Downtown Dallas’s Newest Brunch Destination Will Debut This Month

True Kitchen & Kocktails, a new Southern-style comfort food restaurant in Downtown Dallas, will open its doors on August 21.

The spot, located in the historic Hart Furniture Building at 1933 Elm Street, will serve up comforting dishes like braised oxtails and shrimp and grits, in an upscale see-and-be-seen atmosphere that will eventually also feature DJ nights and live music. The restaurant is the brainchild of Kevin Kelley, a Dallas businessman who last year opened Taste Bar & Kitchen in Houston’s Midtown neighborhood.

That restaurant, which also serves chicken and waffles and other brunch items, has become hugely popular, in spite of a series of lawsuits between Kelley and Taste’s head chef Don Bowie.

In opening True Kitchen & Kocktails, Kelley has been outspoken about his wish to bring a restaurant showcasing Black excellence to Downtown. He first announced the restaurant on Juneteenth, the holiday that celebrates the de facto freeing of slaves, with a post on Facebook and a press release.

“It became apparent that Dallas deserves a Black-owned restaurant in the Central Business District,” he said in the press release. “Not only do Black lives matter, but so do Black businesses.”

Reservations are currently available for True Kitchen & Kocktails on OpenTable. Don’t be surprised if brunch spots fill up quickly.

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