Irving Music Factory Development Will Include a Gastropub, Japanese Food, More

The upcoming Irving mega-deveopment that will include an 8,000 seat Live Nation concert venue known as The Music Factory and a two-story Alamo Drafthouse will also feature plenty of restaurants, naturally. Slated to open in mid-2016, here's what future visitors can expect so far (hint: chains and more chains):

• Thirsty Lion Gastropub: Expect a huge menu of pub food, such as bacon-wrapped dates, tempura green beans, fish and chips, burgers, and flatbreads, plus 25 beers on tap and fresh-ingredient cocktails like wasabi bloody marys and blood orange margaritas. Thirsty Lion currently has half-a-dozen locations in Oregon, Arizona, and Colorado.
• Gloria's: The local chain well-known for strong margaritas and Salvadorean and Tex-Mex fare.
• Kabuki Japanese: 17 location-strong casual Japanese chain featuring sushi, sashimi, and specialty rolls alongside cooked dishes like yakitori, shishito peppers, and something mysteriously called "Tokyo quesadillas" (mozzarella-stuffed wonton skins). The menu also features the raw fish hater's old standby, chicken teriyaki, and four varieties of ramen including pork-based tonkotsu. To drink, expect Japanese beer, sake and shochu, and flavored martinis.

Expect more tenants to be announced soon, as the $165 million development is slated to include 25-plus different restaurant and "entertainment venues" (a previous reportmentioned a bowling alley), not to mention 50,000 square feet of outdoor event space and 100,000 square feet of offices.