Popular Plano restaurant Mexican Bar Company to spin off sibling

An acclaimed Mexican restaurant in Plano is expanding: Mexican Bar Company, which has been a bright spot at The Shops at Willow Bend for eight years, will open a second location in Allen at 800 Shelby Dr. in Sloan Corners, a master-planned community from the Billingsley Company located at the intersection of SH-121 and US-75.

The Mexican Bar Company is from Brian Dunne, a hospitality industry veteran from the northeast who has run many restaurants and bars. He opened the original Mexican Bar Company in 2018 — part of an initiative to draw customers to The Shops at Willow Bend.

The restaurant has shone as one of the standout success stories and is among the few businesses that will remain during a major transformation at Willow Bend, which closed in August, into a mixed-use destination incorporating a new arena that would become the future home of the Dallas Stars.