Chef Kevin Ashade wasn’t immediately sold on the downtown Dallas space that would become the new home of Pangea, the much-loved Garland restaurant that closed at the start of 2025. What convinced him wasn’t the building itself, four years ago the site of a vegan restaurant. It was the renderings from his professional design team. Once he saw what the restaurant could become, he said, he was sold on the potential.
Inside, Pangea’s aesthetic is meticulous but relaxed: varying sizes of natural clay vases line the walls of the main dining room, their colors shifting subtly between sand, terracotta, and cream. Basket-style cage lighting hangs overhead, softening the room with warm light. Outside, the patio feels almost resort-like: lush, inviting, layered with greenery and natural textures. Afro-house music hums in the background.
Later, as the dining room begins to fill during our impromptu interview, LL Cool J’s 1991 rap hit “Mama Said Knock You Out” drifts through my head—specifically the opening line: Don’t call it a comeback. Because Ashade calls this version of Pangea something else entirely…