Sushi News

Zumi Modern Sushi from acclaimed team now open in Southlake

A glamorous new sushi restaurant has opened in Southlake.

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A buzzy new sushi restaurant from an acclaimed team has arrived in Southlake: Called Zumi Modern Sushi, it just opened at 2211 E. Southlake Blvd. #500, in the former CoolGreens space, where it quietly debuted on December 29.

Zumi was founded by Jackie Kaewlamduan, owner of Ka Thai, the popular local Thai restaurant chain (which earned a CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nomination in 2019 for Best New Restaurant) and a former partner at Yutaka Sushi Bistro (which closed in 2023 after 17 years); and chef Pae Suphakit, a one-time sushi chef at acclaimed sushi chain Nobu.

At Zumi — a name inspired by the Japanese word "zen" and umi, which is "the sea" — they're blending authentic Japanese techniques with modern presentation. While both founders are Thai, their love for Japanese cuiisine runs deep.

Chef Pae earned a master's degree in civil engineering, before logging years in restaurants including Nobu.

They're opening with a limited menu that includes nigiri, sashimi, and maki, AKA sushi rolls, in two categories: sushi maki with options such as spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, salmon-avocado, and California roll; and "modern" maki, which are bigger, more deluxe, more creative options such as:

Sake Flame: shrimp tempura, avocado, seared salmon
Toro Special: crab, avocado, toro, caviar
Seared Tuna, Crispy Onion: spicy tuna, seared tuna, avocado, garlic aioli
Tuna Wasabi: tuna, cucumber, kaiware (daikon radish sprouts), wasabi salsa

They feature a full bar with cocktails and are doing decadent desserts such as chocolate mousse cake with chocolate ice cream.

Decor is dark and modern, with black marble tables and dark walls featuring a repetitive series of U-shaped modules lit from behind. The dining room has a mixture of seating options including cozy booths, tables & chairs, and a long curving banquette where tables can be pushed together for larger parties. A long L-shaped sushi bar with 10 seats occupies the center, plus a small bar at the entrance with a few tables and bar seats.

They're open for lunch and dinner, and even though they're in soft-opening mode, they've already been discovered by avid foodies. According to manager Jada Phommavong, for now they're doing reservation-only seating, so they can keep a lid on quality control.

openings sushi southlake

End of a sweet era

Sprinkles Cupcakes closes all locations, including Fort Worth-area ATMs

Photo courtesy of Sprinkles

Sprinkles has closed all of its locations.

A cupcake pioneer has shuttered all of its locations nationwide, including in Dallas-Fort Worth. Sprinkles Cupcakes closed all of its locations on December 31, according to multiple reports.

The company provided a brief statement about the closures to TV station KTLA: “After thoughtful consideration, we’ve made the very difficult decision to transition away from operating company-owned Sprinkles bakeries.”

Founder Candace Nelson shared her own thoughts about the news via a post on Instagram. After noting that she sold the business to private equity in 2012, Nelson stated she was disappointed by the decision.

“Even though I sold the company over a decade ago, I still have such a personal connection to it, and this isn’t how I thought the story would go. I thought Sprinkles would keep growing and be around forever,” she says in the clip.

The bakery had 20 locations in six states. In Dallas-Fort Worth, Sprinkles had a location at The Plaza at Preston Center in Dallas (4020 Villanova St.), and in Plano's Legacy West (7500 Windrose Ave.). While it had no brick-and-mortar stores in Fort Worth, there was a Sprinkles ATM at The Shops at Clearfork, as well as at DFW Airport, Southlake Town Square, the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, and at Galleria Dallas.

Sprinkles was widely credited for creating the cupcake craze of the late aughts and early 2010s. Founded by Nelson in 2005, the shop's treats elevated the form with high quality ingredients, a wide range of flavors, and the sort of eye-catching designs that would be now be described as Instagram-worthy — but Sprinkles predates the app’s creation.

It introduced a number of innovations, including a cupcake ATM to satisfy cravings 24-hours-a-day.

As for Nelson, she pivoted to Pizzana, an Italian-style pizzeria she co-founded with her husband Charles, actor Chris O’Donnell and his wife Caroline, and chef Daniele Uditi. The restaurant, which holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide for its original outpost in Los Angeles, has a Dallas location that opened in 2022 and a Houston store that opened in 2024.

closings news-you-can-eat desserts