When El Chingon opened in East Dallas in May, it billed itself as big energy. A press release from April 30 read “bold Mexican flavors … high energy, day-to-night atmosphere.” The company refurbished a 5,000-square-foot building along Ross Avenue just a mile east of downtown. According to state records, the renovation cost $900,000. (El Chingon is not to be confused with Mas Chingon Cantina in the Bishop Arts District — totally separate place.)

And sales weren’t bad. According to TABS Report, which compiles state liquor sales for businesses across the state, the restaurant and bar averaged $287,583 in monthly liquor sales from April through July, which is within the top 6% of all spaces in the city. Those sales are in the neighborhood of Stan’s Blue Note, Inwood Tavern and Bowen House, for comparison. And for a new spot, objectively not bad.

So, why did they just post on Instagram that they’re done?

El Chingon was part of GBOD Hospitality, which was founded in 2012 by brothers Raymond and Patrick Davoudi in San Diego. They originally opened El Chingon Bad Ass Mexican in San Diego in 2017 before expanding to Fort Worth in 2020.

Sign up for the Food & Drink newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox

THANK YOU!

You’re all set.

CLOSE

A thousand words

Photos of the spot help explain a lot. The bar backs up to a residential area dotted with trees, single-family homes, and apartments. Photos of the inside also show it’s clearly more of a club and bar than a restaurant.

The bar posted on Sunday night that they “took a blighted property, invested millions of dollars into bringing it back to life, created jobs, and built a space unlike anything that had stood there before.” The post explained that while they worked to become a part of Dallas, “almost from the beginning, operating that vision became a constant fight with the City. We dealt with repeated Code Compliance visits, citations, and ongoing challenges to our Certificate of Occupancy and restaurant use.”

The last part … a restaurant? There’s no problem with a club opening in Dallas, but call it that. Because based on its own posted photos, this is a bar. Is the food truck out front the restaurant part? Well, let’s be serious …

Anyhoosie. Despite making changes, including hiring a consultant and lawyers, the post explains, the scrutiny on their business only intensified:

“Eventually, there comes a point where fighting City Hall becomes a bigger part of running the business than serving the people who came through our doors.”

Saturday, September 6 was El Chingón’s final day in Dallas.

The neighborhood

The neighborhood had comments.

ale_capriati86 wrote:

“This is what happens when you don’t listen to your neighbors. I lived on the other side of the alley on San Jacinto & as soon as you guys opened, it was non stop chaos with loud music, your patrons parking up & down our street to where no one could find a place to park, trash on the street, car accidents, street racing, fights, drunk drivers, etc.. Whoever you guys hired to do market research should be fired, they could have easily told you that opening up a restaurant that runs like a nightclub is not viable near well established neighborhood.”

barnold09 seconded this comment, writing that while “the place looked fun, the nonstop music being heard all throughout my apartment was an absolute nuisance.”

jdmbuild214’s comment thickens the plot even more, writing that he tried to warn the company before they opened. “It wasn’t just sprinklers and a fire alarm. You needed a dancehall license for that concept. Calling yourself a restaurant with that little thing out front was a joke.”

Indeed, 5,000 square feet of a bar and dance space with a food truck out front does not, in fact, seem like a restaurant.

Then there were many fans amongst the 260-plus comments. Many loved the space but saw a problem with bringing a club atmosphere to this part of Ross Avenue, which is dotted with restaurants and bars but not much of a club scene. “Lit spot but not made for the location,” wrote gary_houdini.

El Chingon says they haven’t given up on Dallas. So, maybe we’ll get a new location.