Is Salt Bae’s Lavish Steakhouse Ever Actually Going to Open in Dallas?

Nusr-Et Steakhouse, the over-the-top restaurant from social media star and Turkish restaurateur Nusret “Salt Bae” Gökçe, has set yet another opening date, but don’t be surprised if it gets pushed back yet again.

An update to Nusr-Et Steakhouse’s Google listing indicates that it is set to open its doors on Friday, March 5. In the works since at least 2017, when Gökçe shared photos of himself scoping out locations for the restaurant on Instagram, Nusr-Et’s debut has been plagued with delays. A year later, in 2018, he finally chose the restaurant’s location at 1900 Pearl Street in the Dallas Arts District. In 2019, job postings for Nusr-Et indicated that the restaurant would open in “summer 2019.” Of course, none of those dates ever brought the actual opening of the restaurant.

Delaying opening dates continued throughout 2020, too. Last year, a former rep for the restaurant told Eater that the steakhouse would open in mid-November. That date was later pushed back to mid-February 2021 for as-yet-unexplained reasons, and Nusr-Et Steakhouse still hasn’t opened its doors. Last month, PaperCity reported that it would open on February 27, which obviously did not happen.

That, of course, could have something to do with the fact that the restaurant is currently suing — and being sued — by the general contractor on the project, BengeTexas. The duo of lawsuits allege everything from fraudulent diversion of money from the construction project funds to former Nusr-Et employee Steve Regan, breach of contract, and fraudulent misrepresentation. In a filing with the court on March 22, Regan denied all of the allegations, and asked the court to remove him from the lawsuit based on jurisdictional issues.

In February, Eater also reported that the restaurant allegedly owes thousands of dollars to other contractors on the space at 1900 Pearl, according to multiple liens filed against the project.

And it doesn’t appear that these delays are related to construction woes or permitting issues. In February, Nusr-Et contractor Jim Benge, who is currently suing Nusr-Et for more than $900,000 in unpaid bills, told Eater that the restaurant was complete, at least in a construction sense. “There’s tablecloths on the tables and it’s ready to go,” Benge said, while noting that the restaurant already had the permits it needs to open.

The lawsuits involving Nusr-Et Steakhouse are still pending, though a hearing that could result in the dismissal of Nusr-Et’s lawsuit is set for March 29. Maybe the restaurant will be open by then.

Eater has reached out for more details on if March 5 is, in fact, the actual opening date. Stay tuned for an update.

• Salt Bae’s Dallas Steakhouse Is Already Embroiled in Legal Drama — and It Isn’t Even Open Yet [EDFW]
• The Arrival of Instagram Star Salt Bae’s Long-Awaited Dallas Steakhouse Is Imminent [EDFW]