Local Family Brings BBQ Back to Lovers Lane Neighborhood
Good things come to those who wait, the saying goes. That’s good news for the throngs of us who missed proximity to great barbecue after Sonny Bryan’s closed its Lover’s Lane location in May 2022.
Almost three years to the day, a second location of the award-winning Ten 50 BBQ will open in that same spot.
Ten50 BBQ’s new store is slated to open in early May and will serve craft barbecue and classic sides all made on the premises.
“We would not have taken this space if we couldn’t cook all our own food here,” owner Preston Evans said. “That’s really important to us.”
The 3,300 square-foot Lover’s Lane location has the same smoking capacity as Ten50’s 14,000 square-foot Richardson location.
How?
“It’s a bit of a maze back there,” in the kitchen he said.
But two M&M BBQ Company MM1000 smokers are installed front and center of the restaurant and fed with Post Oak to perfectly smoke prime brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, turkey, sausage, and torpedoes — addictive smoked jalapeños stuffed with either brisket or chicken.
House-made sides include brisket baked beans, potato salad, corn on the cob, yeast rolls, and five cheese macaroni. The only food not produced at this location are desserts —key lime pie, chocolate pie, and the best-selling banana pudding, which are made in the Richardson location’s specially equipped bakery. Ten50 also serves beer, wine, margaritas and plenty of non-alcoholic beverages.
Ten50’s Dallas location will seat 74 guests and crank out catering orders for Ten50’s thriving catering business. The décor is west Texas-inspired with white oak, concrete, and steel to create a subtle backdrop for the food to really shine.
Preston was clear that the company wanted a bit more elevated appearance than some of the more rustic barbecue restaurants in the market.
This is a homecoming of sorts for him. He grew up in Devonshire and, with his family, frequented Sonny Bryan’s. Preston’s late father is John T. Evans, a legendary figure in commercial real estate in a city filled with them. Preston’s mother, Debbie, is the majority owner of Ten50 BBQ which the Evans family opened in 2014 at 1050 North Central Expressway in Richardson.
John T. Evans started in commercial real estate in the mid-70s and quickly became an expert in restaurant brokerage as Dallas’ restaurant scene took off.
“He was happy to be in the restaurant space,” Preston said of his father who died in 2019. “He loved the energy and spent his whole career working with restaurant operators.”
The family had plans to expand Ten50 before John died.
It’s taken a few years, but the right space takes time and, fortunately, the time has come. Since Sonny Bryan’s closing, the barbecue segment has been unrepresented in this part of town.
“We are so thrilled to be able to serve families in this area,” Preston said. His mom still lives in Briarwood and with Devonshire and the neighborhoods west of the Tollway thriving, he’ll have plenty of them to serve.
Ten50 BBQ Dallas is located at 5519 W. Lover’s Lane in Dallas.
Kersten Rettig, a freelance writer with leadership experience in the food and travel industries, lives in the Park Cities, where she is known as “the restaurant sherpa” for her recommendations. Follow her on Instagram @KerstenEats.
