Birdie’s Eastside will open to the public Wednesday, December 13 for happy hour and dinner, and expand hours for lunch and weekend brunch early in 2024.
Jon Alexis purchased the 2+ acre property located near Mockingbird and Abrams, where the sprawling bar and grill reimagines a former Luby’s Cafeteria.
“We hope to replace the former institution with a new one” states Alexis in a statement. “We’ve acquired an important property in the heart of East Dallas. Having been connected to East Dallas for decades, we can’t wait to serve this incredible neighborhood.”
Imperial Fizz’s neighborhood-driven projects have grown in ambition in a decade-long rollout. Alexis owns Dallas concepts including TJ’s Seafood Market & Grill, Malibu Poke, Escondido Tex Mex and Ramble Room.
Birdie’s Eastside opens as one of Dallas’ biggest indoor/outdoor concepts. In the main dining room, 150 diners can enjoy cozy booths and funky Texas art under cathedral ceilings and reclaimed wood beams. An adjoining “resort style” indoor/outdoor bar with backlit custom Mexican tile connects the dining room to the 3,500 square foot turfed patio, with dining tables and oversized furniture designed for large festive groups. With plenty of shade including 4 newly planted live oak trees, Birdie’s calls it a “shady spot for sunny people.” The patio also has an open space for kids to play allowing parents to relax with a drink.
Birdie’s Eastside also features a second cocktail bar with a larger selection of local craft beer, rare whiskeys and tequilas. An additional private room has an adjoining patio. All these rooms cater to all sizes of private parties.
The menu features “great bar and grill food, with healthy options and date night entrees.” Culinary Director, Stan Rodrigues says of the menu, “We created a menu with offerings for every type of guest. Whether you are looking for filling snacks, a lighter meal with a few surprising inspirations, or just a new date night…Birdie’s has it all.”
Classic bar food standouts include shareables such as Birria Sliders – Hawaiian rolls, roasted beef, melted cheese, cilantro, onion, beef broth, Ahi Tuna Tacos, Bacon Deviled Eggs and Escondido’s Queso and Guacamole.
All day lighter options include “Big Healthy Bowls” such as Vegetarian Harvest, Salmon & Grains and a Mediterranean Shrimp Bowl. Plenty of great salads include a Fried Chicken Spinach Salad – apricot, cashew, red onion, white cheddar, and ranch; and the Mediterranean Salad – artichoke hearts, olives, red onion, chickpea, cilantro hummus, tzatziki, and romaine.
In addition to traditional sandwich favorites like a Smash Burger, Fried Chicken Sandwich, and Chicken Salad Croissant, the restaurant will serve lighter wraps such as the Tikka Fried Chicken Wrap and a Vegetarian Mushroom Gyro that come with a side salad.
Diners looking for entrees will enjoy Brisket Tacos – 48-hour slow cook, queso fresco, cilantro, onion, fried cheese, handmade flour tortilla; Grilled Salmon – basmati rice, cucumber salad and tzatziki; Half Roast Chicken – tri color cauliflower, sweet potato, and a Fig & Prosciutto Flatbread – mozzarella and goat cheese, honey.
The drink program offers local and domestic beer, wine, seltzers and cocktails: The Sauvignon Blanc Slushie is the star of the frozen selections – like an even more refreshing froze. Frozen Espresso martinis will also be popular.
A wide selection of margaritas from Alexis’s Escondido Tex Mex menu are available including Top Shelf, Spicy, Skinny, Frozen along with the addition of Rocks & Frozen Blood Orange.
Additional standouts include a menu of “Spritzies”: Aperol, Hugo Mint, and Sparkling Mezcal Paloma, a funky martini list with everything from Pickle Martinis to a Filthy featuring bacon-stuffed olives. Other highlights include a Cucumber Mint Gimlet and Pomegranate Gin & Tonic.
Birdie’s Eastside was designed by East-Dallas based Hatsumi Kuzuu. Ms. Kuzuu was encouraged to use a colorful palette and a “cosmic country” aesthetic drawing not only from Texas history and Marfa, but East Dallas’ funky uniqueness. Vintage kayaks & lake maps adorn the walls – a reference to White Rock a few blocks away. A collection of whimsical Texas art includes everything from hand-drawn dogs in cowboy hats to a scene of aliens landing at the Granada Theater.
Kuzuu and Alexis tapped into as many local artisans as possible– from East Dallas-owned Riad Tile to well-known local artist Jenna Fredde. When it came time to take down the old Luby’s sign, Alexis commissioned Fredde to reimagine it into a “Cadillac Ranch”-style graffiti with the old Luby’s logo peeking through.
“We originally tried to ‘get the Luby’s’ out of the building. Soon, we realized the Texas legacy is the coolest part.”
Birdie’s Eastside will open December 13 for lunch and dinner seven days a week and is located at 6221 E Mockingbird Ln, Dallas, TX 75214.
