The Charles’ main dining room serves up 18th-century Italian chic
Steven Lindsey | Contributing writer
stevencraiglindsey@gmail.com
Familiar, but new. We’ve seen this approach with TV reboots and sequel shows for years now, so why not restaurants? In recent months, six beloved restaurants have re-emerged on the Dallas dining scene after extensive makeovers, complete shifts in concept or, in at least one case, a five-year closure.
Each of these new versions rises to the occasion, and I’ve tried them all (with a refrigerator full of to-go boxes as proof).
Read on for the scoop on these refreshed restaurants, tips on what to order, and other tasty morsels of info.
Apothecary: Archive
Lowest Greenville
It came as quite a shock when I heard the announcement that Michelin-recommended Rye was closing its doors so soon after earning the coveted culinary recognition in 2024. The decision involved a lot of behind-the-scenes permitting and other less-exciting aspects of the restaurant business.
Fortunately, sister establishment Apothecary has expanded into the next-door space formerly known as Rye.
Now, here’s where it gets a bit confusing. Apothecary now occupies two distinct spaces. The old Apothecary still crafts some of the city’s best cocktails in its original spot, now known as the Alchemy experience.
In the former Rye space, the Archive experience has emerged. Grab your night vision goggles because it’s DARK inside now. Still, the mysterious candlelit space sets the perfect stage for the kind of intriguing, boundary-pushing creativity that owner Tanner Agar, chef-owner Taylor Rause, and their team employed at Rye.
A new $70 four-course menu is a fantastic way to get to know the revamped concept, or bring a few friends and share multiple dishes.
What to Eat: You can’t visit without at least one two-bite Icelandic hot dog, a holdover from Rye. Then share a spice bag with popcorn chicken, fries and curry dipping sauce. Get it “bougie style” with caviar, creme fraiche and gold leaf. Then try the seared scallops, a plate that features the shellfish alongside scallop doppelgangers made from hearts of palm.
What to Drink: The Softserve Margarita has already become Insta-famous and for good reason. With grilled pineapple and tequila, it’s like an adult Dole Whip. On the even more adventurous side, try the Cacio e Pepe Fizz featuring peppercorn and parmesan-infused gin.
Apothecary.bar CBD Provisions
Downtown
Last July, The Joule’s signature restaurant shuttered for renovations. By mid-March, the all-day eatery burst back onto the scene with refreshed interiors and a new culinary director at the helm.Chef Sezer Deniz kept a few of CBD’s legacy dishes, including the famous pig’s head carnitas, but otherwise he takes the menu in a France-meets-Texas direction.
By highlighting Texas ingredients and employing traditional French cooking techniques, CBD allows diners to enjoy Ancho Beef Bourguignon with horseradish spaetzle, a spicy take on the iconic dish, or classic mussels in broth accented with chorizo. Wines also hail mostly from France and Texas, carrying the theme to the glass, too.
With multiple large-format dishes now, it’s a fun place to bring friends before a show downtown or a night out in Dallas.
What to Eat: Chef Deniz made sure we tried his short rib croquettes, and they’re truly addictive thanks to a balanced mix of corn, smoked gouda and beef. The Haricots Verts salad may also be my new favorite in town. Think Niçoise minus the tuna.
For dessert, the beignets with horchata cream filling perfectly end the meal on a French-Texan note.
What to Drink: The Song of the Desert, featuring Cardenxe Sotol, coconut-washed Campari, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, and grapefruit bitters, skews tropical without the cloying sweetness of a full-on tiki drink.
TheJouleDallas.com/CBD-Provisions
The Charles
Design District
What was white is now black. What was mid-century modern is now 18th-century Italian chic. And in the kitchen, a bigger-than-ever emphasis on wood-fire cooking.
The Charles facelift may be the most dramatic on this list, and that was the goal of Duro Hospitality in executing this exciting transformation.
My husband and I opted for a seat at the bar on our visit, which is always a favorite vantage point for people watching in the dining room while enjoying attentive service from the bartender (not to mention having easy access to wine refills).
Portions are large at The Charles, making nearly everything on the menu ideal for sharing or substantial enough to not need to order a lot. But trust me, you’ll want to work your way through the new menu, broken down into categories versus courses. Mix and match something from the grill with something from the “Cold & Raw” menu or stick entirely within a category if that’s your desire.
What to Eat: Off-menu, but always available, ask for the butter-poached lobster risotto for a decadent treat. The fan-favorite Spicy Creste di Gallo brings the heat to rock shrimp and pasta, a fantastic accompaniment to an order of classic Focaccia di Charles.
What to Drink: Sip on a Skinny Love, a refreshing concoction of gin, St. Germain, Lillet Blanc, and grapefruit. Your server (or bartender if you’re seated at the bar) can also perfectly pair wines with anything you order.
TheCharlesDallas.com
Cosmic Cafe
Oak Lawn
It’s been almost five years since vegetarians got to enjoy a No Bull Burger or a cheeky dish called I Hate Eggplant that’s actually loaded with the stuff. But this past March, good news arrived in my inbox when I got the alert that the colorful house on Oak Lawn would once again be serving its popular vegan and vegetarian fare.
Well, it’s as if time stood still because everything looks exactly the same, from the colorful ceilings and walls to the proudly displayed Huffpost article from 2012 in the front window. The menu hasn’t changed either, and prices have only increased a couple of bucks.
I went for lunch and the place was packed. Be patient for servers to catch up, but once you place your order, food arrives at the table fast and piping hot.
What to Eat: Buddha’s Delight delivers a nice variety of Indian favorites, including the curried veggie of the day, a samosa, a cup of dahl, naan, rice, and a crispy pappadam with two sauces.
What to Drink: Get a glass of organic wine, a steal at less than $7 per glass. Or try a traditional Mango Lassi made with sweet mango and creamy yogurt.
IG: @CosmicCafeDallas
Meridian
The Village
In mid-2024, Meridian at The Village in East Dallas closed for renovations — renovations that finally saw the light of day and first customers in October 2025.
The Brazilian menu was gone along with original chef Junior Borges. In their place, chef Edward Osorio oversees the impossible-to-miss live fire cooking that fills his kitchen with towering flames and enticing aromas. Fire finds its way into everything from cocktails through dessert, so get ready for a little pyromania on your next date night.
Interiors still take advantage of the large windows, but the space has been warmed up with accents ranging from fabrics to lighting for a more intimate vibe. Consider the chef’s table with front-row views of the kitchen, or kick back in the lounge for happy hour. Cap off Sunday Funday with Meridian’s Sunday Supper, a $99 fried chicken dinner for four that’ll knock your socks off.
What to Eat: Kickstart your appetite with a one-bite Kohlrabi Caeser salad. Whatever else you order, save room for some straight-from-the-hearth creations, including an incredible wood-fired half chicken and a Texas Wagyu chef’s cut before ending the meal with a flamed-tableside order of Sesame S’mores.
What to Drink: Sip on a Skinny Love, a refreshing concoction of gin, St. Germain, Lillet Blanc, and grapefruit. Your server (or bartender if you’re seated at the bar) can also perfectly pair wines with anything you order.
MeridianTheRestaurant.com
The Saint
Design District
Every other restaurant on this list remained in the original buildings before reopening, but The Saint relocated from its location at the edge of Deep Ellum to the heart of the Design District.
The first location allowed guests to focus on the art because there weren’t any windows in the dining room. Now, on the second floor of the building above Night Rooster, a long bank of windows offers incredible views of the skyline from Market Center to the edge of downtown.
If there’s any problem with an Italian steakhouse, it’s deciding whether to focus on pasta or a big juicy steak. Luckily, the pasta dishes are meant to be an intermediate course, so you can experience some favorites from Italy before slicing your way through buttery steaks.
Many of the dishes come with some sort of tableside flair, whether it’s lighting the beef tallow candle that accompanies the Parker House rolls or mesquite-smoked Manhattans and Old Fashioned. Reserve your table a bit before sunset so you can enjoy the transition from day to night while dining on luxurious cuts of beef, including very rare Japanese A-5 Kobe at $49 per ounce, sure to impress anyone accompanying you.
What to Eat: Nobody needs an excuse to order an iceberg wedge salad, so check out their top-notch version with luscious gorgonzola ranch. For your pasta course, select the lobster mezzaluna, half-moon pasta stuffed with shellfish and topped with a rich, buttery lobster sauce. The manager advised us to keep the sauce to dip our Texas Prime New York Strip into and he wasn’t wrong. The subtle lobster accents lend a surf-and-turf experience to every bite. Oh, and the bone marrow fries are a real showstopper because the server torches a large bone and drizzles the liquified, garlicky marrow over super-crispy fries.
What to Drink: The Nights on Riverfront celebrates the restaurant’s new location with a crafted creation of George Dickel Rye, Averna Amaro, and The Saint’s own vermouth blend, teetering the line between a Manhattan and Boulevardier.
TheSaintDallas.com