A First Taste of Alara — A New Modern Mediterranean Restaurant in Dallas’ Design District

Last fall, it was announced that a new modern Mediterranean restaurant would be taking over the former Pakpao Thai space in Dallas’ Design District. There wasn’t much known about it, except that it was called Alara and was founded by Turkish-born Chef Onur Akan, the founder of Chef Akan Experiences (a private chef and fine-dining catering company).

We also got a small preview of the new concept in the form of a tasty chicken kebab pita that Chef Akan offered at the 2025 Chefs for Farmers. It was one of our favorite bites at the Dallas food festival.

Alara opened this spring, and we knew we had to go try it right away. We’ll dive into the best dishes we tasted in a bit, but first, we wanted to catch up with Chef Akan to find out more about his background and what inspired the opening of Alara.

Can you tell us about your background and how you came to Dallas?

I came to Dallas to pursue higher education in IT, but very quickly realized that I wasn’t happy with the career path I had chosen.

Around that time, I was watching Julie & Julia with my cousin’s family. The story of someone finding inspiration and purpose through cooking really triggered something in me. I started looking for culinary schools in Dallas and ended up taking a basic cooking class at Collin College in Frisco.

It was an immediate connection. The moment I took that class, I felt a sense of belonging. I had always been artistic and loved working with my hands, but cooking gave me a way to bring all of that together. Creativity, craft, discipline, and hospitality. That class began my culinary journey and changed my life forever.

What made you decide to open your first restaurant? 

After years of working in restaurants, country clubs, and hotels, building my catering company in 2021, Chef Akan Experiences, it felt like the natural next chapter to open a restaurant. Through catering, I’ve had the privilege of creating intimate, high-touch experiences for an incredible range of clients. This includes luxury fashion houses, private family offices, high-level government officials, presidents, dignitaries, and some of the country’s most discerning guests.

I always wanted a permanent home, a place where guests could come in any night of the week and experience my food, my hospitality, and my point of view in a setting that felt both refined and deeply personal. Alara is very personal to me. I wanted to create a restaurant that feels modern and refined, but still warm, soulful, and welcoming. Not stiff. Not overly formal. A place where the food has depth and technique, but the experience still feels human.

How did you land on the Design District for Alara’s location?

The Design District felt like the right fit because it has creativity and character. It’s a neighborhood connected to art, interiors, architecture, and design, and that energy matches Alara. I didn’t want the restaurant to feel like it belonged in a generic space. I wanted a location with texture, history, movement, and personality.

The Design District itself has changed so much over the years, and I liked the idea of Alara becoming part of that next chapter.

What makes Alara different from other Mediterranean restaurants in the city?

We are not trying to be a classic Mediterranean restaurant, or another Turkish restaurant serving the same familiar dishes over and over again. I love and respect those traditions deeply, but Alara was created to be something more personal and modern.

The Mediterranean is incredibly vast, and I wanted Alara to reflect that range through my own lens as a chef. Guests may recognize hummus, kebabs, baba ganoush, baklava, or grilled seafood, but they should not expect the most traditional version of those dishes.

Alara is also very ingredient-driven. In our kitchen, we only use avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, and peanut oil — no hydrogenated oils or generic vegetable oils. It is part of our commitment to keeping the food clean, bright, and intentional without compromising flavor.

Mediterranean food is naturally generous and comforting, but I wanted to show that it can also be elegant, modern, and deeply thoughtful. For me, Alara is about creating a sense of discovery. It should feel warm and welcoming, but still offer something guests have not experienced in Dallas in quite the same way.

Why was it important to you to have every dish on Alara’s menu able to accommodate all dietary restrictions?

Through private dining and catering, I began serving quite a few clients who had serious health situations and very specific dietary needs — people recovering from surgeries, dealing with tumors, brain surgeries, autoimmune issues, or other conditions where food had to be approached very carefully.

I’ve always looked for ways to improve myself as a chef, and during that period, I became more interested in wellness-driven food concepts and ingredient-focused cooking. I was inspired by brands like Sakara in New York and by voices like Alex Snodgrass of The Defined Dish, Whole30, and Jessie Inchauspé of Glucose Goddess. Their approach helped me think differently about balance, blood sugar, clean ingredients, and how food can support the way people feel without becoming restrictive or boring.

If someone is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, pescatarian, or simply trying to eat cleaner, I don’t want them to feel like they only have one safe option. The goal is for every dish to feel complete, thoughtful, and satisfying — not like a compromised version of the menu.

Mediterranean food gives us a beautiful foundation for that because so much of it is naturally built around vegetables, legumes, grains, herbs, olive oil, nuts, seafood, yogurt, and clean, simple ingredients. For me, making the menu flexible is not just about accommodation. It is about true hospitality.

What To Order at Alara Modern Mediterranean

Our favorite dish of our first dinner at Alara was the Turkish coffee-crusted wagyu hanger steak (which we ate so fast that we forgot to take a photo). Served with potato pave, mushroom espuma, and tarragon demi glaze, it is a must-order.

Chef Akan says that he first served an early version of this dish in 2019, when he was the executive chef at Food Company. He says the Turkish coffee element came later while he was working an event for Vestals Catering.

“I happened to be drinking leftover coffee from that morning while tasting steaks,” he says. “The moment sparked the idea of pairing hanger steak with coffee. Turkish coffee made sense because of my background.”

Always start with the fresh mezze at Alara. You can pick one, three, or six dips that are served with warm pita. For two people, three was the perfect amount. We loved the muhammara, caramelized onion hummus, and baba ganoush. For appetizers, we also enjoyed the Halloumi En Croute, where honey is drizzled over the cheese-filled crust tableside. Another main dish we enjoyed was the Levantine skewers. A large skewer of chicken breast & thighs is served with saffron raisin pilaf, chimichurri yogurt sauce, and grilled sweet peppers.

For dessert, you can’t go wrong with the deconstructed baklava.

Alara is currently open for dinner, but plans to open for lunch as well. Chef Akan says that the lunch menu will be different, but still connected to the restaurant’s identity. “It will be more daytime-friendly and approachable — lighter mezze, salads, sandwiches, doner kebab, and dishes that work well for a business lunch, a casual meeting, or a relaxed afternoon in the Design District.”