After more than a year of restaurants pivoting, struggling and failing, the CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association says restaurant openings are accelerating in all parts of the state. We’ll take the good news.
In Dallas-Fort Worth, a flurry of new restaurants have opened in June 2021 alone. Here’s a look 30 newcomers:
Restaurants are listed in order of when they opened, starting with the most recent.
Manpuku Japanese Yakiniku Grill is a Japanese grilled meat restaurant opening on Dallas’ Lowest Greenville on June 29. At each interactive dinner, chefs place raw meat and veggies in the middle of the table, where customers will grill their own food. Manpuku Japanese Yakiniku Grill is at 2023 Greenville Ave., Dallas.
P.F. Chang’s To Go, the first of its kind in Texas, opened June 28. More are coming soon. P.F. Chang’s To Go is at 5941 High Point Drive, Irving.
Salad and Go is moving into D-FW in a big way. The next one opens in Richardson on June 28. The first one in Dallas opened June 16; Plano debuted a few weeks before that. At Salad and Go, every salad is $5.74 and comes with the option of chicken and tofu. All drinks are $1. “We don’t call ourselves a restaurant,” CFO Brian Roberts tells me. And it doesn’t feel like one: It’s the fastest drive-through kiosk I’ve ever seen, with very low prices. Salad and Gos are at 850 E. Campbell Road (near Greenville Avenue), Richardson; 5101 Ross Ave. (near Greenville Avenue), Dallas; and 1400 Coit Road, Plano. Other shops are expected to open this year in North Texas at: 14909 Coit Road (near Belt Line Road), Dallas; and 3400 Hulen St. (near Interstate 30), Fort Worth.
The AT&T Discovery District’s food hall, The Exchange, officially opened June 25 — though a few restaurants opened and operated during the pandemic. The food hall is part of a massive redevelopment of the AT&T campus in downtown Dallas, which includes some 20 bars and restaurants and an open-to-the-public plaza. Inside the food hall, a bar called Double Tap will serve beer, wine and cocktails — all on draft. Food Network chef-lebrity Amanda Freitag co-operates a breakfast and coffee spot called Rise & Thyme, and upstairs, a brasserie and a Japanese restaurant have opened. The food hall is full of new food stands from local restaurateurs:
- Revolver Taco, one of the best-known taco shops in the state, operated by local chef Regino Rojas
- Monkey King Noodle Co., the Chinese noodle shop that has been expanded around D-FW by its operator Andrew Chen
- Bobbers, Burgers & Whips, a new concept from chef Waddell Hodges, who worked at Oak, Mot Hai Ba and the now-closed Hibiscus and Wheelhouse
- Val’s Cheesecake, a sweets store named for its local owner Valerie Jean-Bart
- The Dock, which started by selling East Coast seafood from a food truck
- La Duni, the dessert shop and Latin restaurant operated by Dunia and Espartaco Borga
- Press Waffle Co., a Belgian waffle concept operated by Caleb and Bryan Lewis — the guys who scored $300,000 on Shark Tank
- Baboushi, whose operator Yaser Khalaf has operated several restaurants in Dallas, including Medina Oven & Bar
- Attalie, a place from seasoned chef Richard Blankenship, who has worked as executive chef of Charlie Palmer, executive chef of Nick & Sam’s Grill and chef de cuisine for Headington restaurants
Mamaka Bowls, a dairy-free smoothie shop, opened June 25 at WestBend in Fort Worth. The menu is designed to emulate the acai bowls the mother-daughter owners Carrie and KK Hudson enjoyed on travels to California. Mamaka Bowls is at 1653 River Run, Fort Worth.
Macaron shop Ollio Patisserie opened June 24 in The Colony, after the winter storm pushed the date back, according to reporter Anna Caplan. Ollio Patisserie is at 7552 Main St., The Colony.
Shoyo, a Japanese restaurant on Greenville Avenue in Dallas, is one of the most exciting new restaurants to open all year. Chef-founder Jimmy Park joins executive chef Shinichiro Kondo, who spent several decades working at Nobu, to create a surprising and exciting tasting menu centering around raw fish dishes. Shoyo opened June 22. Shoyo is at 1916 Greenville Ave., Dallas.
Serious Pizza opened June 22 in Fort Worth. The original is in Deep Ellum, but a new operator has taken over the Serious Pizza brand and has (serious) plans to expand it across D-FW. Serious Pizza is at 2728 W. 7th St., Fort Worth.
Top Chef star Tiffany Derry’s new restaurant Roots Southern Table opened in Farmers Branch on June 18, reports Dalila Thomas Brent. Derry notes that her grandmother cooked “field-to-table before it was a trend,” and Derry learned the art of cooking for and serving guests during her family’s crawfish boils, fish fries and fried-chicken dinners. On her menu: gumbo, cast-iron cornbread, blacked-eyed-pea hummus and duck fat fried chicken. Roots Southern Kitchen is at 13050 Bee St., Farmers Branch.
Persimmons Bar & Grill is the new restaurant at Grapevine Golf Course. Both the restaurant and its new clubhouse opened June 18, reports Caplan. Persimmons Bar & Grill is at 3800 Fairway Drive, Grapevine.
A “globally-inspired cocktail lounge” named Atlas opened in Dallas’ Bishop Arts District on June 17. The cocktail menu takes inspiration from many of the places operator Dan Bui has traveled. It’ll offer foodies in Bishop Arts a place to go after dinner for a nightcap. Atlas is at 408 N. Bishop Ave., Dallas.
Revolver Taco Lounge made the march back into Fort Worth when it opened in Sundance Square recently. (Owner Regino Rojas had been making excellent Michoacán food for years in Cowtown before he left in 2017.) In the company’s past decade, Rojas’ food has been featured on Andrew Zimmern’s show Bizarre Foods America, and he was named a James Beard semifinalist three times. We called the Fort Worth opening “a coming-home story for one of Texas’ best taquerias.” Revolver Taco Lounge is at 2418 Forest Park Blvd., Fort Worth.
Greenville Avenue restaurant Carte Blanche is serving at two times of day: In the evenings, its husband-and-wife chefs serve a lovely 12-course tasting with optional wine or tea pairings. In the morning, chef Amy LaRue serves pastries, tea lattes and drip coffee. The restaurant opened June 15; the bakery opened June 16. Carte Blanche is at 2114 Greenville Ave., Dallas.
Torchy’s Tacos’ first restaurant in Frisco opened June 16, reports Brandi Addison. It’s part of a plan to expand Torchy’s to more of D-FW’s suburbs. This month’s special taco is the Texas hottie: a hot chicken tender with cayenne sauce, slaw and chow-chow, cooled down with honey and cotija cheese. Torchy’s Tacos is at 2947 Preston Road (in the Shops at Stonebriar), Frisco.
La Onda, a Latin seafood restaurant, opened in Fort Worth on June 15. It comes from chef Victor Villarreal, who worked in fine-dining kitchens like the Mansion in Dallas and Grace Restaurant in Fort Worth, according to PaperCity. The initial menu calls for clams and chorizo, a weekly ceviche dish, and a “sharkcuterie” board with caviar and smoked seafood. La Onda is at 2905 Race St., Fort Worth.
The second Parry’s Pizza & Taphouse in North Texas opened in McKinney on June 14. (This Denver-based company landed in The Colony first, at the giant Grandscape complex.) The restaurant is best known for its New York-style pizza and wings, Caplan reports. Parry’s Pizza & Taphouse is at 3705 W. University Drive, McKinney.
Las Vegas-based Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop opened its first North Texas restaurant on June 13 in Frisco, says Frisco reporter Addison. Capriotti’s is best known for its cheesesteak (which comes with the option of Wagyu beef) and its capastrami (hot pastrami, Swiss, Russian dressing and slaw). Vegetarian subs are available, too. Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop is at 1612 Farm-to-Market 423, Frisco.
Wicked Bold Kitchen in Flower Mound is setting itself apart in two ways: First, it’s a vegan restaurant, and second, it’s a “sober bar” that serves non-alcoholic cocktails. “We want to show that you can still go out and feel good after,” the co-owner tells food editor Erin Booke. It opened June 12. Wicked Bold Kitchen is at 3343 Long Prairie Road, Flower Mound.
D-FW’s fastest growing coffee company, White Rhino, opened in Fort Worth’s Near Southside neighborhood on June 11. The teal-and-white themed shops have grown to nearly 10 open or coming-soon locations in the region. White Rhinos tend to have a cozy interior — great for working remotely or a meet-up with friends — and sell a breakfast and lunch menu of tacos, sandwiches, flatbreads and build-your-own salads. White Rhino is at 1217 8th Ave., Fort Worth.
Vegan cinnamon roll chain Cinnaholic opened in Frisco on June 11. The company got famous from Shark Tank. Cinnaholic is at 6975 Lebanon Road, Frisco.
D-FW’s newest Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes opened in Colleyville on June 6, Caplan reports. The Plano-based company has more than 100 restaurants in five countries. Mooyah is at 5615 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville.
A back-door dessert concept in Deep Ellum called Shaved Balls of Ice opened June 4. You have to know what you’re looking for, because the ordering window is hidden behind a fence located near Main Street, between Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Merit Coffee. If the photos are any indication, these ice-cold treats are worth the hunt. Shaved Balls of Ice is at 2644 Elm St., Dallas.
Wild Fork Foods — the only grocery store on this list — opened in Frisco on June 4. According to reporter Chloe Bennett, the company sells frozen meat and seafood, available for delivery or pickup. Wild Fork Foods is at 4770 W. Eldorado Parkway, Frisco.
Dallas chef Omar Flores has opened a Whistle Britches Southern kitchen in Southlake, as of June 3. The original Whistle Britches famously got a visit from Guy Fieri, for Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. Whistle Britches is at 1230 Main St., Southlake.
Urban Seafood Company opened June 3 in downtown Plano. It’s part of a family of restaurants that includes Urban Rio and Urban Crust. All three are within walking distance. Urban Seafood is at 1104 14th St., Plano.
A car-themed restaurant named Derby opened June 2 in Dallas. The restaurant is located inside a warehouse-sized garage, where car enthusiasts can work on their cars or talk shop with other gearheads. The menu includes venison corn dogs; a Derby burger topped with American or pimento cheese; carbonara with kale and bacon and more. On weekends, the restaurant serves brunch. Derby is inside The Shop, at 9100 John W. Carpenter Freeway, Dallas.
Buzzed Bull Creamery, a boozy ice cream shop, opened June 2 in McKinney, reports Caplan. Its next-door neighbor and sibling restaurant, Roll On In Sushi, opened a few weeks earlier. Buzzed Bull Creamery is at 7001 S. Custer Road, McKinney.
Italian restaurant Il Modo opened June 2 in downtown Fort Worth. A private dining room is located inside the pasta-making room — fun for some dinner theater. Il Modo is the ground-floor restaurant at the new Kimpton hotel. Il Modo is at 714 Main St., Fort Worth.
Gidi Bar and Grill, which serves African fusion food, opened in Frisco on June 1. Gidi Bar and Grill is at 4350 Main St., Frisco.
Texas-themed restaurant Haywire opened its handsome dining room in Uptown on June 1. The original is in Plano’s Legacy West. This restaurant feels like the kind of place you should take out-of-towners: There’s a longhorn on the wall, a giant bar serving Old Fashioneds, and a menu of elk tacos, Texas Gulf oysters and tons of steaks. Haywire is at 1920 McKinney Ave., Dallas.
Updated June 23, 2021 with another new restaurant opening in June.
