The signature restaurant of Loews Arlington Hotel and Convention Center, Soy Cowboy, a Pan-Asian concept, celebrates its grand opening this month and opened to the public June 27. Making a playful nod to the similarly named street in Bangkok, Thailand, with its vibrant nightlife and energy, Soy Cowboy comes from New York City-native and Houston-based restaurateur, Benjamin Berg of Berg Hospitality Group. Berg Hospitality conceives, launches, and operates restaurants in Texas with a commitment to giving back to local communities. The budding culinary group is responsible for creating B&B Butchers & Restaurant in Houston and Fort Worth, along with 13 additional unique concepts.
“With Soy Cowboy, we’re bringing a fresh Pan-Asian concept to Arlington that blends bold flavors from across the continent with a playful Texas twist,” said Berg in a statement. “Our goal is to create a vibrant dining experience that captures the energy of Asia while incorporating ingredients sourced locally. From sizzling woks to creative cocktails, we want Soy Cowboy to be a place where guests can escape to and explore exciting tastes in a lively, welcoming atmosphere. We are immensely fortunate and excited to be expanding our footprint in North Texas and Arlington, one of the greatest cities for sports in the world, located at Loews Arlington Hotel between the World Champion Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field and Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys’ home at AT&T Stadium as well as next to home of Arlington Renegades, Dallas Wings, and UTA Mavericks.”
Soy Cowboy anchors the ground level of the new Loews Arlington Hotel, the first-of-its-kind meetings and resort destination, situated between two sports stadiums and connected to the new Loews Arlington Convention Center. Soy Cowboy is an upscale and sophisticated Pan-Asian concept, transporting guests on an adventurous tour through the flavors of China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, and more. The menu includes a selection of shareable plates exploring classic Asian cooking techniques including traditional sushi, tempura, wok, robatayaki, hibachi, and teppanyaki, as well as Korean barbeque. From the very beginning with Berg’s original concept, B&B Butchers & Restaurant, a tremendous attention has been spent on curating, butchering, aging, preparing and grilling the finest quality of meats from beef to game to seafood. A focus on quality ingredients shines with items like A5 Kobe Beef and an Australian Wagyu Tomahawk and NY Strip or Wagyu Beef Tsukune. On the lighter side, guests may choose from the Dim Sum menu the Lobster Wontons or Wagyu Gyoza, or delicate pieces of Nigiri and Sashimi to the more opulent like Omakase, and a selection of luxurious caviar offerings. Guests also enjoy an innovative cocktail menu paired with an extensive wine and sake list.
Soy Cowboy’s lead chef is Berg Hospitality Group Regional Culinary Director Alisher Yallaev. Fresh off the opening of Berg’s successful Houston restaurant, Prime 131, a concept built around live fire cooking, Yallaev comes to Soy Cowboy with a wealth of culinary experience and a unique background. Born and raised in Uzbekistan, Yallaev left home at 19 to pursue his American Dream. From humble beginnings as a dishwasher, the future chef worked as stagiaire at eight Michelin Star concepts. Following stints as Lead Line Cook and Sushi Chef in top Miami kitchens, Yallaev became Sous Chef at Naoe Japanese Restaurant. Yallaev went on to lead kitchens across the country, and is now proud to call Arlington, Texas, home.
As the restaurant explores the diverse flavors of Asia, the design follows, delivering an immersive dining experience that realizes the breathtaking natural settings found in China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan.
The restaurant’s experiential design was created by ICRAVE in New York City who designed the interiors of the Sphere in Las Vegas. Upon entry, guests are immediately transported to a dark forest setting complete with preserved bamboo and illuminated by a ceiling filled with fiber optic stars. Custom design film, vinyl, and LED lighting lie beneath the glass floor to evoke the color and texture of flowing water, paving the way forward to the hostess stand.
Inside, guests are treated to a melody of green, gold, merlot, and dark hues integrated with varying textures to represent the different cultural influences across Asia. The bar and indoor patio are emblematic of an urban landscape at dusk with a custom-painted red trellis and teak furnishings included to bring the outdoors in. A separate outdoor patio, sushi bar, and teppanyaki bar contribute three additional dining options for guests. At the heart of the formal dining room, a prominent water vapor installation is suspended above as a call back to Soy Cowboy’s flame emblem.
More intimate dining options can be explored inside “The Bamboo Castle” which is encased in bamboo-inspired wallcoverings and a woven canopy that gently curves toward the ceiling. Three semi-private dining rooms, which are programmed to act as one larger space if needed, are located nearby and sectioned off with custom chain drapery that evoke the patterns of waves.
In all, Soy Cowboy has 12,770 square feet of interior space and 2,145 square feet of exterior space. Following designs by architect HKS, JE Dunn Construction Group, which also built Loews Arlington, completed general contracting and construction for Soy Cowboy.
