Photo by Lillian Juarez
Goodsurf, a new beer garden and restaurant with a continuous stationary surfable wave generator, will open at the old Sandbar Cantina & Grill this summer in Deep Ellum.
The 35,000-square-foot venue at 317 S. Second Ave. will open on Thursday, June 20. Construction was set to begin on the site on South Second Avenue in June, with a targeted opening of mid-to-late first quarter of 2024.
The Deep Ellum location will be the first Goodsurf to open, owned and operated by Urban Entertainment Concepts; Lakewood neighbor Zach Shor and three business partners founded the company. Urban Entertainment Concepts owns the North American arm of Citywave, a surfing system that produces nonstop waves. Kids as young as 7 years old can surf on the Citywave, but it’s available for people of all ages with the signature of a waiver.
This is the first water park in Deep Ellum to open with a surfable large wave generator, bar, grill and pickleball court.
Photo by Lillian Juarez.
“Everything is better by the water,” Goodsurf CEO Zach Shor said in a release.
The Citywave has a balance bar that people can hold on to while they find their balance. When the bar is lifted, only one person can surf at a time. Up to six people can surf every 30 minutes, and individuals and groups will be able to pay to reserve a time to surf and learn from professionals.
In addition to Goodsurf, Shor has previously worked as COO at Topgolf and head of innovation at GameStop, while he and his business partners aren’t restaurateurs, they all understand hospitality which is the soul of the establishment.
For Shor — who grew up in Dallas — Deep Ellum was the obvious answer when considering a location for Goodsurf. It’s the creative and artistic soul of Dallas, a hub for nightlife and forward-thinking restaurants and bars. And the area complements the vision for Goodsurf, Shor previously told the Advocate.
Photo by Lillian Juarez.
Urban Entertainment Concepts partnered with Ring On Hook to develop a food and beverage menu that features Pan-American favorites to coastal Latin dishes with an Asian flair. Some offerings include carne asada tacos, spicy tuna nigiri, glazed salmon skewers and a crispy chicken sandwich.
The cocktail options at Goodsurf are eclectic and playful like the Dad Bod Margarita made with Socorro Blanco, watermelon puree, agave and lime, or the Stubborn Mule which is a frozen mule consisting of Tito’s, ginger syrup and lime juice.
On Wednesday, June 19, Goodsurf hosted a launch party so individuals could get a sneak peek of the surf venue before opening day. The event featured pickle ball, surf sessions with professional surfers and a DJ set by Red Bull.
The coastal-inspired design made some changes to the old Sandbar, but many elements have been maintained from the previous bar. Goodsurf isn’t too upscale and prioritizes lots of natural light use and outdoor seating.
“That’s really what Goodsurf is,” Shor said. “It’s the marriage of a best-in-class, unique food and beverage operation with one of the coolest ways to surf not in the ocean, and being able to the bring that to anybody, anywhere, any skill level and almost any age.”
