An Eater’s Guide to Dallas (2024)

- Where to Start on Eater Dallas's Best Maps
- Dallas Food Neighborhoods to Know
- Dallas Glossary of Terms
- How to Spend a Day Eating in DFW
- Follow the News
- Get in Touch

Since its portrayal in the eponymous and infamous 1980s soap opera, Dallas has undergone an incredible amount of change. The home of Neiman Marcus, the legendary State Fair of Texas, and America’s Team, Big D also boasts a thriving, diverse culinary scene that can sometimes fly under the national radar. Dallas has always been a city of niches — if you want to fit in, you have to find yours. There might be whole parts of town that aren’t the right vibe for you, though some spots have the history and pull to rise above the fray. This guide will help you get to the heart of Dallas’ unique culinary identity.

Where to Start on Eater Dallas's Best Maps

Eater Dallas puts together comprehensive guides to the city’s best food and drink — whether you’re looking for fried chicken, co*cktails, burgers, or brunch. If you’re starving but overwhelmed by all of these options, here are some top picks that are a good bet every single time.

Hottest Restaurant

Dallas is in the throes of a sushi moment. The options are nearly endless for amazing sushi in this town right now, and we’re particularly loving Kaiyo on Lower Greenville, from local chef Jimmy Park. In an ocean of options of omakase, it is a casual and affordable delight. It’s the spot for sushi rolls, an array of small dishes, and curries with a Japanese touch, and sashimi. The drink menu goes for whimsical.

Essential Restaurant

Georgie got a new chef last year, after quietly dissolving it’s relationship with celebrity chef Curtis Stone, and it’s become one of Big D’s hottest reservations yet again. RJ Yoakum is more than capably leading the kitchen, following a stint at the French Laundry, and pushing expectations for cuisine in Dallas to new heights. He changes the menu far too frequently to recommend any dishes, so instead we’ll recommend ordering the chef’s tasting menu so you get a little bit of everything that’s thrilling the chef at the moment.

Barbecue

First things first: in Texas, barbecue is a lunchtime thing. While there are places that make enough to serve it for dinner, that’s not the move. Now on to the show: Yes, you could drive to Fort Worth, and then a little bit south, to stand in line and try Goldee’s. Honestly, if you’ve got the time, go for it. But another option is supporting the Black-owned Off the Bone Barbecue in the Cedars. It is well known for its brisket and the queso mac and cheese. There’s also Hutchins BBQ in McKinney and Frisco, a Keith Lee fave. If you eat one thing there, make it a Texas Twinkie.

Mexican

The must-stop spot is El Carlos Elegante. This restaurant has a mission to create Mexican food that shows off the fine dining aspect of the cuisine. The menu reflects a modern take on classic dishes from numerous regions in Mexico, as interpreted by the kitchen staff who grew up there. They take dishes that are well-known and loved, and some that haven’t been widely imported to the states, and utilize cooking techniques to elevate them. Our tip here is let them know your budget and what flavor profiles you like or which dishes interest you and then allow the wait staff to bring you dishes to share. This hospitality group has some of the best training for its staff in the city and they are more than capable of blowing your mind.

Brunch

Brunch is a beloved institution for Dallasites and Bread Winner’s Cafe is an institution. Get lost in endless mimosas and get warm cinnamon rolls for the table. There’s no way to go wrong ordering here, but the croque madame and the Akaushi prime ribeye and eggs are excellent choices — as is its famous bananas Foster waffle and Normandy French toast.

Burgers

There are an awful lot of burgers in this town but our current favorite can be found at an East Dallas dive bar, the Peak Inn. It is truly the platonic ideal of a cheeseburger. Pair it with a cold beer or a glass of whiskey — no need to get fancy. It also serves an open-faced chili cheese melt with a smashburger patty that might change your life.

Steak

Our obsession with the Saint is at its peak. Head to this Deep Ellum steakhouse for great Italian, a magnificent oyster happy hour (daily from 5 to 6 p.m.), and major vibes. The tight selection of cuts from Texas is excellent, and includes a bone-in Tomahawk that will get your Texas vibes flowing, and the veal Milanese is a remarkable order. Don’t miss the table side coffee negroni, which is a co*cktail and a spectacle all in one. It’s a little bit Instagram famous for it’s whipped ricotta with local honey and the caviar amuse which you’ll just have to see for yourself.

Dallas Food Neighborhoods to Know

Dallas-Fort Worth is seriously massive, sprawling across more than 350-square miles of North Texas. As such, it’s easy to find a decent meal pretty much anywhere in the metroplex, but certain neighborhoods have developed unique culinary identities. Wherever you are, let this breakdown of the city’s most notable dining districts be your guide.

Bishop Arts

It’s hard to go wrong when selecting a spot to eat in Bishop Arts. The neighborhood’s newest addition, LadyLove Lounge and Sound, is a cool bar where the DJs spin vinyl records, the co*cktails are strong, and the food program was designed by the team from nearby Taco Y Vino.

Deep Ellum

There are now many new places to eat and drink in this cool neighborhood that it’s hard to keep up. You can Terry Black’s Barbecue for a taste of Austin way outside of Austin. There’s also arguably the city’s best fried chicken at Brick & Bones. And what’s a night out in Deep Ellum without stopping into Revolver Taco Lounge?

Uptown

There are multiple vibes to catch in Uptown, from over-the-top parties to some of the city’s toniest eateries to shockingly good fast-casual spots. Uchi is a much-loved stop for modern Japanese food, from sushi to steak. Fearing’s in the Ritz-Carlton is where one of Dallas’s premiere chefs, Dean Fearing, serves the Southwest cuisine for which he’s so well known and admired.

Downtown

The Joule’s Midnight Rambler will delight co*cktail enthusiasts, while the Adolphus’s Rodeo Bar is the spot for a Texas-themed night out. And if you want a good pizza, hit up Partenope for a Neopolitan-style pie.

Greenville Avenue

This isn’t typically a corridor for fine dining, but Texas Monthly recently crowned Quarter Acre, a New Zealand-inspired restaurant focused on fire-roasted mains, one of the best new places in Texas to eat. We agree, chef Toby Archibald is doing a killer job. The smoked beef tartare is a signature dish that must be tried, and many of the meats are cooked in a smoker that aligns with cooking over a campfire on Pacific Ocean beach. Get in while it’s hot.

Dallas Glossary of Terms

Bowl of red: Chili was perfected here, specifically at Tolbert’s in Grapevine. We make it with no beans and a lot of peppers.

Cafe: If you’re looking for diner culture, you’re in the wrong state. In Dallas, as is the case all over Texas, they’re cafes. A good cafe should serve breakfast all day and have a mean chicken fried steak on the menu.

Drive-in: Far superior to a drive-thru as a location to eat your burgers (and hot dogs) — sorry Whataburger fans. Keller’s Drive-In and Dairy-ette are among a handful of old-school establishments keeping the drive-in tradition alive in Dallas.

Dr. Pepper: When ordering a soda in Dallas, one asks for a co*ke. You’ll then be asked if you’d prefer co*ke or Dr. Pepper. If you’re not asked, leave.

Fletcher’s corny dogs: The only corn dogs that matter. Fletcher’s not only invented the corny dog, but perfected it. Anyone attending the State Fair is required by law to consume at least one. And you eat it with yellow mustard, not ketchup.

Frito Pie: It remains in dispute if Texas, or Dallas, is where Frito Pie was invented, but what is not in dispute is that eating it out of a Frito bag at a football game is what we consider living your best life. Hot chili on top of Fritos and sprinkled with shredded cheese, plus a few jalapenos, is a taste of heaven.

Frozen margaritas:Did you know that a Dallas restaurant owner invited the frozen margarita machine, and was inspired by 7-Eleven’s Slurpee machine? We’ve since perfected the art of making the best frozen margaritas around.

How to Spend a Day Eating in DFW

Start at Sugar & Sage Bakery for an amazing cup of coffee and a sweet or savory baked treat to start the morning. This locally-owned shop changes its menu seasonally and has and on-site baker who creates the most delectable confections. Linger for as long as you like in it’s marbled interiors or hang out on the hidden patio out back if the weather allows. It’s a wonderful place to catch up with a few friends or sit and read a book.

For lunch, head down to Oak Cliff and grab a sandwich or salad at La Bodega Rotisserie and Goods. There are always excellent specials going on along with the regular — and it’s got Mexican co*ke in the bottle or iced coffee. You can’t go wrong with the tuna and white beasn salad or the tomato and burrata sandwich on fresh bread. This grab and go spot has limited seating, so head to a nearby park to eat and then stroll around the walkable Bishop Arts — and maybe stop into Oddfellows to try its natural wine program or a craft coffee.

For dinner, you want to land a reservation at Via Triozzi. This Italian restaurant on Lower Greenville is one of the hottest places in town with good reason. It’s small, seasonal menu developed by owner and Dallas local Leigh Hutchinson reflects her family favorites from Sicily and her time studying in the country. The mozarella is pulled in house and the pasta is all house-made — both are daily in the pasta room at the front of the restaurant.

Bar Colette is the spot to go for a nightcap after all of that. Bar director Ruben Rolon is a master with a co*cktail, putting unexpected flavors and ingredients together to create incredible concoctions. The space itself is a groovy mix of Art Deco and modern design — like the co*cktails, a couple of things that shouldn’t work together but absolutely do.

If you’re looking for somewhere a little more down and dirty to party late into the night, hit up Double D’s in the Design District. It’s got DJ’s, classic co*cktails with a sense of humor, non-alcoholic options galore, and you can pick between the bar or the dance floor as you see fit rather than getting dragged into the middle of it all.

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Get in Touch

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