Victory Social Is Way More Than Dallas’s Latest Food Hall | Eater Dallas
"Led by Josh Harmon — recognizable by his booming voice, rattail finishing out a mullet, and minimalistic tattoos — and partner Kevin Lillis (who, the piece notes, “looks like Pete Buttigieg if you squint a little”), the project is a chef-driven, DIY food-hall reimagining run without outside investors: the two owners “own the IP on all the restaurant concepts” and Harmon oversees the kitchens. The space intentionally allows guests to either walk up to each station and order or sit and receive full service, with everyone at the table free to order from any stall. Concepts include Rise & Thyme (breakfast); Birdie (Harmon’s chicken-sandwich shop); Itza Cocina (Tex‑Mex, heavy on tacos and influenced by Harmon’s time at Purpecha); Park Bistro (soup and sandwich); D’oro Italiano (traditional Italian); and Victory Grill, which features classic Harmon recipes from the long‑defunct Junction and LTO Kitchen. There is one central kitchen where everything is prepared with Harmon at the helm; Lillis calls it a kitchen full of “killers,” noting staff who’ve worked at Monarch, Georgie, Quarter Acre, Lucia, and local legend Stephan Pyles’ various endeavors. Beverage offerings include some 25 wines by the glass, custom cocktails, draft beers, and “packaged” drinks (canned beers and canned millennial faves like High Noon); happy hour is half off drafts, beers, and house wines Monday–Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. Harmon has also curated an evening rotating menu: Eater Dallas sampled the Original JCK Steak Tartare — a tartare that sits on top of an egg yolk in the basket (a breakfast conceit of an egg cooked in a piece of toast) — presented with the yolk left uncooked so the diner “cuts all the way through the tartare to get to the egg underneath,” finished with a tallow fat aioli to enhance the beef. He also serves a snackable take on deviled eggs: stuffed eggs with bacon pâté and a dusting of berbere spice paired with a puri bite filled with trout rillettes that he describes as “a gusher” (they are, eat with caution). The space includes a private dining room for reservations where diners can let Harmon and staff cook to order or give direction (he welcomes challenges such as recreating grandma’s cake), plus a customized serving station that routes directly into the central kitchen to increase opportunities to interact with the chef. The founders position the project as an affordable, DIY alternative to conventional food halls — shaped in part by past lessons from larger halls and corporate deals (Lillis observed that “The Exchange was built for speed”) — and Harmon frames his approach as chef-focused: “I liked being part of the coolest food hall in Dallas,” he says, and when the model shifted he preferred to walk away rather than compromise that focus. Opening dates are reported in the piece as Thursday, November 7 (initial announcement) and later November 9, and the location is listed at 2323 Victory Ave." - Courtney E. Smith
