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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. Find more interesting places on our all-new Best Of app for iTunes or Android.
If you’re bored with fine dining in Dallas, you probably haven’t been to Tei-An in a while. Chef Teiichi Sakurai’s kitchen offers a completely different perspective on refined cooking and brings Japanese cuisine to Dallas in a way that it hadn’t been realized here before.
It’s not just the soba noodles, which get plenty of attention and certainly should not be missed. It’s the entire menu. The cooking here can expand the palate of even the most seasoned Japanese dining addict, by exposing them to new flavors, textures and even completely new dishes.
Try the chef’s selection of sashimi to see how far things have fallen before they ended up in the prepared food case of your grocery store. The fish featured here is shipped from Japan, and is somehow more fresh than what’s available domestically on either coast. Or drink sake from a box and nibble on fish and meats that have been grilled until their outsides are charred, while the centers remain moist and tender.
Or just come and zone out. Tei-An’s dining room is like a zen retreat you can enjoy whether you want to blow your wad on a multi-course omakase or cheap out and just drink a beer at the bar. This is a restaurant that lets you unplug and find some peace in your busy life. We’re lucky to have it.
No. 50: Joyce and Gigi’s
No. 49: East Hampton Sandwich Co.No. 48: 20 Feet Seafood Joint
No. 47: Taj Chaat House
No. 46: Mot Hai Ba
No. 45: La Nueva Fresh and Hot
No. 44: Pera Turkish Kitchen
No. 43: Tom’s Burgers and Grill
No. 42: Mughlai
No. 41: Russian Banya
No. 40: Off-Site Kitchen
No. 39: Bachman Lake Taqueria
No. 38: Carbone’s
No. 37: Babe’s
No. 36: Barbacoa Estilo Hidalgo
No. 35: Zaguan
No. 34: Royal Sichuan
No. 33: Spoon
No. 32: Bambu
No. 31: Pecan Lodge
No. 30: FT33
No. 29: Keller’s Drive-In
No. 28: La Pasadita
No. 27: Ten Bells Tavern
No. 26: El Ranchito
No. 25: Cafe Urbano
No. 24: Nova
No. 23: Jeng Chi
No. 22: Omi
