A Retail Shop and Restaurant Slinging Spain’s Most Prized Ham Is Coming to Dallas

Spain-based Enrique Tomás, a worldwide powerhouse in the elite Jamón Ibérico scene, will debut its first stateside outpost in Dallas this fall.

The site, currently under way at 2822 Henderson Avenue, is shooting for a fall opening inside the space that housed failed Tex-Mex restaurant Mesero.

Along with selling its star cured meat to-go, diners can stay for tapas, wine, and cocktails. Jamón Ibérico is Spain’s highest-quality cured ham, a nutty delicacy made from Iberian pigs.

While most of Enrique Tomás’s 100 shops are scattered across its home country, there’s other locations in London, Paris, Rome, and Mexico City.

Dallas was picked as its first U.S. market due to “strong ties to Spain and its community of food lovers with exquisite palates,” according to a statement from managing partner Ricardo Sieveking. Local businessman and SMU alumni Ricardo Sieveking is spearheading the inaugural U.S. location.

Enrique Tomás uses a triple selection process for its ham, employing artisans to follow each Jamón pig from the field to curing to “secadero” (or cellar). “Think of the secadero for the Jamón like a cellar for your wine,” says Sieveking.

Dallas’s location will follow Spanish tradition of putting its Jamón leg front and center on display, selling the cured pig in slices, by boneless pieces, or in whole legs. Cheeses and wines that pair best will also be present.

Enrique Tomás is named after its founder, a Jamón expert and author who opened the first location nearly 40 years ago in market stall in Badalona, Spain.