Best Restaurant to Take Kids 2021 | Zoli's (Fort Worth) | Best of Dallas® 2020 | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Dallas | Dallas Observer
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Best Restaurant to Take Kids

Zoli's (Fort Worth)

No, we're not saying that if you want to let your kids run wild at a restaurant you should take them to Fort Worth, but, sure, why not? Zoli's is a dream for tired parents who desperately need to sit down to a nice meal with a strong drink as their kids are entertained within sight, but not necessarily within reach. The large playground is almost as big as the restaurant with brightly colored balls for throwing at strangers and all sorts of good monkeying around. What's better is that parents can use the adjacent Tipping Cow Creamery as a bribe for well-behaved children.

Best Walking Taco

Ruins

A walking taco is a Tex-Mex version of a Frito pie; slice open the top of a single-serving bag of chips then load it up with any manner of spicy meats, cheese, maybe sour cream, jalapeños and salsa. Then you walk away to eat it in a corner where no one can see you. Ruins in Deep Ellum has an entire section on their menu dedicated to walking tacos called Dorilocos. The Prawn Star comes loaded with shrimp, queso blanco, cilantro and spicy toppings. The Sin Miedo comes with crispy moronga blood sausage, mezcal onions, chile Colorado, cilantro and avocado.

Best Pivot

Pizza Leila

Kathy Tran

When the pandemic sent downtown workers scurrying to the safety of the 'burbs, restaurants that normally fed those commuters took a hit, among them Sloane's Corner at the bottom of the Trammell Crow Center. Chef Ji Kang also had another problem; the catering he'd done for tenants in the building towering above him left part of his kitchen dormant. With extra space and time, Kang experimented with recipes and developed Sicilian-style pizzas for delivery. Not a single sign outside announced that Pizza Leila was working out of the second line in Sloane's Corner; it was all virtual. Best, he was able to keep his kitchen staff employed and pushed out some fantastic pizza in the process.

Best Food Court

Asia Times Square

Food courts, or food halls as they're apt to be called now, are back and better than ever. There are several around DFW including Legacy Food Hall in Plano, The Exchange at AT&T Discovery District in downtown and, the most fascinating flavor trip of all, Asia Times Square in Grand Prairie. The offerings here are nothing like the Sbarro Pizzas and baked potatoes we used to find at food courts in malls, but rather a flavorful celebration in culinary diversity. The highlight reel at Asia Times Square's food court includes Beard Papa's cream-stuffed pastry pockets from Osaka, Japan, Two Hands Seoul Fresh Corn Dogs, CM Chicken's famous snow chicken and Apsara, which serves authentic Thai and Cambodian dishes.

  • 2625 W. Pioneer Parkway, Grang Prairie, 75051 Map

Best Weekday Lunch Spot

The Exchange Hall

The Exchange Hall at the AT&T Discovery District in downtown Dallas takes the cake when it comes to shaking off the workday blues. A collection of some of the city's best offerings all within one space includes Revolver Tacos, Monkey King Noodle Company, La Duni and Zalat Pizza plus some new spots like Bobbers and Whips and The Dock. Add in the full bar, TVs and a spacious plaza with art, a large lawn and a babbling water feature, and it's a lunch slam dunk. Bonus: complimentary parking is available at 1212 Jackson St.; get your ticket validated at any host stand.

Best Rooftop View

Sky Blossom

Lauren Drewes Daniels
The view from Sky Blossom

Look for signs on the sidewalk of Elm Street and take the elevator to the sixth floor. Situated in the heart of downtown, this new spot is an ornament perched atop the Dallas skyline. The outdoor patio at this Vietnamese bistro and bar looks straight across to the rooftop glass-encased turquoise pool at The Joule hotel. There's something fascinating about a pool floating on the side of a building. Sky Blossom's small bites menu and margaritas flights are great for happy hour. Enjoy great views of the city while people-watching; airplane flyovers or a storm rolling past miles away are bonus features.

Best Ghost Kitchen Play

Furlough Brothers

Ghost kitchens were having a moment before the pandemic, but during it, the turbo-booster button was activated. Some ghost kitchens, were all schtick, but Furlough Brothers is a fantastic example of what a ghost kitchen can and should be. As the name implies, Sam Kaiser and chef Mike Youssef were furloughed after the pandemic hit. Instead of taking on the huge upfront costs of a brick-and-mortar, they rented kitchen space from Commerce Fork Food Co. and are making from-scratch upscale sandwiches — the Furlough OG is a Philly cheesesteak complete with Amoroso bread — for pickup or delivery only.

Best Snow Cone

Chamoyada at SNO

Lauren Drewes Daniels

The snow cones at SNO at the Dallas Farmers Market are all pretty spectacular, but when it comes to the mangonada and chamoy movement, their Chamoyada can't be beat. Eating one is an event. Freshly shaved snow is drenched in natural mango syrup (two layers; one applied halfway through so the bottom isn't just plain ol' ice), a sprinkling of Tajin, fresh mango cubes, chamoy, fresh-squeezed lime, then a spicy burnt-red Tamarindo straw stabbed through it all. Pull your hair back and roll your sleeves up for this beautiful mess.

  • 10455 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, 75231 Map

Best Lunch on a Tuesday

Heim BBQ

Just outside of Love Field, Heim BBQ offers one last chance to get excellent brisket or bacon burnt ends before leaving town; or on the flip side, a succulent smoky welcome home. Jet-setting or not, head over to the hearth of Heim BBQ on Tuesdays where they have hand-battered, dipped and fried corn dogs with 44 Farms meat for just $2 each. They also have $2 domestic beer. Why, you may ask, would one not get brisket? We're not saying you shouldn't. We're just saying you should also get beer and corn dogs at 1982 prices.

Best Wine and Spirits Store

Pogo's Wine and Spirits

From first-rate customer service to an amazing selection of local and far-off booze, Pogo's is what every liquor store should aspire to be. Just follow their Facebook page to earn a merit badge in sommelier studies. They'll have you opining about chalky soils and "a mineral spine" in no time. They offer such interesting background on their new finds or most recent shipments that it can often sway your weekend plans, for either good or bad (likely good). And while they have fine wine, craft beer and liquor from around the globe, they also keep things local.

Best Of Dallas®

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