The Dallas Dish — A Tech-Savvy Mexican Seafood Market Arrives and a Sad Tex-Mex Closure

It’s been an unprecedented 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.

Yellow Rosa owners will open a new seafood market in Oak Cliff.

From the same minds behind Deep Ellum’s Yellow Rosa bar, La Pesca Seafood Market will be an authentic Mexican seafood experience in Oak Cliff. Inspired by a family-owned fish market in Teplzotlan (a “Magic City” in Mexico), the design will feature colorful furniture, walls, and fish decor. A seafood display will include fresh red snapper, mojarra, and catfish, along with traditional dishes like Aguachiles, Caldo de Camarón, Tostadas de Pescado, and ceviche — all delivered to your table via robotic server (seemingly a new Dallas dining trend.)

The cocktail menu will also include eight kinds of “Michelitros”— a liter of Michelada in flavors like mango, chicharron, and more. Joel Roland and his team will kick things off with a grand opening party from April 28 to May 1.

A new Chinese restaurant spinoff of Hunan Express opens near SMU.

Cafe Hunan, a new iteration of Hunan Express (a much-loved Chinese restaurant that lived in Uptown for 15 years until its closure in 2012), is now open on SMU Boulevard according to the Dallas Morning News. The original owner, Mark Carey, has brought back some favorites, including Mongolian beef, spring rolls, and dumplings, along with a fresh new addition: Chinese chicken salad with crispy noodles.

Herrera’s Cafe closes on Sylvan Avenue after 51 years.

Local Tex-Mex restaurant, Herrera’s Cafe, shuttered on Sylvan Avenue on April 22 after over five decades in business, according to the Dallas Morning News. Amelia Herrera originally opened the spot on Maple Avenue in 1971. The family later moved the restaurant to West Dallas in 2014. There are several other Herrera family-owned restaurants in Dallas, but this was one of the longest-running. Due to the aftermath of the pandemic and financial struggles that followed, this iconic Tex-Mex spot simply couldn’t operate any longer.