A new restaurant called Charlie's is planned for Inwood Village in Dallas, taking over the space long occupied by Adelmo's. The project comes from veteran Dallas restaurant operator Bob Sambol, who has partnered with Hunter Pond and Rick Dunlap of Vandelay Companies. Charlie's is expected to open in spring or summer 2027 with about 30 tables, according to FSR magazine.
Charlie's will occupy 5450 W. Lovers Ln. #225, the address most recently home to Adelmo's, according to CultureMap Dallas. The restaurant is planned to open in spring or summer of 2027, and it will stay small by design — about 30 tables. Menu details, the chef, and an exact opening timeline have not yet been announced.
The restaurant's reservation policy is planned as a deliberate throwback: no online reservations. According to FSR magazine, tables are reserved for friends and family of Sambol and Vandelay Companies, while members of the public will request reservations by calling a landline.
An East Coast Sensibility, Rendered in Dallas
The design points are already taking shape. The interior is envisioned as low-key, intimate and quietly sophisticated, with a warm palette and subtle touches of vintage yellow hues, per the same report from Yahoo. The overall aim is understated, old-school elegance — a conscious departure from the large-scale, highly produced and overdesigned restaurants that dominate much of today's dining scene.
A Documented Inwood Village History
Charlie's planned address also carries a documented design history. According to a Dallas Landmark Commission nomination, architect Walter Ahlschlager worked with W. W. Caruth in designing Inwood Village in 1950. That history provides context for the established shopping-center setting where Charlie's is planned, even as details about the restaurant's menu and operations remain unannounced.
Sambol has said Charlie's is inspired by small East Coast neighborhood restaurants, including The Continental in New Jersey, a restaurant once owned by his father, according to FSR magazine. The concept is intended to emphasize familiar food and hospitality in a compact setting.
A Longtime Friendship Behind the Partnership
Sambol has described Pond and Dunlap as longtime friends and praised the Dallas hospitality business they have built. Vandelay's portfolio includes Hudson House, Anchor Sushi and Drake's, according to Vandelay Companies. The partners have characterized Charlie's as a deliberately small project rather than an attempt to build the city's largest restaurant.
The Space Adelmo's Is Leaving Behind
Adelmo's occupied the Inwood Village space for about a decade before closing in December 2025, and it was known for Italian food interspersed with French and Mediterranean accents. Accounts differ on exactly when Adelmo's settled into that Inwood location — CultureMap and one report from minuteman.com point to a 2015 move. Adelmo's will reopen in the Preston Valley Shopping Center, at the southwest corner of Preston Road near I-635, as noted by CultureMap Dallas.
That new Adelmo's location spans 3,750 square feet and sits near Maple Leaf Diner, India Palace, and Le Reve Gelato & Patisserie; CultureMap Dallas reported that the space was formerly home to Fuji Steakhouse & Sushi Bar and that no confirmed opening date for Adelmo's return has been established, per a report from CultureMap Dallas.
