Photos by Steven
Staff previously told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that the BBQ joint would close after service this New Year's Eve. Perhaps they ran out of onion loaves... signage is now up noting the closure, with a note to would-be Dallas BBQ diners to try the outpost on 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue in Chelsea...
... and the interior is in disarray as workers prepare to move out the remains of the restaurant that has anchored this corner since the mid-1980s...
According to staff, the building's landlord would not renew the chainlet's lease and opted to rent the space to another business.
The EV Dallas BBQ staff has been offered jobs at other locations, which include a dozen in the metropolitan area.
News of a closure had been expected since an applicant for a new bar-restaurant appeared before Community Board 3 in June. Hospitality vet Curt Huegel, whose portfolio includes concepts such as Bill's Townhouse, Campagnola and Printers Alley, received approval for the unnamed establishment.
There was some debate over closing time, and the committee wouldn't approve a 4 a.m. close. Huegel didn't respond to our previous request for comment to see if he was still taking the prime corner space.
I will miss Dallas Bbq, it has a lot of sentimental value for me. First high school date, numerous dinners and drinks before clubbing in the 80’s and 90’s.
ReplyDeleteStill sad about this.
ReplyDeleteAffordable sit down eating is harder find.
ReplyDeleteGreat bang for your buck! It will be missed.
ReplyDeleteIt’s sad. The landlord is probably greedy and hoping that the next person could pay a lot more of money Unless it just becomes another empty storefront
ReplyDeleteYou mean, he is running a business?
DeleteOh please @9:45am. You really attribute the cash grab behavior of NYC realtors and landlords as “running a business”? It is unbridled, unregulated cash grabs that directly push out businesses and people who cannot keep up. It’s disgusting and antisocial behavior!
DeleteLAME - where else can we find good BBQ reasonably priced in our neighborhood?
ReplyDeleteI think Mighty Quinn’s is a good value. Not necessarily cheap but good portion size and great quality
DeleteLots of memories- went here to dine after my Highschool graduation. Worked here on weekends while going to college. Worked here a second time about eight years ago. Dallas BBQ became a familiar place in the east village. Many people enjoyed numerous memories here. BBQ will be missed.
ReplyDeleteThey didn't serve good BBQ for a long time now, food quality deteriorated, and you could easily taste the low grade meat and poultry.
ReplyDeleteWas just there recently, wings tasted exactly the same as always. And imagine that, someone who owns a piece of property who wants to make more money? Because, prices for EVERYTHING are just going down.
ReplyDelete@9:37 - you can find better BBQ just 2 blocks south at Mighty Quinns. One taste and you will know that all your visits to Dallas were wasted.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be bad for the nabe as it usually is when you replace a a family oriented restaurant with and i quote Curt Huegel's attorney at the CB3 SLA public meeting " Make no Mistake this is a bar" it's a shame and a disgrace that CB3 approved this operator at all anywhere in the hood after what Kurt Huegel's Jackdaw put their neighbors through for years utter shame
ReplyDeleteI lived right by there in the 90s. It was trash. I assumed it was there for tourists, maybe students who didn't know better? You can't really lament every restaurant that closes. We should all be amazed that a BBQ place serving such garbage lasted this long. I'm in NJ now, and we have a dozen very good local pizzerias.. And yet, our town also has Subway and Dominos.
ReplyDeleteNever went there (thought BBQ meant Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens), but found out that the owners were the same family that owned the Wetson Hamburgers chain in the 60s and 70s. If anyone remembers that.
ReplyDeleteWhy are others so resistant to change? Let it go and move on.
ReplyDeleteBecause “change” can serve—or undermine—needs of the neighborhood, Every new bar in this over-saturated area is a real problem.
DeleteI just hope this doesn’t continue within the area. The east village brings back so many memories spent of my college days there. Hopefully the east village will remain the east village
ReplyDeleteBBQ had a nice presence with all the outdoor seating and colourful awning on the corner of st Marks amd 2nd Ave. I enjoyed waking by the restaurant and seeing those huge drinks people had. Place was affordable and inclusive. It won’t be as good with the new fancy tenant that will focus on fancy drinks and fancy people. They opened “Brasserie st Marc” next door few years back so now they will try to match it with another fancy joint.
ReplyDeleteMighty Quinn's has an excellent BBQ. It is a different experience than Dallas BBQ — more Brooklyn hipster dad. Dallas BBQ catered more to families, groups of work friends and date nights. I also found Dallas BBQ to be more affordable. IMO we don't need another bar like Jackdaw that Huegel has planned here.
ReplyDeleteDallas BBQ was originally called Swiss Chalet, and was a franchise of the Canadian chicken chain. It was started by Herb Wetanson, who had owned the Wetson hamburger chain, but that went out of business in 1975 or so.
ReplyDeleteSwiss Chalet opened in 1978 on W. 72nd St, just down the block from the Dakota, and was a regular stop for the crew at ABC TV when I worked there in 1980. Eventually, it morphed into Dallas Jones BBQ (or just BBQ), and they have about 10 locations scattered around the boroughs that are run by the founders family.
Sorry to see the St. Marks location close. Just wanted to give you a bit of history on the chain.