A couple of comeback kids: Chan Thai & Pho 88 and Ten Bells Tavern reopened despite unexpected obstacles

Suddenly, the lease was up. Not right away, but they knew the end was coming.

That’s what happened to neighborhood staples Chan Thai & Pho 88 and Ten Bells Tavern.

First, it was Chan Thai & Pho 88. The two shops were formerly located on West Seventh Street.

That was until 2021, when owners Claudia and Rogelio Baez learned that new concepts were moving in, and their lease would not be renewed.

A similar story came for Ten Bells Tavern, except it was a bulldozer to make space for new apartments.

Owners Meri Dahlke and Michael Hickey learned the plans for this new development around 2019, before the pandemic and before their lease actually ended. Doors finally closed in April 2022. After planning to remain open until that July, the block had to be vacated sooner than expected, according to a Ten Bells Tavern Facebook post.

Like most stories in Dallas, it really boils down to the real estate. Two local staples were almost gone for good, yet each made a comeback just minutes away from where they once stood.

Chan Thai had been operating since 2000, with Pho 88 opening about a decade ago.

Day-one servers of Chan Thai, Claudia and Rogelio Baez, bought the restaurants from the original owners about nine years ago. That was when Chan Thai & Pho 88 became the family restaurant, son Alex Baez says.

Surprisingly, Baez says that 2020 happened to be one of the best years they’ve had at the restaurants because their existing delivery system was pretty popular in the pandemic.

The lack of lease renewal in 2021 put a damper on their new journey and success. That year to year and a half was what he describes as the worst time for his family.

Because the original location technically had two spaces, Baez remembers his parents asking if they could keep one of the spaces.

The response was yes, but only for six more months.

“I remember us being so confused, but also so sad. It was pouring rain outside, and I could see my dad sitting outside on a chair just crying. That’s the best way I can describe the situation,” Baez says. “We didn’t know what to do.”

The light at the end of the tunnel was finally finding a new location that felt right. Claudia was taking a walk around our neighborhood when a two-story pecan tree at one end of a West Davis property inspired her.

“My parents just looked up and thought it was closed, and then my mom saw the tree, and she fell in love with the tree, and then from there, we got in contact with the landlord here, which we didn’t know my parents had known for years,” Baez says. “So everything ended up working together and working out. We stayed in the area, and then we moved over here, and it took about six to nine months to open the new spot.”

After closing in September 2021, the newly combined Chan Thai & Pho 88 was able to reopen in March 2022.

Each concept still has its own distinct menu.

The Chan Thai menu serves appetizers like a bowl of edamame ($5.95), soups like the coconut milk-based tom kha gai ($8.95) that can add a choice of chicken, shrimp or tofu, and noodle dishes like pad key mow ($14.95) that can come at the spice levels of one through six.

The Pho 88 menu includes steamed rice plates ($12.95), the chef special ($14.99-$19.99) that comes in a clay pot topped with stir-fried bell peppers, white onions, carrots, broccoli, a choice of protein and choice of sauce. And of course, the pho that comes with a variety of protein options, vegetarian and kids’ versions available for $6.95-$14.95.

“I feel like it’s always been that way, but it was very like, ‘Oh, Chan Thai was its own thing, and then Pho 88 was it’s own thing before when we were over there,’” he says. “I think now it’s just like one big restaurant where the way I view it is, it’s like me inviting everybody to my parents’ house, and my parents just happen to cook really good Thai food.”

Chan Thai & Pho 88, 436 W. Davis St., 214.948.9956

Ten Bells Tavern

The original Ten Bells Tavern opened in June 2012, nearly lasting a decade in one spot.

“That monstrosity of apartments you see right there,” manager Patrick Saldivar says, referencing to the apartments on the back side of today’s location. “The owner of the land didn’t want to renew it because they were selling it to the developer to make those apartments.”

With the Ten Bells Tavern closure, Dahlke and Hickey weren’t gone from the dining scene right away. But, it wasn’t always the plan to bring Ten Bells Tavern back.

Hickey was working on a couple of other spots in Deep Ellum and Arlington. They also owned Eight Bells Alehouse near Fair Park. When Ten Bells Tavern closed, Hickey says the goal was to shift focus on increasing Eight Bells Alehouse’s profitability.

However, Eight Bells Alehouse then closed due to damage caused by the February 2022 freeze.

“The back wall was falling off. And it wasn’t a good market still there,” Hickey says. “So we just cut bait.”

The landlords who owned the West Seventh Street Ten Bells Tavern also owned the property now housing version two of Ten Bells Tavern.

“The landlord came to us and told us about this property, and we thought, you know what, it seemed like a great idea to revive in this spot literally across the alley from where it was,” Hickey says.

Once it was decided to bring Ten Bells Tavern back, Saldivar says the plan was for it to be open a year after it closed. That year turned into three.

“We had to turn the house into a remodel because this area, with this house – and specifically this side of the street – is historical, so we couldn’t tear it down,” Hickey says. “Which would’ve saved us a lot of time and money because it was a wreck, like an absolute wreck.”

The Tardis-like blue, century-old house on West Eighth Street now is filled with a remodel that “keeps the same feel as the original.”

The new location kept the same menu and continued the tradition of the weekend special that starts each Thursday night.

“That is, if we ever want to, that’s our testing with how does a dish serve,” Hickey says.

Main plates include sandwiches, wraps, fish, cheese quesadillas, chicken fried steak and the Ten Bells’ Burger ($15) served with onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo, mustard, and American, cheddar or Swiss cheese paired with house made-fries. There are also smaller plates, such as mac and cheese ($10), burger sliders ($14), and the eight jumbo wings ($12) with the choice of two sauces from Ten Bells original, lemon pepper, spicy BBQ, buffalo, garlic parmesan and plain.

One change Hickey mentioned is that in the new location they utilize the space better.

“And it’s been really well received. I mean, a lot of regulars and workers, they really come out so it’s been nice,” he says.

Ten Bells Tavern, 231 W. Eighth St. 214.943.2677