Food & Drink

Unlike most of the best restaurants in Dallas, Bullion is open on Mondays, and unlike some restaurants that show less attention to detail, its quality doesn’t waver outside of peak dining hours. The Monday night special is a seafood lover’s dream: quenelle Lyonnaise, stewed dumplings made from whitefish and showered with a heaping helping of lobster. Need a pairing? On Monday nights, Bullion opens a magnum of pedigreed wine from deep in the cellar — past weeks have featured Bordeaux, grower Champagnes and Châteauneuf-de-Pape — and offers it by the glass until the bottle is gone.

A good kids restaurant needs two things: a safe playground and food that’s tempting enough to get them to take a break from it. Hat Creek Burger Company, a new arrival from Austin that describes itself as a “fast-casual family-friendly burger patio,” hits both marks. Its wild popularity is probably also attributable to the wine and on-tap beers from Austin’s Strange Land Brewery. The respectable burgers are fresh off the grill and all under $10. Milkshakes with gummy worms and sprinkles are on hand for emergency meltdowns/rewards/bribes. As of now, the AstroTurf playground is rocking mostly in the evening until a soon-to-come canopy will be installed. So try to get there in the morning for breakfast tacos, egg sandwiches and pancakes when the air is still cool enough to breathe. Birthday parties are free with a reservation, but they’re already booked through October, so get on it now, moms.

Lest you think of DeSoto as one of those ubiquitous Dallas suburbs with the usual chain dining choices, Top 5 BBQ will disabuse you of the notion. The small restaurant adjacent to DeSoto’s City Hall is cranking out brisket, ribs, sausage and pulled pork that are among the state’s best, all bound together in the unique flavor of Top 5’s complex spice rub. Our praise doesn’t end with the meats; all of the sides we’ve tried are top shelf, especially the french fries that are dusted with that addictive rub. Don’t overlook the barbecue-themed specials, either. Top 5 even fries their own tortilla chips in-house to make barbecue nachos. It’s that kind of creativity and execution that keeps us coming back to DeSoto time and again.

Barbecue fans will admit, it is — and yet it isn’t — always about the meat. Good thing Slow Bone has their brisket, sausage and turkey down. For those who want a well-rounded experience at any barbecue joint, it comes down to the sides. Take, for instance, Slow Bone’s Frito pie, which can totally be considered a side for the incredibly hungry. It’s piled with brisket chili and cheddar, and chef Jeffery Hobbs recommends topping it with a quarter-pound of fatty brisket and a pickled jalapeño. Do it. He’s right. For the more traditional, the star of the side show is the pea salad, made better than Grandma’s. Peas, cheddar, pimento, eggs and house-made sweet-and-sour pickles and pickled onion, and a few other things that make it Slow Bone’s own, are combined to make peas with a punch. Eat it on the meats or save it for last. Or just get a container to go for midnight snack time. Slow Bone’s pintos and greens (mustard and turnip, as it should be) are can’t-miss (though not safe for vegetarians; all others are meat-free), and the roasted squash and sweet potato praline will send you back to the best part of childhood.

Looking for killer, authentic margaritas? West Lovers Lane Guadalajaran restaurant José offers some of the best you’ll find in the city. There are only three margaritas on their core list: traditional, skinny and frozen. With fresh ingredients and skilled preparation, they turn out authentic, well-made margaritas.

In true Texas fashion, we subscribe to the idea that bigger is better — and Anvil goes big. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., during Anvil’s F**k Brunch, you can eat a brunch’s worth of garnish off this Bloody Mary for a cool $20. Imagine 32 ounces of beverage topped with a bacon cheeseburger slider, pepperoni, shrimp, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, sausage and whatever else they can find in the kitchen. Just make sure to leave room for the baby beer that comes on the side and get there early, because they do sell out.

What makes a good happy hour? For one, lasting more than an hour. Happy hours that end at 5:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. are frustrating for office workers who work a 9-6 (does 9-5 even exist anymore?). At Bowen House, happy hour runs 4-7 p.m. and includes the second most important thing: decent specials. Let’s be honest: $1 off one beer for 30 minutes a day ain’t cutting it. At this homey Uptown cocktail bar, you’ll find $5 classic cocktails (margarita, old fashioned, sazerac, etc.) and food specials like $8 lump crab deviled eggs.

This Dallas roastery, an arm of Houndstooth Coffee, is serious about sourcing and sustainability. We love their Foxtrot, a citrusy, chocolatey blend made with beans from Guatemala and Nicaragua. Tweed develops great relationships with its growers, which makes us feel good about snagging a pound of this coffee during morning coffee runs to Houndstooth.

Readers’ Choice:White Rock Coffee

One of DFW’s most innovative coffee shops isn’t in Dallas proper — it’s in Richardson. This former auto garage is now Communion Cooperative, a coffee shop, cafe, cocktail bar, event space and co-working hub, and this place has great energy. During the hot summer months, don’t miss the cold-brew coffee slushie or the lightly caffeinated take on the Arnold Palmer, the Cascara Palmer.

This category gets stiffer competition every year, but it’s hard to beat Local Press’ coconut nitro cold brew. At $6.50, this is a pricy caffeine jolt, but in the middle of an endless Texas summer, it’s well worth it. Smooth cold brew gets a dose of creaminess from the nitrogen, then a touch of sweetness and even more creaminess from Local Press’ Nut Party, a juice made from coconut meat and water blended into a delectable beverage that’s equally as good on its own.

If you are somebody who just can’t give in to the inclination to become a gluten-free, trailer-dwelling vegan who happens to be allergic to pistachios, cedar dust, and aluminum, the Brazilian-style churrascaria (that’s Portuguese for “meat haven”) Texas de Brazil exists to satisfy your every craving. Just sit down, and servers in baggy pants carrying massive slabs of various meats will flock to your table, asking you questions like “picanha medium well?” and “three or four sausages?” Eat until you’re full, and also take advantage of their diverse salad bar — the best of the area churrascarias, which gives Texas de Brazil the nod over its competitors. And if you go home feeling hungry, you’ve done something wrong.

Africa is an expansive, breathtakingly beautiful and diverse continent, and it has a wealth of natural resources to boot. Distilling the majesty of the land where the human race got its start down to “Best African Food” seems a little blasphemous, even when it comes to food — OK, especially when it comes to food. Nonetheless, Dallas isn’t exactly teeming with dining options from the Motherland. That’s why we consider ourselves blessed to have a taste of East Africa in Addis Ababa Ethiopian Restaurant. Wat, injera, lamb, lentils and greens are only a few of the traditional Ethiopian dishes that are served daily, and until very late on most days. And of course, some of the best coffee in the world is found in Ethiopia — and lucky for us, at Addis Ababa in Richardson too.

Parenting is a constant balancing act. And the scales don’t seem to tip in our favor often enough. Never is this more evident than at dinnertime. Between ongoing negotiations over how many bites of green beans to eat before the kids can leave the table and what exactly constitutes a bite, giving up and outsourcing dinner is an option we can all get behind. Enter Cafe Brazil. The Dallas mainstay is primarily known for its flavor-rich, quasi-Brazilian menu options and a coffee selection that never disappoints. But battle-weary parents and children are likely to find common ground with Cafe Brazil’s free dinner for kids under 12 with the purchase of an adult entrée, Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. You’ll be in and out just in time for bedtime negotiations to begin.

You’ll see kids in here, but really it’s the kids at heart who will most appreciate Blooms’ selection of sodas (from Nehi to Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer to bacon- and pickle-flavored varieties), vintage candy, magnets with quotes from “Seinfeld” and other bygone TV shows, old-school tin lunchboxes, and gag gifts and practical jokes ranging from the clever to the downright juvenile. Need a quick costume? Grab a rubber mask that fits over your whole head and walk out the store as a pug or unicorn. (If you’re a fizz fiend, ask about the soda rewards program so you can walk out with the occasional free drink too.)

This Deep Ellum industry darling hits all the sweet spots: perfectly executed classic cocktails, crave-worthy bar food like that obscene bologna sandwich and a cool, understated vibe with vinyl playing over the speakers. Visit at the right time, and you might catch some live jazz to enjoy with a perfect Bloody Mary.

Since 2015, Amy and Andrew Savoie’s Resident Taqueria has prepared some of the most beloved handhelds, and their fans (or residents, as they call them) aren’t quiet about it. The small space offers grab-and-go tacos for breakfast starting at 7 a.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. Saturdays, but it would be a mistake not to grab a café-chata to go with. Resident pairs Noble Coyote Nitro Cold Brew on tap with horchata for a frothy boost of caffeine. But while the breakfast dash is a tasty one at Resident, the real treat is snagging a seat at the bar while you wait and watching the culinary choreography of Chef Andrew and team as they create house-made flour tortillas and signature tacos (pecan-smoked chicken, slow-cooked mushroom, braised beef short rib, chorizo, fish tempura and more) as well as weekly specials that offer even more veggie- and seafood-centric options. Resident’s Family Taco Meal is a Tuesday by-the-pound, to-go treat for four, six or eight, and they’ll even offer curbside service for those with kiddos in the car.

Samantha Rush has been serving sweets in DFW for more than 10 years at Rush Patisserie. She specializes in French pastries, so it’s the perfect spot to get your fix for macarons, tarts and croissants. If that isn’t enough, Rush is now doubling her load after taking over Trailercakes. Both businesses are operating out of her boutique space in Oak Cliff.

Some here in this Lone Star State might say mere fish isn’t worthy of a starring role, but they should probably visit Lake Highland’s hot spot One90 Smoked Meats. See, many equate smoked salmon with lox — which is cold-smoked — and that’s delicious, but One90’s hot-smoking approach makes for a perfectly flaky and flavorful bite that’s never too dry. Salmon-doubters should start with lunch at the counter, ordering the salmon tacos (or a salad if carbs are on the no-list). Sound crazy for a barbecue joint lauded on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”? It’s not. The salmon is loaded on a warm corn tortilla with red cabbage and a spicy tartar. The correct order is two or more — never just one. When leaving, the newly converted should grab a bag of farm-raised salmon and a container of the most addictive salmon dip.

For those craving flapjacks, this Colorado import in Addison is hard to beat. From pineapple upside-down pancakes to buttermilk lemon poppyseed batter and sweet potato cakes, this popular breakfast and brunch spot makes fun variations on this breakfast classic. Not sure which to try? Order a pancake flight, which lets you try three different flapjacks. If you don’t want to make the drive to Addison just to wait in line for brunch, no worries: The restaurant is opening locations in Fort Worth, on Walnut Hill Lane and on Oak Lawn Avenue.

If you’re looking for a patio with a pedigree, East Dallas’ Smoky Rose is the place. This gorgeous, verdant patio has sweet little gathering areas and fire pits and offers the same flowery, outdoorsy decadence you’ll find at the Dallas Arboretum across the street. The upscale barbecue dishes taste even better with a little fresh air.

If you’re in search of that perfect neighborhood joint — where everyone knows your name and the bar is stocked not just with great cocktails, but all your neighbors — Oak Cliff’s Nova is the place to be. Open until late on weekends, it’s not uncommon to find drinkers swarming this joint for late-night eats and one last nightcap. This retro-style gastropub serves up great specials, so always ask what’s on the menu that night. And don’t skip the surprisingly addictive chicken udon.

Oh, how happy we were when formerly Oak Cliff-based Zoli’s NY Pizza popped back up in Addison. Whether you’re looking for classic New York-style pies or something more adventurous — or even a foot-long brunch cannoli made with Nashville hot chicken — Zoli’s can accommodate. Try the CBR, a pizza topped with mozzarella, roasted chicken, bacon, pickled jalapeños, parsley, jalapeño ranch and an everything-bagel crust.

So you’re stumbling through Deep Ellum late at night and need a bite. You’ve got options, but not all compare to Easy Slider, the food truck turned brick-and-mortar. You can get these juicy, oh-so-perfect sliders until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday nights, and if you’re feeling especially adventurous, try the crackle shot, a shot of liquor (we suggest tequila) served with a chaser of pork cracklins that crackle when sprinkled with fresh lime juice.

This sweet little West Dallas grocery store is a godsend when you’re across the river and in search of organic produce or locally roasted coffee. It’s not big, but it makes up for its size in the solid selection of healthy food and ready-made sides and sandwiches. If you can’t make a farmers market but want fresh, in-season peaches or tomatoes, Cox Farms is a solid bet.

There are two reasons there’s a line out the door of this Deep Ellum doughnut shop almost every night: They’re hungry after drinking their body’s volume in cheap beer, and these doughnuts are the tastiest way to avoid a hangover. Doughnuts are usually a cheap and easy snack, but this late-night bakery works hard to make the tastiest treat on Elm Street with unique creations like a chocolate- and whipped cream-covered dessert called DoughNachos and interesting flavors like banana pudding and key lime pie. Even if you know how to drink, it’s worth risking a head-splitting hangover just so you can have an excuse to eat one at the end of the night.

The Dallas cocktail scene is finally growing up, which means we’ve got a few bars that specialize in everything from specific spirits to unconventional bar tools like roto-vaporizers. Our favorite specialty bar by far is Las Almas Rotas, the Expo Park mezcaleria that bills itself as “a shrine to the spirits of Mexico.” Learn about independent mezcal and sotol producers when distillers come in for demos, catch barbecue pop-ups out front or just dive into a massive menu of mezcals that you can sip straight in flights to help compare flavors. If you know nothing about this Mexican spirit, don’t feel put out: You’re Las Almas Rotas’ favorite type of customer.

After a dinner out, a concert or a play, even those with the most well-stocked home bar like to stop off on the way home for a nightcap. Well, at Here there’s ample parking and comfy, cozy seating and delicious mixes on the menu, should folks want to veer from the standard twist of lime. Everybody’s Girl offers a light, tart refresher with vodka lifted by elderflower and grapefruit, tempered with the salinity of Fino sherry and bubbled up with prosecco. The Goldrush puts bonded bourbon on the back of a mule, with lemon, honey, ginger beer and angostura bitters. Late night bites are also perfect for that last craving and indulgence of the evening; mac-and-cheese crusted with potato chips delivers on comfort, while the charcuterie and cheese board present the expected meats and cheese with a delightful house-made bourbon, tomato and bacon jam that is delicious enough to eat with a spoon when the baguette runs out. Here neighbors Humble Pie provide two pies (the Mississippi mud-like Bayou Goo and a frozen strawberry chiffon) exclusive to the Lounge, and they contribute to sweet dreams, but chef Megan Foley offers a rotating selection of sweet treats to share…or not. Whether the last stop is one drink or four hours and a full meal, Here is best before home.

This Carrollton sushi spot feels like one of DFW’s best-kept secrets. For your money, you won’t find a better piece of refreshingly affordable sushi in North Texas. The extravagant presentations make it feel like you’re in a frou-frou Dallas sushi joint, but you’ll walk out of here having spent far less than you would in Dallas proper. We love letting the sushi chefs go nuts with a $40 sashimi platter, a beautiful landscape of fresh raw fish artfully presented and, on every visit, featuring a few surprise cuts like salmon belly or monkfish liver.

Dallas may not be known as Taco City, but it should be. Our taqueria scene is diverse and thoughtful, but even with all the competition, there’s no rivaling Revolver Taco Lounge. This Deep Ellum taqueria, under the direction of owner Regino Rojas, serves up incredible pato (duck), cabrito (baby goat) and carne asada (with Wagyu beef) tacos, and the back room — called Purepecha — gives intrepid diners an opportunity to dine prix fixe-style on whatever seasonal Mexican dishes Rojas dreamed up that week. As an added bonus, their micheladas are a must, and it’s prime drunk food in a neighborhood that has no shortage of boozed-up patrons.

Sachet’s wine list focuses on bottles from the Mediterranean rim: France, Spain and Italy are represented, of course, but so are Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Morocco and Slovenia. Great discoveries abound, and, even more happily, many of the best are $50 or less. Sparkling rosé from Greece, orange wines from Sardinia and electric reds from Lebanon are all represented, and the by-the-bottle list denotes natural, organic and biodynamic wines. Can’t decide? Sample wines on tap, or order one-third of one bottle before moving on to the next. Few Dallas-area restaurants reward the adventurous as handsomely as Sachet does, and few make it so affordable to go exploring.

Technically, progressive dinners are meant to traverse a neighborhood or a city, but since Legacy Hall features three floors of food and bar stalls, it feels like its own little neighborhood. Even better, whether it’s a date, double date or family night, everyone can choose their noshes and meet at the table to share or just mow down their own. Even a quick lunch hour at the Hall can be a culinary adventure. Start with a soft, savory steamed bun from Enter the Bao and some crunchy flautas from FAQ, then for the entrée, grab a healthy poke bowl from Freshfin Poke Co., a burger from John Tesar’s Knife, yakitori from Red Stix Asian Street Food, and duck-fat fried chicken (wings, sandwiches, salad — try them all) from Tiffany Derry’s Roots Chicken Shack. Then end the meal with French macarons and ice cream sandwiches from Haute Sweets Patisserie and small-batch doughnuts from Glazed Donut Works. Crèpes, barbecue, waffles, pizza, noodles and more — it’s all there, ready for the ordering.

This was a tough choice — we could have gone with any number of regional Mexican restaurants serving excellent food in Oak Cliff and beyond. But the crowds haven’t quite found Limon’s, where Francisca Limon and her family serve up specialties from the Veracruz region, like mole veracruzano, one of the sweetest and nuttiest of Mexico’s moles. Tamales veracruzanos, wrapped in banana leaves, are practically decadent, and this is one of the few restaurants in Dallas to serve chanchamitos and garnachas. The enchiladas, especially bathed in fiery-hot salsa verde, are as wonderful as the family atmosphere is welcoming.

Food festivals are all the rage right now, and you’ll find one for every food item down to tacos, margaritas and even all things spicy. Our favorite fest of 2018 was a new one: Birthright BBQ Fest, which took over Dallas Heritage Village with big-name pitmasters using cooking methods from the 1800s to present-day. They even utilized old-school smokehouses on the historic property, and even though it was sold out, you never had to wait too long to get a slab of smoked meat.

At this spot in Carrollton’s Korean neighborhood, the kitchen serves up Thai food most Texans have never seen before: crispy chicken skins, spicy seafood hot pots, deep-fried whole fish bathed in tamarind sauce. Too Thai Street Eats is a bright, colorful spot that serves up intoxicating flavors, and there’s no other place in Dallas to try hoi todt, a crispy, bubbly omelet studded with mussels. Sure, you can get good old pad Thai, but sukothai noodles topped with barbecued pork beckon too. And the bubbly optimism of Too Thai’s atmosphere and staff are as addicting as the food.

Sometimes when you’re out for a drink or 12, you want more than just a single liquid in a glass. You want to enjoy the taste of what you’re sipping before it completely dulls your senses. This Deep Ellum tavern has come up with some really interesting ways to get your nightly recommended allowance of alcohol using taste buds you didn’t know your tongue had. Their Bloody Mary is poured with a special four-pepper-infused tequila that will wake you up at any time of day. They’ve turned the frat favorite Irish Car Bomb into a much tastier concoction called the Four Leaf Clover. If you’re feeling adventurous, tell the bartender to surprise you, and watch them experiment with the bottles behind the bar to create new and tasty drink recipes.

Dallas is swarming with fast-casual poke restaurants, each offering their own take on this classic Hawaiian dish of marinated raw fish. But amidst the cacophony, one restaurant stands out: Malibu Poke. From the same team behind TJ’s Seafood, Malibu Poke’s menu was developed by former FT33 chef Matt McCallister, and there’s serious creativity here. Try bowls like the bonito aioli tuna (serrano pepper, bonito flakes, micro basil, avocado, toasted coconut, crispy garlic) or build your own.

If you can drink while grocery shopping, you have just hacked time and pain. There’s nothing wrong with regular grocery shopping per se, but the aisles and aisles of impossible choices and the screaming kids running around don’t exactly make things easy. Luckily, God invented alcohol, and even better, Whole Foods has the option to sip on some wine from the bar and continue shopping for all your favorite gluten-free crackers along the way. Once you discover this hack, there truly is no going back. Rosé while picking out the best take-home frozen pizza is basically the equivalent of eating in Italy, and you’re welcome forever.

While microbreweries aren’t exactly novel, there are still a few that are worth a visit. First and foremost: Peticolas, an award-winning brewery launched in 2011. The brewery’s founder and namesake, Michael Peticolas, left behind a career in law to pursue his dream of becoming a brewmaster. And while some called him crazy, he clearly knew what he was doing. On December 30, 2011, Peticolas brewed an Imperial Red Ale called Velvet Hammer. In the years since, Velvet Hammer and several other Peticolas beers have gone on to earn some of the industry’s most prestigious awards. Now Peticolas is available in bars and restaurants across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. But you can’t beat a visit to the taproom, where you can tour the facilities to see how the magic is made.

Free Play is not only a great place to play vintage arcade games, but it’s also a great craft beer destination. And each of its three locations in North Texas is a little different. Free Play Richardson and Arlington offer beers as well as a full bar and kitchen, but its latest location in Denton offers 52 draft beers, several bottled and canned beers and the opportunity to fill full-size growlers. Five bucks gets you in the door to play some of the coolest classic arcade games and pinball machines, and from there, simply pick your poison and enjoy drink specials and a rotating list of beers.

Ten years ago, it was near-impossible to find a Texas-made whiskey or bourbon. These days, it’s quite the opposite. Our favorite local distillery right now: Witherspoon, the Lewisville business making stellar bourbon whiskey, single-malt whiskey and even bourbon cream and White Dog, an unaged whiskey that comes in at 125 proof.

At Bar & Garden, it’s about quality, not quantity. You won’t find every liquor under the sun at this beautiful, plant-filled Ross Avenue store, but you will find a thoughtful selection of small-batch spirits and natural wines. They also host regular tastings and in-store events like yoga and meditation. If you’re looking for sulfite-free wine, a stunning bottle of limited-production mezcal or the perfect bottle to give as a gift, this store is a real treat to visit.

This relative newcomer to the Dallas beer scene is already making an impression on beer drinkers with its straightforward, uncomplicated lagers, ambers and porters. You won’t find any IPAs or sours, but we can almost guarantee you’ll still fall in love with these Design District brews. This summer, we filled our fridge with the Woofus, a hybrid kölsch, steam beer and cream ale.

Deep Ellum Brewing Company usually keeps things pretty straightforward (they’re known for their Dallas Blonde in particular), but we’ve fallen in love with Play Date, a super-drinkable 5.4 ABV American sour made with the subtle flavor of medjool dates. This sun-kissed sour isn’t over-the-top tart and is a perfect summer sipper.

It’s one of those mornings: You stayed out too late the night before, your head aches, and all you want is a big meal to quell an uneasy stomach — and maybe some hair of the dog too. Make a beeline to Lee Harvey’s, where the food isn’t fancy, but it is damn good. The burgers are some of the best in Dallas, hungover or not. Jalapeño grilled cheese, wings, quesadillas and tacos are other hangover-busting options. If sitting outside in the light of day is too much, hunker down in the dimly lit bar in one of the ancient booths.

“If you’ve seen it in a commercial, we don’t serve it.” The Meddlesome Moth touts this on their website, and with a glance at their beer menu, you know it’s true. Meddlesome Moth prides itself on their expansive, creative beer options. They offer a rotating beer selection, featuring 40 beers on tap with an additional 85 bottled beers on the menu. You’ll find some local favorites, but the majority of the on-tap menu is dominated by seasonal and rare selections from small breweries around the United States and abroad.

Sachet embodies the way that many of us want to eat now: vegetable-focused but not vegetarian, strongly seasonal, focused on small mezze-style plates so that we can sample a little of everything, healthy but with a sense of indulgence. Sachet’s consistency is a marvel, and so is the way that the restaurant filters the entire Mediterranean basin through an American lens. Pastas like green garlic tortiglioni are outstanding, as is the single miniature pizza that features fontina, aromatic thyme and crispy roasted kale. Add in one of the city’s most adventurous wine programs, an entire menu of gin-and-tonics featuring liquors from Spain and an irresistible almond cake, and it’s clear that Sachet is a new Dallas classic.

Chef Jonathon Erdeljac was around 14 years old when he learned the recipe. He tenderizes the chuck steak, walks it through seasoned flour and drops it into a bath of buttermilk and Tabasco. The final crust — the one that turns into a jagged, undulating exterior — is saltine crackers. The diner beacon for a Dallas icon, coming from a toddler-size kitchen: Jonathon’s CFS is as simple as it is darkly evil and moon-big. The peppered gravy is the only thing to eclipse the sharp breading. The crust could break in a stiff breeze. It’s one of the best — a recipe the chef executes in the same way he did when he was a kid.

It’s not just us: Ask your favorite chefs around Dallas, and you’re likely to hear admiration for Krstic, the Serbian-American mind behind Mot Hai Ba’s fantastical variations on traditional Vietnamese cuisine. His food combines deep respect for Vietnamese cooking with a modernist sensibility that sends the food in surprising new directions, like taking traditional pâté and swiping it around tempura-battered okra, or pairing grilled duck meatballs with tomato compote or a mild kimchi. As Dallas fine dining becomes increasingly conservative and risk-averse, Krstic is a role model for chefs who follow their inspirations in new and exciting directions.

This upscale Oak Lawn Mexican restaurant serves three salsas with its chips — but one of them is stealing the show. The salsa de chile de morita is nut-brown and a little bit nutty in flavor too, with a sweet-savory combination that’s intriguing even before the wave of spice arrives. Morita peppers, like chipotles, are smoked and dried red jalapeños, but morita peppers spend less time in the smoker, so they retain more of the original flavor while packing the same amount of heat. The only downside to this utterly addicting salsa: It’s not served in a birdbath.

Few spaces in Dallas combine comfort with opulence as effortlessly as the redesigned bar just a staircase away from the storied French Room restaurant. The period touches take the room back at least a century, including an ornate wooden fireplace, deep blue walls, oil paintings of wigged European nobility and, of course, a gold-painted ceiling. The $75 caviar-garnished cocktail might be excessive, but the snack menu is as superbly curated as the ambience. Order a sidecar, enjoy a cheese plate or salad and enjoy feeling like royalty for an evening.

In the shadow of The French Room, a tiny bar decided that it should try its hand at French food too. The Mitchell focuses on bistro fare, the kind you’d find at lunchtime in a Parisian cafe: huge, filling croque madame sandwiches; a cauldron of mussels steamed in apple cider; raw oysters dotted with caviar; and a ring of beef tartare dotted with egg yolk custard. Their food has the element of surprise — we never expected to be so delighted by steak frites or roasted bone marrow in a downtown gin bar. But The Mitchell is the real deal, and our return visits indicate that after several recent rounds of chef turnover, the kitchen’s standards are as high as ever.

Oddly, the steaks aren’t always the first thing we remember fondly after a night at Knife. The sheer professionalism of the service, the fabulous creamed spinach, the pastas that are far better than they need to be and the gimmicky-sounding but delicious bacon old fashioned all produce their own warm memories. Knife is a complete restaurant, and in-the-know diners are just as excited about the cryptic menu item “Something Green and in Season” as they are about the 90-day dry-aged rib-eyes. But let’s not undersell the steaks. Knife was a national pioneer in the dry-aging movement, and it’s still the reigning champ. Whether you choose “old-school” meat or “new-school,” which employs sous vide to ensure a flawless cook, you can’t go wrong.

You’ll find some of the best hummus, labneh and lamb kebabs in Texas in the tiny town of Pantego, just west of Arlington. Here Bashar Al Mudhafar, a Baghdad native who arrived in America as a refugee in 2010, cooks superb Iraqi food with the help of his family. The falafel, its inside bright green with fresh herbs, comes from childhood memories of falafel Al Mudhafar ate from street vendors; the grilled lamb chops are dusted with ground pistachios. The secret to keeping even shish tawook (chicken kebabs) tender and moist? Grilling them to the side of the flame, so they don’t dry out over the high heat.

Ddong Ggo has enough gimmicks for a dozen restaurants, including its name, which its owner says is Korean for “chicken butthole”; its cocktails, which include popsicles dunked in pint glasses of booze; and its atmosphere, carefully designed to mimic the street-side bar carts of Korea. But Ddong Ggo’s kitchen is serious about producing truly great fried chicken, tender seafood, shareable soups and addicting bar snacks like the “kimchi cheese pizza pancake,” which is even better than it sounds. There may be no meal in Dallas more joyous to eat than Cheese Island, a skillet on which an island of fried chicken and potatoes floats on an ocean of molten cheese.

Early 2018 has seen a boom in upscale Italian restaurants across the Dallas region, from The Charles and Mille Lire near downtown to Frisco’s Da Mario, which specializes in setting its pasta alla vodka on fire. But in many ways the original is still the best: Nonna, which just celebrated its 10th birthday, is as keenly attuned to the seasons as ever, basing its ever-changing menu on the freshest produce. As good as the stuffed squash blossoms and lobster ravioli might be, save room for main courses of fish, quail or lamb grilled in the wood-fired oven. They have a habit of stealing the show.

As the Sichuan dining scene explodes in Plano, one older standby keeps getting more and more consistent. Sichuan Folk’s lip-tingling hot dishes, alive with the taste of numbing peppercorns, are formidable and thrilling. Spicy fish is practically mandatory. The wontons, 10 for $5, are excellent. But it’s possible to pass a satisfying meal here without encountering high heat by trying the marinated wood ear mushrooms and a noodle soup with a mellow savory broth. In its realm of expertise, Sichuan Folk is still setting the regional standard.

Readers’ Choice:Royal China

There are only a few places left to get a real street dog. Dallas is a hot dog ghost town, while major cities around the country have dogs pinned to sidewalks. Regino Rojas’ Revolver Taco Lounge has the most emotionally moving street meat in the city right now: smoky bacon spirals around a Luscher’s Red Hot, a charred and snapping hot link. The Mexican Dog was inspired by the hot dogs Rojas grew up on: bacon-wrapped dogs with white onions rolled in carts around Guadalajara, Mexico. He amps up this version with crema; bright, fresh tomatoes and onions; and a scatter of tender mayocoba beans. Street food is home cooking, and Revolver’s dog is straight out of the mind of a chef at home.

No high-end restaurant in Dallas can rival the consistent excellence of Tei-An. Teiichi Sakurai’s flagship Arts District restaurant is one of the best Japanese restaurants in the entire country, and the best way to prove it is to order from the page listing the day’s specials, featuring ultra-fresh seafood flown in just hours before on an airliner from Tokyo. Tasting menus showcase either a collection of Sakurai’s greatest hits or a sampling of new, seasonally influenced items. Two regular features are must-orders: a bowl of soba noodles, which are made from scratch in the kitchen, and the nutty, almost savory, entirely magical black sesame mousse.

A new kid on the block, Humble Pie brings familiarity to East Dallas. From classic fruit pies like cherry and apple to coconut cream pie, owner Sean Jett emphasizes that simplicity is the key ingredient that keeps folks coming back for more. Pro tip: Cool off this summer with a slice of lemon icebox pie.

“Craft” and “artisanal” ice cream was uber-hot in Dallas this year, with new shops opening all over the area. But our favorite spot to get a cool treat is actually a long-running chocolate shop: Dude, Sweet Chocolate. You’ll only find one soft-serve flavor at a time, but this rich, velvety ice cream comes topped with the chocolatier’s stellar chocolates as garnish. Seasonal flavors like peach with orange blossom cream and peach compote bring us back every few weeks to sample owner Katherine Clapner’s new concoctions.

Meat is obsolete — at least that’s how the vegan food truck SoulGood makes you feel. This food truck is serving up goods that’ll satisfy any palate, plant-based or not. The fan favorite is the Vin Diezel, a vegan hot dog topped with vegan chili, banana peppers, sauerkraut and sweet relish.

The Dallas Farmers Market has a lot of goodies, but a true gem is the Trinidad and Tobago family-run spot Caribbean Cabana. Why? They’re bringing the flavors you yearn for in Caribbean food, from island favorites like oxtails to the jerk chicken sandwich that’s impossible to eat in one sitting.

Sweet Georgia Brown is one of the first places folks recommend when asked about soul food, and it’s not hard to see why. Load up on your favorites like ribs, fried chicken, collard greens and mac-and-cheese. This cafeteria-style staple is open daily, but if you want to avoid the after-church crowd on Sundays, get your fix in late afternoon.

Recipe Oak Cliff is not your average juice bar. Whether you’re ordering from the menu or chatting it up with owner Tisha Crear, who always has a great suggestion, Recipe Oak Cliff makes you feel at home — if your home was stocked with plant-based meals and fresh juices and smoothies. If you’re feeling timid, start with the fresh watermelon juice.

There’s no way anyone can deny — or compete with — the taste of Rudy’s fried chicken. This no-frills spot is a southern Dallas staple that brings all walks of life to its location on Lancaster Road. Despite occasional long lines, no one seems to mind the wait. Don’t forget to ask for extra seasoning.

From cookies to brownies to bars, once you walk inside Kessler Baking Studio and get a whiff, you’ll throw your whole diet away. But owner Clyde Greenhouse doesn’t stop at sweet treats. He’s serving up packaged nuts and confections that can serve as the perfect gift. Pro tip: Start your weekend the sweetest way possible by stopping in for Cinnamon Roll Saturday.

At Recipe Oak Cliff you’ll find creative, fresh and affordable vegan food — no heavily processed meat substitutes. Instead, owner Tisha Crear reinterprets the food she grew up with, using homemade, plant-based meat alternatives. Crear opened Recipe with the goal of offering healthy, quick options in the food desert of South Oak Cliff. All food is served to-go, and in addition to vegan options, there are also raw selections available daily. You can order things like a BBQ jackfruit sandwich, zucchini noodles with cashew “cream” or tacos with walnut and sun-dried tomato “meat.”

When it comes to curing and foraging, Dallas chef Misti Norris is king — er, queen. That’s never more apparent than on the menu at her Old East Dallas restaurant Petra & the Beast, where she goes wild with a must-not-miss charcuterie program. Expect your board to be different every time, and let her choose for you if you’re feeling adventurous. Past treats have ranged from a pseudo-boudin terrine to whipped lardo and smoked beef tongue.

In the ever-expanding world of healthy eats, it’s all about plant-based right now. Few Dallas restaurants do it better than Tribal All Day Cafe, the restaurant, juice bar, coffee shop and cocktail bar offshoot of Dallas juice company Tribal. The menu is small but we love all of it, from vegan migas to beet hummus and macadamia vanilla ricotta toast.

If you want to impress someone with a lavish Vietnamese feast, Saigon Block is the way to go. The showstopper whole fish can feed damn near an entire soccer team and comes on a platter filled with fresh, fragrant herbs and everything you need to make your own spring rolls. If you’re feeling particularly indulgent, try the Seven Courses of Beef feast. From roasted quail to deep-fried Cornish hens to butter-basted frog legs, this Vietnamese spot will get you out of your pho and banh mi rut.

La Comida is the embodiment of the American dream. Brothers Mario and Ivan Urtecho hail from the Yucatan region and, unlike a lot of Tex-Mex joints, you’ll find authenticity and heart in this menu. Whether you want more Mexican fare like tortas or Tex-Mex classics like cheese enchiladas and margaritas, La Comida is likely to impress you. With a combination of Yucatan and Tex-Mex flavors, this restaurant is a departure from the mass-produced Mexican that’s so long underwhelmed Texans. Try the empanadas: The Urtechos used to sell them door to door before starting their own restaurant.

It’s neither new nor trendy at the moment, but this Oak Cliff mainstay has long made one of the best brunches in the city. An early adopter of the farm-to-table movement, Bolsa keeps brunch fresh with dishes such as breakfast flatbreads, iron skillet quiche and maple-bourbon glazed pork belly. Grab a table early, as this place has a serious brunch reputation.

When it comes to seafood in 2018, sustainability is the name of the game. Overfishing is killing our oceans, but TJ’s Seafood is meticulous about its sourcing. This is a restaurant where you’re guaranteed to find something new and interesting (and seasonal) each visit, from wild Alaskan halibut to Vancouver Island wild king salmon. It’s not cheap, but if you’re in the market for fresh seafood to cook at home, their market has a fun array of cuts that changes daily.

In the last couple of years, the Dallas Farmers Market has become not just a good spot to pick up locally grown tomatoes but one of the city’s largest tourism draws, which unfortunately shows in the lack of parking. Even still, this farmers market is a blast to visit, and it’s easy to lose a day buying produce, eating snacks from local vendors and shopping for everything from local salsa to cowhide rugs. When buying produce, keep an eye on signage: conventionally grown and organic/locally grown goods are identified as such.

The blue tile-covered building downtown is a welcome addition for people living and working in the area. While you can get a well-made meal all day, Commissary offers a breakfast daily made with spot-on execution. The smoked salmon bagel is magical with dill-caper cream cheese, and the poppyseed bagel is good enough to eat on its own. And it still gets better with the porchetta egg sandwich. Shaved porchetta, arugula, salsa verde and a fried egg lay in the middle of a freshly baked bun. This little spot filled with mostly two-tops frequently has a line to the door for a reason: The odds of you leaving happy are good with whatever you order.

At Wow! Donuts & Drips, the doughnuts are works of art. They are made to order: small batches are baked every few hours, and the toppings and fillings are added on demand. Wow offers more than 120 creative toppings and fillings, from classic chocolate old fashioned or glazed cake doughnut to Nutella Kit Kat, carrot cake, and Elvis, the latter with peanut butter, bananas, chocolate and bacon. Inside, the shop is bright and playfully decorated — it’s an Instagrammer’s playground. Grab a cup of coffee while you’re there; they have a rotating selection of coffees from small roasters all over the world.

The best popsicles in Dallas live at Encanto Pops. The glow of color-changing globe lights sets the tone at this funky Oak Cliff spot, where the Diaz siblings offer their updated take on traditional Mexican paletas. Adventurous palates will be charmed by innovative flavors like pico de gallo, Gansito and avocado soursop. Pair a pop with an agua fresca for a combination that really takes the edge off the heat — no small feat in Texas. This just may be grounds to elevate the Diaz family to sainthood status.

Panther City BBQ may be a food truck, but the breadth of barbecue goodness being served rivals that of many brick-and-mortars. Sure, you’ll find brisket, pulled pork, spare ribs and two kinds of sausage. But there’s also smoked turkey breast, smoked bologna and pork belly burnt ends, a nod to their friends down the street at Heim Barbecue. Don’t sleep on the sides, and if brisket elote or pork belly jalapeño poppers are on the menu, make sure to save room. Not only is Panther City’s barbecue a stellar example of the Central Texas style of barbecue, but the modest food-truck roots mean a plate of their tasty fare won’t break the bank, either.

This sleek West Dallas cocktail enclave is great for hiding out in a dark corner with a Negroni and a date, but it’s also a great place to geek out over cocktails with bar manager George Kaiho, a quiet but friendly presence behind the bar. His cocktails are sophisticated but approachable, and his hospitality means you’re likely to hang around a while, tasting different cocktail components between sherry and mezcal cocktails.

The high-end, farm-to-market diner is hot right now, but sometimes, you just want the real, grease-stained thing. Mama’s Daughter’s is the classic diner of our dreams: sassy signs on the wall, lightning-fast service and cheap, satisfying diner eats.

At this Dallas Farmers Market stall, all the meat you purchase comes from small family farms ethically raising beef, pork and lamb. The husband-and-wife team behind this shop can answer any question you’ve got about your meat, and then some. The butcher stall even hosts “meet your farmer” events where customers can meet the local ranchers behind this high-quality meat. Try the house-made sausages and brats.

This is a touchy subject, because all cheese fries are technically the best cheese fries. But some places, like Shake Shack, go above and beyond. A smart cheese-fry slinger opts for a cheese sauce that coats the fry more evenly and doesn’t congeal into a cold, flavorless epoxy. At Shake Shack, the fries are amped up to gold-star gourmet status by infusing a cream base with sautéed onions and jalapeños for a deeper, more organic flavor. That mixture is then strained over equal parts grated American cheese and cheddar for a smooth, golden, creamy finish.

There’s really no better place to be an introvert than at home — or at a coffee shop. And there’s no better coffee shop to be an introvert than Ascension in the Design District. Of course, crowds are welcome. But to the dismay of society’s social butterflies, there is a contingent of restaurant-goers who just want to eat and drink in the sole company of a book or a smartphone and not be judged. Ascension deserves praise because it accommodates quiet solitude with more than just a cappuccino and a scone. This coffee shop also serves a full menu with “real” food such as lamb meatballs, smoked salmon boards and niçoise salad. There’s wine, beer, mood lighting and a chill, understated vibe. Come for the delicious cortado but stay to revel in your fierce independence.

Up against hip, shiny new food courts like Legacy Hall in Plano and the beloved Dallas Farmers Market, Mitsuwa Marketplace shines a different light on DFW. This Japanese food court in Plano doesn’t have its own brewery or double as a concert venue on the weekends. It’s not open and roomy, and you can’t bring your dog — but don’t cast it aside. It’s got variety and character, and it’s a modern food court that puts Asian fare center stage. Mitsuwa’s food court hosts only four stalls that serve distinct Japanese comfort foods: matcha-based desserts at Matcha Love, tonkatsu and other fried delicacies at Wateishoku Kaneda, ramen at Santouka and giant “stamina bowls” of pork belly and rice at Sutadonya. Don’t skip out on the shops, like the specialty bakery that sells decadent carbohydrates like fried curry bread or the ready-to-eat counter with fresh sushi, onigiri, soba, takoyaki and rice bowls.

These are true-blue tavern wings — aka drumsticks that behave like wings. The sauce covers every nook and cranny of the drums, topped by crags of funky blue cheese. The sticky sauce arrives the hue of a smoldering campfire — a coating made with garlic, beer, brown sugar and a hammer or two of Frank’s Red Hot. “We had a rival restaurant once try to poach our kitchen staff to find out how we make these,” says owner Meri Dahlke. Diced green onions and celery blunt the richness. These are wings that taste like they predate Monday Night Football.

The best sandwiches, the ones you crave for days after ordering, are served family style one day and between bread the next. Owner and chef Reyna Duong was born in a small fishing village on the southern tip of Vietnam — a tattoo on her forearm bears the city’s name — and grew up in Orange County. Sharing food was non-negotiable, a family’s rite of passage, as it is at Sandwich Hag. The pork sausage banh mi — a neat rectangular patty, charred and surrounded by pickled radish, jalapeño, daikon, fresh cilantro and a Quoc Bao bakery baguette — is stupendous. Duong grinds the sausage daily by hand.