Modern Japanese restaurant Wakuda is expanding into Texas, in one of the priciest dining neighborhoods in Dallas, the Design District.
The Tokyo-inspired restaurant Wakuda is expected to open in fall 2027, restaurant founder John Kunkel confirmed to The Dallas Morning News.
Picking Dallas was obvious, Kunkel said. After members of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. bought a majority interest in the Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban, they wanted fine-dining restaurant Wakuda to join the city where they’d made a sizeable investment. Restaurant founder Kunkel made it happen.
Wakuda in the Dallas Design District will be a nearly 10,000-square-foot restaurant with a focus on “live-fire proteins,” Kunkel said. That’s beef, mostly: a selection of individual cuts, 32-ounce shareable steaks (which cost $275 on the Las Vegas menu), and tastes of Australian, American and Japanese Wagyu.
“We want to embrace Dallas and the steakhouse,” Kunkel said.
The Japanese word yakiniku, or grilled meat, will be central to the Dallas menu, he said.
Sushi is likely to be a significant portion of the menu as well, as it is central to the restaurants in Singapore and Vegas.
Kunkel isn’t willing to say whether Wakuda will chase Michelin attention in Texas just yet, though it’s likely anonymous critics from the French guide will be waiting on the opening. “Our goal is to deliver Michelin-level quality in an approachable, fun atmosphere,” Kunkel said. Diners won’t find white tablecloths but instead a “youthful, vibrant” feeling inside, he said. Design plans are underway.
Wakuda is much bigger than what 50 Eggs typically does, Kunkel said, to accommodate private dining rooms for special events.