{"id":316828,"date":"2025-10-19T20:35:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T20:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/316828\/"},"modified":"2025-10-19T20:35:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T20:35:19","slug":"longtime-dallas-bar-bulldozed-at-prime-uptown-intersection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/316828\/","title":{"rendered":"Longtime Dallas bar bulldozed at prime Uptown intersection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Dallas nightclub Sambuca was bulldozed into heap of debris at McKinney Avenue and N. Pearl Street in Uptown. <\/p>\n

Two excavators remained on the property at the Uptown Dallas intersection across from the Crescent development and the Ritz-Carlton Dallas on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. <\/p>\n

Part of Sambuca\u2019s brick structure is slouched onto the pavement, but much of the former building has already been hauled away by Lloyd D. Nabors Demolition, the Dallas-area company that knocked down Valley View Mall<\/a>, the \u201cLeaning Tower of Dallas\u201d<\/a> and others.<\/p>\n

Sambuca on McKinney Avenue closed in early 2018. But its memory lived on: It was a dinner-and-a-show restaurant, a model that\u2019s rare in Dallas today.<\/p>\n

Restaurant News<\/p>\n

Get the scoop on the latest openings, closings, and where and what to eat and drink.<\/p>\n

By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Excavators<\/p>\n

Excavators are parked at 2120 McKinney Avenue in Dallas, the former site of Sambuca jazz bar.<\/p>\n

Angela Piazza \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Sambuca opened in 1991 in Deep Ellum as a jazz club and a place to spot a celebrity after a show, like when Harry Connick, Jr. and Rod Stewart\u2019s band stopped in. Models and movie producers hung out at the Elm Street haunt, too, according to Dallas Morning News archives.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A pile of rubble, the formerly vacant Sambuca, sits in the shadow of Hotel Crescent Court on McKinney Avenue in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Chase Hanna<\/p>\n

The bar moved to a \u201cmuch larger structure on McKinney Avenue,\u201d The News reported in 2004. The restaurant was draped in red velvet, crystal chandeliers and gold. It was praised for its \u201csexy\u201d look and covered patio with views of Pearl Street. In addition to the food, music and occasional celebrity sightings in Uptown, Sambuca was also \u2014 amusingly \u2014 the site of auditions for Gordon Ramsay\u2019s Hell\u2019s Kitchen in 2005.<\/p>\n

By Sambuca\u2019s 20th birthday in 2011, founders Kim and Holly Forsythe had grown the brand to Nashville, Houston and Plano. <\/p>\n

Sambuca 360 remains open in Plano, but it appears Sambucas in other cities have closed. <\/p>\n

Sambuca history: From Deep Ellum to Uptown Dallas<\/p>\n

\"InView Gallery<\/p>\n

Before Sambuca shuttered in Uptown Dallas in 2018, the Dallas Observer reported the building had \u201cmajor plumbing and foundation issues<\/a>\u201d that led to a lawsuit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/p>\n

At McKinney Avenue and N. Pearl Street in Dallas, the former Sambuca is a pile of bricks and debris as of Oct. 19, 2025.<\/p>\n

Chase Hanna<\/p>\n

Kim Forsythe, who built a 30-year dinner-theater business with Sambuca<\/a>, didn\u2019t respond to an immediate request for comment. <\/p>\n

Neither did the Trammell Crow representative listed on the city of Dallas permit for the demolition.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t clear yet what will happen to this nearly razed piece of land on one of Uptown Dallas\u2019 most prominent corners. A MetLife spokesman declined to comment on Sambuca\u2019s demolition.<\/p>\n

Sambuca (which has been closed since 2018) was at 2120 McKinney Ave., Dallas.<\/p>\n

Are you interested in historic Dallas restaurants? Read on.<\/p>\n

\"Customers<\/a>After nearly 40 years, Elaine\u2019s Kitchen in South Dallas is closing<\/a><\/p>\n

The Jamaican restaurant\u2019s last day in business will be Oct. 18.<\/p>\n

\"Lamb<\/a>In place of Dallas\u2019 longtime Morton\u2019s steakhouse, a new upscale restaurant will open soon<\/a><\/p>\n

The former executive chef of The Palm is returning to Dallas to open a steakhouse on McKinney Avenue.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>Campo Verde, a Christmas paradise near Arlington, to close; restaurant will be renovated<\/a><\/p>\n

The last day the more than 50,000 Christmas lights will shine will be on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2025.<\/p>\n

\"Nearly<\/a>One of Dallas\u2019 oldest seafood shops is getting a tiny upstairs bar<\/a><\/p>\n

Visitors to this New Orleans den in Dallas will find snacks like steak tartare and caviar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Dallas nightclub Sambuca was bulldozed into heap of debris at McKinney Avenue and N. Pearl Street in…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":316829,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,52560,1596,28968,975,4329,9733,988,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,20239,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-316828","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-bars-and-cocktails","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-historic-restaurants","12":"tag-music","13":"tag-real-estate","14":"tag-restaurant-news","15":"tag-restaurants","16":"tag-texas","17":"tag-tx","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-uptown-dallas","23":"tag-us","24":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115402751258810123","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}