El Molino opening second Dallas location Aug. 10

El Molino will open its second Dallas location on Monday, August 10, at Preston Royal Shopping Center, according to reports published this week. The restaurant, part of Vandelay Companies, is taking over the former Anchor Sushi Bar space at 6025 Royal Ln., Ste. 250. CultureMap Dallas reported the opening on Wednesday, and other local outlets said the date came from a company release. The opening gives El Molino a second foothold in Dallas less than a year after the concept debuted in Snider Plaza. CultureMap said the first location built a following around wood-fired fajitas and flaming margaritas, while People Newspapers described the new Preston Royal site as a larger-format outpost with an expanded menu. ### Which space is El Molino taking over in Preston Royal? (dallas.culturemap.com) The new restaurant is moving into the former Anchor Sushi Bar location at 6025 Royal Ln., Ste. 250, in Preston Royal Shopping Center. CultureMap and People Newspapers both identified that address and said the sushi restaurant previously occupied the space. Anchor Sushi Bar’s Preston Royal location closed in May. (dallas.culturemap.com) People Newspapers reported that the restaurant, also a Vandelay concept, shut that outpost before the company moved ahead with the El Molino conversion. Dallas Observer reported in May that the Preston Royal Anchor Sushi Bar would close on May 31 and be replaced by El Molino later in the summer. ### How fast is El Molino expanding in Dallas? CultureMap said the Preston Royal opening comes about 10 months after El Molino first opened in Snider Plaza. That timeline makes the new site an early expansion for a concept that local outlets say quickly gained traction in Dallas. People Newspapers said the second location will include an expanded menu, while CultureMap said the brand had already picked up a nomination for Best New Restaurant in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. (peoplenewspapers.com) Those reports tied the expansion to the response at the original restaurant rather than to a broader national rollout. ### What is El Molino known for? (dallas.culturemap.com) CultureMap described El Molino as a Dallas Mexican restaurant centered on wood-fired fajitas in a cozy, upscale setting. The same report said the restaurant became known for flaming margaritas alongside its fajita-focused menu. FSR and other pickup reports, citing the company announcement, said the Preston Royal restaurant will bring the same El Molino format to North Dallas. (dallas.culturemap.com) Those reports described the concept as part of Vandelay Companies’ continuing growth in Texas and beyond, though the local reporting focused on the Dallas opening itself. ### Who is behind the restaurant? (dallas.culturemap.com) Vandelay Companies is the operator behind El Molino, according to CultureMap, People Newspapers and other reports on the opening. The same reports said Anchor Sushi Bar was also part of the Vandelay portfolio, making the Preston Royal move a replacement within the same restaurant group rather than a transfer to a new landlord or outside operator. (fsrmagazine.com) Dallas Observer reported in May that Vandelay planned to keep its Knox Street Anchor Sushi Bar in operation while converting the Preston Royal site. That left the company with one Anchor Sushi location in Dallas as it prepared the second El Molino opening. ### What happens next for diners? Monday, August 10, is the scheduled opening date for the Preston Royal restaurant, according to CultureMap, People Newspapers and other local reports. (dallas.culturemap.com) The new El Molino will open at 6025 Royal Ln., Ste. 250, in the former Anchor Sushi Bar space at Preston Royal Shopping Center. (dallasobserver.com)