Pork belly at Locura Small Bites, which is open on Samuell Boulevard. Photo courtesy of Locura Small Bites.
Laura Carrizales and Mel Arizpe opened Locura Small Bites in West Dallas in February 2020.
Weeks later, Dallas shut down because of the pandemic.
The restaurant, set up for to-go service, survived the hard times. But when businesses began opening up, the landlord of the restaurant property was about to raise rents, so Locura decided to move.
Carrizales, who has worked in restaurants for 20 years, and Arizpe, who has a degree in sociology but also has experience in the industry, started doing pop-ups, catering and private events, beginning April 2021. They were serving elote, Mexican-style street corn, before it became common on local menus.
A friend told the two, who met each other through a karaoke competition, about a space in East Dallas, on Samuell Boulevard. (They represented the United States at the Karaoke World Championships in Helsinki in 2018, earning the bronze medal; they performed songs by Tina Turner, Adele and Reba McEntire. They also sang in the Mi Diva Loca cover band.)
Carrizales and Arizpe were able to make a deal with the landlord, DeLeon Provisions, to coordinate times to use the kitchen. DeLeon Provisions, which bought the old Keller’s Drive-In site to open a family-friendly food park, uses the space during the day, and Locura is open in the late afternoon and evenings.
Mel Arizpe and chef Laura Carrizales, co-owners of Locura Small Bites. Photo courtesy of Locura Small Bites.
Locura has a smaller menu because it’s just starting up at the new location.
“Only the greatest hits is what we’re doing right now, and then we’re going to slowly add in what we’re able to,” Carrizales says.
They want to have a Sunday brunch special sandwich made with concha, a Mexican bread, and fried corn, she says, as well as bone marrow elote one day a week.
They’re known for their truffle elote, and the pork belly with chimichurri is another popular order.
Locura is open 4-9 p.m. Thursday-Sunday at 3766 Samuell Blvd., near Tenison Park Golf Course.
Will Carrizales and Arizpe be showcasing their musical talents at their new location?
“It’s possible,” they say.
Traditional elote from Locura Small Bites. Photo courtesy of Locura Small Bites.
