OK, so maybe you won't be eating dinner here — or maybe you will if you're the fun parent — but it's hard to find a more fun spot to take the kids than Hypnotic Emporium, the old-fashioned East Dallas candy shop, soda fountain and ice cream spot. An offshoot of Hypnotic Donuts next door, this old-timey spot serves stellar ice cream from Denton's Beth Marie. Get the kiddos a hot doughnut ice cream sandwich while you treat yourself to a malt that will make you feel like a kid again, too.

Readers' Pick: Magic Time Machine

If it can even remotely be considered a breakfast food, Cindi's serves it. The pancake menu is bigger than some local breakfast joints' entire menus, and the selection of fresh bagels, omelets, latkes and blintzes sweetens the deal. The lox plate is a perennial favorite, but whatever you order, it comes out fast and hits the spot every time.

Readers' Pick: Bread Winners

A refreshing departure from the kitschy, sprawling Tex-Mex eateries that feel more like theme parks than restaurants, E Bar is a cozy, low-key spot serving simple but definitely effective Tex-Mex favorites. The margs are solid, the chips and salsa are appropriately addictive, and you can chow down on two enchiladas with beans and rice for less than $9 during lunch.

Readers' Pick: Chuy's

Vegetarian and vegan dining are having a serious moment in DFW. With more options than ever, even the staunchest carnivores are going meatless occasionally in the pursuit of fun, plant-based food. At V-Eats, fun is definitely on the menu. From seitan "brisket" to jack fruit chicken-fried "steak," this food is hearty enough to sate even the beefiest Texan and inventive enough to make it one of the city's most interesting restaurants.

Readers' Pick: Cosmic Café

La Me, situated at the corner where Dallas meets Richardson and Garland, is a restaurant where the neighborhood's Vietnamese community meets for all manner of superb soups and noodle dishes. That means a lot more than pho: Try mi quang, noodles made yellow with turmeric, or mi kho dac biet, a house special soup topped with a whole shrimp fried directly into a large cracker. There's a marvelous rendition of shaking beef, the national beef stir-fry, as well as the opportunity to build your own spring rolls by ordering the confusingly named Tiny Rice Stick platter. La Me is a great place for newcomers to try the diversity of Vietnamese food for the first time, but, judging from the clientele here, it's also a favorite among those who've been eating the cuisine their entire lives.

Readers' Pick: Pho is For Lovers

This summer, The Stoneleigh became the hottest of summer hot spots when it launched its free weekend pool parties, which opened up the Uptown hotel's pool to anyone every Saturday and Sunday, no hotel room, expensive ticket or smuggled room key required. The hotel sweetened the deal with a small but above-average menu of frozen cocktails that hit the spot without giving us a sugar overload. With high-octane piña coladas and $6 rosé coolers, we sipped and swam all summer in a chic Uptown hotel pool with a DJ and all the Instagrammable pool floats a girl could hope for.

Whether you're hunting for wine, liquor or craft beer, when it comes to overall selection, Total Wine is hard to beat. Its wine experts are up to even the most specific task — one mineraly red that pairs well with Vietnamese seafood, please — and its frequent tastings sweeten the deal. It also hosts inexpensive wine classes like Obscure Varietals 101: The Best Wines You've Never Tried.

Readers' Pick: Spec's Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods

Burgundy's Local isn't a butcher — all this meat is precut and either 100 percent fresh or frozen solid — but for those trying to source meat more responsibly, you can't beat this rancher-owned Ross Avenue shop. Everything comes from nearby ranchers, including the array of grass-fed beef products from Burgundy's North Texas ranch. Burgundy is a whole-animal operation, meaning it finds uses for the entire animal, and at this shop you'll find everything from grass-fed beef and lamb to pasture-raised chicken, responsibly raised pork, and even duck eggs and whole rabbit.

Maggie Huff's style couldn't possibly be a better fit at FT33, which celebrates all things local and in season. Huff's hyperseasonal desserts are a shining star. Her use of savory elements like herbs, fats and in-season vegetables creates a stunning array of not-too-sweet treats that probably feature more vegetables than Dallas diners are accustomed to seeing on a dessert menu.

If you're trying to keep it clean while still supporting your rosé habit, Bar & Garden is your kinda place. This stunning Ross Avenue liquor store is a far cry from the sprawling, fluorescent-lit liquor megastores that pepper North Texas. With plants and gorgeous design elements, you'll want to stay awhile to browse this selection of natural wines and liquors that are free of artificial flavors, colors or flavorings. Sidle up to the bar when you arrive to taste whatever treats the store is sampling that day.