Revolver Taco Lounge

After the pandemic hit, chef and owner Regino Rojas completely rebuilt the dining room here, walling it off from the kitchen and replacing the huge communal dining space with four small, distanced tables. The old Purepecha tasting has been replaced by La Resistencia, a reservations-only dinner for half the old cost that focuses on spectacular specialty tacos built on fresh tortillas made from colorful heirloom corn. Rojas’ fascination with Japanese cooking — much of the food is cooked on a yakitori grill — manifests in tempura-battered seafood and crudos. And, best of all, he’s convinced James Beard-recognized pastry chef Ricchi Sanchez, of Bullion, to create Mexican desserts. The bottom line: Before the pandemic, Revolver Taco Lounge was Dallas’ best restaurant, and now it’s even better than it was before.

Top pick: Reserve a table Sunday at lunchtime to enjoy an extraordinary a-la-carte seafood brunch of octopus sushi, grilled whole fish, oysters and probably the city’s best seafood cocktail.

Fun fact: Revolver Taco Lounge got its name from Arturo Rojas, Regino’s father and Juanita’s husband, who occasionally washes the dishes when he’s not one of Texas’ most celebrated creators of elaborately designed and carved guns.