Alligator Café is coming to the former Frankie’s Little Europe space in Casa Linda, and owner Ivan Pugh hopes to open the second location of his popular Cajun restaurant by November 1.
The original Alligator Café at Live Oak and Carroll has been a best-kept secret in East Dallas for years. The new location will have the same tried-and-true menu as the original plus baby-back ribs, pulled pork, crab claws, voodoo jambalaya and more. “We’re adding more pork dishes to the menu to make it more Creole, plus a full bar, more jazz and blues bands, and a patio,” Pugh says. Pugh describes the intended atmosphere as that of a “nice restaurant in the French Quarter.”
A Woodrow Wilson High School alumnus, Pugh is considering a move back into East Dallas, and he can’t wait to return. “I chose this location because I liked the look of the building and the area’s high traffic,” Pugh says. “This one is going to be even better than the first. This gets my creative juices flowing … You’ve got to keep going further in life, and I’ve been bored.”
