Advertisement
This is member-exclusive content
icon/ui/info filled

foodRestaurant News

What’s the one Dallas restaurant you miss most?

Let’s take a trip down memory lane with well-known Dallasites.

Try it next time you’re at happy hour with friends: Ask them to name one longtime Dallas restaurant they miss more than any other. You’re sure to be shocked and inspired by their responses.

The Grape, which was open for 47 years on Dallas' Lower Greenville, served upscale,...
The Grape, which was open for 47 years on Dallas' Lower Greenville, served upscale, comforting dishes like jalapeño grit agnolotti with creamed corn (pictured). And we all miss the cream of mushroom soup.(Nathan Hunsinger / Staff Photographer)

We asked two dozen foodies, chefs, dignitaries, readers and friends that same question. Here are the erstwhile eateries they wish hadn’t closed.

Restaurants are listed in chronological order from opening date.

This story covers restaurants in Dallas only. Do you have a restaurant you dearly miss in another city? Or did we miss your favorite Dallas spot? Email sblaskovich@dallasnews.com.

Advertisement

The Blue Front Cafe

Open in downtown Dallas from 1877 to 1992 — that’s 115 years!

At German restaurant the Blue Front Cafe, near the book depository in downtown Dallas, a red-faced gentleman named Willie Schliepake and his sisters cooked, cleaned and waited tables. I was 20 years old when I first entered the Schliepakes’ place, impressed by the sisters who sang and played the piano in between tasks. It was an old place, with well-trod wood floors, high ceilings from an era predating air-conditioning, and a long bar. I worked on Elm Street, so lunch in the Blue Front was a frequent occurrence for us. I could only afford an inexpensive sandwich and maybe a beer now and then. I am a native of Houston, but having spent over 20 years in Dallas, I encountered some one-of-a-kind eateries from a bygone era, in a bygone city that now exists only in my mind. — Brent Larsen, Dallas Morning News reader

Restaurant News

Get the scoop on the latest openings, closings, and where and what to eat and drink.

Or with:

[Editor’s note: The restaurant was started by another family, but the Schliepakes owned it the longest.]

Highland Park Cafeteria

Open in Dallas, at several locations, from 1925 to 2020

This is a June 1978 uncredited TDMN staff photo of the serving line at the Highland Park...
While patrons waited in line at Highland Park Cafeteria, they walked past the wall of presidents. (DMN file photo from 1978)(Staff Photographer / Dallas Public Library - Texas/Dallas History and Archives Division/The Dallas Morning News Collection)
Advertisement

Growing up in Dallas, I don’t remember life without Highland Park Cafeteria. We would always go when my grandmother visited. Like most New Orleanians, she liked her food flavorful and all mixed together, so she ordered things like ambrosia, Waldorf salad, raisin carrot salad, squash casserole and something called tomato aspic. (Yuck!) I loved lining up all the little bowls on my tray. It was the only time that my brothers and I each got to pick exactly what we wanted to eat — and macaroni and cheese even counted as a vegetable! It was also where we learned the order of the U.S. presidents, whose photos were hanging on the wall where you stood in line. RIP to HPC. Chocolate icebox pie, I think I’ll miss you most of all. — Kit Sawers, president of Klyde Warren Park

Wyatt’s Cafeteria

Grew to more than 100 locations across the U.S., including in D-FW; open from 1931 until the 1990s

I grew up in a working-class family of six in West Dallas and Oak Cliff. For much of that time, all four of us kids shared a single bedroom. As you could guess, we could not afford to dine out very often. Thankfully, my grandmother was an amazing cook and lived within walking distance. But on Sundays, after we went to church with her, my whole family went to Wyatt’s in Red Bird to give her a break. It always felt like a special occasion, and I wish I could take my own kids there now to show them a bit of my past. — Eric Johnson, mayor of Dallas

Advertisement

Rose’s Bluebonnet Sandwich Shop

Open on Dallas’ Greenville Avenue from 1940 to 2003

Rose's Bluebonnet Sandwich Shop might look unremarkable in this snapshot for a Dallas...
Rose's Bluebonnet Sandwich Shop might look unremarkable in this snapshot for a Dallas Morning News restaurant review. Its who-cares attitude was always part of the charm. Chef Dean Fearing loved the burgers. (Milton Hinnant photo from 2002)(MILTON HINNANT / 176138)

I found myself walking through an alley off of Greenville Avenue and then through a red door to an old, dark, rustic diner. The lady at the cash register — Rose — yelled, “Over here!” She gave me the rules: “We have hamburgers and cheeseburgers with tomato, lettuce, onion and pickles; grab your chips over there and pick your soft drink out of the refrigerator over there,” pointing to an old-time floor model with a top sliding door. She took my order — “One burger, everything!” — and yelled “Next!” As I went to pick out my chips, I saw the cook take a round ball of ground beef, place it on the hot griddle and smash it flat with a heavy spatula. I had never seen or eaten a smashed burger before, so my curiosity was at an all-time high. I found a seat on an old swivel stool with my barbecue chips and orange Fanta; soon, my burger was delivered to me on wax paper and with that great smell of griddle. As I took my first bite, I knew by the taste I would be a customer as long as it was open. And I was. — Dean Fearing, chef-owner of Fearing’s restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton

[Editor’s note: Rose Elizabeth Slovacek Stivers died in 2003, a few days before her 89th birthday. Her name was on the restaurant for 63 years. Instead of the flowery restaurant name plastered outside, it just said ROSES above the front door. And, oddly, that front door was always locked. Customers entered through the alley, and Rose might lock that door, too, if the place got too busy.]

Peggy’s Beef Bar

Open in University Park from 1946 to 2020; originally called Peggy and Howard’s, then changed to Peggy’s Beef Bar and then Peggy Sue BBQ

What happened to Peggy Sue BBQ in Snider Plaza? It was bulldozed on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022....
What happened to Peggy Sue BBQ in Snider Plaza? It was bulldozed on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. Soon, a three-story office building will be constructed there.

I grew up in HP, and one of my mainstays as a kid was Peggy’s Beef Bar in Snider Plaza. Peggy Rogers was my classmate’s mom, and we would go there for a chopped beef sandwich regularly. When Peggy sold it, the place became Peggy Sue BBQ in the ‘80s. I would drag my family there once a week for two reasons: the barbecue chicken and the fried pies. When I got into the restaurant business, I tried for years to copy their fried pies. Chocolate: not too sweet. Coconut: like an angel’s dream. Cherry with real Bing cherries: tart and delicious. All dusted with powdered sugar. When the restaurant changed hands again, all was lost. Our kids are grown now and I have no place to drag the grandkids. — Shannon Wynne, owner of Flying Fish, Flying Saucer, Rodeo Goat, Meddlesome Moth and Miriam’s

Youngblood’s Fried Chicken

Open in Dallas, at many locations, starting in 1946; most were closed by 1970

The Youngblood’s I remember best was at the Old Mill Inn, in Fair Park. As my favorite place to eat during the State Fair of Texas and on visits to the fairground, Youngblood’s offered the best fried chicken I have eaten anywhere, anytime. The chicken came to the table sizzling and smoking hot, and it was served with honey. I had never seen that before. Pouring honey on hot chicken and savoring the taste of something almost too hot to eat will forever be with me. I eat honey on fried chicken to this day, thanks to Youngblood’s. — Brent Larsen, Dallas Morning News reader

In an advertisement in The Dallas Morning News on Oct. 10, 1965, Youngblood's is described...
In an advertisement in The Dallas Morning News on Oct. 10, 1965, Youngblood's is described as "the best fried chicken in town." The restaurant had a handful of locations, including at the Old Mill Inn in Fair Park.

Spanish Village

Open in Uptown Dallas from 1947 to 1993

Spanish Village on Cedar Springs still holds the record for the best Mexican food restaurant in Dallas, in my opinion. The restaurant was in an old Austin stone building just past the parking lot of what is now the Warwick hotel. The owner used to work for my dad, and he offered to sell my dad the restaurant, which included the amazing recipes. My dad declined. He regretted the decision for the rest of his life, and everyone cried their eyes out when it closed — mostly my mom and me! I remember as a child going to Spanish Village every week. My dad and some of his friends even had chairs with their names on them at their favorite tables. The cheese and beef enchiladas were the bomb! My mouth still waters when I think of them. I also remember never leaving without fresh sopapillas. This restaurant is the reason I am forever a Tex-Mex fan. — D’Andra Simmons, entrepreneur and cast member on The Real Housewives of Dallas

Advertisement

[Editor’s note: In a 1999 column about the wealth of great Tex-Mex restaurants in Dallas, writer Kirk Dooley gushed about the erstwhile Spanish Village. “If I had three wishes, I would request world peace, to live to be 100 and to have one more chica pizza from Spanish Village,” he wrote. “I am amazed at how much I think about that place, years after it shut down.”]

Dean’s Seafood

Open on Inwood Road in Dallas from 1948 to 1995

Owner Dean Parrino’s seafood restaurant at Inwood Road and Lovers Lane seated just 20 to 30 people, mainly booths. While it was mostly a fried seafood restaurant, Dean’s also served Italian favorites. In 1970, The Dallas Morning News wrote: “The city has its long list of various types of restaurants featuring recipes from the far corners of the Earth. Many are excellent, but there is only one Dean’s.” It was a quaint and welcoming place. — Andy Johnsen, Dallas Morning News reader

Advertisement

Gordo’s on Mockingbird

Open at several locations in Dallas from 1952 to 2012; the Mockingbird location closed in 1999

Gordon West, the owner of Gordo’s, was a genuine character, a larger-than-life person and a father figure to me. The restaurant was on Mockingbird Lane just west of Central Expressway, near the old Mrs Baird’s Bread bakery. I was a bartender/table waiter there in the 1960s, making $1.25 per hour. That was enough to pay my way through a mechanical engineering degree from SMU, when tuition was only $250 per semester. Gordo’s served burgers, pizza and beer, mostly to SMU students, faculty and Highland Park and University Park neighbors. Its slightly seedy decor was exciting for what was, back then, a very quiet part of town. The 20-foot mirrored bar took up most of the front room, and there were also a half-dozen dark red vinyl-covered booths, each with a coin-operated jukebox next to the cigarette machine at the front of the room. Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” played almost constantly. Gordon’s wife, Nell, ruled the kitchen, turning out 35-cent burgers and $1 pizzas. On football weekends, customers walked through the kitchen to get to the backroom, where 20 to 30 college kids could fill the tables and booths and make all the noise they wanted. — Paul Haney, Dallas Morning News reader

Advertisement

The Luau Room

Open at Dallas Love Field from 1958 to 1974

We don't have a photo of the Luau Room in Dallas Morning News archives, but we do have a...
We don't have a photo of the Luau Room in Dallas Morning News archives, but we do have a photo of a Braniff jetliner from 1981, seven years after the Luau Room closed. Dallas Cowboys players flew to away games on Braniff planes for many years.(DAVID WOO/Staff Photographer)

The tropical-themed Luau Room was one of the most fashionable places to eat in Dallas; you wouldn’t dare go in there without a coat and tie on. What I remember most was an orange Braniff 747 plane flying in every night. It was a big deal, to eat in the Luau Room and watch airplanes take off. That was back when aviation was really new and exciting. I also loved a little restaurant at the entrance to the airport named Jay’s Marine Grill, which had the best hot rolls. There was also the 94th Aero Squadron at Love Field. The restaurant design made it feel like you were in a World War I movie. They’d have headphones on the tables and you could listen to the control tower while you had dinner. That’s one of many things you can’t do anymore. — as told to Sarah Blaskovich by Ray Washburne, Dallas developer and co-owner of Highland Park Village

[Editor’s note (and fun fact): After the Luau Room closed, that part of the airport was converted into a dance hall.]

Advertisement

Gennie’s Bishop Grill

Open in Dallas’ Oak Cliff from 1971 to 2005

Mary "Gennie" Thompson Deeter founded Gennie's Bishop Grill. (DMN file photo from 1993)
Mary "Gennie" Thompson Deeter founded Gennie's Bishop Grill. (DMN file photo from 1993)(DMN File Photo / digital file)
Advertisement

Gennie’s Bishop Grill in Oak Cliff was an institution for people who loved home-cooked comfort food. It was a cafeteria-style spot frequented by local residents as well as business people who crossed the Trinity River from downtown to the tiny spot on Bishop Avenue. Although owners Rosemarie and Gus Hudson had other rotating entrees on the menu, you missed the mark if you ordered anything other than the famous chicken-fried-steak and mashed potatoes with gravy. The chocolate peanut butter pies were incredible, too. If they could fry that pie and sell it at the State Fair, they would have a winner!

I once took a co-worker who recently relocated to Dallas from a Northern state. As we went through the line, he eyed a dish that he didn’t recognize. He asked the lady serving behind the counter, “What’s that?” She replied, “Hominy.” My friend said, “Just one please.” — Mitchell Glieber, president of the State Fair of Texas

Chiquita

Open at several addresses in Dallas and Plano from 1972 to 2000

The Dallas restaurant I miss most, even today, is Chiquita, Mario Leal’s first restaurant. Leal was an innovator; not only did he bring Mexico City cuisine to Dallas, but more importantly, he presented us with the ever-trendy tortilla soup in 1972. The first time I ever had ceviche was here, and they also served some of the first, and best, chile rellenos and chicken parilla. Quite simply, Chiquita redefined Mexican dining in Dallas.

Advertisement

I always knew when one of my best customers at Routh Street Café was about to ask me for a special favor because she’d show up with an order of carne asada from Chiquita. It was filet mignon, pounded thin, marinated and grilled. The steak was served with sauteed bell peppers and onions and a soft taco topped with ranchera sauce. One of my favorite parts of the dish was a piece of grilled linares cheese, brought in from Mexico City.

I can still taste each and every component of that dish, and it makes me yearn for the Dallas I first found in the early ‘80s — a city on the cusp of becoming truly world-class, one that we mistakenly always thought we were. — Stephan Pyles, chef-owner of beloved erstwhile Dallas restaurants such as Star Canyon, Routh Street Cafe, Stephan Pyles and Stephan Pyles Flora Street Cafe

The Grape

Open on Dallas’ Lower Greenville from 1972 to 2019

The Grape in Dallas was unforgettable, with its yellow walls and low-hanging sconces.
The Grape in Dallas was unforgettable, with its yellow walls and low-hanging sconces.(Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)
The Grape was beloved for its burger as well as more composed dishes like a spring stew...
The Grape was beloved for its burger as well as more composed dishes like a spring stew called navarin d'agneau. (Ashley Landis DMN photo from 2015)(Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)

It is difficult to decide what I miss the most about the Grape. I certainly miss Sunday recovery cheeseburgers and Monday afternoon happy hours, where I would order all of the most expensive wines by the glass for half-price. The Grape was where I began to learn how to “treat myself” when I was in my mid-20s and had moved to Dallas proper, which still felt like a big city even after several years of living an hour away. Here, I discovered charcuterie boards with good French mustard and compelling cheeses, long before charcuterie boards stormed the city. That famous mushroom soup, which the Luscher family preserved from the original chef, Frank Bailey, is still nowhere to be found unless I make it myself. The Grape was a place for celebration dinners like one of my more memorable 30-something birthdays, but it also lent a seat for casual afternoons on the patio. I can’t name another neighborhood restaurant that has begun to match its relaxed and affordable elegance. — Amanda Albee, special contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Advertisement

Caruso’s

Open in Medallion Center in East Dallas from 1973 to 1999

Caruso’s was an Italian restaurant where students in vocal music schools could get some audience face time and earn a few bucks waiting tables. Yes, they had singing waiters! The songs ran the gamut from opera to classic rock. It was a lot of fun and the food was wonderful. — William Rogers, Dallas Morning News reader

Calluaud’s

Open in Dallas from 1976 to 1986

Calluaud's maître d' Javier Gomez was part of the soul of the beloved Dallas restaurant....
Calluaud's maître d' Javier Gomez was part of the soul of the beloved Dallas restaurant. (Clint Grant DMN photo from 1986)

Imagine Dallas having one of the “finest French restaurants in the country” in 1983. Calluaud’s got that accolade, according to New York Times restaurant critic Craig Claiborne. [Editor’s note: In 1999, it was named “the most influential Dallas restaurant of the last 50 years” by The Dallas Morning News. Impressive!] The restaurant on McKinney Avenue from owners Guy and Martine Calluaud was beautiful, with equally exquisite food and hospitality. I had many lovely lunches at Calluaud’s when I was a struggling young assistant buyer at Sanger-Harris. I was treated to sophisticated French cuisine by my boss, Sigmund Mandel, the longtime store manager at the Sanger-Harris in Highland Park Village. It was a somewhat Pygmalion event, a sophisticated gentleman taking a small-town 21-year-old to eat in a restaurant where an evening meal might cost as much as her weekly paycheck. I remember pink roses on the table, crisp white tablecloths, gleaming silver settings and fashionably dressed Dallasites, each wonderful memories I will never forget. — Paige Flink, Dallas Morning News reader

La Tosca

Open on Inwood Road in Dallas from 1982 to 1993

La Tosca was my parents’ favorite restaurant, a sophisticated place to eat Italian food that everyone seemed to love. I remember having my birthday there, then my high school graduation dinner. Diane and Victor Alonso, the couple who owned it, treated everyone like royalty. That place taught me to love cannoli and profiteroles. No other place can duplicate my memory of those two things. — as told to Sarah Blaskovich by Stephen Summers, Dallas developer and co-owner of Highland Park Village

Advertisement

The Riviera

Open in Dallas’ Bluffview neighborhood from 1984 to 2003

Antelope tenderloin was a specialty at the Riviera restaurant in Dallas. (Darnell Renee,...
Antelope tenderloin was a specialty at the Riviera restaurant in Dallas. (Darnell Renee, special contributor for the DMN in 2002)(DARNELL RENEE / 176705)
Franco Bertolasi, owner of the Riviera, is reflected in a silver tray outside his restaurant...
Franco Bertolasi, owner of the Riviera, is reflected in a silver tray outside his restaurant on Inwood Road in Dallas. (Allison V. Smith DMN photo from 1998)(Allison V. Smith / 122255)

The roasted lamb rack with mango chutney, purple cabbage and dauphinoise potatoes at one of Dallas’ finest restaurants, the Riviera, are the stuff of sweet dreams and beautiful memories. I was then growing ZuZu [Mexican restaurants], and any excuse — good or bad — was a great reason to go to the Riviera. The chef duo of David Holben and Lori Finkelman made every one of my visits a beautiful experience. And, of course, the late Franco Bertolasi was the ultimate host. I so enjoyed the entire staff, especially the manager and sommelier. No restaurant, nor any individual, has been able to match the feeling of the Riviera, for me. I still can taste Lori’s desserts, some which inspired my wife Duni Borga to go into baking. In fact, I am asking Duni to make me a lemon tart with a brûlée sugar crown this weekend. — Taco Borga, co-owner of La Duni in Dallas

[Editor’s note: The Riviera received a rare five stars in a review by Dallas Morning News critic Waltrina Stovall in 1994.]

Advertisement

Beau Nash

Open in Uptown Dallas from 1986 to 2004; a bar under the same name is now open again at the Crescent Hotel, as of 2018

Here's the Conservatory Room at Beau Nash at Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas. (Matt Rourke...
Here's the Conservatory Room at Beau Nash at Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas. (Matt Rourke DMN photo from 2003)(Matt Rourke / 191227)

I miss the old Beau Nash, the hippest of Uptown joints when I moved to Dallas in ‘99. It served multiple purposes for the neighborhood back then, from a killer business lunch to one of the best bar scenes in Dallas — then or now. Imagine if Al Biernat’s turned into a SRO version of Bowen House five nights a week, but with a lot of cocaine. I honestly don’t remember the menu, but I remember meeting all these tipsy young lawyers and real estate people who are now largely in charge of everything. And I remember how it made me feel about Dallas when I was just starting out: sophisticated, a little bawdy, and absolutely brimming with possibility. — Philip Kingston, Dallas attorney and former City Council member

Jeroboam

Open in downtown Dallas from 2000 to 2006

Brothers Brady (right) and Brandt Wood, photographed here in 2003, were the owners of...
Brothers Brady (right) and Brandt Wood, photographed here in 2003, were the owners of several restaurants and bars in Dallas, including Trees, the Green Room, Gypsy Tea Room and Jeroboam. Today, they own the private club Park House and the Mexican restaurant Jose, among others. (Helen Jau DMN photo from 2003)(JAU, Helen / 155533)

Before I knew much about wine, I knew that a jeroboam is a massive bottle of wine. So instantly, I liked the name of downtown Dallas restaurant Jeroboam. And better, the restaurant hosted an eclectic group of who’s who in Dallas. The food was great, the ambiance was awesome. It was probably a little bit ahead of its time.

We celebrated Brett Hull’s 500th game there, and I still have the menu — the printed menu — with its leather-bound back. — Marty Turco, former goaltender for the Dallas Stars

Advertisement

York Street Cafe

Open in Dallas from 2001 to 2010

York Street was a tiny restaurant on Lewis Street in Dallas. (Nan Coulter DMN photo from 2007)
York Street was a tiny restaurant on Lewis Street in Dallas. (Nan Coulter DMN photo from 2007)(NAN COULTER / 115139)

From its birth in 2001 to its surprising goodbye in 2010, tiny York Street was the best restaurant in Dallas. Chef-owner Sharon Hage drew inspiration for her ever-changing menus from the high-quality, seasonal ingredients that she sourced daily. Her genius was in highlighting these market finds with clean, balanced flavors. Reverence for the essence of an ingredient — whether a fish rarely seen in Dallas, offal or an unusual vegetable — guided her culinary alchemy.

Hage’s creativity continually spurred new dishes. The only constant offering at York Street was the complimentary fino sherry and Marcona almonds that welcomed dinner guests.

Advertisement

One of my most memorable meals at York Street was a tea-pairing dinner that included poached scallops with pomelo and hearts of palm, perched on a puddle of tangerine-carrot emulsion; osso buco of Berkshire pork, served with caramelized onions and a silky chickpea sauce; and molasses pecan pie with two sauces — one chocolate, the other blood orange-caramel. How do I recall these details? I was a fangirl and saved the menu, scrawled with my notes.

When Hage shuttered York Street at the peak of its popularity, it felt like the day the Beatles disbanded. Loyal customers were shocked and mourned our loss. Like any great artist, though, Hage had a lasting impact. She inspired a new wave of Dallas chefs to take their cues from the best seasonal ingredients. — Tina Danze, special contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Stephan Pyles

Open in downtown Dallas from 2005 to 2016

Chef Stephan Pyles grills a cowboy rib-eye steak while working the kitchen in the restaurant...
Chef Stephan Pyles grills a cowboy rib-eye steak while working the kitchen in the restaurant named after him. Soon after it closed, the chef opened Stephan Pyles Flora Street Cafe in the Dallas Art District. (Ben Torres, special contributor, in 2016 photo)(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)
Advertisement

The Dallas dining scene doesn’t feel like the Dallas dining scene without Stephan Pyles in the picture. I loved his most recent restaurant, Flora Street, but I really miss the chef’s namesake restaurant on Ross Avenue. When I came to Dallas as a critic in 2009, it represented to me everything progressive, thoughtful and sophisticated in a town that didn’t always feel that way. Chef Pyles mentored so many young chefs there who went on to push cuisine forward in Dallas, including Matt McCallister, Katherine Clapner, J Chastain and Keith Cedotal. George Majdalani — Pyles’ business partner at the time — ran the front of the house, and his warm hospitality always made a visit there feel special.

Three of my most memorable experiences as a critic took place in that dining room. The first was in 2009, when I was a new critic in town there for a review visit. I was recognized, and chef Pyles — who was not in the restaurant — must have been alerted, and he burst through the front door, pulling on his chef coat as he sprinted toward the kitchen. Hilarious. The second was a 17-course tasting menu at Fuego, a tasting-menu pop-up within the restaurant led by McCallister. It blew me away. The third was a dinner in 2015 when Chastain was heading the kitchen. His beguiling plates were the first time I understood how truly exciting modern Texas cuisine could be. — Leslie Brenner, former Dallas Morning News restaurant critic

Victor Tangos

Open on Henderson Avenue from 2008 to 2017

Victor Tangos made some of the best cocktails in town, such as (from left) a Passion Fruit...
Victor Tangos made some of the best cocktails in town, such as (from left) a Passion Fruit Gimlet, the Nun and the Nymph, and Swee' Pea. (Ben Torres, special contributor, in 2014 photo)( Ben Torres - Special Contributor )

Victor Tangos was the first modern place in Dallas doing from-scratch cocktails. You’re eating in a bar-like setting, but the food was serious. And a ton of great chefs came through there, like Greg Bussey, AQ [Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman] and Kirstyn Brewer. We had people drinking sazeracs. Old Fashioneds. And we did a rockin’ industry night on Mondays that was packed all the time. Customers seemed to love the energy and the action, watching the bartender using jiggers and measuring things. It became a little bit of a show. And people loved to eat at the bar. They really got into that. — as told to Sarah Blaskovich by Dallas restaurateur Greg Katz, who was managing partner and GM of Victor Tangos and currently owns Beverley’s and Clifton Club

Off-Site Kitchen

Open in the Design District and Trinity Groves, separately, from 2012 to 2020

Off-Site Kitchen's burgers were simple and great.
Off-Site Kitchen's burgers were simple and great.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

When I moved to West Dallas, there were three things that stuck out to me: the beautiful Margaret Hunt Bridge that served as a new gateway to downtown, the old Barrow Gas Station and the divey little Off-Site Kitchen.

Well, at least we still have the bridge.

Advertisement

The Barrow Gas Station fell victim to a demolition crew in spring 2022. OSK, as chef-owner Nick Badovinus used to refer to it, closed in 2020. Badovinus is on to bigger things, like National Anthem and other forthcoming restaurant projects that are good for Dallas. But sometimes you just need a quick, greasy burger or fried chicken sandwich, and OSK specialized in them. The Murph Style Burger with American cheese, jalapeño-bacon relish and “secret” sauce satisfied plenty of my hankerings for lunch. The Crispy Chicken sandwich had a dash of gold sauce — kind of a honey mustard/Carolina barbecue thing — making it better than whatever fast-food franchise was diving into the chicken game that week. And let’s not forget the Turkey Master Tribute, a smoked turkey-bacon-Swiss number that was anything but boring.

It’s still cool to drive across that bridge, but I always feel a little bit wistful when I do. I miss the burgers that waited at its base. — Evan Grant, Dallas Morning news staff writer/Texas Rangers Insider

20 Feet Seafood Joint

Open in East Dallas from 2013 to 2020

Fish and chips was one of the favorites at 20 Feet Seafood in Old East Dallas.
Fish and chips was one of the favorites at 20 Feet Seafood in Old East Dallas.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
Advertisement

I am still mourning the loss of one of our favorite neighborhood spots, 20 Feet Seafood Joint. We loved everything about it — the food, the music, and, of course, co-owners Suzan and Marc Cassel and the whole team. We ordered the same thing almost every time: blackened shrimp scampi and Parmesan grits for me, fish and chips for my husband [chef Brian Luscher], and shrimp and chips for our daughter Landry. We loved that it was BYOB. Marc treated us like family and would always give our daughter an apple for dessert. He’d even let Brian play DJ every once in a while. We threw Brian’s surprise 50th birthday party there and Suzan made her famous Key lime and sweet potato pies, which were to die for. Ahoy, mateys, you are missed!— Courtney Luscher, Dallas sommelier and former co-owner of longtime restaurant the Grape

This story is part of a series about North Texas’ oldest restaurants. Next, read these:

If you love news on historic restaurants, check out a new page we created with all our stories on that topic.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich.