As parts of Dallas were slammed with flash flooding Monday morning, restaurants and bars in hard-hit areas such as Deep Ellum, downtown and East Dallas were assessing the damage.
Joel Morales, who runs The Peak Inn in East Dallas as well as Adair’s Saloon in Deep Ellum, said Peak Inn “got rocked,” with 3 inches of water in the building from front to back. Morales hopes not to close at all, “but possibly a day,” he said.
Adair’s was fine, he said, but it was dicey for a while. “If it rains medium hard, it typically comes in the down slope at the back door. But we also have a sump pump and sand bags, so that was covered. A little water started to come in the front door, which I have only seen twice in 20-plus years.”
Tracy Miller, chef-owner at Local restaurant on Elm Street, said the front entrance of the eatery was flooded Monday morning. The water receded quickly, but leaves and dirt still scattered the front dining room hardwood floor.
In Expo Park, Shad Kvetko of bar Las Almas Rotas said he and his business partner were assessing flood damage. Some water got in but not enough to close the restaurant.
But nearby, the dining room at Tarantino’s Cicchetti Bar and Record Lounge on Parry Avenue got about 6 inches of water, but it had all receded by about 10 a.m., said owner Peter Tarantino.
Tarantino said he’ll have to replace all the rugs and carpets in the lounge area and that a few records got damaged, but the furniture might be salvageable. “I’m hoping by Thursday we’ll be able to open up the bar with a few snacks,” he said. “I don’t give up too easily.”
He adds that the infrastructure in the area needs some work and the buildings are old. Tarantino lives in an apartment nearby and said he couldn’t leave by foot initially. “Exposition Avenue turned into a river,” he said. “I couldn’t get out of my apartment. I looked out the window, and it was just a river flowing. Same thing on Parry Avenue.”
Tarantino has been through a “roller coaster” since he signed a lease for the restaurant in 2019, he said. He delayed opening in 2020 because of the pandemic, finally opening in 2021. Then the restaurant was hit by plumbing issues, labor issues, staff members getting ill with COVID-19 and inflation. The restaurant recently had closed temporarily because construction at the Music Hall at Fair Park led to less dinner business.
“I’m trying to get my doors back open, and then this happens. It’s just one monster after another,” Tarantino said. “The restaurant industry needs a break. I’ve seen more mayhem in the last two years than I have in my whole life.”
On Cedar Springs Road, Alexandre’s Bar declared an “inclement weather emergency.” An Instagram post stated: “With entry into Oak Lawn impassable, only local workers are allowed to work today if safe. This means our kitchen will not be open today. We will keep an eye on the ongoing weather situation and keep you updated. Please do not drive unless you have to and never cross moving or even small inches of water on the roadway.”
In Oak Cliff, Xaman Cafe posted a video on Instagram of employees sweeping water off the floor and out the front door and said it would be “closing until further notice” and waiting for the rain to subside.
Freelance writer Amanda Albee contributed to this report.
