Leading up to our annual Best of Dallas® issue, we're counting down the 50 most interesting restaurants in Dallas. These spots bring something unique or compelling to the city's dining scene, feeding both your appetite and soul. Find more interesting places on our all-new Best Of app for iTunes or Android.
If you're bored with fine dining in Dallas, you probably haven't been to Tei-An in a while. Chef Teiichi Sakurai's kitchen offers a completely different perspective on refined cooking and brings Japanese cuisine to Dallas in a way that it hadn't been realized here before.
It's not just the soba noodles, which get plenty of attention and certainly should not be missed. It's the entire menu. The cooking here can expand the palate of even the most seasoned Japanese dining addict, by exposing them to new flavors, textures and even completely new dishes.
Try the chef's selection of sashimi to see how far things have fallen before they ended up in the prepared food case of your grocery store. The fish featured here is shipped from Japan, and is somehow more fresh than what's available domestically on either coast. Or drink sake from a box and nibble on fish and meats that have been grilled until their outsides are charred, while the centers remain moist and tender.
Or just come and zone out. Tei-An's dining room is like a zen retreat you can enjoy whether you want to blow your wad on a multi-course omakase or cheap out and just drink a beer at the bar. This is a restaurant that lets you unplug and find some peace in your busy life. We're lucky to have it.
No. 50: Joyce and Gigi's No. 49: East Hampton Sandwich Co.No. 48: 20 Feet Seafood Joint No. 47: Taj Chaat House No. 46: Mot Hai Ba No. 45: La Nueva Fresh and Hot No. 44: Pera Turkish Kitchen No. 43: Tom's Burgers and Grill No. 42: Mughlai No. 41: Russian Banya No. 40: Off-Site Kitchen No. 39: Bachman Lake Taqueria No. 38: Carbone's No. 37: Babe's No. 36: Barbacoa Estilo Hidalgo No. 35: Zaguan No. 34: Royal Sichuan No. 33: Spoon No. 32: Bambu No. 31: Pecan Lodge No. 30: FT33 No. 29: Keller's Drive-In No. 28: La Pasadita No. 27: Ten Bells Tavern No. 26: El Ranchito No. 25: Cafe Urbano No. 24: Nova No. 23: Jeng Chi No. 22: Omi
