Food & Drink

Life’s too short for a boring dinner every Monday. Among many other great things about TJ’s three-decade presence in the Dallas restaurant scene, every Monday is lobster night, which consists of cracked lobster, clams, mussels, corn, potato and drawn butter. Not only is fresh seafood on offer throughout the menu, including a daily fresh catch, you can order from the market to take home. But why do that when you’d be hard pressed to find a place with better hospitality in the city?

For 10 years, the aptly named Dallas shop with two locations has been a well of wellness. The GEM’s menu is a Goop-y, Poosh-y dream with miracle mushrooms (“miracle” not “magic”), vitamin-rich energy shots and “immuni-tea.” The hours are not so great. Your post-run craving for a fruity drink will probably have to wait until after the weekend. They are closed on Sundays and after 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays. But in the small window that this place is open, we’re there specifically for the Tahitian Pearl, a heaven-sent blend of cacao, dates, banana, almond butter, cashew milk, coconut butter and maca. The luxurious, creamy chocolate flavor tastes like it’s not good for you at all. The all-organic, healthy part makes it better.

Jimmy’s, of course, is more than a sandwich shop. It’s a small grocery store that sells Italian wines, cheeses, snacks and olive oils that’s also a full deli selling house-made sausages, sauces, pizzas, lasagnas and meatballs. There is even a wine-tasting room in the back. The freshly prepared sandwiches, such as the Italian sub, muffuletta, Calabrese and Italian beef, are unmatched in Dallas. Seating is limited, lines can be long, and parking is always a challenge, but nothing this good is easy.

Stepping into the vibrantly colored El Vecino reminds us of a small Mexican restaurant located in a tropical destination. Old school Tex-Mex is made daily, and if you’re one of those people who like their Tex-Mex hot, then check out the complimentary salsa verde. It looks deceptively mild, made with roasted tomatillos, lime, garlic and serrano peppers, but it packs some real punch and will cure any sinus issues you might be having.

We never thought we’d be this excited about salad dressing because, well, we’re just not Paul Newman. But the salad dressing at Snappy Salads is an absolute miracle: It got us to crave salad. Some of us are just not into cold, leafy foods, no matter how much we understand that we should be. Snappy Salads, a growing chain of 13 locations across North Texas, offers salads with names such as “Lemon Pepper Shrimp” or “Texas Taco.” We recommend building your own — your preferred lettuce, plus six extra toppings — adding tofu or your protein of choice and letting them absorb the richness of the specialty dressings, all for the price of your monthly rent. Hey, we didn’t say it was cheap. The dressing flavors include chimichurri, wasabi and Mexican cream. Our hearts stopped with the sweet parsley vinaigrette dressing, but thanks to our new diet, our health will be just fine.

James Beard- and Food & Wine-nominated chef Misti Norris offers a six-course tasting menu at Petra and the Beast, her restaurant on Haskell that, as the website says, brings “unique, pleasant and hearty reflections from farm, forage, fermentation and fire to table.” There are two seatings on Saturdays, and reservations go fast, but the lucky ones can expect some exceptional food with original presentations emphasizing local vegetables, usually including an amuse bouche, intermezzo and a small final bite.

Barbecue hounds and casual fans alike should sign up for emails from Cattleack Barbecue. Of course, you’ll get a weekly email to highlight the week’s specials. With hits like pastrami beef ribs, burnt end boudin or fantastic pork steaks, there’s not really a weak item to be had. But the extra bonus to the signup list happens on the occasional Thursday or Friday when the stars align and the line at Cattleack is nonexistent. An email will show up announcing the lack of a wait, which is your cue to hop in your car and get some of the area’s best barbecue.

This Deep Ellum ramen spot offers carefully crafted and flavorful ramen dishes such as spicy soboro shoyu and miso, all with a chicken-based broth and perhaps some of the best chashu in town, imbued with a delicate grilled flavor that is not always present in ramen pork belly. The pork buns are heavenly, and there is a vegetarian version, but the star is the deep-fried mochi rice cakes that come as six addictive balls of goodness.

This French restaurant in the Harwood District is a gem. When the weather is nice, grab a table on the patio overlooking the lawn or a seat at the bar to watch the open kitchen. Mercat Bistro opens for breakfast at 7 a.m. on the weekdays and 10 a.m. for brunch on the weekends. The interior has about a dozen tables. There are pastries on offer, but go for the croque monsieur served on a country sourdough, with Gruyere, jambon and a mornay sauce. Weekend brunch has an expanded menu with crepes, a duck baguette and charcuterie.

A proper Tex-Mex meal should start with a giant bowl of queso, and Meso Maya’s pair of queso options makes for a tough choice. You could go with a traditional bowl of queso poblano, with a trio of white cheeses blended with roasted poblanos, fresh corn and nopalitos that are rich and buttery. Or go big with the queso fundido, which comes with corn tortillas and your choice of chorizo, pork or calabacita vegetables. It’s a difficult decision, but it’s rewarding however you decide.

You might want to approach Thunderbird Pies with skin as thick as their Detroit-style pizzas. In addition to a sassy social media manager, they don’t care much for complaints. Especially, don’t ever ask to talk to corporate or you’ll likely get dinged with something like, “I am corporate, motherfucker.” Then they’ll make T-shirts to mock you, which they actually did, and blast it on an in-house billboard. It’s not at all ironic that one of their best pizzas is the Honey Bastard, named after the honey badger. Much like the similarly named mammal, they just don’t care, which they can get away with because the pizza is so good.

The service at Selda Mediterranean, formerly Pera Turkish Kitchen, is first class. The food is always fresh, and there are many vegetarian options here, including fried cauliflower, hummus and vegetarian couscous. If you’re up for sharing, the mixed grill is a great option. The dish serves 2-4 guests and has a combination of grilled meats including urfa, chicken, meatball, beef kebab and chicken adana. It is served with Turkish bulgur rice and a cold bean salad. Reservations are suggested as it is not a large place and is very popular, especially on the weekends.

After a morning of smelling the flowers at the Dallas Arboretum or running around White Rock Lake, you’ll find nothing is better than enjoying a cold adult beverage or brunch on a patio to give your weekend an A+ rating. One of the best patios in Dallas is across the street from the arboretum. Whether you prefer sun or shade, fire pits or fans, Smoky Rose provides the perfect setting for you to relax with friends, sip a cocktail and enjoy some brunch or barbecue and remember all that is right in this world.

This Deep Ellum gastro cantina represents the best of local food. It’s got grit and panache. James Beard-nominated chef Gino Rojas writes his own rules here at his newest concept, which is just next door to his original taco restaurant. He offers a stunning cross section of food. Get the delicate cabrito wontons over a salsa roja reduction topped with a tiny purple flower. His aunt presses and grills tortillas, made to order. Fill those soft orbs with queso fundido loaded with shrimp for one of the best bites of your life. The blender size licuachelas – a chaotic blend of sour candy and margarita – might be dangerous, but you’ll have a fantastic story to tell. And what a place to make stories.

Andrea’s Pizza first reeled us in at its Frisco location, and once it had us addicted, the place packed up its pans sometime around 2010 and left for the greener, much quieter pastures of Gunter. Never heard of it? It’s a small town up north near Van Alstyne. Never heard of that either? That’s OK; part of this restaurant’s charm is that we have to work so hard to get what we want. The small, father-and-son operated marvel is worth the tank of gas. The pizza crust is sweet and sensuously thick, making it the perfect base to hold its velvety bed of cheese and hot, crispy-fresh veggies or whatever meaty toppings fill your carnivorous dreams. The long ride back allows visitors extra time to reflect and reminisce on the memories of the best pizza they’ll probably ever have.

The Liquid Nitrogen Margarita has been a staple at Beto & Son since it opened in 2016, and over the years, it’s been a must-try for Dallas residents and visitors alike. Made with Avion reposado tequila, lime juice, agave, DeKuyper 03 and encapsulated fruit pearls, this margarita is designed to stay cold and slushy during hot temperatures. It’s best slurped through a boba straw, which will allow for the pearls to travel through. The pearls provide quick bursts of sweetness to balance out the cold, boozy taste.

We’ve all been there: Your extended family is in town and you have no idea how to keep them all entertained, let alone how to feed them. Aunt Shirley is on a juice cleanse and Uncle Frank is a carnivore, plus some of your cousins tell you that they’re fully gluten-free. Don’t stress: Take your folks to Dallas Farmers Market. This sprawling bazaar is fun to browse and includes a vast array of cuisines. There’s the always-excellent Mexican joint Taqueria La Ventana, featuring tasty handmade tacos. Pizza lovers can indulge in an authentic Neapolitan pie fresh from BellaTrino’s famed wood-burning oven. And JuiceBabe’s delish smoothies are perfect for sipping as you stop by some of the market’s specialty shops. No matter where you eat, you can’t go wrong with Dallas Farmers Market.

Four Corners’ Heart o’ Texas red ale isn’t the most showy beer in town, but this just-sweet-enough amber has a nice malty underbelly and a touch of citrus. Try it at a Stars hockey game, as a few concessionaires at the American Airlines Center have it on draft. For some reason the 6% ABV goes perfect with the chill air, but it’s not so heavy that it weighs you down.

Looking for a place to get your late-night food fix? Open until 2 a.m. Thursday – Saturday, Shug’s Bagels is serving some killer bagel sandwiches, wraps and even breakfast after dark. All food is to go as their main dining space is closed at night, a few patio tables are available if you choose to eat there. Some standout menu items include the pesto chicken cutlet, Reuben and spicy Shug sandwiches. The loaded fries are great for soaking up the booze you likely consumed before your late-night binge. And if the party is continuing into the wee hours of the morning, you can buy beer, hard seltzer and prosecco to go.

The Village Baking Company is a boulangerie that serves sandwiches and coffee, but its raison d’être is the freshly baked goods it provides, such as savory baguettes and other loaves of bread, as well as croissants of all flavors and fillings. For us, the queen of the prom would be the kouign-amann, that wonderful export of Brittany, France, created with salted caramel, vanilla, chocolate and seasonal fruit. The multilayered laminated dough is baked to a caramelized perfection full of buttery, crunchy goodness. Who needs the cronut when this exists?

Odelay opened earlier this year, and diners are already coming to it in droves. Maybe they come for the Tex-Mex classics prepared with high-quality ingredients like Berkshire pork and Rosewood Ranch beef. Maybe they come for the atmosphere, with a lively bar stocked with plenty of tequila and a hacienda-style dining room that’s vibrant and fun. Whatever the reason, Odelay proves that our love of cheese-soaked Tex-Mex knows no bounds.

Looking for some great Vietnamese food with a Mexican twist? Cris and John serve traditional Vietnamese dishes like pho and spring rolls, and they also offer unique fusion creations like phorrito (think pho and a burrito) and ramenrritos (you get that one, right?). With their weekly specials, for $30, you can get a tray of some of their most popular items, like angry pho, birria tacos, chicken wings, and baos. The menu changes each week, so you’ll always have something new to try.

You’re driving along recapping the day in your head. You remember that you stuck to your high-fiber cereal and banana for breakfast, ate a sensible salad for lunch and plan on eating a nice grilled piece of salmon for dinner. You’ve earned a treat and not just any treat. You’ve earned the Sangraal of treats: a big hunk of delicious ice cream. If you’re gonna treat yourself, don’t cheapen it with some tawdry pile of tapioca and folic acid. Get some real ice cream at ice cream institution Tongue in Cheek. This beloved dessert vendor serves up generous scoops of dairy treats. Plain flavors such as vanilla and chocolate are delicately balanced and firm without being frozen solid as a brick. Unusual and daring flavors change regularly, like Hatch pepper butter pecan, Key lime pie and watermelon. The best part is you can get one without having to leave your car, and they never forget to give you enough napkins for the ride home.

These giant stand-alone ice machines dispense large bags of ice lickety-split. You can use plastic if you don’t have cash on you. And if you have only a $20 bill and you really need a bag of ice (and the card reader is down, which is apt to happen with outdoor machines), it gives change in dollar coins. We got a 1979 Susan B. Anthony along with 17 other coin dollars the other day. Who knew ice change could trigger a coin collecting hobby? Also, the machine plays Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” as it bags and dispenses your ice. Who knew getting ice could make you dance? Lastly — yeah, there’s more — it’s really good ice. The machines use carbon filtration and reverse osmosis, which is getting way over our heads, but, regardless, all the filtering renders a crunchier crunch and no weird flavor to mess up our margaritas.

An enjoyable weekend morning activity is to stroll through rows of vendors in the heart of downtown and feast on delicious samples. This pastime turns perfect when you stumble across this heavenly Mediterranean shop and get to taste fresh hummus, baba ganoush, pita chips, tzatziki sauce, tabouleh and more. This stall is always a buzzing with customers at the market, so it shouldn’t be hard to find.

This place is an all-time lunch classic, perfect for bringing your family or meeting work colleagues. Located in downtown Dallas’ West End, Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse has lunch options that hit on all cylinders. Its dining room boasts an upscale Texas ambience, but the menu’s prices won’t destroy your pocketbook. Y.O.’s burgers and sandwiches are as good as they come, and their salads are perfect for those who are watching their waistline but don’t want to sacrifice on taste. Go big and select a top-tier cut of steak and cap it all off with a Texas-brewed beer for an afternoon treat. Thanks for making the workweek way better, Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse.

La Me is a cafe in northeast Dallas with authentic Vietnamese fare, coffee and ambiance that offers traditional dishes such as pho and bun bo hue but also some unique options. The star of their menu is mi quang, a bowl of turmeric yellow rice noodles that are loaded with shrimp, peanuts, herbs and a hard-boiled egg sliced in half. Another popular dish is the mi dac biet, their house special dried noodles served with the soup on the side and an assortment of protein. The make-your-own spring rolls are a fun dish served with shrimp patties, grilled shrimp, grilled pork, grilled meat paste and egg rolls. They give you the dried rice paper and a bowl of hot water to soften it, then you create your own combination with noodles and veggies.

From birria tacos to chicken burritos to beefy nachos, Nuno’s seems to have all the staple Mexican foods you can think of, just without the meat and dairy. Nuno Arias Jr. opened his fully vegan Mexican grill after drawing inspiration from his parents’ thriving vegan taco joint, El Palote Panadería. If you’re not sure where to start, order the jackfruit nachos, a classic nachos dish topped with marinated and grilled jackfruit. Move on to the huitlacoche quesadillas or the Buffalo chicken crunchwrap for your main meal. End with the vegan sopapillas, flaky deep-fried cinnamon pastries drizzled in caramel sauce. While takeout is Nuno’s primary business model, you can call ahead if you’d like your food served to you. The food here tastes just as good either way.

Even your most adventurous foodie friends might turn their nose up at the thought of eating “sour fish soup.” If they do, they will be missing out. The “sour” comes from pickled mustard greens, and this rich, sour, oily, velvety and spicy dish is nothing short of spectacular. The broth is full of ribbons of pickled mustard greens, ginger, dried chiles and Szechuan peppercorns. Delicious fresh chunks of fish (flown in live each morning from a farm in Iowa) or beef rise to the top of the broth. To order, choose the flavor of the soup: classic, spicy or vine pepper numb. Next, choose the size (S, M, L) and your main ingredient: tilapia, largemouth bass, wagyu beef or a combination of tilapia and beef. Then pick the add-ons, which include options like tofu, potato slices, enoki mushrooms, lotus root, rice noodles, luncheon meat, bean curd sticks or chewy cellophane noodles. The bowl arrives with a side of rice and you spoon the soup on top of the rice and get ready for the party to start in your mouth.

Thai restaurants are plentiful in Dallas and can seem pretty similar to one another, but Thai Spice shines in its consistency and customer service. The tom kha soup is spot on, and curry dishes such as the ocean curry are flavorful and presented well. The best offerings might be the Thai fried rice, which is offered with many protein choices as well as styles such as krapow, yellow curry or pineapple cashew, but we keep coming back to the delectable crab fried rice.

Opened in December 2021, Jasmine Market and Café is the latest iteration of what used to be known as Jasmine Café. For nearly two decades, owner Nameer Salman focused on offering Mediterranean cuisine and hookah in Richardson. When Salman moved locations down the street in Richardson late last year, he decided to also open a supermarket that caters to the area’s Arab and South Asian community. It sells Palestinian and Jordanian olive oil, halal meats, Middle Eastern spices and the whole gamut of Mediterranean foods. Plus, if you pop in around lunchtime, you can enjoy the buffet and a hot cup of strong Arabic coffee.

Tea at TASCHEN, located in The Joule, is an experience and an event, with seatings at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Joule even provides complimentary valet parking, and as a gift you get a TASCHEN art book to take home. Several varieties of teas are provided, including occasionally a Texas chile chai, along with a bevy of savory and sweet nibbles such as avocado toast, smoked salmon rillette, the de rigueur cucumber sandwich and sundry cakes, shortbreads, macarons and scones. Sign up for the newsletter to be informed when the next installment will take place.

DL Mack’s is a slightly upscale eatery that likes to think of itself as a Chicago tavern, but unlike a tavern, reservations are usually required. They do, however, nail the thin-crust tavern-style Chicago pizza that has been the true pizza of choice for Chicagoans and ex-pats alike. Their version comes in only one size and is a bit pricy, but it hits all the marks in ingredient size and amount, sauce flavor and thinness and crispiness of crust.

This Tijuana-inspired taco stand, which previously did business as Tacos Mariachi, in Trinity Groves, serves a seafood-heavy menu of tacos, but the costra de salmon — smoked salmon wrapped and toasted in asadero cheese — is a show-stopper. Someone should put one in a vault to be preserved. It’s Dallas’ Luka of tacos. Also try the mole fries topped with crema fresca and carne asada. Or put a big pink heart on every Wednesday on your wall calendar to remind you of the Wednesday brisket taco special, a carryover from the original location that was finally revived this summer.

Chef Olivia Lopez knows a thing or two when it comes to tamales and tortillas. She makes them from nixtamalized heirloom corn that she sources directly from several small communities in Mexico. She sells her products via her Instagram account (@molino_oloyo) and operates out of a commercial kitchen in the Design District. She has also started doing pop-ups at various breweries throughout the city. Her goal is to open a brick-and-mortar where she will be able to serve these tamale and tortilla creations to a broader audience. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and send her a message via Instagram to place your pickup order and experience the magic that she is bringing to the Dallas food scene.

A quiet North Dallas restaurant in a brick-clad strip mall, Sushi Robota will feel like your own secret discovery. The sushi is delicious, with standard rolls and sashimi that amaze with their freshness and are beautiful to look at. Sushi Robota’s ramen game is on point, with silky and salty broth and noodles in miso, soy or pork varieties. Service is warm and attentive, and the cozy and modern dining room adds to the enjoyment.

While Pie Tap Pizza Workshop + Bar is primarily known for its Neapolitan-style pizzas, the brunch options on the weekend should be noted as well. If you have a sweet tooth, the glazed cinnamon rolls are a meal by themselves. If a brunch pizza is on your mind, then try the smoked salmon pie topped with Icelandic smoked salmon, ricotta, red onion, dill, capers, a house-cured egg yolk and lemon zest. If you prefer more traditional breakfast fare, the chicken and biscuit or the breakfast sandwich is the way to go. Whatever you do, order the roasted Calabrian potatoes with spicy ketchup.

If you have an adventuresome spirit and enjoy trying bold and flavorful dishes, then Hawker’s should be on your must-visit list. It’s located in Deep Ellum, and the food and the atmosphere are equally interesting. We recommend ordering from the small plates menu so you can try different things. Favorites include the roti canai, Sichuan wontons and Korean twice-fried wings. If you’re not in the mood to share, the curry laksa ramen or the steak and kimchi fried rice are great options. While this may sound strange, be sure to check out at least one of the four bathrooms.

We thought Dakota’s had closed for good in 2020, so we weren’t alone in excitement when the iconic steakhouse reopened in late 2021. Dakota’s downtown underground dining room had long been a date-night gem, but a few changes were in order. The menu got a revamp, with classic steaks and chops (the beef Wellington is still a winner) listed alongside newer seafood and pasta dishes. The bar and patio also got a refresh, but the dining room still has the cozy charm that has long hosted many a Dallasite’s special occasions.

Rise is best known for its soufflés. And while the soufflés are fantastic, the showstopper is the marshmallow soup. It’s an upscale and refined tomato and carrot bisque with a drizzle of pesto topped with goat cheese soufflés that resemble marshmallows. It comes with flaky and savory cheese straws that are great for dipping. Rise sells about 100 of these soups each day, regardless of the temperature outside.

Nestled in the strip of retail shops on Lower Greenville in the space that used to house Mudsmith is a unique two-for-one concept. Husband and wife team Amy and Casey La Rue offer a coffee and pastry establishment in the morning and a five- or 12-course tasting menu in the evening. The pastries are nothing short of fantastic. Try the pain au chocolat or the honey white wine poached pear Danish to start your morning. If you prefer savory, the chicken poblano croissant or the mushroom and cheddar quiche will do the trick.

After a short stop at Stephen Pyles and a gig as the executive pastry chef at Nobu for a time, Kate Weiser moved on to chocolate, first as the executive chocolatier for Chocolate Secrets in Highland Park and eventually opening up her shop in Trinity Groves before expanding to NorthPark mall and the Shops at Clearfork. Her specialty is artisan chocolates, and her hand-painted chocolates stand out as little edible works of art almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

Yeah, it’s as big as your head, but stop being so whiny. And just because it has size doesn’t mean it lacks art. Here, a crisp batter perfectly encases a tender steak that is topped with a just-peppery-enough gravy. This is all enhanced by the restaurant’s charm that has made it a Deep Ellum staple for decades. AllGood is open for breakfast and lunch (yes, the CFS is on the breakfast menu) Sunday through Wednesday, but Thursday through Saturday it’s one of the best places to catch a live local act and get a chicken fried steak.

Misti Norris is a James Beard-nominated chef and was one of Food & Wine‘s Best New Chefs of 2019. She’s also the owner and executive chef of Petra and the Beast, where she has put forth her “farm, forage, fermentation, fire” philosophy to great effect. Her other ongoing project is Stepchild, which is the first entry into Attalie, The Exchange’s rotating chef concept, bringing her fresh spin on French Acadian cuisine. Her use of local ingredients prepared and presented in a unique, fresh manner shines at both locations.

Nate’s Seafood & Steakhouse is a family-owned business that has been serving some of the best Cajun food to Dallas since 1988. The original owner, Nate, is from Lafayette in the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun country. He is semi-retired now but has handed down the restaurant and recipes to other members of his family. From crawfish etouffee, seafood gumbo, boiled crawfish, po’-boys and signature dishes such as Stuffed Flounder Atchafalaya or Grilled Redfish Canal, this is one of the few places to get dishes like those back on the bayou. Any good Cajun also knows that boiled crawfish is not meant to be served in a plastic bag. Nate’s is one of the few local places that serves them properly in a plastic tray, and if you like your mudbugs with an extra kick, be sure to order them with turbo seasoning.

This Italian-inspired spot on Greenville Avenue is the best kind of cafe. It serves both coffee and wine, the bookends to a perfect day. The space is tiled and marbled to the nines and serves pastries for breakfast (or dessert), pizzettas and sandwiches the rest of the day. They also have some prepackaged pastas, meats and cheeses for a quick dinner; two parking spots just out front make it easy to pop-in. They serve Illy nitro cold brew on tap, sandwiched between red and white wines also on tap. They open at 7 a.m. and don’t close shop until 10 p.m. Don’t miss the cheesy wagyu pastrami muffuletta.

There’s no shortage of standup burgers in Dallas, but recently Michelin-starred chef Bruno Davaillon helped to reinvent Up On Knox into a French bistro, appropriately called Knox Bistro. The previous concept had a good burger, but this new iteration is all oo-la-la. A thick patty that’s cooked to order comes smothered in a creamy peppercorn sauce and topped with caramelized onions. Don’t try to dig in with your hands, this is a cutlery burger. Order fries with an extra side of that peppercorn sauce. Then sit in a corner and dig in.

Two tall glass towers brew a small but exceptional cup of joe at most, if not all, Ascension Coffee locations. Ascension Coffee’s Kyoto Towers resemble something out of a Breaking Bad episode, and odds are you’ll see one in action when you stop by one of their locations. That’s because they’re used to make the coffee shop’s cold brew, which requires about 12 hours. Ice water is poured into a top glass chamber. A bed of coffee grounds sits between the top and bottom chamber. Gravity takes it from there, slowly dropping the water through the coffee grounds and into the bottom chamber until it’s full. The end product is a strong-as-hell coffee concentrate. It’s used for Ascension’s regular cold brew (which has water added to it) or their Doki Doki, the shop’s nitro brew.

Community Beer Company, without question, is producing some of the best local craft beer. But that’s not the only thing that makes a brewery great. While most of the world shut down during the worst of the pandemic, Community was busy working on a new brewery. In a time when plans were thrown out the window, trying to get this brewery completed and open was almost impossible. For a while, things got rough. But, good beer always prevails. Now Dallas has a large stunning brewery that is a monument to how far the local craft beer game has come in just one decade.

You can find Ascension Coffee locations all over Dallas-Fort Worth. It’s a good thing, too, because that means you’re never too far from one of their Aussie Bacon and Egg Rolls. It’s a simple sandwich with four main ingredients: a roll, egg (usually cooked over easy), some strips of bacon and just the right amount of sweet and smoky barbecue sauce. When you bite into it, the sauce might gush out the sides, the egg yolk might pop and the sandwich’s innards may drip all over you. You won’t realize the mess you’ve made until the Aussie Bacon and Egg Roll trance fades away and you slip back into reality. Even then, you’ll just want to go back for more. You may need a napkin.

In the heart of the Bishop Arts District, Atlas is a come-one-come-all cocktail lounge that embodies the charm of the surrounding neighborhood. Order a Lone Star or go for something a little more chic from their worldly cocktail menu, like a martini espresso or a vieux carré. In addition to an interesting cocktail menu, the kitchen is pushing out stellar from-scratch dishes (go for the Cuban). If you go on the weekend, keep an eye on the bookshelf in the back: it’s actually a door that leads to a small cozy back bar that rotates themes each month.

Boulevardier is the cozy French-inspired bistro brought to you by the brothers responsible for Veritas, Hillside Tavern and the defunct Rapscallion. While many delectable treats and drinks await one at Boulevardier, the bone marrow is especially good, arriving on the plate as two sections of roasted marrow topped with onion marinade, peppercorns, garlic and lemon gremolata. This savory layer of goodness does not distract but rather adds to the marrow experience, and the toasted rustic bread provided is no slouch, either.

A bubble tea brand hailing from Taiwan, OneZo now serves its award-winning tea in Carrollton. OneZo isn’t your ordinary bubble tea shop, though. The brand is the first in the world to make all of its boba fresh in-store. OneZo’s boba pearls encompass flavors ranging from your typical honey boba to the more unusual black sesame boba. Whether you try a mango smoothie or the flaming tiramisu milk tea, the boba pearls are the star of the show. Don’t be afraid to wander outside your typical boba order here; that’s exactly what the menu was made for.

If Dallas has 99 problems, a brunch cocktail is not one. Brunch is Dallas’ quintessential meal, so this is not an easy city in which to be a standout bloody Mary. When we’re looking to get healthy and buzzed all at once we are partial to the Moth’s because of the beer chaser that comes with it soothes out some of the briny edges. And it doesn’t hurt that the Moth has a superior craft beer selection.

When it comes to breakfast sandwiches, everything is better on a biscuit. The Biscuit Bar hit the Dallas dining scene in 2017, and they now have five locations in the area and one lone ranger in Abilene. Their menu offers options as simple as a plain buttermilk biscuit ($3.20) to the Rough Night ($13.80), which has Southern fried chicken, a burger patty, ham, turkey, pulled pork, crispy bacon, tots, cheddar and house-made sausage gravy in between buttermilk biscuits. They also offer a variety of tots, including breakfast, fully loaded, taco and Southern style.

It’s bold to work behind a bar with no menu. It means every customer who walks up is either very set on what they want or you’ve got a small therapy session on your hands: “Well, what do you feel like?” A pony. But Patience Ndzimandze is all in. We found her late one night at the speakeasy Atwater Alley making her own spins on classic cocktails, all ears with a big smile, pouring subtle and smooth drinks. Just three quick questions and it’s like she knows your dark little parched soul better than you do. So much cheaper than therapy.

In the Design District, Slow Bone serves up some of Dallas’ most consistently great barbecue for lunch seven days a week. Of course, the barbecue mainstays like succulent brisket, savory sausage and tender pork ribs are well represented, and Slow Bone’s sides are some of the best in the game. But what truly sets Slow Bone apart are specials like a ridiculously slow-smoked pork chop on Sundays and Mondays and a smoky fried chicken available daily that might be among the city’s best.

People from out of town – or just new to the neighborhood that is North Texas – think they’ve stumbled across a cool hole in the wall when they find Strangeways. It’s got that low-key energy. The draft beer selection is as unique as it is stellar, and the bottle offerings are perhaps even better. Watch for Barrel Week, an annual event with 40 barrel-aged beers on draft. And if your date doesn’t like beer, they have a full bar and cocktail menu.

Fans of The Big Easy will find comfort in this New Orleans-inspired treat. Le Bon Temps is a beignet boutique that brings the Big Easy to Big D. This spot’s mouthwatering fried dough makes for one sinful treat. Le Bon Temps’ menu also offers an out-of-this-world café au lait, the perfect pairing for your puffy confection. Make sure to snag some of these bad boys the next time you’re killing time in Deep Ellum. Pro-tip: The shop’s website advises against wearing black because their beignets aren’t stingy on the powdered sugar.

Cases filled with croissants, pastries and fluffy buns line the interior of this Plano bakery, known for its Asian-inspired baked goods. Whether you’re looking for sweet, savory or a mix of both, chances are you’ll find it within Sweet Hut’s walls. The bakery is self-serve. Just grab a tray at the front and pile on whatever you’d like. From buns filled with mango pudding to cupcakes infused with pandan coconut, it’s hard to resist the urge to overfill your plate.

The definition of diner is a little vague, but by our reckoning any place that describes its menu as home cooking and serves pot roast, meat loaf and a smothered chopped steak is in the ballpark. You know, it’s the sort of place you take grandma to on Mother’s Day. The String Bean in Richardson has hit all those marks since ’77 with its large menu of homestyle American favorites from burgers to soups to grilled salmon. It’s unabashed comfort food without any fussy touches trying to turn it into something … ugh … “elevated.” Fresh, hot, familiar, well-executed and it makes us think of Mom: that’s elevated enough for us, and The String Bean in Richardson hits all those marks.

It’s been a good year for Italian food in Dallas. A number of big-name places have opened, but at the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with this cozy and charming corner spot downtown with Neapolitan pizzas from the owner-chef who is a Naples native. Also, don’t miss the from-scratch pastas, including the lasagna Napoletana. It’s made with smoked mozzarella, meatballs and ricotta and is available only on Friday and Saturday. Or go for the ziti alla Genovese, a quintessential Neapolitan pasta dish. Try to snag a seat so that you can watch the massive pizza oven.

A sign on the front of the building says “A Tradition From India,” and Urban Tadka delivers. The inconspicuous restaurant in Irving specializes in Punjabi food, which encompasses a wide variety of breads, curries and rice-based dishes. Try the specialty saag paneer, a dish that comes with marinated cheese cubes dunked in a spinach-garlic paste, or the goat curry, a rich tomato-based gravy mixed with goat meat. There’s no doubt that your palate will experience the full traditional Indian experience here. It might be a blessing that the restaurant no longer offers a lunch buffet; it’s hard to stop eating once you’ve started.

When the Nashville hot chicken trend rolled into Dallas several years ago, we scoffed. Tennessee is the Volunteer State, not the Muy Caliente State, and this is Texas, the eternal home of pepper bellies. So we headed off to one of the new “hot” joints and ordered the hottest they had, looking smug. After we woke up and could see again, we understood: What those Tennessee folks are volunteering for are medical experiments involving pain tolerance. So, they know hot, and they damn sure know how to fry up a chicken. Hattie B’s nails it with a crunchy crust that doesn’t overwhelm the bird with breading. It’s moist but not greasy, the non-lethal spices bring out the flavor of the meat and the pieces are plump. They offer bone-in and tenders along with a chicken sandwich and Southern-style sides including greens, baked beans and black-eyed pea salad. We can’t tell you about the hottest of their six heat levels … because we’re cowards. Apparently it’s a religious experience, as we’ve seen people at other tables jump up and say the Lord’s name.

Hidden in a small business park near Love Field, this Persian restaurant is perhaps one of the best hidden gems in Dallas. Samad greets everyone and has developed relationships with many regulars during the 30-plus years he’s been in operation. There are kebabs of ground beef and chicken grilled to order, served with rice and grilled tomatoes, but the lamb shank is what brings folks back. It’s served in a bowl filled with the natural juice of tenderly braised meat, which falls off the bone revealing moist and delectable lamb goodness with aromas to match.

The original Montes Burritos is a full-service restaurant in Whitney, but if you’re out and about in the farthest reaches of North Dallas and need fuel for both your car and your stomach, drop into this Shell station and grab a couple or three of their inexpensive and satisfying freshly made burritos. Barbacoa, chorizo and breakfast selections await you.

This British-inspired pub is particularly appetizing because of its proximity to American Airlines Center. There’s free parking for patrons, making it a great spot to zip in before a concert or game for a drink and stack of the Reuben fries, which are thin, crispy fries piled with the A Bar N house-brined corned beef, Swiss mornay and dressing. Beer-battered cod with hand-cut chips is served with a whiskey barrel-aged malt vinegar. The happy hour deals are solid. If you have room, get the whiskey toffee cake with a Jameson anglaise.

Now that gamers are getting older, they can afford to pick up the check. So it’s only natural that businesses like restaurants would cater to this new economic base. Farm+Feed in The Shops at Legacy North in Plano has taken full advantage of this new demographic The whole place is designed to be accessible and appealing to players of all types, from the food on the menu to the décor on the walls. Guests can reserve a booth or grab a table or stool in the bar and order delightful takes on gamer grub with fresher ingredients. They can eat, drink and play games on pretty much every modern-gen console and even reserve a PC if they’re looking to up their rank in Valorant or League of Legends. A wide selection of board games is available for a small fee. Even the restaurant’s venue is designed to be a holy shrine to the gods of gaming with its green computer character screen and the Easter eggs hidden throughout.

Tiffany Derry is the James Beard-nominated chef responsible for Roots Southern Table, a Southern-inspired field-to-table. full-scale restaurant that wants to remind you of its homestyle roots. The menu boasts green tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, grits, gumbo and cornbread, but the crown jewel is the duck-fat-fried whole chicken that is brined and fried to a golden crust with a perfect level of crispness. It comes with biscuits and a bottle of hot sauce. Juicy, delicious, full of Southern love, this can feed two to four.

The fried bologna sandwich at Hillside Tavern is not the Oscar Mayer bologna sandwich you ate as a kid. And for that, we’re thankful. In this masterpiece, you will find thin layers of pecan smoked mortadella topped with melted American and provolone cheese, placed between two thick slices of grilled white bread and coated in a secret sauce with shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes and Zapp’s dill pickle kettle chips. It’s the closest Dallas will ever get to Turkey and the Wolf’s famed fried bologna sandwich in New Orleans.

Finding a place where you can relax with a cold beer, have good adult conversation and entertain your kids without the use of any electronic devices is like searching for a unicorn. But if you’re willing to drive to McKinney, you’ll find this magical beast. The Stix Icehouse offers fun for kids and adults, with activities such as cornhole, Wiffle ball, swings, a nine-hole disc golf course, sand volleyball courts, soccer fields, ping pong, arcade games, pool tables and a tree house. On top of that, the food is pretty darn good. From burgers to chicken-fried steak, you won’t be disappointed. Your kids will especially love the Krispy Dream (warm glazed doughnut stuffed with homemade vanilla ice cream) or the Cookie Monster (two warm chocolate chip cookies topped like a sundae).

One can safely say that this popular food truck from Miley Holmes and Caroline Perini is royalty on the Dallas food truck scene. These sliders are as good as they are adorable. The Sweet & Lowdown is the queen of their menu with Angus beef, goat cheese, bacon and strawberry jam. The Nutty Pig, with Angus beef, bacon, creamy peanut butter, lettuce, tomatoes and red onions, is another popular choice. If you happen to catch them on the weekend, be sure to grab one of their Dazed & Confused sliders. And for the vegetarians in the house, the Baby Bella made with a baby portobello mushroom, fresh mozzarella, Roma tomato and pesto is a great choice. Easy Slider also has a brick-and-mortar location in Deep Ellum in the event you have a craving and their food truck isn’t nearby.

Bushi Bushi opened its first location in Addison in 2021 and recently opened a second in Frisco. They offer a wide range of dim sum options plus a menu of entrees. Robots run orders out to tables, making for an unusual experience. The seafood shumai, shrimp balls and char siu are great options, as is the crab-stuffed soup dumplings. The robots work quicker than their human counterparts, so pace your orders if you’re looking to relax for a bit. If you’re craving a larger portion than what dim sum offers, order the roasted duck or the Mapo tofu.

If Dallas had a comfort food spot, this landmark deli would be it. Hungry, tired, anxious? Slide into a booth and dive into the extensive menu that offers everything from pancakes to patty melts, pastrami sandwiches to matzo ball soup. They bake breads, pastries and bagels in-house, all of which are available at the counter to take home. Service is always quick, although they don’t mind if you linger. There are four restaurants across North Texas now collectively pulling in 4.5 stars from more than 5,000 reviews. It’s legend.

There are more than 60 daiquiris on the menu here, and the names are half the fun. Ever wondered what Love Field Frozen Over tastes like? If you answered yes, seek help, but it’s actually a hurricane with tangerine, blue lemonade and peach. The Cliff is Long Island iced tea with blue lemonade, purple rain and tangerine. Dine-in or to-go, you can buy sizes ranging from 16 ounces to half gallons. The debauchery to follow is limitless.

If you’ve never had a scoop of ice cream instantaneously transport you back to your childhood, Parlor’s Ice Cream in Dallas might merit a spot on your weekend list. All the ice creams and mix-ins here are made from scratch, from the waffle cones to the chocolate chip cookies. The locally owned ice cream shop carries 14 rotating flavors of ice cream, including favorites like strawberries & cream and milk & cookies. By serving traditional flavors, owners Brandon and Kellie Stoll seek to kindle a sense of nostalgia in anyone who gets a taste of their ice cream. One lick, and you’ll see what we mean.

Crafting baked concoctions is way harder than it looks. It’s always a good idea to leave the shortbread and brownies to the professionals, and the kind folks at Kessler Baking Studio have it covered. Kessler’s baked catering options are sure to spruce up your next office party, and their from-scratch-made chocolate chip pecan cookies would make any true Texan weep tears of joy. Its chief baker was also named a 2020 James Beard semifinalist for outstanding baker. This sweet-treat boutique is packing some serious preservative-free fun.

If you’re looking for something to cool you down and pick you up, look no further than Noble Coyote Cold Brewed Coffee. In 2011, Marta and Kevin Sprague started Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters. About two years later, Kevin started messing around with cold brew coffee to bring to local farmers markets. He wasn’t sure how the new product would do at first, but it ended up selling out. Now, you can find it at their roastery and in coffee shops across DFW, at places like Civil Pour in Dallas. There, you can buy it still or infused with nitrogen. Noble also sells bags of their cold brew blend for people to make at home. It’s a medium to medium-dark roasted coffee with low acidity, a smooth body and hints of sweet dark chocolate.

Jeng Chi has been a mainstay for unpretentious Chinese dining in DFW since 1990, attracting a loyal following for its dishes from Taiwan and mainland China. Their soup dumplings are justifiably praised, but the extensive menu has something for everyone, from more traditional authentic fare like braised pork belly with marinated egg, to Americanized dishes such as orange chicken and kung pao shrimp. They also offer a wide variety of cakes for special order.

While the pandemic claimed their Oak Cliff standalone shop last year, Cultivar Coffee still thrives inside Goodfriend Package in East Dallas. Cultivar starts by procuring the best sustainably sourced beans before applying their considerable roasting skill to produce pour-overs, lattes and cortados that turn coffee into an art form. Start with a beverage from Cultivar, then grab a bite from Goodfriend, and your day will only improve from there.