Best Barbecue 2016 | Hutchins BBQ | Best of Dallas® 2020 | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Dallas | Dallas Observer
Navigation
Support Us
Search

Best Barbecue

Hutchins BBQ

Rachel Cleaver

Frank Sinatra once crooned of New York: "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere." When it comes to the culinary world, making it means coming to New York to cook dinner for the James Beard House, an honor bestowed on Hutchins BBQ this year. The praise heaped on the McKinney joint (there's a second location in Frisco) is well deserved; traditional barbecue meats such as brisket, rib and sausage are standout examples of the craft, while the chicken and turkey drip with moist smoky flavor. There's not a weak link among the sides, and regulars know to save room for free peach cobbler. Recognition from the Beard Foundation for Hutchins' barbecue prowess is a high honor, but only confirms something we've known here in Dallas for some time.

Readers' Pick:

Pecan Lodge

Best Juice Bar

Roots on Tap

The kind of crowd who loves cold-pressed juices are thirsty for all manner of health-conscious beverages, and Roots on Tap knows that. This new juice spot opened this year in Expo Park but offers more than just cold-pressed juices and smoothies. Roots on Tap makes their own nut milks, like cashew, almond and a blend called Almondretto (almond, coconut water, turmeric, vanilla bean and dates) and "spa waters" like the Aloe-ha Colada (aloe, pineapples, oranges) and tea/coffee smoothies. But all the healthy ingredients in the world won't interest folks unless it tastes good, and Roots on Tap has definitely hit the flavor mark. If only clean-eating always tasted this good.

Best Cold-Brew Coffee

Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters

In a city that gets as hot as Dallas, chilled caffeine options become incredibly important. Cold-brew isn't hard to find anymore — it's in just about every coffee shop in Dallas — but one local roaster consistently drips out some of the best cold-brew we've ever had: Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters. Beautifully smooth with hints of chocolate, warm vanilla and toasted marshmallows, Noble Coyote's cold-brew is made with small batch, ethically sourced, fresh-roasted single origin coffee that's been cold-brewed for 16 hours. It's bottled in adorable 16-oz. bottles that are easy to find around Dallas at spots like Whole Foods, Cox Farms Market and on nitro tap at bars like LUCK, Eight Bells Alehouse and Braindead Brewing.

Best Coffee Shop

Davis Street Espresso

Davis Street Espresso is the coffee purist's coffee shop. Davis Street does coffee their own way: The shop has no Wi-Fi and doesn't use disposable to-go cups, making this the kind of shop where local business owners and families gather to savor coffee and commune with each other. If you don't speak the language of third-wave coffee, Davis Street hosts classes in everything from cupping to cold-brew to help you increase your coffee confidence. Try the cold-brew, served in recycled Topo Chico bottles, or do as the locals do and savor a classic cup of exceptional coffee.

Readers' Pick:

Ascension Coffee

Best Kids Restaurant

bbbop Seoul Kitchen R&D

Kathy Tran

It may seem curious that a boundary-stretching Asian fusion restaurant serving Korean food is one of Dallas' best kid-friendly restaurants, but bbbop Seoul Kitchen R&D in Oak Cliff has become a family-friendly mainstay in Oak Cliff. The eatery regularly hosts fundraisers for local school organizations, has a great patio with games like bocce and has become a Thursday night hangout for families with its "Off-Key Karaoke Night," which fills the restaurant with parents and youngsters every Thursday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Readers' Pick:

Magic Time Machine

Best Farm-Fresh Eatery

Patina Green Home and Market

In 2016, farm-to-table means little, if anything. It's become a dubious marketing term for most restaurants that tout it, but one McKinney restaurant takes its sourcing seriously: Patina Green Home and Market. Chef Robert Lyford's kitchen is a revolving door of local farmers whose product dictates much of Patina Green's menu. A farmer pops by with 40 pounds of summer tomatoes? Lyford will whip up something with 'em on the fly. Lyford also teaches summer cooking and pickling classes using local produce and is a frequent fixture at McKinney's farmers market. Hand-crafted, minimally produced items in Patina Green's market are meticulously sourced from Texas producers like Windy Meadows Family Farm and Confituras, an Austin jam maker, making this eatery an ideal spot to grab lunch and stock up your pantry.

Best Tamales

Tamale Company

We may have found a unicorn: A local company that produces lard-, gluten- and MSG-free tamales that, even without the animal fat, are hands-down the best tamales we've had all year. Sold around town at farmers markets and select grocery stores, the Tamale Company makes flavorful, indulgent tamales in packs of six. Throw a pack in a pot of boiling water for a quick, easy dinner that tastes as homemade as you can get without spending a day making your own masa. With flavors like ancho chili pork, chicken tomatillo and black bean and corn, even Tamale Company's vegetarian goods will rival your abuelita's tamales.

Best Food Delivery

Caviar

2016 has been the year of delivery in Dallas. Thanks to services like Uber Eats, Postmates and Sourced Craft Cocktails, you can have everything from condoms to craft cocktail ingredients (with recipe) delivered right to your door. Our favorite food delivery service has proven consistent, quick and filled with options: Caviar. The service pairs with local restaurants, frequently adds new spots and offers free delivery from restaurants near-by. The app's real-time GPS tracking makes it easy to predict exactly when your food will arrive. Sometimes it's by bicycle, if the restaurant is in the neighborhood.

Best Farmers Market

McKinney Farmers Market

The best farmers markets offer not just a solid selection of locally grown produce but also integrate farmers with prepared items, artists and food. It's an added bonus if the market is in a quaint, scenic location, which is always more pleasant than buying summer squash in a hot parking lot. McKinney Farmers Market hits all the marks. Held in McKinney's historic, tree-filled Chestnut Square, this market is stocked so well with local farmers and vendors that you can easily handle an entire grocery trip in one spot. Meat, produce, canned goods, pastured eggs, olive oil — it's all there and reasonably priced. The market also hosts fundraising farm-to-table dinners featuring local farmers using seasonal North Texas produce.

Readers' Pick:

Dallas Farmers Market

Best Amuse-Bouche

Lucia

Lucia, the cozy Oak Cliff Italian spot where it's notoriously hard to snag reservations, serves up a cadre of indulgent dishes that aren't known for being inexpensive. That's precisely why it's fun that one of Lucia's most popular snacks will set you back only $1 each: the foie gras-stuffed prunes, which featured a dollop of velvety whipped foie gras in a small prune. The buttery umami of the foie gras combined with the sweet, concentrated flavor of the prune creates an intense bite that, if you're doing it right, will mark the start of every meal at Lucia.

Best Of Dallas®

Best Of

Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms of use, our cookies policy, and our privacy policy The Dallas Observer may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our affiliate partners. ©2024 Dallas Observer, LP. All rights reserved.
Do Not Sell or Share My Information
Powered By Foundation