The Southlake City Council approved a zoning change and concept plan for Dakota’s Steakhouse at W. SH 114 and West Kirkwood Boulevard during the Jan. 7 meeting.
The specifics
Restaurant operator Timothy McEneny first approached the Southlake council with a plan in September for a steakhouse at 479 Kimball Ave., but that deal ultimately fell apart and was pulled from the agenda prior to the second reading, which would’ve given him the go-ahead to start construction.
During the Dec. 3, meeting, McEneny proposed a new location near the Southlake-Westlake city border during a first reading. The second reading was approved 7-0 on Jan. 7.
“Hopefully, everyone is as excited as I am about it,” said McEneny, who said this was a homecoming of sorts since he grew up in nearby Euless and attended Trinity High School. “It's been a long task.”
A closer look
The project includes an 8,955-square-foot restaurant with seating for 248 guests and featuring a partial underground design with outdoor seating.
There will also be an event space that will hold up to 200 people and a retail component with a shopping center.
There will be five retail buildings with building sizes ranging from 1,500 square feet to 4,000 square feet, according to the presentation.
The original Dakota’s Steakhouse opened in 1984 and is located at 600 N. Akard St., in Dallas. It is an underground, upscale steakhouse that features prime steaks and top-quality seafood, according to its website.
The background
The 6-acre mixed-used development will be on the southeast corner of the intersection of SH 114 and W. Kirkwood Boulevard. McEneny said he had strong overtures to bring the steakhouse to the Entrada development in Westlake.
The land was annexed into the city limits on Nov. 19, 1985, and a site plan for Creekside Point, a four-story hotel with two retail spots was denied by the city April 6, 2021, according to city documents.
What’s next
McEneny said during the meeting that he plans to close on the contract to purchase the land within a week. The next step would be to hire an architect to design it and then come back to the city for approval to start construction, he said.
McEneny said he expects to get concrete poured in September or October and have it open in late 2025 or early 2026.
“I built a restaurant in NorthPark [Center] in 70 days, so we’re very focused on this, but the hard part is I haven’t built a restaurant from the ground up,” McEneny said. “I don’t know if it will be ready for Christmas, but it will be ready shortly after.”
