From The Minds Behind The Saint, A New Modern Asian Restaurant With Top Chef Alum Debuts in Design District

Several years after Hooper Hospitality Concepts (owners of Dallas’ The Saint) announced the opening of its modern Asian restaurant and bar in the Design District, Night Rooster is finally debuting at 1000 N. Riverfront Boulevard on Friday, January 31.

The Chinese fine dining concept is located in the same building that The Saint recently relocated to after spending three years in Deep Ellum. The Saint is upstairs, while Night Rooster is downstairs. When you enter the building, the first floor features a striking staircase that leads up to the Italian steakhouse on the left and Night Rooster’s bar area to the right. It’s through the curtains that you enter the main dining room of Night Rooster. Designed by Greg O’Neal of Philosophy Design, this space features moody vibes with dim lighting, red booth seating, gold accents, and some design details like florals and butterflies.

Chef Shirley Chung

Beijing-born, Chinese-American Chef Shirley Chung is leading the kitchen at Night Rooster. Also known as “The Dumpling Queen of Los Angeles,” she has worked with some of the world’s most renowned chefs including Thomas Keller, Guy Savoy, and José Andrés, and was also a finalist on Top Chef: New Orleans and runner-up on Top Chef: Charleston. Chung went on to open the acclaimed Twenty Eight Modern Chinese and Ms Chi Cafe in Los Angeles, and is the author of Chinese Heritage Cooking from My American Kitchen and a frequent Food Network personality.

“Shirley and I have talked about building something together for over twenty years [the two met working at an Italian steakhouse in Las Vegas], and Night Rooster is the realization of that dream,” says Andy Hooper, founder of Hooper Hospitality Concepts, in a press release. “Night Rooster tells a story — of friendship, perseverance, and starting fresh — and we’re incredibly proud to bring that story to life.”

In 2024, Chung was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and underwent an intensive course of chemotherapy and radiation. Thankfully, she’s in full remission, but her return to the kitchen at Night Rooster is more than just a job for her.

“Night Rooster is a reflection of my life — it’s rooted in Chinese heritage, shaped by my journey in America as well as my recent health and personal challenges, and inspired by the incredible ingredients and spirit of Texas,” explains Chef Chung in the release. “After everything I’ve been through, I can’t begin to say enough about how happy I am to be cooking again, and I hope this restaurant will be filled with passion and joy, from our team and our guests alike.”

Night Rooster’s Menu

Taking a “Texas-inspired approach to Chinese cuisine,” Night Rooster’s menu will feature nods to Texas barbecue tradition in its Tea-Smoked Duck — brined for 24 hours and smoked with jasmine tea and hickory wood. Other Texas-sourced products include beef from Outpost 76 and mushrooms from Texas Fungus.

These are some other highlights of the menu we are looking forward to trying.

• Jumbo wagyu cheeseburger potstickers with bacon tomato jam
• Lobster and shrimp air eggrolls
• Cacio e Sichuan Pepe
• Tea-smoked fried rice
• Hot mochi donut with whipped tofu coffee chocolate mousse

The cocktail program also offers intriguing options using Texas-grown ingredients like the East Meets West (Nikka Coffey Malt Whisky, High West bourbon, black sugar, bitters, cherry-wood smoked) and Dove Dynasty with Montelebos mezcal, Iichiko Saiten Shochu, Aperol, lime, Lady Bird ruby red grapefruit soda, and togarashi.

According to the release, “Night Rooster ushers in a new chapter of Chinese fine dining in Dallas. The concept takes its name and guiding spirit from a Chinese folktale in which a heroic archer shoots down eight of the nine suns burning the earth. The final sun retreats in fear, and despite every effort, it is only the persistent crow of a rooster that calls the light back into the sky. At Night Rooster, that story becomes a metaphor for renewal, perseverance, and the quiet power of beginning again.”

That’s a tall order for a restaurant, but we’re definitely looking forward to trying out the menu this winter.