Mexican restaurant El Molino is expected to open in summer 2025 in University Park\u2019s Snider Plaza, where barbecue restaurant Douglas Bar and Grill closed in March 2024.<\/p>\n
Restaurateur Hunter Pond bought out Douglas\u2019 investors and is redesigning the restaurant. Pond\u2019s company Vandelay Hospitality operates Hudson House, D.L. Mack\u2019s, Brentwood and others in Dallas and the Park Cities.<\/p>\n
El Molino will be Pond\u2019s first Mexican restaurant.<\/p>\n
It signals even more of a restaurant takeover of Snider Plaza from this University Park restaurateur: Pond moved the Vandelay restaurant headquarters to Snider Plaza, at Hillcrest Road and Lovers Lane. Also in that complex, his company runs New Orleans-style restaurant Jack & Harry\u2019s. A small cocktail spot Bar Sardine opened in late 2024. And Pond\u2019s first restaurant, East Hampton Sandwich Company, has been in Snider Plaza for years.<\/p>\n
South on Hillcrest, Vandelay also has Chicago-style restaurant D.L. Mack\u2019s and pizza-and-arcade Slider and Blues.<\/p>\n
Pond will not open Montecito\u2019s, a coastal Italian restaurant that was slated for a new building in Snider Plaza, where Peggy Sue BBQ once was. Pond and developer Jim Strode both confirmed the deal is off in mid-2024.<\/p>\n
In a March 2025 press release, El Molino is explained as \u201cMexican cuisine reimagined through a modern lens.\u201d<\/p>\n
The restaurant will sell fajitas and margaritas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thrilled to bring another unique concept to Snider Plaza with El Molino,\u201d Pond said in a 2025 statement. He thinks the \u201cmoody and alluring ambiance\u201d offers a new kind of atmosphere in Snider Plaza.<\/p>\n
Parking has been a hot-button issue in the shopping center near Southern Methodist University. A lack of spaces is one of the reasons The Douglas closed, its original owner told The Dallas Morning News, but it\u2019s a complicated topic among neighbors, businessowners and customers. Some say parking is no big deal \u2014 and besides, there\u2019s a garage that often has spots. Others say cars are starting to crowd the neighborhood on residential streets, SMU students might be taking up spots they shouldn\u2019t, and customers who can\u2019t find a space are choosing to leave the shopping center altogether.<\/p>\n
Pond tole The News in 2024: \u201cParking in Snider is wide open. It\u2019s not an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
The restaurant seats 65 people, including a small bar for eight.<\/p>\n
The name reminds us of Il Mulino, the pricey Italian restaurant from New York City that failed to find a footing in Dallas. (It was open 2004 to 2006, but ask many Dallasites, and it lives on in infamy.) Pond\u2019s Mexican restaurant El Molino has nothing to do with il Mulino; he named it because el molino means \u201cthe mill\u201d in Spanish.<\/p>\n
El Molino will be at 6818 Snider Plaza, Dallas. It\u2019s expected to open in summer 2025.<\/p>\n
The opening of El Molino marks a new chapter in the Snider Plaza dining scene. With its unique concept and modern take on Mexican cuisine, it is sure to attract foodies and locals alike. Despite the parking concerns, the restaurant\u2019s ambiance and menu offerings are expected to make it a popular destination.<\/p>\n
A: El Molino is expected to open in summer 2025.<\/p>\n
A: El Molino will be located at 6818 Snider Plaza, Dallas.<\/p>\n
A: El Molino serves Mexican cuisine reimagined through a modern lens.<\/p>\n
A: No, El Molino is not related to Il Mulino. The name El Molino means \u201cthe mill\u201d in Spanish and was chosen for its unique and memorable sound.<\/p>\n
A: El Molino has 65 seats, including a small bar for eight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
El Molino: A New Mexican Restaurant in Snider Plaza Mexican restaurant El Molino is expected to open in summer 2025 in University Park\u2019s Snider Plaza, where barbecue restaurant Douglas Bar and Grill closed in March 2024. Restaurateur Hunter Pond bought out Douglas\u2019 investors and is redesigning the restaurant. Pond\u2019s company Vandelay Hospitality operates Hudson House, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2354","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/A4LWJ2BYYZEMZJMZFKE347T43Y.jpg?auth=ce31741078da3d3e353355431a80a04f056ea47e79ee8b178a58f22fd54f1dfb&height=630&width=1200&smart=true&quality=80","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2354"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2356,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354\/revisions\/2356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}