A 200-seat Spanish-Peruvian restaurant is planned for 727 Fort Worth Ave., giving a high-profile new project to a corridor where redevelopment has advanced in stages rather than all at once. Called Ulloa's, the restaurant is targeting a March 2027 opening, with philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy behind the two-story restaurant and Dallas chef Kent Rathbun serving as culinary director, according to CultureMap Dallas.
The announcement is significant partly because Rathbun has longstanding ties to Dallas fine dining. His biography ties him to Abacus, and he later developed Jasper's and other concepts, and defeated Bobby Flay on Food Network's Iron Chef America in 2008. He is expected to develop signature menu adaptations for Ulloa's, whose planned offerings include Spanish- and Peruvian-influenced dishes such as paellas and ceviches, CultureMap reported. Christopher Tunnell, who previously opened The Mexican in Dallas, is slated to be general manager.
A corridor with redevelopment—and unfinished plans
Ulloa's would arrive inside the Fort Worth Avenue Tax Increment Financing District, which the City of Dallas describes as covering commercial and multifamily areas between the Trinity River and Hartsdale Avenue. The district's fiscal 2023-2024 annual summary reported Fort Worth Avenue property-value figures.
Separately, a 2023 city notice described a proposed retail redevelopment near Fort Worth Avenue and Hampton Road involving the demolition of two buildings and construction of three new ones. These projects provide evidence of private activity around the corridor, but they do not establish that the area is undergoing a broad or completed revival.
That distinction matters for Ulloa's. The restaurant's owners say the project is intended to help anchor the strip and attract other businesses, but its effect on nearby commerce remains unknown until it opens. The planned restaurant will also face the practical challenge of turning a large, destination-oriented space into a durable neighborhood business. Its opening schedule, final menu, construction progress and long-term impact could all change before March 2027.
A return for Rathbun, and a test for the site
For Rathbun, Ulloa's represents a return to a prominent Dallas restaurant role after a career that has included Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen and other ventures. His biography documents the breadth of that career, while the Dallas Observer has also reported on his earlier work in Kansas City and New Orleans. The restaurant therefore carries two separate bets: Rathbun's ability to establish another lasting concept, and Fort Worth Avenue's ability to support a sizable new dining destination.
