Not coming ever: Mercantile and the Dog House
Oak Cliff lost a beloved neighborhood taquerÃa with a 20-year history in the neighborhood last year in favor of an undercooked idea from the scion of a Dallas restaurateur. Now, it turns out, we get nothing but empty real estate.
El Padrino, the taco stand in Bishop Arts, lost its lease to Sarah Lombardi, daughter of restaurateur Alberto Lombardi, in November. The younger Lombardi had planned to open a restaurant called Mercantile, serving hotdogs and frozen custard.
Eater Dallas today reports that Lombardi has abandoned Mercantile. “A combination of budgets and costs associated with retrofitting and renovating a historic structure was the basis for the decision,” Lombardi concepts told the online publication.
It is too late to bring back El Padrino. The restaurant already has moved on and reopened in Pleasant Grove.
“It is very unfortunate that Ms. Lombardi was not able to continue her project in Oak Cliff,” says El Padrino managing partner Juan Contreras. “I wish her the best of luck on her future endeavors. As for El Padrino, we will continue business as usual.”
