Did you know?: Why Dada in Delray Beach is called Dada
Dada — the Delray Beach restaurant, not the art movement — was born out of taking the easy path.
“My partner, Rodney Mayo, and I were looking at a space on Atlantic Avenue to open another Lost Weekend Pool Hall back in 1998,” recalls Scott Frielich, one of Dada’s owners. “We cut through the side street to get some ice cream from Doc’s (All American) and came across the lease sign in front of the house. We fell in love with the space and opened Dada in 2000.”
Frielich and Mayo are partners in the Subculture Restaurant Group, which operates properties throughout South Florida, including Kapow!, Respectable Street, Howley’s and Honey.
Dada offers dining al fresco under a ginormous banyan tree, a cool and shady respite from the summer sizzle. And even better, there are 12 different and refreshing mojitos, Dada’s signature calling card of a cocktail.
The tree’s canopy covers most of the front yard of Dada, which is in the historic Tarrimore House, built around 1924 with the second floor added around 1939.
“Dining under the 100-year-old banyan tree is definitely a big draw,” adds Frielich. “People love to be outside in Florida.”
OK, but why is it called Dada?
According to Frielich, the restaurant was named after the art movement that took place during the same period the house was built.
The purpose of Dadaism, he said, “was to ridicule the meaninglessness of the modern art world. It also influenced punk rock, pop art and surrealism, which is a big part of the restaurant’s design.”
Dada is at 52 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. For more information, visit Sub-Culture.org/dada or call 561-330-3232.
