Cafe Express’ Fast Casual Fare Departs Mockingbird Station

Cafe Express has officially shuttered its Mockingbird Station outpost after nearly two decades there.

Its last day of service was Friday, September 28, according to CultureMap, which reports that the closure was part of the company’s rebranding efforts. No word yet on what shape exactly the rebranding will take, although closures seem to be part of the deal. Cafe Express shuttered its Southlake outpost in August, leaving just two area locations remaining.

At its locations on Lovers Lane near the Park Cities and on McKinney Avenue in Uptown, diners can snag its full menu of soup, salad, and sandwich combos, burgers, pasta, and entrees like chicken romesco and Mediterranean salmon. The fast casual restaurant has always had a solid menu of desserts on deck, like cakes made in-house, bread pudding, and more.

The company was founded by restaurateur Lonnie Schiller and James Beard award winning chef Robert del Grande, who is responsible for Cafe Annie in Houston and more recently, the Prime Room. It changed hands multiple times over the years before recently being acquired by Dallas-based M. Terry Enterprises, which is responsible for the Cafe’s new direction.

Stay tuned for more information on which forthcoming concept will fill Cafe Express’ large space at Mockingbird Station.

• Mockingbird Station suffers big loss with closure of longtime Dallas restaurant [CultureMap]
• Southlake continues to add restaurants — but one of its longest-running ones just closed [Star Telegram]
• Check Out The Menu at Chef Robert Del Grande’s New Spot For A Slab of Prime Rib [EHOU]