10 Best Restaurants in Frisco

Frisco has a surprisingly diverse range of restaurants for a city that had a population of just over 6,000 in 1990. There’s a prime farm-to-table restaurant, stellar barbecue and a bounty of Mediterranean and Asian restaurants. Over the years, we’ve ventured north to explore the various offerings, and here are our favorites.

We’ve added a new feature here: The Quick Bite, a five-ish-word recap/review.

The Heritage Table
7110 Main St.
The Quick Bite: Charming, upscale, from-scratch kitchen.
There’s no mistake that The Heritage Table is one of the best restaurants in North Texas, a true farm-to-table culinary experience that sources as much as possible from local farms and employs a whole-animal philosophy. James Beard-nominated chef Rich Vana’s from-scratch, upscale comfort food includes country-fried chicken piccata, chicken pot pie, fried green tomatoes, and honey rolls that will melt your soul. Don’t skip the chocolate silk pie. Reservations are highly recommended.

Palato at Hall Park Hotel
3220 Internet Blvd.
The Quick Bite: Michelin chef, seasonal Italian and lotsa of wine.
Chef Eric Sakai at Palato brings Michelin star credentials to the Hall Park Hotel (his CV includes Rubicon in San Francisco and Le Bernardin in New York). The classically French-trained chef plates Italian dishes that are deceptively simple, allowing seasonal ingredients to shine. Pastas are made in-house, the wood-fired pizzas are superb as is the branzino. Oh, and the wine cellar has more than 1,000 bottles ripe for exploration.

Hutchins Barbecue
9225 Preston Road
The Quick Bite: Authentic Texas barbecue. Go here.
Hutchins has two locations, one in McKinney and the other in Frisco – both brilliant. Serving Central Texas-style barbecue in a comfortable setting, Hutchins has top-notch brisket and house-made sausages. Texas Monthly has anointed Hutchins as a top-50 barbecue spot, notably for the sides. We’re partial to the Texas Twinkies: brisket-stuffed grilled jalapenos wrapped in bacon and smothered in barbecue sauce.

Baonecci
7151 Preston Road
The Quick Bite: Authentic Italian, family-run gem.
When Observer food writer Hank Vaughn isn’t making dishes from The Bear or talking about his nonna’s Bolognese, he ransacks North Texas looking for authentic (or passable) Italian fare. He found something close at Baonecci in Frisco, where the Gambaccini family makes dishes from their native Lucca, Italy. The fagioli all’uccelletto and tordelli lucchesi (ravioli with house-made pork and beef Bolognese sauce) were wonderful and – bonus – “were served up by a warm and friendly family,” as Vaughn wrote in his review.

Dee Lincoln Prime
6670 Winning Dr.
The Quick Bite: Upscale refined steakhouse.
In the shadows of the Cowboys’ mothership at The Star, Dee Lincoln Prime has earned a reputation as a top-tier steakhouse in North Texas. Japanese wagyu and Kobe beef fill up the steak section, but don’t skip the sushi or seafood options. There’s a six-seat sushi bar located off the main bar, offering an omakase experience, as well as a chef’s table featuring seasonal dishes. If you’re celebrating a milestone or just being fantastic, reserve a table here.

Kenny’s Burger Joint
1377 Legacy Drive
The Quick Bite: High-end burger joint with wood grill.
The thing we like about Kenny’s Burger Joint is that it’s actually not a joint at all. They have a wine list, are full-service, and the house-ground patties are seared over a wood-burning grill, imbuing that unbeatable smoky essence. Buns are baked daily by a local bakery. Cheese fan, you say? Go for the mushroom Brie burger. Finish that off with a boozy milkshake like the Attitude Changer with Stoli and Godiva.

88 Baobao
4800 Eldorado Parkway
The Quick Bite: Affordable and authentic Chinese spot; dumplings.
The name 88 Baobao is a reference to the original restaurant on 88th Street in Dublin, California, and also a lucky number. Everything on the menu here is below $15, and you’ll want to focus on the seven varieties of pan-fried dumplings, bao buns, scallion pancakes, or the dim sum experience. You can watch the owner’s parents, Tom and Lisa Chen, pulling and rolling dough through the large window to the kitchen.

German Doner Kebab
12025 University Dr.
The Quick Bite: Fast-casual German street food (and waffles).
Sure, this spot is a chain, but the fare is hard to find in these parts – done well at least. GDK, as it’s known, specializes in the ultimate German street food: doner kebabs. Meat cooks on a rotating spit and is shaved to order. There’s beef, chicken and a vegetarian black-been patty option. The highlight here might be the signature bread that is waffle-pressed and lighter than the typical gyro bread. You’ll want to pack that bread with sauces, red cabbage, lettuce and chunks of tomatoes for one of the fattest gyros you’ll ever meet.

Somisomi
9292 Warren Parkway
The Quick Bite: Asian ice creams and desserts.
Originally from Los Angeles’ Koreatown, Somisomi specializes in Asian-flavored soft serve ice cream served in warm taiyakis (goldfish-shaped waffle cones), which are both crispy and chewy. Choose from Nutella, custard, red bean, matcha custard or black sesame soft serve. Of course, there are toppings.

Spitz Mediterranean
6851 Warren Parkway
The Quick Bite: Fast-casual, Mediterranean street food.
Spitz Mediterranean offers street food like gyros, doner wraps, and Berliner fries, which are fries topped with a red sauce, tzatziki sauce, cabbage, carrot slaw, cucumber, tomato, feta, olives, corn, and pepperoncini. After inhaling one of their vibrant and massive kebabs, get a Unicorn Roll filo dough pastry filled with a honey-roasted nut blend and drizzled in chocolate sauce. Another sweet option is the cinnamon sugar pita ($6.50), crispy deep-fried strips of pita bread coated in a sugar and cinnamon.