20 recent restaurant closures in Dallas-Fort Worth

In spring 2024, we saw more than a dozen restaurants close in dallas-Fort Worth, from ice cream shops to breweries, burger joints and family-owned pizza shops.

It’s a competitive market in North Texas, and restaurants are opening just as quickly. Keep tabs on new Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants here.

Restaurants below listed in alphabetical order

Akira Back

Two years after celebrity chef Akira Back opened his eponymous restaurant at Grandscape in The Colony, the restaurant shuttered. The closure is permanent, according to the restaurant’s website. Akira Back, which specialized in modern Japanese cuisine with omakase-style bento boxes and A5 Wagyu, was one of the most upscale restaurants at Grandscape.

Buda Juice in West Village and Mockingbird Station in Dallas

By June 25, 2024, two Dallas Buda Juice shops in West Village and in Mockingbird Station will close, according to a statement from the company. A letter to customers says Buda Juice lost its lease in West Village and that parking is a struggle in Mockingbird Station.

The closure of both stores will mean no more Buda Juice shops in D-FW, though the company will continue to sell cold-pressed juice in grocery stores like H-E-B, Costco and Market Street. Its juices range from a post-workout recovery drink (cucumber, apple and lemon) to a brain-booster (cucumber, fennel, kale, spinach, lime and mint).

Buda Juice’s Dallas shops are at 3699 McKinney Ave., Suite 318 (in West Village) and 5307 E. Mockingbird Lane, Suite 107 (in Mockingbird Station). They will remain open until the end of business on June 25, 2024.

Casa Rosa Restaurante in Dallas

It's tough to say goodbye to a plate of enchiladas from Casa Rosa, a well-liked restaurant in Dallas.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)

Mexican restaurant Casa Rosa Restaurante closed after Cinco de Mayo near Lemmon Avenue and Inwood Road in Dallas.

The restaurant initially opened in 1981 a few blocks away, at Lovers Lane and Inwood Road, a project from Gilbert Cuellar Jr., of the El Chico family. Casa Rosa was closed for more than 20 years but was not forgotten, and when Cuellar announced he would reopen Casa Rosa in mid-2022, the response from Dallas Morning News readers was electric. Even the new address was a talker: It replaced an El Fenix that had been open for about 60 years.

The new Casa Rosa served margaritas and fajitas for almost exactly two years. Cuellar said sales were lower than expected and rent went up. He said he’s open to relocating it but plans haven’t been finalized.

Casa Rosa was at 5622 Lemmon Ave., Dallas. It closed after dinner on May 5, 2024.

Related:Resurrected Dallas Tex-Mex restaurant will close once again

Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s taproom

Deep Ellum Brewing Co. isn’t going away, but its Dallas taproom and brewhouse are no more. The brewery opened in the Deep Ellum neighborhood 13 years ago and grew into a nationally known producer of craft beer. Since then, it’s had a few rounds of new ownership. It’s currently owned by Monster Beverage Corp. Although the taproom is gone, it will still continue to produce and distribute its beer across Texas, the brewery said.

Deep Ellum Brewing Co. closed its taproom and brewhouse May 31, 2024 at 2823 St. Louis St., Dallas.

Dugg Burger in Dallas’ Preston Hollow

Dugg Burger's "thing" is they dig out the bun and put toppings in there.

Burger shop Dugg closed May 13, 2024 at Walnut Hill and Central Expressway, in the shopping center anchored by Trader Joe’s. No word yet on what might replace it. But lots is happening around it: Next door, a private tequila bar called Customs has opened above a new taco shop called Chido. The owner of Fortune House dumpling shop has signed a lease nearby, and Food Network celebrity chef Guy Fieri announced he’ll open fast-food shop Chicken Guy! across the street.

Related:5 new spots in Preston Hollow include tequila bar, Guy Fieri restaurant, Fortune House

Dugg Burger was at 7949 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas. It closed in mid-May 2024.

Funky Picnic in Fort Worth

In addition to Funky Picnic's house-made beers, it was also known for its menu of sandwiches, burgers, wings and pizzas.(Robert W. Hart / Special Contributor)

Fort Worth got “a lot less funky” with the closure of Funky Picnic in late April 2024. Co-founder Samantha Glenn said the brewery’s five-year run, starting in June 2019, took place mostly during the tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic. Glenn told The News, through tears, that Funky Picnic reached its limit after years of deferred rent and loan payments, unstable sales and inflation.

Funky Picnic was at 401 Bryan Ave., Fort Worth. It closed April 27, 2024.

Holy Crust in Dallas’ Trinity Groves

Holy Crust was a casual pizza place in West Dallas' Trinity Groves.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

West Dallas pizza place Holy Crust, one of the final restaurants created by serial entrepreneur Phil Romano, closed May 19, 2024. Romano has since retired and his development Trinity Groves is going through another significant change in its 10 years of life. This time, his son Sam Romano is leading the charge. Plans call for amping up “eatertainment” options while real estate firm Goldenrod Cos. sweeps in to try to “build a lasting neighborhood,” as our business reporter Anna Butler reported, with plans for new offices, housing and hotels.

Holy Crust was at 3011 Gulden Lane, Suite 112 (in Trinity Groves), Dallas. It may become a new grab-and-go market, a spokesperson told The News.

Related:Trinity Groves in Dallas, reinvented again: new restaurants, mini golf and pickleball

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Deep Ellum

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is one of those ice cream shops where if people love it, they talk about it.(Courtesy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams)

Some sad ice cream news: North Texas’ first Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams closed in Deep Ellum. A spokesperson told CultureMap rent was the problem.

“We have loved being a part of the community and bringing people together over ice cream,” the company said in a statement shared with The News. The company still sells scoops at three other Dallas-area locations: on Lower Greenville, in Addison and in Victory Park.

Y’all had the Flufernutter Pie, with peanut butter and vanilla marshmallow? It’s good.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams was at 2649 Main St., Dallas. Find other locations here.

Mattito’s Tex-Mex in Dallas’ Oak Lawn area

Mattito's took Cinco de Mayo to the max, often hosting a Bob Armstrong dip eating contest over the years.(Jerry McClure / Special Contributor)

For the first time in 32 years, the Uptown/Oak Lawn area of Dallas does not have a Mattito’s Tex-Mex in the neighborhood selling queso and margaritas. The Oak Lawn restaurant closed because the lease was up, co-owner and co-founder Jeff Frankel told The News. He’s looking for another spot in the area. Mattito’s continues to operate two other locations, on Forest Lane in Dallas and in Flower Mound.

Mattito’s Tex-Mex closed at 3102 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, on May 28, 2024. Mattito’s restaurants remain at 7778 Forest Lane, Dallas, and 2945 Long Prairie Road, Flower Mound.

Mariachi’s Dine-In in Fort Worth

Mariachi's Dine-In offered a stout selection of vegetarian dishes.(Lawrence Jenkins / Special Contributor)

Vegan and vegetarian friendly Mexican restaurant Mariachi’s Dine-In closed in Fort Worth on June 1, 2024. Owner Ashley Miller spent three years selling tacos from a gas station before she moved the restaurant off Camp Bowie Boulevard, near Interstate 30, for another three years. Mariachi’s served a menu of tacos, burgers and enchiladas, and nearly all were available with or without meat — rare for most restaurants.

Mariachi’s Dine-In was at 5724 Locke Ave., Fort Worth. It closed June 1, 2024.

The Network Bar in Dallas’ Trinity Groves

Social club The Network Bar closed in Trinity Groves after serving as a private bar and meetup spot for Dallas professionals since 2017. Sam Romano, a new partner in Trinity Groves, thinks the bar should be replaced by a restaurant or bar for everyone, not just members. Plans for what will replace it haven’t been announced yet.

The Network Bar was at 331 Singleton Blvd. (in Trinity Groves), Dallas. It closed May 31, 2024.

Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse in Plano

The Family Table BBQ Feast at Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse was a huge, shareable portion.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

The Pappas family’s Delta Blues Smokehouse closed in West Plano after nearly five years in business. It comes from a fleet of family-owned business that include Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, Pappasito’s Cantina and Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. Delta Blues was one of the restaurant brands that wasn’t growing like the others. The restaurant served sit-down barbecue in addition to steak, catfish and burgers.

Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse was at 3916 Dallas Parkway (near W. Parker Road), Plano. It closed April 4, 2024.

Red Lobster: 2 in Dallas

Much has been reported online about the bankruptcy filing for Orlando-based restaurant chain Red Lobster. (”Wall Street wizardry” and a $4 billion empire that fell prey to endless shrimp were part of the story, according to colorful news stories.) Here’s what you need to know: Many Red Lobster restaurants remain open, including at least 10 in Dallas-Fort Worth. But the remaining two in Dallas proper were part of a swift sweep of closures in mid-May 2024.

Closed Red Lobsters in Dallas are at 10290 E. Technology Blvd. and at 9069 Vantage Point Drive. Find an open Red Lobster here.

Sal’s Pizza in the Love Field area

Family-owned Sal’s Pizza closed in May 2024 after nearly 42 years serving Italian-American dishes like shrimp scampi, eggplant parmesan and chicken marsala. Those of us at The News knew it best for its big pizzas, which were served at newsroom lunch meetings for decades. All four of owner Sal Jakova’s kids have worked at the restaurant over the years. Daughter Amy told CultureMap that a hike in rent caused the closure.

Sal’s Pizza was at 2525 Wycliff Ave., Dallas. It closed May 31, 2024.

Sandwich Hag in the Cedars

A Vietmanese pork bánh mì sandwich is pictured at Sandwich Hag in Dallas the first year it opened.(Nathan Hunsinger / Staff Photographer)

After opening as a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the Cedars neighborhood nearly seven years ago, Sandwich Hag closed in May 2024. James Beard Award-nominated chef Reyna Duong, who first started the bánh mì concept a decade ago as a pop-up, said on Instagram that it was time to take a break. But Duong isn’t calling it quits on the industry, or that location. Chimlanh, the Vietnamese coffee shop Duong opened inside Sandwich Hag in January 2023, will reopen after a summer break, she said. She also handed the restaurant’s kitchen over to a yet-to-be-named chef who will eventually serve Japanese-style burgers out of the space.

Sandwich Hag was located at 1902 Botham Jean Blvd., Dallas. It closed May 18, 2024. Chimlanh, the coffee shop inside Sandwich Hag, will reopen after the summer.

Tricky Fish in Dallas’ Preston Hollow

The Dallas location of Cajun seafood chain Tricky Fish closed in late March, according to the Preston Hollow Advocate. It was located in the Preston Hollow Village shopping center, which is getting an influx of new restaurants. City records show a Turkish restaurant called Chefika Mediterranean will move into the space Tricky Fish vacated.

Tricky Fish closed in March 2024 at 7859 Walnut Hill Ln., Suite 170, Dallas. Its three other locations are still open in Fort Worth, Frisco and Richardson.

Tulum in Highland Park

The interior of Tulum was a stunner.(Shaban Athuman / Staff Photographer)

Tulum closed in Highland Park without much explanation, CultureMap reports. The restaurant opened in late 2018, offering the feeling of a Mexican vacation, if only for an hour or two, in the middle of a Highland Park shopping center. The originating chef called Tulum’s menu “rustic and elegant,” with New York strip steak with cipollini onions and jalapeno chimichurri as an early favorite.

Tulum was at 4216 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas. It closed in May 2024.

VBQ Smokehouse in Fort Worth

Does this look meat-free? It was all vegan, all the time at VBQ Smokehouse in Fort Worth.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)

Two-day-a-week vegan barbecue joint VBQ closed inside Fort Worth restaurant Mariachi’s Dine-In after a three-month test. The restaurant served dishes that are typically meat- and dairy-heavy, like burnt ends and mac and cheese, but vegan. It was an exciting idea, but after the chef left, owner Ashley Miller decided to close. Mariachi’s shuttered two months later, and Miller plans to move out of state.

VBQ Smokehouse was open two days a week inside of Mariachi’s Dine-In at 5724 Locke Ave., Fort Worth. It closed March 25, 2024.

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