The Zodiac Room Will Shutter Along With Downtown’s Neiman Marcus, Cleaver & Co. Opens Its First Brick-and-Mortar, and More Dallas Restaurant News

Your Weekly Need-to-Know Dish

By Megan Ziots // Feb 21, 2025

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Located on the sixth floor of Neiman Marcus in downtown Dallas, The Zodiac Room has been a lunchtime staple for 72 years. (Courtesy)

Cleaver & Co. opens for a limited time on McKinney Avenue. (Photo by Kathy Tran)

Founded by Dallasites Tiffany Jones, Avenue 8 is a new ready-to-drink cocktail. (Courtesy)

The Dallas dining scene is forever evolving. To help you stay in the know, we’ve gathered the buzziest openings, the unfortunate closures, and any other food news we might find fitting. The Dallas Dish is your weekly helping of need-to-know North Texas restaurant news — and will hopefully point you in the direction of your next great reservation.

The Latest Dallas Restaurant News to Know

The Zodiac Room shutters along with 100-year-old Neiman Marcus.

With the sad news of the century-old downtown Dallas flagship location of Neiman Marcus closing (due to landlords terminating the lease) comes the even more upsetting news that its 71-year-old restaurant, The Zodiac Room, will shutter. The fashionable lunch spot will close on March 31 (along with the store), and reservations are already booked up for one last meal on the sixth floor. Favorite menu items like crab tartine, French dip, the Stanley Marcus Pot Roast, and more will be missed.

Cleaver & Co. Dallas — Cleaver & Co. opens for a limited time on McKinney Avenue. (Photo by Kathy Tran)

A fast-casual burger and chicken sandwich food hall favorite opens its first brick-and-mortar.

From Pardeep Sharma (Roti Grill, India Palace) and Cleaver & Co. founder Pat Garza comes the concept’s first brick-and-mortar outpost. The other locations are in food halls in Georgia and Colorado. Located on McKinney Avenue, the 2,400 square foot space blends “sports bar atmosphere and rustic butcher shop aesthetics.” The menu features burgers, chicken sandwiches, and hand-spun milkshakes. Although this location will be open for a limited time, plans are to expand to additional locations in North Texas.

Avenue 8 Dallas — Founded by Dallasites Tiffany Jones, Avenue 8 is a new ready-to-drink cocktail. (Courtesy)

A Dallasite launches a new ready-to-drink cocktail in North Texas.

After being unable to find a ready-to-drink cocktail that satisfied her, Dallasite Tiffany Jones decided to make her own. Avenue 8 is a new female-founded and led brand that features organic and clean cocktails made with vodka and tequila. Flavors include pear & ginger with vodka, strawberry lemonade with vodka, and blood orange & yuzu Paloma with tequila). All are lightly sparkling and are fully transparent with their ingredients. You can find the new beverages online, which are available for pre-order now.