Best Salsa 2015 | Urban Taco | Best of Dallas® 2020 | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Dallas | Dallas Observer
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Best Salsa

Urban Taco

It surely rubs some diners the wrong way that Urban Taco charges for the snack most Tex-Mex restaurants give away with enthusiasm. But as soon as the chips and salsa land on the table, you quickly learn that you get what you pay for. The chips are sturdy, well seasoned and not greasy, and the salsa arrives in threes from a rotation that seems to offer endless variety. Be careful when your server asks how spicy you'd like your selection to be. A few (including one that tastes as if it were made exclusively with habanero peppers) pack a serious burn.

Best Margarita

Joyce and Gigi's

Margaritas made with lime juice and mixes can be had at nearly every restaurant around Dallas. What makes the drink at Joyce and Gigi's special is the same thing that makes every drink at their bar stand out — freshly squeezed juices from fruits you may or may not have heard of. For the margarita, cherimoya is in play, lending unique apple, banana and sometimes pineapple flavors that balance out the tartness of lime juice, in a refreshing take on a classic you thought you knew all too well.

Best Bakery

Boulangerie

Kathy Tran

People who really love bread secretly harbor fantasies that everyone is just like them, that everyone wakes up each morning craving a perfect croissant and wouldn't think of coming home without a freshly baked baguette in tow. Bread people are weird like that, but they're onto something, because drinking wine and chewing on the tough, crusty end of a baguette is one of the best ways to spend your time after a long day at work. Pick yours up at Boulangerie; it's your best shot at being surrounded by fellow bread heads. If you've got a sweet tooth there's plenty of pastry, too. Grab a coffee, a tart and a pain au chocolat and enjoy a sugary overload.

Best Icy Treat Shop

Steel City Pops

You can't deny the line streaming out the door of Steel City Pops. It's long, and it's always present, turning the corner past the patio out front, leading down the sidewalk and sometimes around the block. The pops coming out of this small storefront take paletas to places they've never been in terms of flavor, using ingredients including tea, corn, buttermilk, avocados and jalepeños. If that sounds too adventurous you can get something simple like mango, strawberry or lemonade, but no matter what flavor you choose, your pop will always have a velvety consistency that's unrivaled.

Best Desserts

Remedy

Sitting at the bar at Remedy is like taking a trip through time and space. The old-school soda fountain serves up egg creams and other freshly mixed sodas and desserts that could easily make a whole meal. If you're in the mood for ice cream, check out the sundaes made from dairy that's churned on-site. The flavor combinations are all original creations and many pay tribute to local food personalities. There's also pie, including a coconut cream that redefines the genre, and if you're feeling gluttonous, you can have it served with more of that ice cream.

Best Farmers Market

Good Local Market

White Rock Local Market is all grown up these days, with three major markets in the Dallas area on both Saturday and Sunday. What started off as a small, homespun alternative to the massive market downtown has become one of the best collections of local farmers and producers in the DFW area. Good Local Market stands out because of its commitment to local farmers who grow and sell their own food, and a shopping trip there leaves customers with a sense they've made some small difference while learning the exact provenance of their food.

972-379-7097, goodlocalmarket.org

Best Ramen

Ten Ramen

Chris Wolfgang
Tonkotsu

Nobody in Dallas makes ramen better than the team of cooks at Ten. The subject is not even up for debate. They deliver hot bowls of soup on the fly, filled with perfectly cooked noodles and fresh garnishes that truly elevate your ramen experience. What's better is the whole restaurant is built around authenticity. It's standing-room-only, so you'll have to slurp on your feet, and the menu focuses on what's important, which is ramen and little else. You'll be in and out the door in 20 minutes flat, and bowls of soup start at $10 for the fastest, cheapest, most delicious meal in Dallas.

Best Bloody Mary

The Grape

Beth Rankin

The bloody mary is a powerful elixir. One glass of this vodka-toting liquid salad can render a hangover cured and change an entire afternoon. Even a bad bloody mary can be restorative if you're desperate enough, and a good one can be a thing of true beauty. Add a miniature charcuterie board impaled on a bamboo skewer and the drink is almost powerful enough to undo the bad decisions you made the evening before. The Grape's bloody mary — garnished with a hunk of cheese, an olive and a piece of salami — rights wrongs like a superhero. That it's served in proximity to a burger the size of a Labrador's head only makes it better.

Best Beer Selection

Meddlesome Moth

One look at the run of taps jutting out from the nickel-covered back-splash, and you'll know that Meddlesome Moth is a serious beer contender. There's even more beer available by the bottle on the menu you'll find at the bar. The local breweries you see at every other craft bar are represented, but the obscure beers bottled in far-off lands make Meddlesome Moth a standout beer-drinking establishment. If you're looking for a special release, tapping events are commonplace here, and the stunning patio makes the Moth a place you'll want to drink year-round.

Best Local Brewery

Peticolas Brewing Co.

Since opening in late 2011, Peticolas Brewing Co. has been producing some of Dallas' most recognizable beers. Good luck trying to find a local beer nerd who hasn't imbibed a few hundred Velvet Hammers, and Golden Opportunity may be this city's most drinkable beer. Maintaining a style that holds balance in the highest regard, Peticolas produces beers that sip easily and will sometimes set you on your ass. Fold in a series of special releases with festive tapping events, and Dallas' best maker of beers is obvious.

Best Of Dallas®

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