The Dallas Dish — Van Leeuwen is Coming and a Deep Ellum Staple Bids Farewell

It’s been a crazy two years since Bon Appétit named Dallas the 2019 Restaurant City of the Year. But even through a pandemic, our city’s dining scene has persevered. With the overwhelming amount of recent openings (particularly in Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts, and downtown), it’s easy to forget that many in the industry are still struggling, but Texas restaurants have been innovating to provide the comfort food — and cocktails — we need. Now, it’s time to look forward to the Dallas restaurant news ahead.

From exciting openings to unfortunate closures (plus any other food news we might find fitting), The Dallas Dish is your weekly helping of need-to-know local dining news.

Omni Dallas Hotel adds two new restaurants

Joining the dining hub at Omni Dallas‘ Restaurants on Lamar are two new spots overseen by executive sous chef Erik Carison. Hops & Hens will be a chicken restaurant with tenders, sandwiches, and local brews. A few stand-outs will be The Texan with BBQ sauce, bacon, and crispy onions, and TX Hot with TX hot sauce, kale slaw, house-made sauce, and pickles.

The other new spot, Pegasus Pizza, will bring Neapolitan-style pizza to the area including Margherita, Carne, BBQ brisket, herb chicken, buffalo chicken, and more variations. Hops & Hens will debut on November 4, while Pegasus Pizza will open later this month.

Hawkers Asian Street Food debuts in Deep Ellum

This Wednesday, November 3, the first Texas location of this new Pan-Asian spot opens in Deep Ellum. Based out of Florida, the concept comes from four friends who regularly travel to Asia. Offering Malaysian, Thai, and Chinese street foods, Hawkers offers a perfect place to explore different dishes. Popular items on the menu include pork belly baos, pad thai, curry duck noodles, and more. There will also be Tiki-inspired cocktails, as well as saké and Japanese whisky. Brunch offerings include Pandan Kaya pancakes and kimchi Bloody Marys.

Upscale Asian-inspired steakhouse Nuri Grill opens in Koreatown

Debuting on November 9 at 2254 Royal Lane, Suite 100, this new upscale Asian-inspired steakhouse is bringing kimchi fried rice, sweet chicken, tofu salad, marinated calbi short rib, and more to Dallas’ Koreatown. Created by Wan Kim, originally from Korea and CEO of Smoothie King, Nuri Grill will feature grills within each table where servers will cook meats for guests. The cocktail program will include Japanese whiskies and wine. And the food menu will be crafted by Michelin Guide-acknowledged chef Minji Kim and her husband Ben Lee.

NYC’s Van Leeuwen is coming to West Village

First reported by CultureMap, this Brooklyn-based ice cream shop is coming to Dallas’ West Village in early 2022. Taking over the former Paciugo space (RIP gelato), Van Leeuwen is known for its variety of flavors and vegan options. Founded in 2008, the brand uses coconuts, cashews, and oats to create its dairy-free flavors, and a combination of simple milk, cream, eggs, and cane sugar for its regular ice cream. Houston already has three locations of the shop, but this will be the first in Dallas.

Anvil Pub closes after 11 years in Deep Ellum

After an 11-year run, this Deep Ellum pub officially shuttered after one last pour on Halloween night. The pub announced on Facebook that they were closing after Sunday night after struggling during the pandemic. Founded by father and sons Pat Bridges and Josh and Jeremy Bridges, the spot had been open on Elm Street since 2010.