Plano's Mexican Bar Company opening second location at Allen's Sloan Corners

A Plano restaurant that has held on through big changes at The Shops at Willow Bend is opening a second location. Mexican Bar Company will open at 800 Shelby Dr. in Allen. The address is in Sloan Corners, a master-planned community from the Billingsley Company at the intersection of SH-121 and US-75.

Owner Brian Dunne is a hospitality veteran from the northeast who has run many restaurants and bars. He opened the original Mexican Bar Company in 2018 as part of an effort to bring customers to Willow Bend. Willow Bend closed in August and is being turned into a mixed-use destination, but the restaurant is among the few businesses that will stay through the transformation.

Patricio Sandoval, a chef who has been featured by the James Beard Foundation, created the opening menu. It pairs Mexican flavors with house-made tortillas and regional dishes cooked on a wood- and coal-burning grill. Dunne credits quality and new ideas for the restaurant's staying power. He said that during COVID, "we raised prices and raised quality," and that the kitchen went entirely seed oil-free. With 23 TVs, the Plano location turns into a sports bar on weekends.

According to Community Impact, the Allen menu will include guacamole, ceviche, street tacos, fajitas, chile relleno and cocktails. The restaurant will have a patio overlooking a two-acre pond and a park that covers several acres. "It's the best location I've ever had in my 41 years in this business," Dunne told that outlet.

This story is based on original reporting by CultureMap Dallas, with additional details from Community Impact.