One of Deep Ellum’s longest standing businesses, Deep Sushi, has closed.
Taped to the restaurant’s windows are hand-written “closed” signs, and its website, says “closed until further notice.” A Jan. 1 post on the restaurant’s Instagram page said the restaurant was shuttered for critical repairs and would remain so until Jan. 5.
It is unclear if Deep Sushi ever reopened, though, and the Google page for the business now says it is permanently closed.
In early December, an Instagram post from the restaurant encouraged diners to support Deep Ellum businesses and said “the bustling and busy nights have turned into dry and quiet nights.”
Eat Drink D-FW
A closed sign is posted in the door of Deep Sushi in Deep Ellum on Jan. 13, 2026, in Dallas.
Angela Piazza / Staff Photographer
Deep Sushi, which opened on Elm Street in 1996, was one of the first sushi restaurants in the neighborhood. When it opened, it served cooked dishes like roasted duckling and its sushi bar whipped up rolls like the spicy X Dragon Lady roll named after then- co-owner Tetsuji Yamaguchi’s ex-wife.
The restaurant weathered the many challenges Deep Ellum businesses have faced over the past few decades including an ever-evolving identity, economic doldrums, waves of increases in crime, waves of perceived increases in crime, street closures and the pandemic.
In the 30 years since Deep Sushi’s debut, Dallas’ sushi scene has also grown exponentially from scads of casual spots to some of the most expensive tasting menu restaurants the city has to offer, like Tatsu Dallas, which also calls Deep Ellum home.
This time of year is notoriously difficult for restaurants and trendlines reveal it to be a common period for restaurant closures, but industry experts say they are worried this year may bring more closures than years past.
It’s too early to say if more restaurants are closing this winter than in recent years, said Texas Restaurant Association president and CEO Emily Williams Knight, but there is one pattern unfolding.
“What we have seen is some very notable long-term restaurants close,” Knight told The Dallas Morning News.
Dallas recently lost one of its longtime restaurants when Morton’s The Steakhouse closed after nearly 40 years in business. Another one of the city’s mainstays, New York Sub, might close after 50 years in business if the owners cannot find a new location or a new owner.
Deep Sushi was located at 2624 Elm St., Dallas.