<p>Aba, the Mediterranean restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, will open its first Dallas location in late 2026 at The Seam in the Design District.

Aba to Open at The Seam in Dallas’ Design District in Late 2026

In late 2026, Aba will make its Dallas debut at The Seam, the mixed-use development underway along Oak Lawn in the Design District. The restaurant, part of the Chicago-based hospitality group Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, will be the brand’s fourth location, joining Chicago, Austin and Nashville, and its first in North Texas.

Aba arrives with a clear point of view. Its rooms are arranged around light and greenery, organized to move easily between indoors and out. In other cities, that balance has become part of its identity. Dallas will follow suit, with dining rooms and bars that open into one another and event spaces designed to feel integrated rather than annexed.

The kitchen is led by the chef CJ Jacobson, whose cooking reflects a contemporary Mediterranean approach shaped by his California background. The structure of the menu is deliberate. Meals tend to begin with spreads and mezze, encouraging the table to assemble its own sequence, before moving toward larger plates.

House-made hummus anchors the opening offerings, joined by a range of spreads and both hot and cold mezze drawn from the Eastern Mediterranean repertoire. Kebabs and butcher cuts provide weight at the center of the menu, their seasoning measured rather than showy. Seasonal desserts often lean on fruit, nuts and olive oil, closing the meal with restraint.

The Dallas kitchen will incorporate ingredients shaped by local market availability, allowing the menu to reflect its setting without straying from the restaurant’s established framework. The aim is consistency with variation, not reinvention.

The beverage program continues the theme of exploration. Wines and spirits from lesser-known Mediterranean regions form the backbone of the list, offering alternatives to more familiar appellations. Cocktails tend toward citrus and herb-driven profiles, structured to accompany a progression of small plates as comfortably as grilled meats.

Design remains central to the concept. The Dallas location will feature large-scale Mediterranean olive trees, climbing ivy and a collection of locally sourced potted plants. Moroccan-style lanterns and vintage glass chandeliers will cast a muted light across leather seating, stone surfaces and mosaic tile. The effect is layered but controlled, with greenery serving as architecture as much as ornament.

Aba’s opening adds to the Design District’s steady evolution as a dining address. Long associated with galleries and design showrooms, the neighborhood has increasingly attracted restaurants that draw evening traffic and sustained attention. The Seam is expected to reinforce that shift, combining residential, retail and hospitality uses along this stretch of Oak Lawn.

For Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, founded in Chicago in 1971, the Dallas project represents another step in its Texas expansion. The family-owned group operates more than 100 restaurants nationwide across a range of formats, from fast casual to fine dining, each shaped by a distinct concept but unified by operational discipline.

When it opens at 1444 Oak Lawn, Aba will introduce a Mediterranean menu filtered through California sensibilities into a district still defining its culinary character. Its emphasis on shared plates, measured pacing and a room arranged around air and foliage suggests a restaurant built less for spectacle than for duration.

Location: The Seam, 1444 Oak Lawn, Dallas, TX 75207
Reservations and updates: https://www.abarestaurants.com/