Downtown Dallas Conventioneers Will Soon Feast on Sushi, Pizza, Tex-Mex, Beer

The area immediately surrounding the glitzy skyline fixture known as the Omni Dallas Hotel isn't exactly known for its dazzling array of dining options, but by fall 2015 that landscape will have started to change. The Dallas Morning News reported yesterday that leases have been approved for new outposts of Herrera's, Coal Vines, and Little Katana, as well as a beer garden called Bier Garden on Lamar, giving hotel guests and convention-goers plenty more options to choose from.

The article quotes a developer as saying, "After the hotel was built, 'the No. 1 complaint' among conventioneers was that there were not enough food options near the convention center." (The Omni has three dining options of its own: The television-addled Owner's Box sports bar, the rather pricey Bob's Steak & Chop House, and the upscale-rustic Texas Spice, where chef Jason Weaver serves up fancy-chicken fried steak on wooden planks.)

The planned Coal Vines will have a fast-casual setup at lunchtime and table service in the evenings; it'll feature a full bar as well as delivery service, which will surely be appreciated by hotel guests. Meanwhile, "The beer garden will feature domestic and imported beer and comfort food served at group-size tables." At least the pink-clad Mary Kay conventioneers will have somewhere to drink next time they come to town, even if they aren't the best tippers.