New Restaurant and Distillery Rises in Richardson — Get Ready for Lockwood Distilling Co.

Husband and wife team Evan and Sally Batt are opening up a brand new restaurant and distillery in Richardson in the coming weeks. Lockwood Distilling Co. will be located at 506 Lockwood Drive and will serve cocktails, wine and “traditional, but elevated” food.

A comfortable neighborhood joint, where you can come in and grab a drink and bite with the family, is the vibe of this new spot. Lyrics from the Batt’s favorite band, The Revivalists, “We’re just all one big family now” are painted on the wall in gold letters. There’s also an outdoor patio that can fit up to 50 people.

Lockwood Distilling Co. is coming in next to coffee shop and co-working space, Communion Neighborhood Cooperative, on a newer strip in Richardson Heights. With Evan’s passion and expertise in distilling, he’s worked for Western Son in Pilot Point, and Sally’s love for connection, the couple wanted to bring in a cool, neighborhood spot.

The Batts actually got a lot of help from their Richardson neighbors while pulling the project together.

“One of our neighbors owns a tile company so they provided the tiles for the bar,” Evan Batt says. “Another owns a granite business,” which they also used for the bar. “Everyone’s been really supportive and curious about the new space,” Sally Batt says.

Bringing in chef Justin Box (Cafe Momentum, The Cedars Social) was also a bit of a coincidence. Box had recently moved back to his hometown of Richardson. While Evan had already made up a menu of Southern bites, he basically threw it out and started over when he connected with Box.

An official menu hasn’t been released yet, but when I stopped by to check out the distillery, Box had me try the tuna melt, pimento cheese dip, kale salad and pork chop. All will be on the menu. The tuna melt with tuna, cheese and greens is a must-try. Evan and Sally said that tuna melts have never been their thing, but once they tried Box’s they were completely on board.

As for drinks, Evan has some unique mixes on the menu. Cinnamon rum, vanilla rum and hibiscus vodka are a few. There will also be gin, whiskey and frozen concoctions. A window displays Batt’s distilling machinery in the back, as well as a community table available for events and meetings.

A soft-opening is expected to happen within the next week or so with an official grand opening planned for November. Keep an eye out on Lockwood Distilling’s Facebook page for updates.