There could not have been a better blend of the perfect location + the perfect tenant: Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen recently opened in McKinney’s historical downtown district in what was once an old gas station. Now the 80-year-old building boasts American cuisine with a bit of Texas flavor thrown in for good measure.
In this quiet town of McKinney just a 20-minute drive from Dallas, the atmosphere is charged with the perfect beginning for two industry veterans. Johnny Carros was most recently general manager at Jasper’s and chef Jon Thompson hails from Stephan Pyles famed Samar and Stampede 66.

As for the name, Sugarbacon is Thompson’s signature dish, a comfort food that consists of a house-smoked Berkshire pork belly with a barbeque sauce glaze.

As you peruse the menu you will be scratching your head trying to decide what you don’t want to order. The appetizers come in at around $10 and the entrees range from $17 to $28. Highlights included the SB Burger with Wagyu meat from McKinney’s nearby Local Yocal and the shrimp and grits, which are created with homestead grits and served with fresno jam.  

Sugarbacon serves both lunch and dinner and there is plenty of room to lounge on the climate-controlled patio and sip a cool cocktail concocted and mixed by Dallas bartender Sean Conner. Conner uses herbs to create fresh tastes like the Honey Basil Collins and the Country Grammar with house-infused peach tea vodka, honey, soda and mint.

Carros knows his wine and the selection is global ranging from the big reds in Napa to South African, French and even a subtle Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The wines coupled with the local craft beer selection mean Sugarbacon is not just about the meal, but about the entire dining experience. The restaurant décor boasts existing brick walls, concrete floors, reclaimed oak and zinc panels and steel, copper and gray subway tile used alongside windows, chairs, tables, doors and folding barn doors that are custom-made by local artisans.

By Rita Cook; feature photo by Rita Cook
Photos courtesy Kevin Marple