Best Italian Restaurant 2021 | Lucia | Best of Dallas® 2020 | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Dallas | Dallas Observer
Navigation
Support Us
Search

Best Italian Restaurant

Lucia

Yes, reservations are hard to get. How hard? Well, proprietress Jennifer Uygur recently divulged to Resy.com that on one Friday night they had 233 people on the Notify list. Just for that night, not any Friday night. If you stalk their Facebook page like a black bear hankering for a salmon snack, you might get lucky enough to see a post about a recently opened table. If you get the chance, grab seats at the end of the bar, where you can watch the kitchen and chat with the sous chefs. While the pasta is amazing, but be sure to save room for the freshly baked bread and house-cured meats.

Best Bloody Mary

Snooze an A.M Eatery

Beth Rankin

Before you dig into The Snooze Classic with bacon, egg, hash browns and white toast or one of the many other guilty pleasures at Snooze an A.M. Eatery, you may think to yourself, "Shouldn't I eat something healthy this morning? Perhaps something green?" Sure, you could hop on over to the "Plant Power" portion of the menu, but why do that when your server can bring you a Goin' Green Bloody from the bar? With jalapeño and habanero infused vodka and Snooze's house green bloody mix, this drink will spice up your morning. Snooze an A.M. Eatery landed in the Lone Star State from its home in Colorado in 2018. The breakfast joint has since expanded to three locations in DFW: Fort Worth, Addison and Dallas.

Best Coffee Shop

Ascension Coffee

Catherine Downes

When you walk into any Ascension Coffee, what you might first notice are the tall glass kyoto towers. It's what baristas use to make the shop's Japanese iced drip coffee called a doki doki. For 12 hours, water drips onto a bed of coffee grounds and through a ceramic filter, making for a smooth, crisp flavor. It's then infused with nitrogen and hits you like a ton of bricks. With this and an aussie bacon and egg roll (sunny-side up egg, bacon, aussie barbecue sauce and mayo on a brioche bun), you won't know whether to launch into your day or take a nap in your cubicle. If you're looking for a less self-destructive option, you'll be close to just as satisfied with anything else on the menu.

Best Diner

AllGood Cafe

Nick Rallo

In 2000, Deep Ellum music mogul Mike Snider had a restaurant shower. It's exactly what it sounds like. Instead of celebrating and gathering gifts for a new child, he was doing so for his new diner AllGood Cafe. Friends and family gifted furniture and knickknacks that are still at AllGood today. This funky little cafe with soul will help feed your own soul. If you're looking at their menu and don't know where to start, just go ahead and order the chicken club sandwich with crispy seasoned bacon and avocado and a side of their creamy mashed potatoes.

Best Happy Hour

Parliament

Anytime it rains, it's happy hour at Parliament. "When it rains, we pour," they say. Nestled in the State Thomas Historical District, this Uptown spot is brought to us by Dallas' drink king Eddie "Lucky" Campbell. He described his vision for Parliament as a "progressive cocktail lounge" with a mad-scientist style of drink-making. Campbell and his staff have lived up to that vision ever since. If you haven't tried their Ramos gin fizz, do yourself a favor: Check the weather forecast, pray for rain and schedule a date at Parliament.

Best Sandwich Shop

Brown Bag Provisions

Jeff Amador

Brown Bag Provisions wants to give you a break from your stressful daily routine. If even just for five minutes, you'll find peace chowing down on one of their sandwiches. And you can't go wrong with the "Cuban-ish." Slamming down one of these, which are stacked with porchetta, roast pork shoulder, Muenster cheese, pickles and a spread of whole grain mustard, is the closest to enlightenment you'll ever need. If that's not quite your style, Brown Bag Provisions sports other options for carnivores, pescitarians and vegans alike. Their fried cauliflower bahn mi with pickled mushrooms and red onion, cilantro, basil, mint and hoisin is a hefty delight.

Best Seafood Restaurant

Montlake Cut

Kathy Tran

Rising from the ashes of John Tesar's Spoon, another high-end seafood restaurant, acclaimed chef and restaurateur Nick Badovinus opened Montlake Cut in 2015. It's the place you want to go to for seafood flown fresh to Dallas. The best way to start an outing at Montlake Cut is with a set of East Coast oysters from the restaurant's "raw bar." By the time you're done with those, you'll likely be feeling like royalty, so order the king crab. Wash it down with a cocktail and a couple sides of crispy beef tacos. It'll leave you left with a level of happiness that won't be repeated till the next time you're back at Montlake Cut.

Best Thai Restaurant

Asian Mint

Nikky Phinyawatana's Asian fusion restaurant Asian Mint has been serving Dallas mouthwatering Thai food since 2004. Phinyawatana strives to feed your soul with the perfect dish when you set foot in Asian Mint. The green curry, a mix of coconut milk, purple Japanese eggplant, bamboo shoot, Thai basil and red bell pepper, is just one of many perfect dishes you'll find at Asian Mint.

Best Local Hard Seltzer

Río Fresco Hard Seltzer

Move over, Whiteclaw, there's a new, far more delicious hard seltzer in town. Owned and produced by Denton's excellent Armadillo Brewing Co., Río Fresco is the perfect antidote to Texas' insane heat index. These bad boys are brewed with agave and come in four fantastic flavors: watermelon límon, pineapple mango, agave lime and blood orange hibiscus. Clean taste isn't the only thing that sets Río Fresco apart, though; on top of being gluten-free and vegan, they're just 100 calories.

Best Local Beer

Community's Medical Grade Haze IPA

Christopher Durbin

This stellar IPA from Community Beer Co. is hop to trot. Medical Grade Haze is dank as all get-out, but it doesn't have that uber-bitter aftertaste of a super-intense IPA. It boasts tropical and citrus flavors and goes down dangerously smoothly. Plus, its 7.7% ABV will have you feelin' fine in no time. Don't just take our word for it, though: With a score of 91, Medical Grade Haze earned an "outstanding" rating on the online beer hub Beer Advocate. Bust out a six-pack at your next outdoor hang so that your buds can sip on a brew they'll actually enjoy.

Best Of Dallas®

Best Of

Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms of use, our cookies policy, and our privacy policy The Dallas Observer may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our affiliate partners. ©2024 Dallas Observer, LP. All rights reserved.
Do Not Sell or Share My Information
Powered By Foundation