Every adult who walks into Dallas restaurant Joey is handed a glass of sparkling wine. It’s free. And it’s a sophisticated way to be welcomed into lunch or dinner at the new seven-days-a-week restaurant at NorthPark Center that opens Jan. 18, 2024.
The restaurant space is a total redo from its former life as Seasons 52. Joey is now one wide-open room, where customers can look straight into the kitchen, swarmed with chefs; across an oval-shaped bar with six TVs that come down from the ceiling with the push of a button; and into a generous restaurant and temperature-controlled patio with art and greenery throughout. Sliding doors can turn the patio into a sidewalk cafe, and louvered panels in the roof let the sunlight in.
This new Joey is the first one in Dallas-Fort Worth but the 33rd in North America. It seems they spared no expense in Dallas, on design or preparation, for a restaurant that can seat more than 350 people. We called Joey one of the most exciting new restaurants opening in Dallas in 2024, fueled in part by Dallas Morning News readers’ continued curiosity about it.
Executives flew in an army of servers, bartenders and chefs from places like Seattle, Houston and parts of California to train the Dallas staff. The goal is to make this handsome restaurant as welcoming as the iconic shopping center it’s a part of.
“I love Texas. We’re here to stay,” said director of operations Kent Strom.
The company plans to open at least two more Joey-owned restaurants in Dallas. Texas as a whole is a focus for the company.
What to eat at Joey Dallas
The target customer for Joey is a businessperson — somebody who might start with a Spicy Passionfruit Margarita ($16.75) or a slushy Gin & Tonic ($18.50) during or after a workday. Then, options abound, spanning many cuisines: steak frites ($29.50), or a Mediterranean bowl with harissa grilled chicken ($26), or sake-glazed Chilean seabass ($47.75).
“When people ask me what I like on the menu, I say it’s like oceanfront property,” Strom said. “It’s all good.”
The something-for-everyone menu, situated in an upscale dining room, might serve Joey well in Dallas. Restaurants like Hillstone and Hudson House have had great success. And Joey has been serving this food all over North America since 1992. A majority of its restaurants are in Canadian cities Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
Some of the options here are familiar, like an espresso martini ($18.75). Joey’s is made with Absolut vodka, Kahlua and two shots of espresso.
“Everyone has one,” Strom said, “but ours is just better.”
That “better” mentality permeates much of Joey’s menu, through the eyes of the staff. The hummus appetizer ($19) was created after the team took a culinary trip to Portugal and Morocco. Theirs has a dollop of tzatziki in the middle, with dill, olives and sweety drop peppers circling the hummus like a wreath.
The menu has plenty of steak. And some pasta. A “better” version of both could be Steak and Ravioli Bianco ($35.50) — steak served with ravioli and a truffle beurre blanc sauce. It’s on the starters list and is meant to be passed around the table, but it would make for a decadent entree if you’re not willing to share.
Both Joey restaurants in Houston and Dallas have a “beefed up” steak section, Strom said. Steak comes many ways: with lobster or crab cakes, with garlic butter and fries, or with sushi and ponzu.
Sushi has its own section of the menu. Options include a Sushi Cone with tempura shrimp ($6.25 each); a Tuna and Avocado Roll with chili mayo ($21); Seared Salmon Sushi, pressed, then torched ($21); and a Steak and Sushi combo, a play on surf and surf ($36). Several of those items are available at a discount at happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. The happy hour menu also calls for 50% off four wines and $2 off all glasses of wine and beer.
One of Culinary Director Brady Kinnell’s favorite dishes is the popular Szechuan chicken lettuce wrap ($21.75). It’s been on the menu for the 20 years Kinnell has worked for Joey.
Kinnell and many on Joey’s executive team remain headquartered in Canada, but the company has been expanding in the United States since the mid-2000s. With that comes questions about what an American diner might want from Joey. The new Butter Cake with raspberry coulis ($14.75) is one example: Joey’s Canadian customers weren’t familiar with the Southern-inspired dessert, but when it was tested in parts of the U.S., customers ate it up, Kinnell says. The cake is a satisfying way end to lunch or dinner — not too sweet.
We’ve heard from some News readers who are wondering which dishes at Joey might remind them of Seasons 52′s calorie-conscious menu. Joey is an entirely different restaurant, but it does have healthy options, like the Farmers Market salad with chicken, strawberries, beets and a Champagne vinaigrette ($24), and the Yellowfin Tuna Salad with mango, peanuts and cilantro ginger dressing ($29). Items will be more expensive than Seasons 52, though the weekday happy hour lowers the price of some dishes, like hummus ($13), sushi ($17) and lettuce wraps ($20-$22).
Strom welcomes those customers to Joey for a complimentary glass of sparkling wine. And, he’s confident: “You can bring anyone here and be sure there’s something they like.”
Joey Dallas is at 8687 N. Central Expressway (on the south side of NorthPark Center, between Dillard’s and Neiman Marcus). Valet and self-park are available. The restaurant opens Jan. 18, 2024. Regular hours are lunch and dinner seven days a week, with late-night hours until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Happy hour is on weekdays, 3-6 p.m.
Reservations at Joey are welcomed but not required.
