DALLAS — Popular Deep Ellum cocktail bar Black Swan Saloon is preparing to make its return flight – this time in East Dallas.
Gabe Sanchez, who ran the Black Swan Saloon in Deep Ellum from 2010 until it closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, is preparing to reopen the Black Swan in East Dallas at 1623 Hall Street, next to Alice, a restaurant owned by Brian Rutt.
“Brian asked if I would ever do it again – and I thought he was joking,” Sanchez said. “Then he showed us the space next to Alice, and it’s almost exactly like the old one. I realized he was serious. He mentioned he spoke to Pasha, and I said ‘Sure.’ It was as easy as that.”
Rutt is among the three local hospitality industry veterans Sanchez is partnering with to reopen Black Swan. Ryan Payne, who opened the Dallas bar Saint Valentine with Sanchez, and Pasha Heidari of St. Martin’s Bistro, Bowen House, and Mike’s Gemini Twin Lounge, also teamed up with Sanchez to reopen Black Swan.
Sanchez, who’s garnered accolades, including being named among the Dallas Observer’s Best Bartenders in Dallas, now also consults for the Midnight Rambler, a lounge within the Joule hotel downtown.
He said he hopes to bring a similar ambiance to the new iteration of the Black Swan, including the velvet Clint Eastwood painting behind the bar, dim lighting, art-lined walls, and more.
“I’ll tell the Clint Eastwood painting story maybe a couple of times the first week – then probably take a break from it for a long while,” Sanchez says. “It is a good story, though…”
The new iteration of Black Swan is expected to feature an abbreviated food menu with Monday nights featuring Pacific Island dishes prepared by Alice’s Guam-born, Filipino chef Randall Braud. Diners can also expect mixed plates featuring chicken adobo and Chamorro red rice with finadene, among other options.
Black Swan Saloon is expected to open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday-Monday.
