photos by Joey Stewart
You walk into UniMarket and it feels effortless. Coffee is brewing, something warm is coming off the kitchen, and people are chatting like they’ve already claimed their spots. It’s not exactly a restaurant, not quite a market. You order something, settle in, and before you know it, the place starts to make sense—and suddenly, you don’t want to leave.
UniMarket didn’t start in Dallas. It began in Calgary, founded by Colombian brothers Esneyder and Richard Ospina as a small Latin grocery. Over time, they added prepared foods, a café, and shelves of products from across Latin America. The Dallas location is their first U.S. expansion, and it shows—this isn’t just about food. It’s about creating a space where different Latin American flavors, cultures, and small discoveries can sit side by side, without needing to simplify them for the American diner.
The shelves hold sauces, sweets, and pantry staples that many visitors haven’t seen before. The coffee, roasted from beans sourced mostly in Colombia, is direct and steady—no syrup theatrics, no unnecessary flair, just something that makes you pay attention, sip by sip. You can start with a cortado, a drip, or a cold brew built for the Dallas heat, and it’ll remind you that coffee doesn’t need to shout to be good.
The food feels like a tour without a guide. Empanadas come in several versions: crisp, soft, savory, sweet, with fillings that range from spicy beef to plantains to guava. Larger plates follow the same logic: bandeja paisa comes with beans, rice, eggs, plantains, and meat all working in their own spaces rather than blending into a single flavor. Lomo saltado arrives quick and hot, edges smoky, reminding you that cooking is a conversation between fire, movement, and instinct.
It’s not “fusion.” It’s coexistence. Each dish has a voice, and they aren’t trying to sound the same. The menu trusts you to listen.
Dallas has plenty of Latin food—but it’s usually Tex-Mex, Mexican, or scattered pockets of other cuisines. UniMarket widens the frame without announcing itself. Colombian, Peruvian, Venezuelan, and Argentine dishes all appear without apology, creating a subtle cultural map that isn’t trying to be tourist-friendly.
The location matters, too. Northeast Dallas is residential and diverse, and UniMarket sits quietly, letting the experience unfold. It’s not flashy or downtown—there’s no pressure to see everything at once. People sit, linger, browse, and slowly start to understand the rhythm of the place.
The founders talk about “experience,” and it’s easy to see why. UniMarket doesn’t push you to move fast. It’s a spot to sip coffee, watch people drift through the aisles, and maybe grab an empanada or a small plate without rushing. That pause is rare in Dallas dining. It’s simple, subtle, and powerful.
UniMarket | 7215 Skillman St Ste 312 Dallas, TX 75231
