Best of Dallas 2025 Is Here. It's a Big D Book Fair

It's the time of year when the Dallas Observer salutes all the best things in Big D. We've pulled together a guide to more than 300 of the top restaurants, entrepreneurs, artists, entertainers, shops and places that make Dallas the booming heart of North Texas, drawing newcomers from across the globe.

That's a lot of words, but we like words at the Observer. That's why this year, we're celebrating books and the people who publish, sell and read them, particularly banned ones. Dallas is brimming with new, unique and exciting ideas, and it pays to keep your eyes and mind open to the people who are writing the city's story every day.

We certainly aim to do that with our Best of Dallas issue, but try as hard as we might, we've barely scratched the surface of the city's culture. Every year, our guide to the city brings us surprises, new businesses, chefs and creators who make the Dallas narrative a page-turner, full of plot twists and entertaining characters. We think it's an issue you will want to bookmark or grab off a newsstand and keep ... at least until next year, when we record Big D's next chapter.

You can check it out here: Dallas Observer's Best of Dallas 2025

We couldn't bring you this issue without help from our readers, so we dedicate an entire section to your picks for the city's best. As for our own picks, those come from contributors who know all corners of the city.

Best of Dallas was written and edited by: Julianna Chen, Tyler Daniels, Jennifer Davis-Lamm, Kelly Dearmore, Eric Diep, Lauren Drewes Daniels, Alyssa Fields, Carly May Gravley, Desiree Gutierrez, Tyler Hicks, Lorri Kennedy, Kendall Morgan, Simon Pruitt, Aaren Prody, Nick Reynolds, Emma Ruby, Alec Spicer, Sean Stroud, Hank Vaughn, Elizabeth Veatch, Patrick Williams, Chris Wolfgang and Austin Zook.

Art direction was by Sara Schumacher, cover and illustrations by Jacob Stead, photographs by staff and Jessica Patrice Turner, Kathy Tran, Caroline Pritchard, Kendall Chambers, Chris Wolfgang, Hank Vaughn, and Alison McLean.