Dallas' Most Interesting Restaurants No. 38: ¡C. Señor!

Leading up to our annual Best of Dallas® issue, we're counting down the 50 most interesting restaurants in Dallas. These spots bring something unique or compelling to the city's dining scene, feeding both your appetite and soul. 

It's been a year since ¡C Señor! took over the former El Padrino taco stand in Oak Cliff, and that year has been filled with delicious sandwiches. Not just the Cubano pictured above, but a ropa vieja sandwich filled with shredded beef, a fish sandwich and a burger made with chorizo that rivals burgers made elsewhere in Dallas by the very best chefs.

That's a lot of sandwich production by Anthony Alvarez, who brought Hattie's to the neighborhood 13 years earlier. And the Bishop Arts District is all the better for his latest creation. Any time you pass by on Davis Street you'll likely see a few diners sitting at the tables outside, peeling back a layer of oil before taking a big greasy sandwich bite.

Of course the Cubano remains on top if only because it's a superior sandwich by design. Any time you stuff two kinds of pork (ham and roasted pork shoulder) into a roll with cheese, mustard and pickles, you're bound to end up with something delicious. Press the whole thing on a griddle so all those flavors bind in melted Swiss and the results border on transcendence.

With development projects threatening the smaller buildings in Oak Cliff that house Zoli's and Ten Bells Tavern, it's nice to see this little takeout stand hanging on, but you shouldn't take it for granted. Blink and ¡C Señor! could end up a luxury apartment building with a Panera Bread on the first floor.

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