Chris Zielke and Christopher Jeffers had a vision for Oak Cliff. They opened their restaurant, Bolsa, in 2008, and in short order, it has become a game-changer for the Bishop Arts District. Now the restaurateurs are on to the next phase: sibling specialty market Bolsa Mercado. Here you’ll find shelves full of gourmet finds, with many things made in-house and/or procured locally. Stop by in the morning and find the shop fragrant with fresh coffee from Deep Ellum’s Well Coffee Roasters and kolaches and pastries by local baker Lily Hanson. Gourmet-to-go offerings include salads and sandwiches, along with a juice bar.
Around supper time, chef Jeff Harris offers Bolsa Mercado’s dinner for two: a warm-up-and-serve sacked dinner with revolving choices such as duck confit quesadillas. Zielke recognizes the significance of opening this kind of specialty store south of the Trinity. “This certainly isn’t Uptown,” he says. “But we’re being forward-thinking with Bolsa Mercado, betting on the continued growth of Oak Cliff. It’s a labor of love.”
