Residents are mourning the closure of the longtime Dallas BBQ on Fordham Road, a restaurant that has served as a gathering place for family celebrations, birthdays and late-night meals in the West Bronx for more than 15 years.
The New York-based restaurant chain announced on their Instagram that the University Heights location had permanently closed, citing rising costs and unresolved issues from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company also said in the post that the landlord had plans to redevelop the site, though no future plans have been announced.
For many Fordham residents, the closure represents more than the loss of an affordable dining option. The low-cost restaurant was one of the few remaining sit-down restaurants that could accommodate large groups, making it a popular destination for birthdays, graduations, and family gatherings.
Its location next to the popular nightclub Salsa Con Fuego also made it a late-night staple for patrons looking for food after a night out.
The building itself holds significance for longtime Bronxites. Before Dallas BBQ moved in, the site housed the iconic Jimmy’s Bronx Café, a nightclub and restaurant that helped define the Bronx’s nightlife for decades.
For some residents, the restaurant’s closure feels like another loss of a community space along Fordham Road.
“I have fond memories of their Henny Wings,” said longtime Highbridge resident Brandy Gonzalez, 24, referring to the restaurant’s signature jumbo-sized chicken wings glazed in Hennessy sauce.
Gonzalez first went to Dallas BBQ with family members for their middle school graduation and continued returning over the years because of its affordability and proximity.
“It’s a community staple,” Gonzalez said.
One University Heights resident, Nyeem George, 26, said the restaurant was one of the few options for group gatherings without having to travel to Manhattan or Westchester County.
“It’s really unfortunate,” George said, who found out the restaurant was closing at the beginning of January.
George said that some residents have expressed concerns that the site could be redeveloped into luxury housing. He pointed to recently-built luxury and mixed-rate housing on the Manhattan side of the University Heights bridge in Inwood as contributing to residents’ fears.
The restaurant’s closure comes as developers behind the Fordham Landing South project have submitted an application to rezone a large stretch of land along the Harlem River near the former Dallas BBQ.
The proposal, which is still under review, has received $55 million in state investment and aims to bring 924 affordable housing units to the neighborhood.
Chris Makos, a senior associate at Dynamic Star, the developer behind Fordham Landing South, told the Bronx Times in a statement that the company does not plan to purchase the former Dallas BBQ property, despite its proximity to the rezoning area.
The restaurant’s landlord, DRBX Holdings LLC, did not respond to requests for comments about the property’s future.
The closure comes amid a broader wave of longtime businesses shuttering its doors along the commercial corridor. Over the past year, major retailers such as Macy’s and Best Buy have also closed their locations on Fordham Road.
The last remaining Dallas BBQ in the Bronx operates in the Bay Plaza Shopping Center in Co-op City. The chain continues to operate locations in Chelsea, Times Square, the Upper East Side, Washington Heights, Rego Park, Jamaica, Downtown Brooklyn and East New York.
Reach Marina Samuel at msamuel@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
