North Texans saw a devastating spate of COVID-related closures in 2020, and its lingering effects plagued popular restaurants in 2021, too.
The number of restaurant closures seems to be smaller in 2022 than in 2020 and 2021 during the heart of the pandemic, says Texas Restaurant Association CEO Emily Williams Knight. Many flailing businesses found ways to move, sell or make a change instead of giving up for good.
But still, some of our region’s oldest restaurants, like Hubbard’s Cubbard in Garland and Bill Smith’s Cafe in McKinney, called it quits. Some ran out of money. Others closed to make way for bigger, shinier office towers. Nearly all of the restaurateurs we interviewed said the economic ripple effects of COVID killed their businesses.
Here’s a list of some beloved restaurants in North Texas that closed in 2022.
Restaurant closures listed in chronological order.
Sprezza in Dallas: Owner Julian Barsotti wanted to keep selling cacio e pepe and Roman-style pizzas at Sprezza in Dallas, but landlord Crow Holdings has sky-high plans to tear down some of the existing buildings nearby and build more boutique offices for the Old Parkland development. What Barsotti didn’t know when Sprezza closed on New Year’s Eve 2021 is that his 2022 would be consumed by a high-profile lawsuit and the temporary closure of one of his other Italian joints, Carbone’s. He hopes to resurrect Sprezza elsewhere someday.
Pizza Lounge in Dallas’ Expo Park: Pizza Lounge closed in January 2022 in Expo Park, a funky bar neighborhood near Fair Park, after 12 years in business. We’re going to miss those garlic knots.
A spate of brewery closures: Three high-profile brewery closures in the first few months of 2022 was concerning, but that number has since swelled to five. “Just because your favorite brewery has seemingly ‘made it through’ the pandemic, it doesn’t mean they’re not still reeling from the impacts of business from the past few years,” said Caroline Wallace, deputy director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, in spring 2022.
Note the diversity in D-FW geography as you read the list of breweries we said goodbye to in 2022:
- Armadillo Ale Works in Denton, which cited low sales and mounting debt
- Legal Draft Beer Co. in Arlington, locked out after failure to pay rent
- Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery in Farmers Branch, also closed for failure to pay rent
- BrainDead Brewing in Deep Ellum, an early contributor to Deep Ellum’s latest bar resurgence (and whose owners wouldn’t say why it closed)
- And Steam Theory Brewing Co. in West Dallas, hit hard by the lack of customers and the COVID restrictions that hurt breweries and bars
Sonny Bryan’s near Bluffview in Dallas: The original Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse, open on Inwood Road since 1958, is still there. But the 23-year-old sibling restaurant near Lovers Lane and Inwood Road in Dallas closed in May 2022 after a struggle with labor and supply chain issues, both triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Owner Brent Harman says he’s focused on keeping the original Sonny Bryan’s afloat.
Mai’s Restaurant in Old East Dallas: We don’t have many details on why beloved Vietnamese restaurant Mai’s has been closed for much of 2022 because the owners didn’t respond to our requests for comment. But landlord David Eitches tells The Dallas Morning News that the owners were behind on rent and that he doesn’t expect Mai’s to reopen. We heard from many DMN readers who said they’d miss the owners and their reliable, comfortable restaurant.
Teppo on Greenville Avenue in Dallas: Lowest Greenville has seen massive change over the past few decades, and Japanese restaurant Teppo has been there to watch most of it. Chef Teiichi Sakurai (of the Dallas restaurant Tei-An) opened the restaurant in 1995. Masayuki Otaka bought the restaurant in 2008 and became “the yakitori king of Dallas,” our former dining critic Leslie Brenner wrote in 2016. This vibrant restaurant slid under the radar during the pandemic, then closed quietly in summer 2022. In what feels like a sweet moment for this famed sushi spot, the building will get new life as an izakaya from Jimmy Park, the owner of nearby restaurant Shoyo. Park is among a younger generation of Dallas’ brightest chefs.
Hubbard’s Cubbard in Garland: Chuck Norris visited Hubbard’s Cubbard more than once to film Walker, Texas Ranger. That’s enough to make it part of Texas legend. But add on its latest development — that it closed after more than five decades in business — and Hubbard’s Cubbard is part of chicken-fried-steak history. (That’s what Norris ate there, anyhow. Also, pie.) Owners Debi Whitworth and JD Green say their only way to survive, post-pandemic, was to close the Garland restaurant and encourage customers to move over to their other restaurant, Hubbard’s Cafe in Rowlett.
Spiral Diner in Oak Cliff: A plant-shaped hole was left in Dallas when vegan restaurant Spiral Diner closed in Oak Cliff in August 2022. Owner Amy McNutt said the building needed repair and she couldn’t make a deal with the landlord. The restaurant was a pioneer for meat-free and dairy-free eaters in Dallas-Fort Worth. The company continues to sell its vegan food in Fort Worth and Denton (and, soon, in Arlington) — just not Dallas.
Antoine’s Foods in Dallas: Since 1962, Antoine’s Foods sold inexpensive po-boy sandwiches to people near Dallas Market Hall and, later, the World Trade Center. (Antoine’s opened more than a decade before the World Trade Center did.) Antoine’s was one of North Texas’ oldest restaurants. Owner Samir Ayoub said inflated food costs and higher rent forced him to close the shop. He could have increased his sandwich prices to $10 or $12, but he said that didn’t feel right. “We don’t want to cheat people, we don’t want to be millionaires,” he said. He and his wife, Maria, are now retired.
Jake’s Burgers & Beer in Uptown Dallas: Jake’s Burgers is still alive and well in Addison, Flower Mound, Frisco, Grand Prairie, Grapevine, Lake Highlands, Mansfield, and Fort Worth’s Sundance Square. But the 18-year-old Uptown Dallas restaurant has closed so that a 19-story tower can be built in its place.
Bill Smith’s Cafe in McKinney: McKinney’s second-oldest restaurant, Bill Smith’s Cafe, closed in September 2022 after 66 years in business. It was known for its pancakes, chicken-fried steak and pie.
Henry’s Majestic and its speakeasy, Atwater Alley, in Uptown Dallas: Brunch spot Henry’s Majestic served its last plates of steak and eggs and French toast just before Halloween. A speakeasy named Atwater Alley, located around the corner of the building and accessible from a dark alley, has also closed. The landlord sold the property.
Modest Rogers on Dallas’ Oak Lawn: Our former dining critic loved Modest Rogers, a Venezuelan restaurant from chef Modesto Rodriguez. But it lasted just over a year, closing because “we just ran out of money,” Rodriguez says. He told food writer Claire Ballor that he spent money fixing things he shouldn’t have and that the kitchen wasn’t large enough.
Darkoo’s Chicken Shack in Old East Dallas: Chef Donny Sirisavath will forever be remembered for Khao Noodle Shop, his soulful Lao restaurant that, pre-pandemic, was called the No. 2 best new restaurant in America by Bon Appetit. When Khao closed because of COVID, Sirisavath shifted the space to Darkoo’s Chicken Shack, a different but still great restaurant born of the pains of the pandemic. But it, too, did not last. Here’s hoping we get more food from Sirisavath in 2023.
Fishmonger’s in Plano: In late November 2022, customers flocked to Fishmonger’s, one of the best places in Dallas-Fort Worth for gumbo. The restaurant had been open for more than 40 years, and customers seemed flabbergasted that it wouldn’t last forever. Co-owners Pattie and Jim Elrod say inflation and the after-effects of the coronavirus pandemic made restaurant work seem unbearable. “Everything has changed,” Jim Elrod says.
Big State Fountain Grill in Irving: We didn’t think we could handle another longtime restaurant calling it quits in 2022. Big State was Irving’s oldest restaurant, a nearly 75-year-old soda fountain where families would gather before football games or after church. It was beloved for its big stacks of pancakes, burgers and milkshakes. Big State was sold to a new set of owners in late 2020 who thought the pandemic was over, but the business was never able to trend in the right direction. “It’s not the city’s fault, it’s not the landlord’s fault, it’s not my neighbor’s fault. It just happened at an inopportune time, and we hate to see it go,” says managing operator David Cole, a lifelong Irving resident.
