Milkshake Concepts to Debut Their ‘Crown Jewel’ Restaurant and Bar in Deep Ellum

Located in The Epic, Harper's Will Put a Premium on Great Food, Flow, and Atmosphere

BY Megan Ziots // 03.24.21

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Harper's is 7,000 square feet and sits at the bottom of The Hamilton apartment building. (Rendering courtesy of Coeval)

Milkshake Concepts co-founder Imran Sheikh hopes Harper's will be a place where people can celebrate and socialize when it opens this spring. (Rendering courtesy of Coeval)

Harper's has an impressive culinary team led by Rodman Shields. Chef Jacob Williamson (formerly of Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck) will lead the kitchen as executive chef, while Pierce Everett (Lounge 31) is serving as General Manager. (Rendering courtesy of Coeval)

Harper’s menu draws on wanderlust through its globally inspired cuisine and handcrafted cocktails.

Harper's food menu includes Peruvian Anticucho Beef Sticks, Burmese Tea Leaf Salad and Texas Wagyu Tomahawk.

The menu at Harper's also includes pizzas.

The cocktail menu at Harper's unique and eye-catching creations.

Harper's has closed in Deep Ellum.

Like any restaurant company during the pandemic, Dallas-based Milkshake Concepts (known for concepts like STIRR, Vidorra, and Citizen) has had its challenges over the past year. But as more people are beginning to get vaccinated and feel more comfortable going out, co-founder Imran Sheikh claims that business is starting to pick up again. The hospitality group recently acquired and re-launched Serious Pizza, just re-opened Citizen, and has a brand new concept on the way called Harper’s in Deep Ellum.

Harper’s will be located at The Epic (2525 Elm Street), which shares an address with The Kimpton Pittman Hotel and chef Graham Dodds’ wonderful Elm & Good restaurant. It’s exciting to see a historic space in Dallas come alive with thoughtful dining concepts.

“Personally, Harper’s was born out of the desire to create a restaurant that myself and my peers would want to go to,” Sheikh tells PaperCity. Either for business dinners or birthday celebrations, the Milkshake Concepts CEO says that he wants Harper’s to be a place that guests can find it all — great ambiance, service, food, and drinks.

Harper’s Dallas — Harper’s is about 7,000 square feet and sits at the bottom of The Hamilton apartment building. (Rendering courtesy of Coeval)

Designed by Dallas-based Coeval Studio, Harper’s is the smallest (about 7,000 square feet) and most intimate project in Milkshake Concepts’ portfolio, a fact that should add to its exclusivity factor. “By design, it will have a really nice flow and great buzz,” Sheikh says. There will also be an outdoor patio space. “It will be beautifully lit, and have a night garden feel to it,” he adds.

As for the menu, Harper’s has an impressive culinary team led by Rodman Shields. Chef Jacob Williamson (formerly of Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck) will lead the kitchen as executive chef, while Pierce Everett (Lounge 31) is serving as General Manager. The globally-inspired menu will include approachable dishes with “exciting, bold flavors.” Sheikh shares salmon, steaks, a Tajin dish with a Moroccan influence, and a Burmese tea leaf salad as a few menu examples. After a delayed opening date due to Covid-19 (Harper’s was originally slated to open last fall), there are a few more weeks left of development and finalizing the menu.

“I’m excited that Harper’s can be our jewel in the crown concept,” Sheikh says. “Especially after navigating these treacherous conditions, we finally see hope for the restaurant industry. I hope Harper’s can epitomize that. That it can be a place where we can socialize and truly celebrate life again post-Covid.”

Harper’s is set to open in late April or early May. Keep updated here.