Sketches of Spain, the cozy Spanish pincho bar just a few doors down from The Wild Detectives in Bishop Arts, is serving its last round on July 19. The owners plan to fold the Zang Boulevard dining room into a larger Wild Detectives concept while keeping the original Oak Cliff bookstore open. Before the lights go out, the team is hosting a farewell party on Sunday, July 12, with unlimited pinchos and a glass of sangria for $20.
What's closing and where
The restaurant, at 321 N. Zang Blvd. in Oak Cliff, has been a go-to for late-night pinchos and Spanish small plates. Its rotating menu leaned on paella and pan-seared octopus and also featured sandwiches on pan de cristal, backed by a drinks program that ran on sangria and gin and tonics, according to Eater Dallas.
Owners plan and timeline
Owners Javier Garceda del Moral and chef Ignacio "Iñaki" Betran told The Dallas Morning News they plan to convert the Zang Boulevard space into an expanded Wild Detectives concept and are aiming to open the new version by mid-October. Betre1n will stay on board for the company's next concept, they said, and the original Wild Detectives bookstore at 314 W. Eighth St. will remain open. The paper also reports that Sketches of Spain opened in 2019 and confirms the July 12 farewell bash with unlimited pinchos and a glass of sangria for $20.
Bookstore stays put
The Wild Detectives website links the bar and bookstore under the same umbrella and promotes gift cards and membership plans that work at both spots, a reminder that the literary hangout and the restaurant have long operated as sister businesses, according to The Wild Detectives. The bookstore lists its address as 314 W Eighth St., Oak Cliff.
Why Bishop Arts will notice
Sketches of Spain helped stretch Bishop Arts' late-night small plates scene, and its exit takes away one of the neighborhood's few dedicated Spanish stops. Coverage over the years has tracked how the Wild Detectives crew built a shared literary and culinary outpost in Oak Cliff, making this feel like a shift in the neighborhood's personality as much as another restaurant change, as noted in profiles by D Magazine.
Owners say they will roll out firmer dates and ticket details for events on Wild Detectives channels as the conversion moves ahead. They still hope to debut the new concept by mid-October, and the original bookstore will stay open while the Zang Boulevard space gets its makeover.
