10 Winter Restaurant Openings in Dallas to Get Excited About
An old-school arcade bar is about to make its big comeback.
With Halloween but a memory at this point, we have all the November and December holidays to look forward to, along with all the delicious food and drink that go along with them. But it’s not just Gam-Gam’s pumpkin-pecan pie or next-door neighbor Lucille’s famous homemade eggnog in our future. We also have some exciting new places to dine and get cocktails between now and the early part of 2023. (Can you believe it’s almost a new year?) Expect to be sitting down at a new table very soon, whether it’s at a resurrected kid-friendly concept from the ’90s, a swanky joint dedicated to pizza and martinis, a new Tex-Mex spot from a guy with serious seafood cred, an Asian-inpsired steakhouse, or a Deep Ellum watering hole modeled after a big-city newsstand. Read on for 10 brand-spankin’ new openings and a couple of second locations of some of our favorites.
Harwood District
A vast range of Brooklyn-inspired pizzas with Dallas twists, such as The Texan with brisket, BBQ sauce, cheddar, pickled red onion, and ranch-cotta cheese, await at this new addition to the lively Harwood District. A build-your-own martini program will accompany the elevated pies on the menu, so prepare to get creative—and a little tipsy.
Anticipated opening date: December
Quarter Acre
Lowest Greenville
Taking over the former Rapscallion space on Lowest Greenville Avenue, chef/owner Toby Archibald has big plans to bring the neighborhood global flavors inspired by his world travels and time in his home country of New Zealand. Dishes will focus on fresh, local ingredients mingling on the plate with seafood from NZ, paired with wines from Australasia, too. Other planned menu items include smoked beef tartare, confit lamb belly sticks, and banana leaf grilled cod.
Anticipated opening date: Late fall
Mockingbird Station
The space that was home to Café Express for years at Mockingbird Station has a new tenant moving into the 5,760-square-foot restaurant. Dallas-based Milkshake Concepts (Harper’s, STIRR, Vidorra) is behind it and focal points will be the massive raw bar inside, as well as a spacious patio. Signature menu items will include Crab Dip with Trout Caviar and Crispy Olive Oil and Yukon Potato Waffle, Ora King Salmon and Poached Beet Salad, Bombay Chicken Tikka Pizza, and a Japanese A5 Ribeye Katsu Sandwich.
Anticipated opening date: Mid-November
Slider & Blues
University Park
A popular Dallas mainstay in the 1990s and early 2000s makes a comeback thanks to Hunter Pond, whose Vandelay Hospitality Group is ready to revive the concept. Pond grew up going to the original Slider and Blues locations (an arcade bar that was a favorite among the kid set), so he’s eager to give the neighborhood a nostalgia kick with his reimagined version focusing on sliders, hot dogs, pizza, and chicken tenders along with plenty of games to keep diners young and old entertained between bites.
Anticipated opening date: Early 2023
Fort Worth
The New York City-based ice cream shop has a huge following and proved to be wildly popular when it made its DFW debut in West Village. Now, the trendy purveyors of all things cold and sweet will be bringing the citizens of Fort Worth a creative list of both dairy and vegan ice cream, cookies, sundaes, and milkshakes.
Anticipated opening date: November 10
Plano
The former owners of Picasso’s Pizza & Grill, Andrew and Jennifer Albert, will be joined by their son Justin, in a new pizza-centric endeavor focused on American-style pasta and a variety of regional pizzas, including Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, and New York. Sauces will be made in-house daily and additional menu items will include salads, calzones, Akaushi burgers, and homemade desserts.
Anticipated opening date: November
McKinney
The Chicago-based Middle Eastern fast-casual eatery recently opened their first Texas location in Frisco, and will soon debut a second in McKinney. It’s a fresh-focused, Chipotle-style, create-your-own concept worth checking out. Menu items including Chicken Shawarma roasted on a vertical spit, freshly baked pita, falafel, and hummus.
Anticipated opening date: Late fall
Deep Ellum
A bar themed after the disappearing concept of print media may seem like an odd bet, but the quirky fake newsstand bar will be right at home in Deep Ellum, a neighborhood where Truth & Alibi already exists as a hidden bar behind a fake candy store. A mix of tapas-style food, creative cocktails, pulsing music, and Insta-worthy scenes throughout, Chloe’s Newsstand plans to make headlines when it launches next year.
Anticipated opening date: Early 2023
Old East Dallas
When all is said and done, customers at OOMI Digital Kitchen food hall will be able to order food for takeout and delivery from 10 different concepts on a single order. The mix will include both hyper-local and Texas-based concepts, as well as specific-to-OOMI brands developed in part by chef Uno Immanivong of Red Stix Asian Street Food and chef Aaron Nelson of Beckley 1115. Those five options including breakfasty options at Biscuit Royale and Just Yolking, Asian street food at Hot Lips, salads and healthy options at Savage Rabbit, and all kinds of savory options at Bowlrito.
Anticipated opening date: November
Preston Hollow
Dallasites have come to know Jon Alexis because of his impeccable standards for food from the oceans’ depths as owner of TJ’s Seafood & Market. Debuting in the same shopping center as his Preston Royal location will be Escondido, a classic Tex-Mex joint for tacos, nachos, enchiladas, fajitas, and margaritas—all available on what will soon be the largest patio in Preston Hollow.
Anticipated opening date: December