8 Most Overrated Dallas Restaurants Ranked, According to Readers

Survey says! Before we start fighting, let's define overrated. Overrated implies a highly regarded spot but with questions surrounding the authenticity of that reputation. Add to that the idea of value, which is a sliding scale: Does the price match the experience?

We at the Observer spend most of our time dishing on the Top 100 Restaurants, Top 100 Bars and an entire issue of Best of Dallas, not to mention our recent best chicken-fried steak list. But in our quest for thoroughness, we decided to look at places that get a lot of chatter but perhaps shouldn't.

We asked people on social media and, it turns out, they have opinions. Here are the eight most overhyped restaurants in Dallas according to Dallasites, starting with No. 8 and working our way to the winner-winner chicken dinner at the bottom. Which, believe us, isn't really losing at all.

8. Nusr-Et

Remember this spot? Salt Bae? You can pay a bunch of money ($800 for a gold-wrapped whole rack of lamb) for the chef to come out and throw salt on your plate. Yeah, we're here for this one, especially after Salt Bae touched the World Cup trophy in 2022 in the most cringe thing to ever happen in the name of salt, much less soccer. We still haven't been to this restaurant. And a lot of others haven't either. Proof? The restaurant sold $13,645 in liquor in August 2024 according to TABSReport, which tracks booze sales at restaurants across the state. The breakfast spot Snooze sold more alcohol than that. 

7. Monarch

Monarch has likely landed on this list because of expectations. This restaurant sauntered into Dallas with Michelin-anointed chef Danny Grant at the helm. Perched on the 49th floor of the Thompson Hotel, it offers a menu that highlights handmade pasta dishes and wood-fired proteins. Reservations by the window require $125 upfront (applied to the bill). The dress code is "business casual or better," but we're not sure if they're accounting for remote workers (looking good from the waist up). We might be asked to leave. The only gauge we have in terms of business volume is the alcohol sales from TABSReport: Monarch is consistently in the top 10 best-selling liquor restaurants in Dallas. People love it, but maybe not two-Michelin-stars love it.

6. Javier's

The margaritas, though! This Dallas staple near Highland Park pushed out almost $500,000 in booze in August. Is it the Joe T.'s of Dallas — all hat and no cattle? No. (We recently threw the Fort Worth icon under the wagon wheel for the bad food for which its amazing ambiance couldn't cover.) Javier's is just busy pouring margs as fast as possible. Google's AI Overview writes, "Javier's is a popular spot for the rich, famous, and industrious." We'll leave it at that.

5. Drake's Hollywood

This showy spot along Lovers Lane, with its old Hollywood energy, isn't out to hurt anyone. Cold martinis, tavern-style pizzas and piano music are entertaining so long as you don't take yourself — or bougie Dallas — too seriously. Perhaps that's why Drake's has found itself on this list; yes, it's a bit highfalutin, but in a forgivable way. There might be a sparkler in a drink in the dining room, but a Bogart's gimlet will squash that noise.

4. Carbone

Not to be confused with locally owned red sauce Italian restaurant Barsotti's, previously named Carbone's, this New York-based spot from Major Food Group was the focus of a recent New York Times' review penned by Dallas-native Priya Krishna. She visited all three Carbone locations (New York, Las Vegas and Dallas) to learn whether the restaurant lives up to the hype, writing, "this red-sauce fantasia with its wisecracking waiters, 'Goodfellas' décor and $91 veal Parmesan has been a sensation [since it opened]. Reservations are nearly impossible to secure. Regulars include Kim Kardashian and Rihanna." She summed it up (sing along if you'd like): "When the food is so-so, but you go for the show? That’s Carbone."

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3. Paradiso

I can't say a lot about Paradiso because the one time I went, I left after being ignored at the bar for 10 minutes. I can pick up we're-tired-of-people vibes as much as anyone. Fair enough. Other bars had drinks. But on any given beautiful day, the lush courtyard — with its flowing fountain, glossy decor and abundance of fauna — is packed. The menu is a mix of Italian and Mediterranean fare. Perusing reviews for red flags, service seems to be an ongoing issue. Moody service after finding parking in Bishop Arts District? No, thanks.

2. Nick and Sam's

Founded by longtime Dallas restaurateur Phil Romano, Nick and Sam's opened in 1999 and has always been more of a place to be seen dropping off your Bentley at the valet than to be seen eating. Romano has a long list of restaurants under his belt like Fuddruckers and Macaroni Grill and the offensively named Sum Dang Good Chinese (for which he had I-don't-give-a-damn response in The Dallas Morning News). The steakhouse in Uptown consistently ranks as one of the top-selling wine restaurants in Dallas: In August, it sold over $530,000 in booze, half of that in wine.

1. Mi Cocina

The most overrated restaurant in Dallas is Mi Cocina, which surely isn't a reflection on the Mambo Taxi, a frozen margarita with a swirl of sangria that could be picked out of a lineup by 9 out of 10 Dallas drinkers. Mi Cocina ushered in a new style of Tex-Mex dining in the early '90s with a pristine-white modern ambiance and plates with tidy rows of enchiladas. Alas, in a city that embraces Tex-Mex with religious fervor, ambiance doesn't go too far. In fact, we probably prefer a little grit and dazzle with our Tex-Mex.