READ UNTIL THE END FOR LATE BREAKING NEWS
The convergence of fine dining and BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) comes to an end this weekend. Family-owned Urbano Café is one of Dallas’ best meeting places for wine aficionados to bring bottles from their collections and share special memories.
Established in 2009, this unique restaurant found its beginnings in a dilapidated storefront from the 1920s in East Dallas, near Jimmy’s Italian Food Store. Over 25 years, it became a cherished gathering spot for aficionados of wine and gourmet cuisine. Throughout those two-plus decades, lasting friendships were formed, wine enthusiasts came together, and Founder Mitch Kristen Kauffman, along with his dedicated team, ensured that everyone felt truly special.
Chef and longtime friend Ke’o Velasquez helped develop a small menu focused on grilled meats and fish, fresh vegetables, and pasta.
Urbano Café’s Evolution
After receiving several new “best restaurant” awards from local publications, Mitch knew he needed to expand to meet customer demand. Mitch acquired the storefront at the other end of the building, dubbing it “Two Doors Down,” (as it was conveniently located two doors down from the café) with the idea of using it as storage and overflow dining for larger parties and special events. At the time, Tom Spicer, Dallas’ first local food advocate and farmer, had his shop between the restaurant and the storefront. In 2015, Spicer moved out of the center storefront and Mitch expanded the restaurant, connected the dining rooms, and expanded to The Back Porch, an outdoor drinking and dining venue.
I first discovered Urbano Cafe in 2010. It was the first place that I discovered a wine community in Dallas. Mitch was walking around pouring tastes out of a Barolo that he picked up at Jimmy’s. It was a place where people wanted to share their wines, experiences, and stories behind them. Because the place originally didn’t have space for proper wine storage, Mitch decided it would be BYOB.
Over the years, Urbano was the place where I could meet with smaller winemakers because a lot of them didn’t have distributors in Texas. It was always a place that would guarantee a fabulous meal and it was a meeting place for so many wine lovers to get together and share wine. It will be missed.
A Quick Reflection on Why BYOB Matters
Bringing wine can cut the cost of dinner by one-third or more, given the often 3x markups for most restaurant wine, and customers can enjoy wine that has meaning to them. BYOB is more common in many parts of the country, but Texas’ liquor laws prohibit most restaurants from offering the service.
Dallas is a desert in terms of BYOB options due to state laws. Imagine you are a small winery without Texas distribution, and you are trying to get your wines in front of a new audience. Even with a distributor, Texas can be a challenge. One of my favorite stories is about when I met with Remi Cohen, who was general manager at Cliff Lede Winery at a local seafood restaurant. Because the only wine from the portfolio on the menu was a Cabernet Sauvignon, we got to experience an oysters and cabernet tasting.
I was quoted this week in Jeff Siegel’s article in the Dallas Observer about the closing of Urbano. I talked about Urbano’s closing being the end of BYOB in Dallas. A quick search for BYOB in Dallas brings up several restaurants that no longer exist as well as some Asian, Italian, and Mediterranean options as well as a few restaurants that changed their policy and now serve wine. But nothing with the polish and community found at Urbano’s.
We had our last dinner at Urbano’s this week and I can say my last meal there was just as good as I remembered in the past. We bought a few fun bottles – each with a story behind it. And we came with great friends, who had not had a chance to try the restaurant.
As Urbano Café closes the door this weekend, it marks the end of a Dallas institution that seamlessly blends fine dining with BYOB. From its humble origins in a 1920s storefront near Jimmy’s Italian Food Store to its evolution into a gathering spot for wine enthusiasts over 25 years, Urbano Café left a mark on Dallas’ culinary landscape and wasn’t just a restaurant, but a community hub. The legacy of Urbano Café lives on in the memories of shared meals, stories, and the vibrant community it cultivated—a legacy that will be dearly missed in Dallas.
EXCITING DEVELOPMENT: Just as I was about to share this post, a fantastic email from Mitch arrived with breaking news. A group of undisclosed buyers, who are seasoned restaurateurs familiar with East Dallas, stepped in to continue Urbano’s legacy. Not only are they committed to maintaining the business, but they are also retaining the existing staff — a perfect conclusion to ensure the preservation of this special restaurant community.
