Henry’s Majestic. Braised pork tacos are served with blue corn tortillas and topped with slaw (left). Italian meets Japanese with the calamari appetizer, which is served with a side of ponzu sauce. Henry’s Majestic (right). Photography by Lauren Allen
What do you do with two acres of land, a stuffed moose head and an infamous brunch menu in a town where brunch is king?
You resurrect an Uptown staple that suffered a building buyout and bulldoze fate.
At least, that’s what Andrew Popp did. Owner of Henry’s Majestic, Popp was born into the restaurant industry. Or, more technically, he was born into the family that founded Bread Winners Café & Bakery and Quarter Bar.
From 2014 until late 2022, Henry’s Majestic was a go-to for Uptown brunchers and Happy Hour goers. From the time the restaurant’s closure was announced, Popp maintained it would not be the end.
“Henry’s 2.0 was kind of my baby,” Popp says. “One of my main goals was to find a way to reopen.”
When he stumbled upon the two-acre compound in West Dallas that used to house Chicken Scratch and the Foundry, he “fell in love.”
“About 90%” of the original menu made its way to the new kitchen. There’s something for everyone. Italian, Mexican, American and Asian cuisines meet and meld across the menu.
When it comes to appetizers alone, Korean BBQ duck wings are offered next to hatch chili crab dip, offered next to hummus and naan, offered next to carnitas dumplings.
Popp’s spouse, Feliza Macias, operates as the Chef de cuisine and took the time between 1.0’s closing and 2.0’s opening to slightly tweak some of the restaurant’s most famous dishes.
“She’s added her little take on a few things, like the evolution of the birria ramen, in terms of its flavor. And then she added aguachile on the menu,” Popp says.
Henry’s Majestic. Photography by Lauren Allen
Depending on the time of day and week, Henry’s has three menus — brunch, lunch and dinner — which tend to slightly vary.
But the aguachile made it onto all three.
Similar in style and flavor to ceviche, the halibut aguachile is tossed in chili water rather than marinated in lime juice. Blue corn tortillas offer crunch.
The birria ramen and marrow-spiked burger are some of the most popular dishes, but the braised pork tacos are worth just as much acclaim. The hot chicken sandwich is so large it is best attacked with a fork and knife.
And of course, the chicken and waffles.
Alex Fletcher created the original bar menu for Henry’s, and when he heard about the restaurant’s reopening it was an “enticing” offer.
“Henry’s was one of my first restaurant openings, and I had a lot of fun memories from it,” Fletcher says. “That being said, I didn’t exactly know what I was doing when opening the first Henry’s. It was kind of a ‘Let’s see how this goes.’ So now that we got to come back and reopen Henry’s we’ve made some mindful adjustments.”
Those adjustments include promoting low-waste recipes, and carrying sustainable wine brands.
Popp and Fletcher wanted Henry’s 2.0 to be as dog friendly as possible. So, Fletcher invented a “puptail” list using ingredients such as bananas and peanut butter in abundance.
(For what it’s worth, Fletcher himself does not have a dog that inspired the menu. He does, however, have a pet prairie dog. That is another story.)
Even a dog park on the property is in play. There is certainly room for it.
Henry’s Majestic. Photography by Lauren Allen
The patio seats up to 400. “Dallas loves a great patio,” Popp says, and al fresco dining is an appropriate option almost year-round.
“When you walk in, I want people to be amazed,” he says. “It’s just a huge patio with our rustic kind of charm, and you’re able to kind of see, ‘Okay, where’s the spot I want to sit at?’ And there should be some place for everybody.”
It wasn’t just the menus and Fletcher that traveled to the new location. Much of the decor, including, of course, the moose head mounted over the mantel, was meticulously packed away when the first Henry’s closed and moved to West Dallas. Popp hoped to tap into the nostalgia of dedicated Henry’s fans by making sure the space still feels like Henry’s.
But, honoring what the space has been in the neighborhood is important too.
Live music is a weekend must. Karaoke is a new experiment. And food trucks — the space can fit as many as six — will offer another wave of dining options. The programming has turned Henry’s from “the weekend brunch spot” into an all day, every day venue, Fletcher says.
Art on the walls of the interior dining space is all made by local artists and for sale. Popp hopes to sponsor an ever-changing mural installation as well. Eventually, they hope to open a speakeasy similar to Atwater Alley, the speakeasy that was attached to 1.0.
Fletcher says he has been surprised to see how many of Henry’s die-hard fans who once lived in Uptown have made their way to living in West Dallas and Oak Cliff. It’s made the reopening all the more “positive and welcoming.”
“It’s always been kind of a band of misfits,” Fletcher says. “So we’ve been able to recreate that and it’s really special to see the clientele and employees just all kind of jive and gel.”
Henry’s Majestic. Photography by Lauren Allen
