Ramirez first came to Dallas in 2010 after working for a decade as a chef in Southern California. He then took over a coffee shop and spent the better part of a year converting the space into an open and inviting diner-style restaurant. That hard work resulted in the opening of JJ’s Cafe in December 2011 at 10233 E. Northwest Hwy., Ste. 434, in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas.
Compared to other brunch restaurants, JJ’s Cafe offers a unique blend of traditional and Hispanic breakfast dishes, Ramirez said.
“My recipes are quite different from the regular brunch in the area,” he said. “I have a lot of strawberries and avocados on my plates, incorporating Tex-Mex flavors compared to a traditional breakfast offering.”
Popular Mexican breakfast items on JJ’s Cafe menu include huevos divorciados, migas, chilaquiles and pancakes infused with tres leches. JJ’s Cafe also serves crepes and several different flavors of omelets.
In addition to brunch, Ramirez offers a select lunch menu, serving catfish, salad and burgers.
Ramirez also offers the entire JJ’s Cafe menu for catering.
He said a huge part of the cafe’s business is through its event space, the JJ Banquet Hall. The hall, which is in the space next door, opened in 2016 after Ramirez experienced a huge demand for late night event use of the restaurant.
“We’re only open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m., so a lot of people kept asking me about hosting an event here at night,” he said. “I saw the opportunity to build into that event business when the space next door came empty.”
Since opening the remodeled space, Ramirez said he has hosted parties of up to 65 people every weekend, including Richardson Chamber of Commerce events.
Outside of Dallas, Ramirez has expanded the business into a second full-time restaurant, opening JJ’s Bistro in Carrollton.
Being able to provide food and an event area within the community has been rewarding for him after the locals supported the restaurant during the pandemic, Ramirez said.
“I'm very fortunate to be able to make it through COVID[-19],” he said. “That was a really difficult time for the entire restaurant industry, and I’m very proud of the community that gave me the support needed to survive.”
Ramirez said he works to give back to the community through the use of a Thanksgiving donation drive. What started as giving meals to five families who needed it has expanded to selling Thanksgiving dinners to donate to homeless initiatives in the city.
“I love what I do, and I love my customers,” Ramirez said. “I love spending my time here and serving customers and their families. It's a real community-feeling brunch spot, and I hope to build upon it going forward.”
JJ's Cafe
10233 E. Northwest Hwy., Ste. 434, Dallas
214-221-4659
www.jjscafe.net
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
