Dallas, TX
8 decades-old restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth that closed recently
I don’t want to scare you, but if you add up the timelines of eight recently-deceased Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants, they total nearly 350 years of service.
That’s — wow.
That’s institutional knowledge, gone. That’s decades of recipes, closed into the cookbook. That’s generations of art, knick-knacks and other decor, outdated. That’s family businesses, defunct.
As we strive to keep a living list of the oldest restaurants in North Texas still chuggin’, we also pause to remember the long-time, iconic Tex-Mex restaurants, sub shops, steakhouses and more that didn’t live through early 2025.
Restaurants listed in alphabetical order.
Blue Fish in East Dallas
about 27 years old
After over a quarter-century selling Japanese food on Greenville Avenue in Dallas, the original Blue Fish has closed. Two Blue Fish restaurants remain: in the Dallas suburb of Allen and in Breckenridge, Colo.
The restaurant was once the coolest kid on the block. It was known for its stainless steel interior and neon lights, a look called “techno-razzle” in a 2004 Dallas Morning News story. It’s now 2025, and we live in the land of omakase restaurants, where pricey dinners cost $185 per person and have become the flashiest part of Japanese dining in Dallas. Blue Fish, it seems, lost its flash.
Blue Fish was at 3519 Greenville Ave., Dallas.
Campo Verde in Arlington
about 42 years old
It was always Christmas at Campo Verde in Arlington. More than a few strings of lights spreading Christmas cheer, the place was truly covered, ceiling to floor, in twinkling lights, glowing Santas and ornament-covered trees.
Campo Verde has been open since 1983, reports our Imelda García. It closed in early January after one more Tex-Mex Christmas.
According to García, Campo Verde’s founder James “Smiley” Williams sold the restaurant to Thomas Ray Stewart Jr. Williams died in 2023.
We’ll miss this strange, jovial place.
Campo Verde was at 2918 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington.
El Taquito Cafe in Old East Dallas
about 50 years old
An East Dallas institution, El Taquito Cafe has served a menu of enchiladas, flautas, burritos and more since the 1970s. A regular told The Dallas Morning News breakfast was “terrific” and the green salsa — good on most anything — was hot as heck.
El Taquito was famously cash only, which was a source of frustration for some online reviewers. But prices were very reasonable: less than $8 for a lunch special. They also charged less than $8 for Wednesday specials that, generously, included three enchiladas.
The restaurant was founded by Victoriano Martinez, who died in 2010, and Josephine Martinez, who died in 2017. It isn’t clear why the restaurant closed.
El Taquito Cafe was at 5427 E. Grand Ave., Dallas.
The Great Outdoors in Addison
about 44 years old
When the Great Outdoors opened on Belt Line Road in Addison in 1981, it was the first business in the shopping center. Prestonwood mall was all the rage. New Jersey native Jerry Oliverie found himself in the middle of a sandwich boom: Dallasites seemed to love submarine sandwiches, once they figured out what they were.
Nearly 45 years later, the retail center at Belt Line Road and Montford Drive is still hot, but it’s full of new-to-Dallas businesses like sandwich and salad shop Mendocino Farms, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream and Postino wine cafe.
Rent went up and the Great Outdoors bowed out.
Not to worry, Oliverie is still selling subs in six other D-FW neighborhoods.
The Great Outdoors was at 5290 Belt Line Road, Dallas. The restaurant group has six remaining restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth. Find one here.
Hutch’s Pie and Sandwich Shop in Weatherford
about 90 years old
No more “life of pie,” wrote the family behind 90-year-old Hutch’s on Facebook. The late Raymond “Hutch” Hutchens started his eponymous fried pie company in 1935, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’. Hutchens was then 22 years old.
For decades, Hutch’s was mostly a delivery-only fried pie business. Some 50 years later, in 1985, Texas Highways reports that Hutch’s son and daughter-in-law opened the lunch spot in Weatherford where they added sandwiches and soups — alongside, of course, pie.
The social media announcement of the closure drew nearly 500 comments in just three days. “Thank you, Weatherford, for the support since 1935,” it reads.
Hutch’s Pie and Sandwich Shop was at 145 College Park Drive, Weatherford.
La Madeleine in Dallas’ NorthPark Center
about 35 years old
La Madeleine Country French Cafe closed in Dallas’ NorthPark Center on New Year’s Eve. It had sold Caesar salads and that delicious tomato-basil soup at two locations inside the shopping center since 1989.
La Madeleine still has 90 restaurants nationwide, with more than half of those in Texas. It was founded in Dallas, near Southern Methodist University.
Mendocino Farms, a California-based fast-casual restaurant, is expected to open in La Madeleine’s spot inside NorthPark.
La Madeleine was at 628 NorthPark Center, Dallas.
Closing soon: Meddlesome Moth in the Dallas Design District
about 15 years old
Forgive us for putting a teen-aged restaurant on this list. Although the Meddlesome Moth has been around “just” 15 years, its history in the Dallas Design District tells an interesting story about how our restaurant scene is changing. The restaurant owner and the landlord couldn’t come to an agreement on rent. The restaurateur hoped he could get a break, because the restaurant was the first eatery that took a chance on the then-growing neighborhood. The landlord offered market rate, which was too much for the Moth to make money.
What will become of the stained-glass windows in the restaurant? They’re for sale.
What will the restaurant become? No telling — yet. The Moth stays open until mid-2025. After that, we expect a restaurant with higher prices and more glitz.
The Meddlesome Moth is at 1621 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas. It’s expected to stay open until May 20, 2025.
Morton’s The Steakhouse in Uptown Dallas
about 37 years old
Quite possibly the most provocative restaurant closure on this list, according to DMN readers’ reactions, was Morton’s The Steakhouse on Dallas’ McKinney Avenue. It started in the West End, then moved to Uptown, for a total of nearly 40 years serving steaks for special occasions.
During its run, Dallas became a bonafide steak town. Morton’s held its own and was once one of our priciest restaurants in 2010.
The restaurant closed because the lease was up, the COO told us. They’re looking for a new location.
Morton’s The Steakhouse was at 2222 McKinney Ave., Dallas.
For sale: The Malt Shop in Weatherford
about 67 years old
The Malt Shop is not yet closed, but owner Janie Alice Harrison is looking to sell it. She’s dealing with health issues, reports the Star-T’s Bud Kennedy.
The drive-in, open since 1958, is a “is a precious keepsake of genuine Americana,” Kennedy said when Harrison bought it in 2017. It’s the kind of place “waiting to be discovered by some TV food show.”
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, do you want to send Guy Fieri over?
Williams worked at the shop for more than 30 years, Kennedy wrote, before becoming its second owner. Menu items include cheeseburgers, Frito pies, bologna sandwiches, and a plethora of milkshakes and malts.
The Malt Shop is at 2038 Fort Worth Highway (U.S. 180), Weatherford. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
1. Dorance Armstrong Jr., EDGE, Commanders
This one makes too much sense to me to not talk about.
Dorance Armstrong is a player the Commanders could cut ties with to save some cap space. For Dallas, this would not be some mystery evaluation because the Cowboys know exactly who Armstrong is.
They drafted him, and watched him grow into a dependable pass rusher.
I’m not saying Dorance Armstrong is some game-wrecking superstar, but he’s an edge defender who can give good snaps, set the edge, chase quarterbacks, and fit into a rotation without needing the whole defense built around him.
The NFC East part gives it extra spice, too. Bringing back a former Cowboy from Washington would get some attention, but the football part is what sells it. Dallas needs waves of pressure and Armstrong brings another wave.
2. Uchenna Nwosu, EDGE/LB, Seahawks
Uchenna Nwosu is the kind of name that doesn’t scream headline, but fits the job description.
Seattle’s roster lists Nwosu as a linebacker, and shows him at 6’2, 265 pounds with nine years of experience. He is credited with seven sacks during the Seahawks’ 2025 season.
That’s the kind of veteran pass rusher I would love to see Dallas pick up if the money doesn’t get weird.
Nwosu isn’t a luxury piece, but he is insurance. He’s the type of player I feel would keep the Cowboys from putting too much stress on the same pass rushers every week.
You can never have enough guys who can heat up the pocket, especially in a conference where every playoff road seems to run through quarterbacks who can make you pay if they get comfortable.
More than 100 people gathered Friday night at a high school near the sealed‑off blast zone to honor the victims of the deadly explosion at The Clyde apartments in Oak Cliff.
The vigil – filled with hymns, prayers, and candles – brought together neighbors, local leaders, and pastors, many of whom were personally connected to those who died.
Just down the street, the debris field marks where three people were killed and five others injured when an explosion and fire tore through the complex earlier in the day.
Remembering Sylvia Collins
Among those honored was Sylvia Collins, a Democratic Party precinct chair known for her energy, advocacy, and signature raised‑fist rally pose.
State Rep. Cassandra Garcia‑Hernandez reflected on the loss, saying she couldn’t imagine taking another “fist‑up photo” with Collins.
State Sen. Royce West urged the community to remember Collins by continuing the work she championed.
Authorities have not yet released the names of the other two victims, believed to be a young woman and her toddler.
Search and Recovery Complete, Cause Still Unknown
Dallas Fire‑Rescue Chief Justin Ball confirmed that the search and recovery phase is complete, though he declined to comment on whether construction crews digging near the property may have struck a natural gas line before the blast.
Ball also defended the actions of firefighters who were on scene for up to 10 minutes before the explosion without ordering evacuations. He said crews first had to locate the source of the gas odor, secure a water supply, and gear up before they could begin clearing the building.
Lawsuit Filed Against Atmos Energy
One survivor has already filed a lawsuit against Atmos Energy, accusing the utility of failing to properly monitor for gas leaks. Attorney Sadi Antonmattei‑Goitia said incidents like this “don’t happen without bad decisions being made.”
Atmos did not respond to questions about the lawsuit but issued a statement saying the company’s “hearts go out to the people who were tragically lost, their families, and everyone who has been impacted.”
DallasStars.com is the official Web site of DSE Hockey Club, L.P. The Dallas Stars primary logo is a registered trademark and the Stars name and secondary logos are trademarks of the Dallas Stars. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2026 DSE Hockey Club, L.P. and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.
-
New Jersey3 minutes agoDueling protests face off at New Jersey ICE detention center over detainee conditions
-
New Mexico10 minutes agoSunny and warm weekend ahead for New Mexico
-
North Carolina13 minutes agoCarolina Lands Alexandros Samodurov; Greek Big Man Completes UNC Frontcourt
-
North Dakota18 minutes agoBankruptcies for North Dakota and western Minnesota May 30, 2026
-
Ohio25 minutes agoOhio woman broke into ex’s home while he was sleeping, started shooting: police
-
Oklahoma28 minutes agoH-E-B hooks up eight Spurs Jackals superfans with tickets to Game 7 in Oklahoma City!
-
Oregon33 minutes agoCruise ship rescues stranded mariner off Oregon coast
-
Pennsylvania40 minutes agoMan accused of using excavator to destroy home with family inside
