What’s behind the construction project in Dallas on Henderson Avenue, near the former Sushi Axiom and Henderson Tap House? Local Public Eatery opens Sept. 26, 2024, serving pizzas, burgers, brunch and game-day specials.
Local Public Eatery isn’t exactly a sports bar, but it is a good place to watch sports, said regional manager Brody Jones. (Remember his name for later.) The 144-inch TV will soon show NFL and college football games, and sports fans are invited to come and stay a while for pub food and buckets of beer or seltzers.
“People use us as their living room,” said Jones, speaking of the first Local Public Eatery that he helped open in 2009 in Vancouver.
Since then, 18 Locals have opened in Canada, Washington state and, now, Texas. The Dallas location is the first in the Lone Star State, but they’re already scouting for more locations.
Local Public Eatery has changed dramatically in 15 years, Jones said. It was once a burger and taco spot. Chefs like Oliver Lewis, who moved to Dallas from Vancouver like Jones did, are putting a bigger emphasis on a more nuanced from-scratch menu.
“Where we can make a splash is our level of detail and service — and our food,” Jones said.
Local Public Eatery is owned by the same Canadian company that opened higher-end restaurant Joey in NorthPark Center.
Fun seems like a focus here. The high-ceilinged restaurant is situated around a 24-seat rectangular bar. The front patio seats 140 people. On the side patio, Jones and his team will set out bar games like corn hole.
Indoors, the restaurant seats nearly 190 people. Customers might naturally be drawn to the game day specials, which run all day on Saturdays and Sundays and include $5 cans of Happy Dad hard seltzer, shots ranging from $3 to $8, and $4 Brody’s House Lager. Remember Brody? He likes to drink PBR, so they gave his favorite beer a cute name.
Jones’ name shows up again on the brunch menu. The $11 Brody Mary is a spicy Bloody Mary.
“If you celebrated the night before, this might help get you back,” he said of his namesake bev.
Drinking, brunching, lunching: They’re ‘special’
That $24 pot of tea isn’t really tea: It’s a cold shot made up of Jameson whiskey, peach liqueur, cucumber syrup and Sprite. It’s among a list of cocktails amusingly called Group Activities.
For a less shareable option, the $6 Espresso Mar-Tiny is a jolt of caffeine and booze.
Those wearing their party pants can order The Porron, a strange-shaped pitcher with a spout. Don’t overthink it: Pour this $40 carafe of white wine straight into your mouth. Or someone else’s?
Local has happy hours twice a day, from 3-6 p.m. and from 9 p.m. to close, Monday through Friday. During the daytime happy hour, wine is half off and the bar’s signature cocktails cost several dollars less, like the Sassy Sangria Crush ($5), Peaches ‘n Beam slushie ($6) and Spicy Guava Margarita ($7). Starting at 9 p.m., happy hour pizzas cost $25 for two and shots get a few bucks cheaper.
For customers stopping in for lunch, a $20 special includes the choice of one entree like the Peanut Noodle Satay Salad, Local Burger with fries, or Fish & Chips, paired with a beer, sangria, glass of red wine or nonalcoholic drink.
Local Public Eatery is an option seven days a week at lunchtime — notable, because it’s tough to find a great lunch spot in Dallas since the COVID-19 pandemic.
At brunch on weekends and holidays, the menu calls for Beermosa or Mimosa “towers” at $49 or $59, and a fleet of breakfast items, including a pizza topped with eggs and bacon.
Still hungry?
The bar feels like a magnet for day drinkers and sports fans, but the chef and manager point to the pizzas as a new specialty. Options include a Carnivore pizza and a Shrimp and Pesto pie (both $20 each).
The rest of the menu is mostly jazzed-up bar snacks like fried chicken ($15), loaded crispy potatoes ($10), a spicy chicken quesadilla ($14) and a selection of five burgers ($15 to $17).
Those who prefer lighter fare might opt for the Calabrian Caesar salad, a generous portion of romaine hearts drizzled in spicy, creamy Caesar dressing.
The menu includes a few unexpected additions for a casual bar, like tempura shrimp with yuzu soy ($15), an entree-size couscous salad ($18) and ramen with fried chicken on the side ($20). Customers can see these dishes being made behind a big bank of windows that turn the kitchen into “a showpiece,” as Jones put it.
“A lot of pubs are known for their mediocre food and frozen stuff,” he said. “We don’t do that.”
Local Public Eatery is at 2323 N. Henderson Ave, Suite 100, Dallas. It opens at 3 p.m. Sept. 26, 2024. Open seven days a week for lunch or brunch and dinner. The kitchen remains open as long as the restaurant is: until midnight, 1 or 2 a.m., depending on the day.
