Dallas’ Favorite Restaurateur is Racing Into Lower Greenville with a New Mexican Spot

New Restaurant is Largely Secret For Now, But Expect a Serious Patio and Baja Power

By Natalie Gempel // Sep 5, 2018

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A yellow submarine in the middle of Town Hearth's dining room.

He’s a well-known authority on burgers, steaks, seafood and pizza, but Nick Badovinus (Off-Site Kitchen, Town Hearth, Montlake Cut, Perfect Union Pizza) has yet to dabble in the wonderful world of Mexican food… until now. The Dallas restaurateur has revealed his latest project, a cantina on Lower Greenville dubbed Desert Racer.

The restaurant, named after Mexico’s Baja 1000 race, has been under construction since earlier this summer and will open at some not-yet-determined time in the near future.

Desert Racer is taking over the space at 1520 Greenville Ave, which was most recently the location of Austin-based gastropub Haymaker.

Badovinus hasn’t spilled many details on the Greenville Ave spot, but he tells CultureMap it will be a combination of Baja Cantina and Southwestern American influences. The casual restaurant will utilize the location’s large outdoor patio and feature live-fire cooking methods.

Desert Racer is set to open ahead of Badovinus’ upcoming projects in Downtown Dallas’ storied Magnolia Oil/KLIF building. That space will feature two restaurants, a casual concept called PMA All Day on the first floor, and an upscale eatery called National Anthem on the second floor and roof deck. PMA All Day will serve coffee and grab-and-go items, while National Anthem will be a New American restaurant similar to Town Hearth. Construction on the downtown restaurants is set to begin this fall.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for Desert Racer.