby such as The Crafty Irishman and Patrick Kennedy's Irish Pub, as well as Cannon's Corner Irish Pub in Oak Cliff. However, Kearney withdrew from the store after it opened.

To accommodate the needs of downtown workers and residents, Lowenstein added a coffee shop and gelato stand. It was open for coffee at 7 am and until 9 pm, with a dining area where customers could have wine and cheese.

The location at 1800 Main St. seems to be in a favorable spot, surrounded by residential buildings and hotels such as the AC Hotel and Statler Dallas. Who has not spent a night in a hotel and longed for a market nearby with snacks and wine? It's also across the street from Neiman Marcus, whose imminent closure in September has provoked some pearl-clutching about the prosperity of downtown. But the downtown population does not always support local businesses.

Ari's was not the first to find the location challenging: It was previously occupied by the well-mounted Berkley's Market, which closed in 2024 after six years in the space.

The owners stated that they would "continue focusing on our locations in Coppell and Bishop Arts as we look ahead to the next chapters of Ari's Pantry," before thanking "every customer who stopped in for coffee, lunch or gelato, picked up dinner, discovered a new favorite ingredient."

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