by Steven Doyle
The wait is over Dallas, you finally have your original 24 hour eatery in Uptown, and from first glimpse you are going to like Pop Diner. The menu is fairly straight forward that is at once iconic yet fun. You will be familiar with most of the items listed on the large menu.
The owner, Nik Gjonaj, is originally from Detroit where he owns a successful chain of steakhouses called Luca’s Chophouse. “In my opinion, Dallas rivals Chicago’s food scene. If you can’t make it here, you can’t make it anywhere. This is probably the best test market in the nation. Also, I just love the vibe here and the people,” said Gjonaj.
The food is made old school and from scratch. Plenty of the ingredients are sourced locally, but they also import from Gjonaj’s home town of Detroit including his hot dogs, corned beef, sausage and bacon.
There are a few new-to-you items on the menu as well such as the pita warps that actually use naan instead of a traditional pita. This was explained to have better flavor and the ability to travel well. Genius.
The specialty cocktail menu also ties in with the love of pop culture. Pop Rocks Martinis, Blow Pop Martinis and adult milkshakes are sure to be a hit at happy hour.
Pop Diner is located at 3600 McKinney next to Max’s Wine Dive, and they serve breakfast at any hour.
Imported from Detroit? Any chance those dogs are from Dearborn Sausage Co.? Will have to investigate this and the chili sauce on said dogs.