10 January 8-14, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Hospitality, the same group opening Clark’s Oyster Bar along the Katy Trail and a con- cept called Swedish Hill soon in Dallas, but not confirmed for the new year. The focus of Neighborhood Sushi will be classic and un- assuming menu items with quick service. Expected opening: spring 2026 Kilmac’s 814 W Davis St., Oak Cliff The same folks behind Spider Murphy’s, Skellig and The Old Monk, are opening Kilmac’s in Oak Cliff next year. It will follow the same theme as its predecessors, but with more of a focus on cocktails than food. We haven’t heard any recent developments on the opening, but on Dec. 3, Live Local Oak Cliff posted an update on the construction. It appears to be a patio area in the works, but we’ll know more closer to. Owner Feargal McKinney and partner Charles Reis also just opened the second Old Monk location in Oak Cliff, the neighbor of soon-to-be Kilmac’s. Expected opening: early to mid-2026 Sant Ambroeus 33190 Knox St., Knox-Henderson You know how Knox Street is being trans- formed, save for Cafe Madrid? Well, a major part of this is an Auberge Resort Collection hotel with residences, office space and retail. One of the restaurants inside will be the lauded Milanese cafe and restaurant, Sant Ambroeus, which was founded in Milan, It- aly, in 1936. A New York location opened along Madison Avenue in 1982. Other loca- tions include Aspen, Palm Beach and Paris. Next up? Big D. The Dallas location will offer all-day dining with an outdoor patio over- looking the Katy Trail. Expected opening: not sure so we plopped it here in the middle. Summer Openings Little Ruby’s 2305 Cedar Springs Road, Uptown Little Ruby’s is an all-day Australian cafe opening in Uptown next year. The concept started in New York City in 2002, and will have six total locations when Dallas opens. It serves breakfast every day until 4 p.m., and an all-day menu that has bowls, sand- wiches, burgers, pasta and a robust drink se- lection to round everything off. Expected opening: summer 2026. Élephante 2323 Cedar Springs Road, Uptown The spirit and cuisine of coastal southern It- aly is what Élephante is all about. It started with its rooftop location in Santa Monica and has only one other location in Scotts- dale. Dallas will be its third opening, and it will feature custom furniture and artisanal details that align with the brand but also pay homage to Dallas. Expect a robust alcohol selection, fresh seafood and classic Italian dishes. Expected opening: summer 2026. Brazamar 3606 Greenville Ave., Lower Greenville What was formerly a Foxtrot coffee shop will be a new Mexican restaurant called Brazamar, according to The Dallas Morning News. Owner Jon Garay wanted to open a space where one could get a solid plate of Mexican food and good cocktails at a rea- sonable price. Garay will also be opening a Tacos Richy, a street taco spot similar to Chilangos Tacos, next door, but there is no slated opening for the quick-format concept. Expected opening: summer 2026 ▼ CLOSINGS THAT’S ALL FOLKS NEW YORK SUB TO CLOSE AFTER 50 YEARS. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS T he real estate market continues to be a challenge for the restaurant industry in Dallas. New York Sub cut straight to the chase on a Facebook post on New Year’s Day. A photo of the restaurant with the words “That’s All Folks” in red across the top an- nounced plans for the new year. Owner Andrew Kelly explained that ne- gotiations with their new landlord are not going well. “We simply can’t make the new financial terms work,” he writes in the post. New York Sub originally opened in 1974 and has been a local sandwich shop serving generations of families in the area around SMU. Kelly has posted several ways customers and the community can help either go out with a bang or keep the dream alive. First of all, they want to find a new home in the SMU/Park Cities area. If you have a lead on a broker, investor, landlord or space, let them know. They also want customers to help keep their story alive by posting their own New York Sub story online. And, of course, come by and have another sandwich before the end of February (and post it online). Kelly took over (reopened, technically) the spot in 2016 after the original owner, Ken Harkness, closed it in 2014. Kelly, who grew up eating here, had experience in the restaurant industry, as a chef at the Ritz in Chicago, and upgraded the menu and pol- ished the interior before reopening. He made sure to preserve the one thing that got them through 40 years: the New York-style sandwich. As Nick Rallo wrote in this ode to sandwiches, “It’s good. Damn good.” In 2020, we anointed the New York-style hot dog here the best in the city. “Histori- cally, it is difficult to sell a hot dog in Dallas, so we figured, if we’re going to do it, they might as well be the best,” Kelly said of his dog. The juicy street meat made with Angus beef is topped with shredded sauerkraut and brown mustard. You have about two months to go see for yourself. ▼ RELOCATION THE SAINT GOES MARCHING ON ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE MOVES TO A NEW PERCH IN THE BUSY DESIGN DISTRICT. BY AAREN PRODY S ince it opened in 2023, Italian steak- house The Saint from Hooper Hospi- tality Concepts has been like a fish out of water in its Deep Ellum-ish neighborhood. It opened along Good Latimer (not Deep Ellum) among Bottled Blonde, Greenlight Social, Citizen and the whole slew of clubs in this once bleak district. It had a reputa- tion for being a trendy, loud, Vegas-like steakhouse, but diners quickly discovered that it was more substance than glitz. The Saint closed in November 2025 to re- locate, and it is finally ready to reveal its new self on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 1000 N. Riverfront Blvd. in the Design District. This neighborhood gives the steakhouse a more ideal setting for the experience Hooper Hospitality Concepts is aiming for, and a fresh start for the new executive chef Sergio Esquivel. Esquivel, who trained at the Culinary In- stitute of America, will continue The Saint’s approach as a Texas-driven Italian steak- house experience. Esquivel also worked at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Geor- gie, Harper’s and was a personal chef for the Jones family at AT&T Stadium. His menu will feature some of The Saint’s staple offerings from the original location alongside new, more adventurous options. According to a release, some of the standout menu items include a Texas Wagyu tartare with truffle carpaccio and balsamic-cured egg yolk, brisket and foie gras ravioli, wild mushroom and black truffle tagliatelle, and a 32-ounce Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Saints and sinners alike will feel welcome in the contrasting, 1,800-square-foot space. There’s a golden-tiled stairway that leads to the restaurant’s landing, complete with an 18th-century gilt chandelier and a graffiti- covered antique oil portrait by local artist Kelly O’Neal. Once inside its second-story perch, scal- loped upholstered booths are enveloped in a custom wallpaper that blends flora, fauna, snakes, doves and talismanic motifs into a striking damask pattern. Every detail is in con- trast to another. Artwork by Zach Grear fea- tures modern icons. There are symbols of luck and protection. A 1920s Parisian glass-domed chandelier balances out the room, casting a warm pink glow over the dining area. The Saint is opening on the second floor above Night Rooster, a new modern, fine- dining Chinese restaurant that will also be opening in January 2026. The Saint will be on the second floor and will have a view of the Dallas skyline. The Saint will open for dinner service at 1000 N. Riverfront Boulevard on Saturday, Jan. 3. Dinner service will be offered from Sunday to Thursday, 5-10 p.m. and 5-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Nick Rallo No more ham, cheese and capicola sandwiches. New York Sub is set to close at the end of February. Samantha Marie Photography The Saint’s new dining room will have a spectacular view. City of Ate from p9
