If the new year is about new beginnings, restaurant owners in Dallas-Fort Worth seem ready for a change in January 2022. Here’s a look at six restaurants that closed, 10 restaurants that opened, and one that’s moving a short distance.
Closed restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth
Saap Lao Kitchen in Bedford is pausing its family-owned operation at the end of January 2022. The owners make excellent jerky: crackly, spicy and packed with Laotian flavors, our Nick Rallo reported in 2019. The owners call the news “bittersweet” and say it’s not a permanent closure. “It is more of a goodbye for now,” they write on Facebook. Saap Lao Kitchen is at 2817 Central Drive, Bedford. Orders are still available, for now.
La Tarte Tropézienne, a bakery from France, closed its only U.S. location, CultureMap reports. We named it one of the most exciting spots to open in Dallas in 2020. And, understandably: It took the company 65 years to expand from Saint-Tropez, France, to the United States. This single shop in downtown Dallas was a test, the owners told The News: If tarts made with sweet brioche bread, pearl sugar and crème are a hit in Dallas, they had plans to expand to other major Texas cities. Alas, it opened at the beginning of the pandemic and lasted about a year and a half. La Tarte Tropézienne was at 1602 Main St., Dallas.
A Luby’s Cafeteria closed in Fort Worth in mid-January, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. But I thought Luby’s restaurants were already gone? you say. Not quite. Most have shuttered and “liquidation is imminent,” the company reported in February 2021. But a few still remain, after 32 restaurants were sold in a side deal. In D-FW, six Luby’s restaurants are left in Dallas, DeSoto, Plano, Fort Worth and Forest Hill. The Luby’s that closed was at 3801 NE Loop 820, Fort Worth. Another remains open on NE Loop 820.
Pizza Lounge closed Jan. 9 after 12 years in Expo Park. The owners thank “fans and foes” on Facebook, noting in near-perfect words that “we had a funky beat that you could grub out to.” They had the best garlic knots in town, D says, and folks, those puffy carb bombs deserve a moment of silence. Pizza Lounge was at 841 Exposition Ave., Dallas.
Sprezza closed after New Year’s Eve dinner on Dallas’ Maple Avenue. The building will be demolished and an office building is planned for that sector of Old Parkland. Sprezza owner Julian Barsotti says his Italian restaurant might reopen elsewhere in Dallas. Sprezza was at 4010 Maple Ave., Dallas.
Trompo in Oak Cliff closed on Christmas Eve. Owner Luis Olvera had been there since 2019, making very good tacos and sliders for a loyal following. Olvera operates another Trompo in East Dallas, on Gaston Avenue. Trompo (the original) was at 407 W. 10th St., Dallas.
1 restaurant relocating in Dallas-Fort Worth
CrushCraft Thai Eats, a restaurant in the Quadrangle in Uptown Dallas, will close and relocate within the same development. The area has been a flurry of construction activity for nearly a year, after Ginger Man beer bar was bulldozed, Dream Cafe shuttered and relocated, and TNT/Tacos and Tequila closed to avoid the wrecking ball.
CrushCraft is one of the few tenants that will remain in the development even after a 12-story tower is built. CrushCraft is currently at 2800 Routh St., Dallas. It’s expected to remain open for the next few weeks, then relocate a short walk behind it, to 2688 Laclede St., Dallas, by Feb. 15, 2022.
New restaurants and bars in Dallas Fort Worth
Sclafani’s New York Bagels and Bread is expected to open Monday, Jan. 24, 2022 in Preston Center in Dallas. It comes from Chris Sclafani and his family, who have been baking bread for over 100 years in the United States. Sclafani is confident: “We’re the New York Yankees of bread and bagel making. We’re really that good,” he says. The bagels are kettle boiled, a method Sclafani believes “is not an option” to make a good bagel. Beyond bread and bagels, the shop will also sell meatball subs, burgers and fries, Philly cheesesteaks and espresso drinks. Sclafani’s New York Bagels and Bread is at 6135 Luther Lane, Dallas.
Don’t call it The Whippersnapper, starting Jan. 20, 2022: This Dallas spot near Henderson Avenue is reopening as a Friends-themed bar. Call it The One Where We Drink Inside Central Perk. The Whippersnapper’s limited-time-only Friends bar is at 1804 McMillan Ave., Dallas.
Village Baking Co. Boulangerie’s third standalone retail store is open in Dallas, this one on Oak Lawn Avenue, near Eatzi’s. (The other two are in other foodie-dense areas of Dallas: on Lowest Greenville in East Dallas and at Knox and Travis, near Highland Park.) Village Baking Co. sells some of Dallas’ best croissants in a charming, French setting. The new Oak Lawn shop opened Jan. 18, 2022 and has the same delicious menu as the others, with baguettes, croissants, palmiers, kouign-amann and espresso drinks. Village Baking Co. is at 3218 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas.
Fish City Grill made its return to the Preston-Royal shopping center in Dallas — finally — after a tornado badly damaged the restaurant and its neighbors. The restaurant has moved slightly because that sector of the shopping center has been rebuilt entirely. “One of the things this terrible storm forced us to face was what we all mean to each other — our customers, our team members, our neighborhood,” said Bill Bayne, co-founder and CEO of Fish City Grill. “We’ve been part of the landscape in the Preston-Royal area since 2003, and we want to continue to be an important part of the neighborhood for decades going forward.” Fish City Grill is at 10720 Preston Road, Suite 1006, Dallas.
Salad & Go opened its second shop in Fort Worth on Jan. 17, 2022. This drive-through-only concept has been growing quickly across North Texas, selling some of the least-expensive salads on the market. Each one costs $5.75 and includes chicken or tofu. Customers choose one of nine salads: Cobb, Buffalo chicken, Greek and the like. Salad & Go is at 12556 N. Beach St., Fort Worth.
Rodeo Bar has been resurrected at the Adolphus hotel in downtown Dallas, after being closed for several years. It checks all the boxes of a Texas-themed restaurant in Big D: A guy wearing a real cowboy hat is playing country tunes while well-dressed Dallasites shoot pool, drink beers and nod their heads to the music. The basement — located around the corner and down the stairs from the main bar — appears to be hot spot for twentysomethings. Rodeo Bar is at 1321 Commerce St., Dallas.
At comedy club TK’s, guests will find dinner and a show in Addison. Husband-and-wife owners T.K. Matteson and Kara Kimbrough are comedians themselves; Kimbrough came up with the menu. Dinner options include truffle mac, margherita pizza, Nashville hot chicken and waffles, and shrimp and grits. It’s been open since New Year’s Eve 2021. TK’s is at 14854 Montfort Drive, Addison.
Susan’s Burgers N More started serving juicy burgers and crisp fries in late December 2021. The address will be exciting for Dallas foodies: Susan’s popped up where venerable burger joint Off-Site Kitchen once was, on Irving Boulevard on the fringes of the Dallas Design District. (The restaurant, formerly brown, has been repainted a bright green, with yellow trim.) The restaurant is named for two Susans, mom and daughter. Other than burgers, the Susans sell tortas, tacos and stew. As the Dallas Observer notes, it’s a nothing-fancy place, and we like it that way. Susan’s Burgers N More is at 2226 Irving Blvd., Dallas.
Courtside Kitchen in Fort Worth is a pickleball court and restaurant that opened Dec. 28, 2021. It’s centered around the game of pickleball, which is part tennis, part ping-pong, part badminton — though, generally, less sweaty. Chef Christian Lehrmann’s menu looks shareable and craveable and includes an Italian sandwich, fish and chips, and steak frites. Those playing pickleball can get pitchers of margaritas or a bucket of canned drinks for the court. Courtside Kitchen is at 1615 Rogers Road, Fort Worth.
Speaking of pickleball: Chicken N Pickle is an indoor-outdoor place in Grand Prairie featuring the now-famous duo, food and pickleball. On the menu, there’s rotisserie chicken and fried chicken sandwiches, and snacks like avocado hummus, chorizo fondue and fried pickles. Chicken N Pickle opened Dec. 26, 2021 and was the first restaurant in Grand Prairie’s Epic Central development, our Sarah Bahari reports. Chicken N Pickle is at 2965 S. Highway 161, Grand Prairie.
