Dallas Restaurateur Jay Khan is Breathing Life Back Into the West End

Just a couple of months ago, Dallas restaurateur Jay Khan opened his fifth dining concept in the West End. Más Street Tacos debuted in the former BurgerIM space, one of many spaces that had been sitting vacant in the historic district. Tomorrow, August 21, he’ll be launching another new restaurant: Moak’s Family Texas BBQ.

Khan came to Dallas’ West End in the early ’90s, when he was the general manager at Landry’s Seafood House. He opened his first restaurant, RJ Mexican Cuisine in 2004. 3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails followed in 2018, Irish spot Chet’s debuted in 2021, and The Liam’s Steakhouse opened earlier this year. Two more restaurants (including a beer garden) from Khan are on the way as well.

“The West End is the most important area [in Dallas],” he tells PaperCity. “It’s right in the middle of the city, the heart.”

A Revitalized West End?

If you (or your parents) weren’t in Dallas in the 1980s, you may not know the debauchery that was the West End during the time. The legendary Starck Club was the hub for such things, drawing in celebrities like Tom Cruise, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jack Nicholson, and Andy Warhol (to name a few) before it closed in 1989.

In the ’90s, restaurants and bars were booming in the area. The massive Spaghetti Warehouse and its full-sized vintage trolley were a memorable part of my childhood. But all good (if only in retrospect) things must come to an end. The 47-year-old Spaghetti Warehouse closed in 2019, and several other closures have followed since.

With his own restaurant openings, Jay Khan is determined to bring life back to the West End. The area has long been known for its tourism. The district features The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealy Plaza (which chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy), the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, and the Dallas Aquarium. Khan plans to bring the locals back.

“I want to get away from the West End just being a destination,” Khan notes. “I want the area to be a daily event for people.”

Aware that he is just one restaurateur, Khan notes that the new $3.7 billion Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center expansion will help restore downtown foot traffic, but he wants to do what he can as well.

“I love the West End,” he continues. “If you stand in the middle of the street, it will remind you of being on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. It’s the only district in Dallas that still has the original red brick sidewalks.” He hopes that it becomes bustling again.

Moak’s Family Texas BBQ

His next restaurant, Moak’s (Khan’s wife’s maiden name), will bring barbecue back to the space that was long occupied by Sonny Bryan’s. Vice President of Operations David Cole is leading the team with Executive Chef Juan Sanchez — who works with The Liam’s Steakhouse and Más Street Tacos.

A liquor license is still in the works, given that the space has been vacant for 24 months. But Khan promises, “We’ll have it before the Texas-OU game.”