Lower Greenville is getting another restaurant, and this one has been a long time coming. Chef Aubrey Murphy, who ran the kitchen at SĒR Steak + Spirits atop the Hilton Anatole, is opening his first restaurant of his own. It is called Brute, and it is taking over the old Swizzle tiki bar space at 1802 Greenville Ave., Suite 110, between Via Triozzi and Wabi House. The target is November.
Murphy has been cooking in Dallas for years, and the SĒR run put him on the map. He was part of the team that won Best Food and Beverage Team of the Year, and he was nominated for Chef of the Year Awards. Those are big-hotel, big-production kitchens. Brute will be a different animal entirely.
He has said he wanted a smaller room, a neighborhood place where the cooking could be more personal. He looked at spaces all over Dallas and landed on Lowest Greenville. “It’s where the eaters go,” Murphy has said. His co-owner is sommelier James La Mar, who will run the front of the house and build the wine program, with some bottles sourced from Texas.
The concept is contemporary American, shaped by Murphy’s fine dining background, his travels and his time living in Hawaii. He has described the menu as a daily conversation, with dishes that change based on what comes in. There will be an à la carte menu and a tasting menu option inspired by restaurants Murphy admires in California. The lounge will serve cocktails and lighter fare for people who want to sit at the bar and eat without committing to a full dinner.
A couple of things Murphy has said out loud are worth noting. He wants Brute to serve the best chicken dish in Texas, though he has not said what that dish will be. And there will be no burger on the menu. “You can throw a rock and it’ll land next to a restaurant that can do a decent burger,” he said. “Especially in Dallas.” He is not wrong.
The space is under construction now. The Swizzle tiki bar, with its bamboo and thatch, is long gone. What is going in has been described as Brutalist-inspired, which fits the name.
Lower Greenville has been one of the most active stretches in Dallas this fall. Fonda Toro is going into the old HG Sply Co space at 2100 Greenville and is also expected in November. Matt McCallister’s River Sing and Midcult Society are coming a few blocks north. Murphy’s block already has Via Triozzi, Wabi House and Goodwins in walking distance. The competition is real, and a chef opening here has to deliver from the first night.
We will be there when the doors open. In the meantime, follow @brutedallas on Instagram for updates. Brute is expected to open in November 2026 at 1802 Greenville Ave., Suite 110.
