Texas To-Do List: Temakeria
DALLAS - If you are looking for a dining experience that is just as tasty as it is visually appealing you'll definitely want to check out Temakeria, a 2D restaurant in Dallas' Trinity Groves area.
"Temakeria is a fun, whimsical play on words. We took temaki, the Japanese word which means hand-rolled, and mixed it with taqueria because we make our hand rolls like tacos which is a little untraditional. But, Temakeria is all about that fun, whimsical playfulness," said Julian Rodarte, the CEO of the Trinity Groves Restaurant Group and the co-owner of Temakeria.
The restaurant is brought to you by the owners of popular restaurants like Beto and Son, Lexy's and Nitro Burger.
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Rodarte, an award-winning chef, is constantly thinking outside the box.
"When I was in culinary school, one of my best friends was Korean. His uncle had a sushi spot. One night when the restaurant was closed, we just started eating these hand rolls that I just felt like were tacos," he said. "Being Mexican, eating tacos was something that I eat almost every day. And so, I was like ‘wow! What a cool concept to eat sushi in the same way you would eat tacos.’ So that’s kind of where the idea came from."
While the food and drinks are worth a visit, the visual aesthetic takes the dining experience to the next level.
"The response we have gotten from the community has been really, really exciting. Everybody wants to come see Dallas’s, and even Texas’s first 2-D restaurant, which is Temakeria. So, aside from the food being delicious, there’s the interior aesthetic that people are really interested in," said Rodarte.
Artist Jonathan Krown used more the 200 sharpies to create the murals in the restaurant.
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If seafood isn't your thing, there are a few other options as well.
"Aside from all of the delicious Temaki, you can find traditional Japanese ramen. We’ve got some great tempura shrimp and vegetables. And then we’ve got some stuff that if you’re not a seafood fan, we’ve got chicken karaage, which is a Japanese fried chicken dish," said Rodarte.
Rodarte said he has trouble picking his favorites from the menu.
"It's hard to pick a favorite dish because it’s like picking your favorite child. You know what I mean? You don’t want to single one of them out. But I think it’s hard for me not to order the soft-shell crab appetizer every time I come here," he said.
If you prefer to see the real Dallas skyline instead of the drawn version, grab a seat in the closed-in, air-conditioned patio.
After dinner, you can explore the Trinity Groves art park just outside the restaurant.
"If you’re just looking for great food and great cocktails, Temakeria definitely fits that and checks that off the list. But I think also immersive experience, something that you’re not used to. It's like dining either in an immersive art expo or even people have said ‘oh my gosh, I feel like I’m in a comic book, and I’m the only thing in color!’ But again, if you’re just looking for good food and good drinks, we’ve got that too," said Rodarte.
It’s a planner, it’s a motivator, it’s a challenge! Get out and experience the wonder and fun around you with FOX 4's curated list of fun and unusual activities all across north Texas. Keep checking back as the list keeps growing. Got a suggestion for us? Email us here.