For 53 years, the little pitched-roof cottage on Asbury Street across from SMU meant one thing. New York Sub. First dates, post-game sandwiches, late-night study breaks, parents in town for the weekend. When the shop announced early this year that it was losing its home, a lot of people who haven’t been students in decades took it personally.
This Friday, Nov. 6, the lights come back on. Rollin’ Joe’s opens at 3411 Asbury St., with a public preview the day before, Thursday, Nov. 5, from 3 to 7 p.m.
The new tenants know what they’re walking into. Rollin’ Joe’s comes from Jerry W. Mooty Jr., an SMU graduate and Park Cities resident who also happens to be Jerry Jones’ nephew, and his partner, Kirk Thompson.
“The former New York Sub location holds a special place in the hearts of generations of SMU students and Park Cities residents,” Mooty said when the project was announced. The plan from the start was to keep the old-school neighborhood feel of the place and bring something new into it.
What’s new is mostly the music. Architect Alexander Quintanilla of Q-ARC reworked the roughly 1,400-square-foot cottage into part coffee bar, part vinyl listening lounge, with a DJ booth for local and guest DJs and seating for about 45 to 50 people. There’s a covered patio, walk-up ordering and an outside “Quick Sip” window for anyone running late to class.
The whole thing is built around a character named Joe, a laid-back, music-loving guy with a ’70s look, and the menu follows his lead. The drinks carry song and movie titles. The Gone Swimmin’ is an Americano, Fast Times is the cold brew, and the board also runs to Purple Rain, Funky Monkey, frozen drinks, matcha, teas, fruit refreshers and energy drinks.
Food comes on King’s Hawaiian rolls, through a slider menu built with the bakery for breakfast and lunch. The Don stacks Genoa salami, capicola, ham and provolone. The Mile High Club goes with ham, turkey and bacon. There’s also a Bacon Me Crazy and a Pork & Mindy, which tells you this crew isn’t taking itself too seriously.
Nobody’s going to replace New York Sub in the memories of the people who grew up on it, and Rollin’ Joe’s isn’t trying to. It’s betting that the next generation of SMU students needs a place across the street to sit, talk and stay too long, and that’s a tradition the old cottage knows well.
Rollin’ Joe’s is at 3411 Asbury St., across from Southern Methodist University. Check the Rollin’ Joe’s website for hours as the shop settles in.
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