The Theodore

Finally a restaurant that makes you want to come to North Park Center.
Both the food and drinks were fantastic. The Beef Wellington, Brick Chicken and Crab Cakes were perfect. The Shellfish Stack looked tasty at the table next to ours. All the drinks ordered by our party were amazing. Now you can go to the mall for the purpose of eating and then shop instead of shopping and then eating by default. The décor of The Theodore makes you forget that you are at a mall. It’s a great restaurant! Definitely worth a visit!

Had lunch here with some girlfriends. Welcoming and cozy atmosphere, huge portions, and all of their bread is made in-​house. Interesting cocktail menu that I will have to look at if we go for dinner.
I ordered the potato leek soup (du jour) as a starter, and it was a little weak in consistency. However, the Coriander Crusted Chicken Pita made up for it. Generous portion of juicy chicken breast stuffed into delicious homemade pita that was soft and slightly buttery. There were also roasted carrots and zucchini ribbons stuffed inside, making it a well-​rounded, healthy meal (probably large enough for sharing).
The Catalina side salad was pretty boring — some lettuce leaves drizzled with orange Catalina dressing. It needed something more.
If you go for lunch on a Saturday or Sunday, you have the option of ordering from their brunch menu. One of my friends had the Breakfast Calzone and it was enormous — enough for at least two people. Everyone at the table who tasted it said it was delicious.
The rest of our group ordered salads, which looked fresh and quite tasty.
Service was friendly and the restaurant was not at all crowded in a Saturday afternoon. The hostess will also validate your parking if you valet right outside the door.

Not including discussions about «new restaurant fatigue» that plagues virtually all new concepts, The Theodore is pretty impressive.
I’ll start this review off by saying that I’ve only been here once, and I had a good experience. I don’t generally throw 5 star reviews around, especially when I only have one experience with a restaurant. This is no different.
That being said, while waiting for the Apple Store to fix the screen on my wayward iPhone, I was having a walk around North Park and found myself a bit hungry, as it was nearing lunch time on a Saturday morning. Finding myself in front of Kona and the Theodore, I decided to give it a whirl and provide a full report here.
The décor of the restaurant is preppy yet indie. This isn’t a bad thing – it has a unique, clean feel to it. Admittedly, it kind of feels like you are in a Wes Anderson movie (and you may well be, as you are in Dallas, for that matter). My server was quick to check in with me, and I asked him about a couple of different dishes, but elected to go with the brunch French toast, which was a French toast plate with peanut butter.
My server also added that after having the dish, he was more accepting of peanut butter on any dish where it may not have been as welcome before. (The cult of peanut butter has found another devotee!) Being fair, anything with peanut butter in my book is a «win.» But when he told me that the peanut butter drizzle was on their house-​cooked bread, and was garnished sparingly with crumbled Captain Crunch, I decided that the concoction was too much to pass up. I ordered one.
A few minutes later, my food came. The french toast could only be described as «freaking awesome.» The peanut butter played nicely on the thick, long house-​based bread slices, and the perfectly garnished Captain Crunch topping «really tied the dish together» (with all apologies to the Coen brothers and the Dude himself).
The only drawback – which legitimately is worth subtracting one star – was the price. These two slices of freaking awesome French toast set the author back about $ 17 if my memory serves me correctly. (However, this did include tip – I think the dish cost between $ 14 and $ 15 before tip.) Another drawback is one of my foodie friends mentioned that visiting here with his family resulted in a considerable amount of folly related to delivering food, and certain details around the dishes, but again, I believe this is all to be expected when a new restaurant concept is created.
In short, the price was steep, but the food was good, and the service was friendly and fairly fast (at least for me at this brunch.). In this regard, this «dude would definitely abide…»
In a word, the Theodore is worth a shot on one of your upcoming mall trips. Between waiting in a long line for breadwinners or Kona’s happy hour or eating at the Theodore, I’d gladly come here any day.

Went here for the first time with my sister for happy hour. LOVED the ambiance. The restaurant reminded me of a library. We sat at the bar side of the restaurant and it was chill. The happy hour here is great! We ordered 2 pizzas and they were larger than we thought. We LOVED the cocktails we ordered also. I like how all the bartenders looked presentable and were friendly. We could also tell they take their time on making the cocktails. I would give more stars but the service was just okay. Although they were friendly, we had to get their attention each time we wanted to order something or had a question. Other than that, I would definitely go back for their awesome drinks.

Beautiful restaurant I’m sure the full plates are good but sorry not enough variety and for the price they could give the bread free. Over priced and please reconsider and serve fries like every one does with a burger. Having said this I’m sure the cooks are great my burger was good but again the pricing and offering is off a little.
Cheers.

4.5 stars! This is a standout restaurant. One of my new favorite places to eat.
Let’s start with service… waiter, server front of house … all faultless. People checked in often to see if we liked what we got but were not intrusive which is a fine line to walk. Everyone seemed so proud of what they were serving.
The ambience… they walk the line between fine restaurant and upscale pub well. The waiters are dressed well and you can tell that they have been chosen well like in a fine restaurant. The setting is much more relaxed though. There is a buzz is the place which is cool and therefore the food surprises even more
The food… OMG the food! Delicious, sublime, yes. But more than that… innovative, fresh and interesting. I long for food like this. The bread is baked fresh in house and you can tell… its delicious. We tried a lot of food. The oysters were fresh and the accompaniments were appropriate and showed restraint. We had the buffalo style pork ribs. why has no one tried this before… what an innovative and delicious take on ribs. I had the lamb shank pie… umami heaven, rich and savory. One of the very best pies I have had… and this is the food I grew up on so its saying a lot. Only criticism, the side salad could do with a lot less raw onion. Hubby had the beef wellington, my guy is a beef man and he rarely fusses over how good food is. But did he ever go on about this beef. Said it was one of the best pieces of beef he ever had. I tried some and again… umami. delicious, rich, savory and the addition of fatty flavorful foie to a cut of meat that can be dry… genius!
I will be back, as often as I can. The person who put this meanu together is a true master.

When visiting a shopping mall, most people probably wouldn’t expect to find a fun, innovative, cocktail bar. The Theodore defies these expectations with ease, offering some of the most innovative cocktails we’ve ever had, whilst being located right next to several shops.
We tried the Bad Lands cocktail, which tasted great and evolved while drinking it, because it was chilled by a melting mulled wine spherical ice cube. Our second cocktail was the Everglades, which is a frozen delight and has just the right amount of ginger. (The addition of ginger pop rocks is a fun touch.)
To satisfy our munchies, we ordered their sourdough toast with white beans, leeks and ricotta. We had to add some pepper ourselves, but it was great when we did. So, serving great cocktails and neat side dishes, The Theodore makes for an ideal spot to unwind during your shopping spree.

This place is a great spot to forget that your still at the mall.
We went off new years eve for a few libations before going to our celebration spot and we’re very impressed with this place. It wasn’t very busy but that could be because the mall was closed. We sat at the bar and chatted up the tender about the evening and the menu. Very friendly staff and seemed like quite a professional operation.
The drink menu seemed like they were classics with a twist. The redwood was really like an updated sazerac. All very delicious and interesting.
We settled for a few bar snacks and choose the toast with the horseradish egg salad and the meatballs.
The toast was nice in the textures but a little bland when it came to the egg salad. We didn’t taste much horseradish and I would have liked a little truffle to complete the flavor profile.
The meatballs were Ballin. Served piping hot woth a lovely layer of cheesy goodness on top. Flavorful and tender with a nice zesty sauce to pair. Makes me want to come back and try the pizza.
Overall all this place is a great addition to the mall food scene and we are planning on going back. The menu is very eclectic and doesn’t really seem like it fits the decoration style of the restaurant. Maybe if I go back a few times it will make more sense.

We decided to hold a team dinner at the Theodore after a grueling day in meetings. The atmosphere is quite nice — beautifully appointed with unique decorations throughout. The staff was friendly and welcoming. The menu (both food and drink) was extensive with a truly nice variety. I ordered the halibut with mushrooms and vegetables in a broth for my dinner and really enjoyed it — light, fresh and flavorful. Our group ordered pizzas, the pork chop, pasta, the beef wellington, the burger, a salad with shrimp and everyone seemed pleased with their food. The serving sizes were generous, so several in the group took home leftovers for the next day. The Theodore is a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the mall. The bar looked very welcoming too… I’ll check that out next time I am in the mall.

My friends and I went for dinner on a weeknight. The place was empty, despite the holiday season. The décor was pretty simple, nothing too bizarre. I was running late, so my friends had ordered for me. I got the Shrimp Pasta, which they re-​made once I arrived because it had gotten cold. A very nice gesture of them! But the problem was the actual entrée. The noodles were cooked al dente, which I liked, but the sauce was so salty! It was an olive oil based sauce, so I had no clue why it was so salty, but I did not finish my dish. My friends enjoyed their dishes (Beef Wellington, Pepperoni, Garlic & Celery Pizza, and Burger on a Sweet Yeast Roll), but I am not sure if I will return.

Well it’s painful but I have to give this brand new spot a less than glowing review.
Claimed to be an atypical «mall» dining experience, The Theodore is a trendy Southern-​American restaurant in the old Lune De Noche spot. I recently wrote a good review of Ida Claire in Addison which I adore. However, I feel as if The Theodore is so similar to Ida Claire it hurts. Maybe they are secretly related to each other?
I’m willing to be a bit patient with a new restaurant trying to «work out the kinks» when just getting started. But things really just wore on me throughout the meal. First, we were told the wait was 10 minutes. No problem. But it was actually close to 40 minutes before we were seated. The hostess was incredibly distracted and after being told it’s time to be seated, 2 – 3 people had to ponder over who was going to seat us. Once seated, our server was nowhere to be found for 10 minutes. To give him some credit, he was incredibly nice, even if we did feel ignored half the meal.
On the food, it was 50 – 50. My pizza was bland but Chris’ swordfish sandwich was pretty good. However, the food is not good enough for the price point. There are way to many $ 30+ entrees on the menu for a restaurant that relies on mall traffic.
Sorry to say… I can’t endorse The Theodore. I was excited to try the place but I was left dissatisfied. The «kinks» need to be worked on before I return.

Stopped by here with a friend after some shopping. I would call the ambiance «hipster lite»; trendy but not too much so. I ordered a drink called the Yellowstone which was good, definitely not very sweet. It’s a frozen beverage that I found much more palatable once it had melted down a little (perhaps this is my fault for ordering a frozen beverage when it’s actually cold out for once). I was just in the mood for a snack so I ordered the house Catalina salad, which was meh. Personally I prefer my salad to come mixed up. This salad was not mixed, plus it seems like the «stuff» was all at the bottom of the plate. Which is fine but the plate was really too small to toss a salad on without making a huge mess. I didn’t even realize there was this weird gross pesto sauce thing until I got towards the bottom and it was really just.unpleasant. I made a mental note to check the menu again to see exactly what it was and it’s not mentioned. I have no idea what it was. But the salad would have also been much better without it. The menu also did not mention the beans in the salad. I’m fine with beans, it’s whatever, but these were cold little white beans and honestly they just really looked like little tiny animal testicles and I couldn’t deal with them. But I feel like there were two pretty main components that weren’t mentioned in the menu description, while «shaved carrots» made the cut. Weird.
My friend had a burger which she said was good. They have a lot of different options on the menu which sound intriguing. They also looked like they have a good selection of daily specials, which is always nice. I will say service was pretty outstanding. My friend and I were busy catching up and we didn’t feel rushed or like they were trying to get rid of us. In fact, the server refilled our water and iced teas multiple times, even after we had paid our bill. I hope I’ll be back sometime to try out some more of the menu and hopefully will be able to bump them up a star or two next time!

Can’t say enough about my experience here. After a trek of Christmas shopping in the hustle and bustle of North Park, I stopped with a friend to eat dinner at the Theodore. I had a fabulous roasted pheasant salad and a lemony Mesa Verde cocktail. Both were excellent and well balanced.
The meal was perfectly paced and leisurely. The whole restaurant is adorable, like a library in a turn of the century lodge. Perfectly executed Teddy Roosevelt theme. Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

Came here today for drinks and an appetizer. Reed, the bartender, was super helpful and sweet. My dinner companion and I each had a glass of red wine and we shared the meatballs. The wine was delightful but the protein lacked the meaty texture that I enjoy in a meatball. The texture made it taste very processed and not at all homemade, very disappointing. Alas, this is what I am used to in TX so I ate it. The atmosphere is cool and relaxed and everyone is super attentive. I’d definitely come back to have a full scale dinner, the menu looked really appetizing. They validated my parking which was cool since the mall was crazy packed.

The first time, I knew I was looking forward to it. The second time, I brought family and knew what to expect. The third time, I brought friends and we ate everything. You need to start off with the toasts (grab 2 or 3) and anything off the small plates. The lamb shank pot pie is almost too gorgeous to cut into and the meatballs, that you can find anywhere else, are meatballs you can’t find anywhere else.
Dallas has chef Scott Romano. Better yet, The Theodore has chef Scott Romano. You can’t find Beef Wellington anywhere in Dallas. At the Theodore it’s cooked medium rare with foie gras and all the peppercorn gravy one could need. This was what I ordered absolutely.
I love Northpark, it’s where I spend a day to just have fun and feel great. I’m so happy that this is here. The bar at the Theodore is my next great adventure.

I was generally unimpressed and myself would have given a rating of a 2, but other members of my group were impressed by the food, so I have it an extra star. Service was horrible. We had a reservation for 12 and we were sat almost 45 minutes after our reservation time. They pushed back our reservation 30 minutes when we confirmed earlier in the week to start with. We weren’t even sat until after 9 and we were not out of there until after 11:30. We felt like they we were waiting on us to leave, even though the long time was on their side.
The table we had was somewhat segregated in the bar. This was disappointing to me, because I never even got to see the dining room. The bar did have a good vibe about it. Everyone enjoyed their cocktails, but it took 15+ minutes to get drinks whether in the bar or even when we sat. They need more bartenders. I am pregnant so I did not drink and was often waiting on water.
When we finally were able to order appetizers they were out of two top choices, very disappointed. We got the crispy thighs, I thought it was okay, nothing really special, but some others thought it was fantastic. They brought most the appetizers out together but forgot one which came out by the time the rest of us were done. I also thought it was odd that they have a bakery and we never got bread, although we did see it on several tables.
To me, the menu is odd. There are some upscale items, but then its largely salads, sandwiches, and pizzas. I wasn’t really sure what they were going for, maybe better for a lunch spot. They also were just about out of beef wellington. I wasn’t very hungry so I just got a salad with lavender and cheese. I really didn’t taste much lavender. I wish the menu would have said what cheeses were in it, being pregnant I could not eat several of them. The salad was beautifully presented and had good flavor. The salads in my opinion are large as starters but really need meat to make them a full meal. The pizzas are large, the other entrees didn’t appear to have much in the way of sides, pretty much a carb but no or limited veggies.
I might give it another try for drinks or lunch, but overall thought its overhyped and overpriced, a little confused and needs huge work on service.

The Theodore is an American restaurant located inside North Park Mall. Make no mistake, this is no food court restaurant. This is a true, local chef driven eatery that will provide one of the best breaks away from the mall. Whether you’ve come to North Park to shop or eat, the Theodore is worth a visit.
My Overall Rating — 3 ½ Stars (Atmosphere, Food, Return)
Atmosphere — Yes, it’s in a mall. But it also occupies a large space and allows for some very unique attributes. If you’re casually walking in the mall, you can get a look at their open bakery where they’re baking fresh sourdough bread hourly. Inside was also unique. The Theodore gives off an historical vibe. It feels like you’re in a library with hidden rooms throughout. There’s also a large bar if you just want to grab a drink. It would have been cool as a standalone restaurant. The fact that it’s in a mall makes is even more impressive. 1 Star.
Service — Slow on a Sunday lunch/​brunch. Our server was extremely nice, but they were incredibly slow from beginning to end. While we were seated immediately, we wait quite a while to get our order in, food, etc. Our area was pretty full, so it appeared they may have been short staffed. I noticed similar experiences in other reviews. No Star.
Food — The open bakery drew us in and the menu highlights this area. The Theodore features a number of «toasts». This is a slice of toasted sour dough topped with multiple items. We went with the ham\egg salad toast. While it’s called toast for good reason, the egg salad was fantastic & made a lasting impression. Light, fluffy, slightly tart, a perfect topping on toasted sourdough. The brunch menu made a breakfast burger available. Wow. I thought I was getting a standard breakfast sandwich dressed like a burger. But this was a true burger. The patty was seasoned ground pork but wasn’t too salty. Not as juicy as beef, but when topped with a sunny side egg you don’t need it to be. The toasted egg roll soaked up the yolk and disintegrated into my plate, but I switched to a fork and ended what was left. Finally, our pepperoni & celery pizza was good. The crust was thin but firm. Topped with fresh basil & parmesan it was a hit with the kids and is mall-​friendly. Overall a worthy meal. 1 ½ Star.
Will I Return? — Yes. My family goes to North Park twice a month so a return visit is a no brainer. Would I return if it were a standalone restaurant? Honestly I probably wouldn’t, but because there’s a mall I know I grab a good meal AND new underwear. 1 Star.
My Unilocal Rating Scale (Sum of all parts):
1 Star — Atmosphere — Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I’ll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm.
1 Star — Service — You can have a great meal with bad service. But that’s also what can make a five-​star joint drop to four. It’s important to the dining experience that service is great and on point.
2 Stars — Food — I’ll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it’s really all about the food.
1 Star — Will I come back? — If I know for a fact I’ll return, I’ll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return.
Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Unilocal score.

I rarely come to this mall, but found myself here on Saturday so popped in here for drinks. We found a table in the bar area. The bar is nice and big and lots of liquors. I chose one of their cocktails, the Yosemite. It was blueberry and some other stuff with vodka. I loved it. It was very light and smooth. Would make a great summer drink. We split the sausage and mushroom pizza. Was delightful. The toppings were great.
I would definitely have no problem checking this place out again!

A good variety of mall restaurants and cuisines are an essential part of my existence. I was excited to see The Theodore. Finally stopped by this week (open 2 weeks). I didn’t know what to expect from the name nor décor. The décor is quirky but there is also a bright, neon lit side with a pizza/​bread kitchen that doesn’t seem to fit. I thought maybe they served American cuisine with maybe pizza as their specialty (??) I wasn’t sure.
We were seated immediately. The menu is pretty simple… salads, sandwiches, bread course with toppings, small and full plates
We ordered our appetizer and entrees at the same time. It to our food a long time to come out. Clams came about 30 min after we ordered. Would hv been nice to hv complimentary bread while we wait. The clams were over cooked… very rubbery but the broth was really tasty. Our entrees came out maybe 20 – 25 minutes after we were finished. The burger was huge and juicy and my daughter enjoyed it. She ordered the salad but it was just lettuce with a drizzle so we ordered chips. LOVED THE HOUSE MADE CHIPS. the breaded veal cutlet was cooked just right and the breading was crispy without being greasy. There is a cognac drizzle and roasted garlic and shallots… it was very complimentary to the herbed spatzle. I was skeptical at first glance but once u taste it all together… it works.
My visit was ok. All the staff was friendly and awesome. The food was fine. It’s new. I think I will give them another try in a couple months to see how things have come together.

Walking into the restaurant you get a sense of the quirkiness. It’s more of a contemporary cabin lodge, if that even makes sense. The seating is not traditional. There are hidden nooks and crannies everywhere. We happened to get seated by what seemed to be a bookshelf. That was until the waiter slide the shelves a part and surprise an entire seating area. I thought that was pretty cool. We found out quickly the fireplace is for show, because no heat was coming from it. It would have been nice because it was cold.
I can honestly say I didn’t have any high or low expectations when my friend and I chose to eat at The Theodore. It’s a new restaurant and it’s only been open maybe a good two weeks. So you come to terms that the service may be slow, the waiters may not know the menu, etc… etc…etc.
Well colored me surprise when our waiter knew the menu. He was able to make suggestions and steer us away from items we may not like. So to start we ordered cocktails and sourdough toast. My initial drink was the Badlands. Let me say this drink is very strong. So strong I had to switch to the Yosemite. Good grief the burning in my chest was not cool. The sourdough toast was very yummy. It had shrimp, pepperoni, celery and this awesome marinara sauce. I really could have had that as my meal.
Our main entrée were the fish of the day (Fluke) and create your own pizza. My friend through enjoyed her fish. So much so she didn’t want to leave not single piece of it. I decided to play it safe and order pizza. It was pesto sauce, mozzarella, chicken and mushrooms. It was pretty tasty. I had no complaints.
Overall, I had pretty good experience. I wouldn’t say I need to rush back to eat here either. If I happen to be in the mall it’s nice to know this is new option.