The long empty Don Pablos restaurant property in Mount Laurel (next to the Moorestown Mall) could see new life as Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar!
Lazy Dog is a casual dining chain based out of California, but the theme and design of the restaurants are based on the founders love for the fresh clean air and living of the Rocky Mountains.
But don’t be confused by “restaurant chain” as they offer an innovative scratch-made menu where everything is made fresh daily, and with many interesting twists… including delicious and economical to-go meals packaged as classic TV Dinners!
The Mount Laurel building within the East Gate Square shopping center has been empty for almost 6 years and today the Don Pablos chain is no longer. (Due to the close proximity to the mall, Don Pablos identified the location as Moorestown but it’s actually in Mount Laurel, as well as the liquor license)
News of the Lazy Dog restaurant plans for Mount Laurel comes from the leasing company’s online site property leasing diagrams. Popular community Facebook page A View From Evesham was the first to notice the restaurant signing, and report on it (Facebook).
Through the summer the East Gate Square site plan showed the Don Pablo’s property as “At Lease” which means they had a new tenant for the building, but the lease had not been finalized. Then the September 2023 update changed that generic verbiage to Lazy Dog… using the restaurant’s full logo script.
it’s very early in the process and it is not known if they will utilize the existing Don Pablos building and remodel it… or if they will do a full all new build. Time will tell.
Last month we also announced another new restaurant coming to the area, Ryfe Bar and Restaurant is opening this spring at the Moorestown Mall.
Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar
Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar is has grown to over 40 restaurants in eight states, with most locations in California. It appears the closest location to us is in Fairfax Virginia.
Their website indicates six locations coming soon, and the Mount Laurel location is not listed yet… but likely this is a very early breaking news story.
Additionally I do not see any public notices regarding the changing of the liquor license ownership, but I typically see those transactions happen much closer to opening. (The East Gate Square property owner took over the liquor license in 2019 after Don Pablos closed)
While Lazy Dog headquarters is in California, the theme and vibe of the restaurant is based on founder Chris Simms’ visits to the Rocky Mountains.
The decor of the buildings carry a northwest Rocky Mountain wood and stone vibe.
And don’t be fooled by “casual chain restaurant” as Chris and the team carry that same Rocky Mountain freshness into the menu… with all items being made daily by hand in the scratch made kitchen! And that even includes all of their sauces, marinades and dressings!
A YouTube video experience review from Atlanta Eats about one of their local Georgia locations, is a 4 minute long “Everything you wanted to know about dining at a Lazy Dog Restaurant” exploration.
Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar is a casual dining experience with a hint of sports bar, without really being a sports bar.
The restaurant provides a comfortable northwestern Rocky Mountain vibe, including an outdoor fire pit!
And in that comfortable dining room, bar or patio spaces you can try a menu which is both familiar but also incredibly innovative!
Some of their signature items include the BBQ Bison Meatloaf and Southern Fried Chicken Salad.
In the Atlanta Eats video the spoke highly of the “bowls” where you can choose from Lazy Dog’s favorite bowl recipes or create your own delicious recipe where you pick a protein, preparation and rice!
Lazy Dog also features a seasonal menu so that there is always something new to try.
A very innovative idea is there TV Dinner Meals, which are prepared and placed within those iconic sectioned aluminum trays that us old timers remember from the 70s! The meals are sold frozen so that you can take them home and keep in the freezer, to pop in for a quick meal at some other time.
And would you believe the TV Dinners are only priced at $10!
So as mentioned this is very early news, so we don’t have an idea of when they are expected to open. Based on what i’ve seen from their other locations, the conversion (or new build) at the former Don Pablos property is going to be a larger effort… so they likely don’t have a sold timeline as of yet.
Links and Location
Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar – Coming Soon?
1361 Nixon Drive
Mount Laurel / Moorestown NJ 08057