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Little Heron, a bakery in downtown Dallas’ Fountain Place, will sell breakfast, lunch and sweets like this hummingbird cake.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Look toward \u201cthe city\u2019s greatest skyscraper,<\/a>\u201d as The News’ Pulitzer-winning Architecture Critic Mark Lamster<\/a> called downtown\u2019s iconic Fountain Place. Near the bottom of the pointy glass building is a bakery and lunch spot called Little Heron.\u00a0<\/p>\n Opening May 20, 2026, this little gem will sell croissants, cookies, coffee, pizza and grab \u2019n go sandwiches on house-made baguettes.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A selection of pastries show Little Heron’s croissants and cookies. The restaurant opens in Dallas May 20, 2026.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News Executive Chef Joseph Rolling (left) and head pastry chef Daniel Rosales made the menu at Little Heron and Cypress.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News The Chinese chopped salad is available at lunch at Little Heron when it opens in Dallas May 20, 2026.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n You do have to go looking for it, as Little Heron is tucked inside Fountain Place\u2019s courtyard. It was created for the office workers in the 60-story Fountain Place and the residents in the 45-story\u00a0AMLI next door, but Little Heron shouldn\u2019t be a neighborhood secret. Its location near the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, the Dallas Aquarium and the Dallas Museum of Art makes it an easy stop for those downtown or in Victory Park, the West End or the Design District. You just have to know it\u2019s there.<\/p>\n The spread of sweet and savory items is made in part by 27-year-old head pastry chef Daniel Rosales.<\/p>\n Chef Daniel Rosales slices a sausage croissant at Little Heron, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n First things first: Rosales makes a killer chocolate chip cookie. It\u2019s probably the simplest recipe in this young chef\u2019s repertoire. Each cookie is soft and chewy on the inside from light brown sugar, and gooey from\u00a0Belgian chocolate disks.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere is nothing more disappointing to me than receiving a chocolate chip cookie where you don\u2019t get chocolate in every bite,\u201d Rosales said. This one delivers. English sea salt over each golden-brown cookie adds a \u201cshock\u201d that tempers the richness of the cookie, he said.<\/p>\n Little Heron is designed to be a breakfast-and-lunch spot \u2014 the type of place where businesspeople might take a quick meeting or neighbors could stop in for La Colombe Coffee. Customers can buy beer and wine to go.<\/p>\n Find Little Heron at Fountain Place in downtown Dallas.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n For breakfast, the menu includes sausage wrapped in a croissant topped with hot honey and sesame seeds; and a biscuits-and-gravy pastry pocket. (Think Southern-style biscuits with cream gravy, no fork needed.)<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n For lunch, visitors will find light options like a chopped chicken salad with cabbage, mandarin oranges and wontons; and a rainbow salad with butternut squash, cauliflower and green goddess dressing. Pizzas are likely to catch customers\u2019 eyes, as they are displayed on a long counter and available by the slice or a whole pie. Options include spinach-artichoke with stracciatella, classic margherita and a meat-lovers with capicola, soppressata and pepperoni.<\/p>\n A focaccia pizza with spinach and artichoke is an option at Little Heron in downtown Dallas.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Also at lunchtime, customers will find French-inspired sandwiches on house-made baguettes made by Rosales. The triple-cream brie with turkey and quince jam is at the top of my list. Others include Caprese on focaccia and one called Le\u00a0Parisien: jambon de Paris, butter and cornichon on a baguette.<\/p>\n Sandwiches at Little Heron are served on baguettes made on-site.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Rosales\u2019 pastries sit pretty in a window in Fountain Place, one of the ways it\u2019ll dare passersby to stop in. Don\u2019t sleep on the chocolate chip cookie, as we\u2019ve established. Better get a lavender sphere croissant, too. Rosales also makes bonbons \u2014 a solid Dallas choice now that Kate Weiser Chocolate has closed<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n We\u2019re impressed with Rosales, who loved the TV show Cake Boss as a kid and started baking at age 14. He\u2019s since been on baking shows on the Food Network and on Fox, and his custom cakes are so impressive<\/a>, we wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see him on Netflix\u2019s Is it Cake?<\/p>\n Daniel Rosales, head pastry chef at Little Heron and Cypress, makes custom cakes.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Little Heron was created to be a \u201cnatural extension\u201d of the new restaurant next door, Cypress, said general manager David\u00a0Bachrach. Cypress is a members-only club created as an amenity for Fountain Place\u2019s office workers and tenants \u2014 and if you haven\u2019t heard much about this brand-new place, it\u2019s because it\u2019s not open to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Not a member? The next best thing is to stop into Little Heron, where the sandwiches and pastries have the same\u00a0starpower, no entrance fee required.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Little Heron is at 1800 Freeman St., Dallas. Expected to open May 20, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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