20 Hot New Dallas Restaurants for a Sizzlin' Summer

We're almost halfway through 2023, and the local dining scene has a new sheen to it since the cold days of January. In fact, a recent New York Times article anointed the Dallas restaurant scene as "the new Dubai." We're still waiting to get that travel expense approved, but we're guessing that means there are some bougie lobster tacos in the UAE and you can easily spend $16 on sparkling water. Alas, we're going to guess they don't have a Taqueria El Si Hay, in which case Dubai should strive for a flipped headline.

Here's a recap of some of the biggest openings of the year. We'll start out with the deep pockets the Times' Priya Krishna was referring to in her look at Dallas. 
Komodo is an Asian-influenced restaurant from Miami that serves a $100 Peking duck and small dumplings called Money Bags, an all too suitable name for a dish here. Our recent visit didn't go great due to the proximity of neighbors (almost in our laps), a service fee (why?) and $16 for sparkling water (bottle service?). It is swank and beautiful, though.

Komodo is part of the Epic Dallas, a slick new mixed-use skyscraper with several restaurants at the base including Las Vegas import La Neta, which opened in February; Mark Wahlberg even made an appearance.

Also on the west edge of Deep Ellum, Dallas-based Velvet Taco opened a new location at the corner of  Elm Street and N. Good Latimer, which makes more than three dozen locations for this taco stand with a flare. A few feet down from there is Brooklyn Dumpling Shop (2548 Elm St.). This quick-service dumpling automat — yes, automat — offers a menu of dumplings based on foods from New York City diners. Think Reuben dumplings, lamb gyro dumplings, mac and cheese dumplings.

Just down the road in Deep Ellum proper, restaurateur Pinky Cole from Atlanta recently opened Slutty Vegan. This growing chain flips the vegan scene on its ruffled kale leaves. Take the One Night Stand, a vegan burger loaded with vegan bacon, vegan cheese, caramelized onions and Slut Sauce on a vegan Hawaiian bun. We got to chat with Pinky Cole at the recent grand opening and learned a little more about her journey to creating a Slutty Vegan empire.
Carbone's 2.0, Barsoitti's Fine Food and Liqueurs, has opened. Carbone's closed last year to rebrand itself after New York City-based Carbone (sans the possessive apostrophe) moved just down the street. A deal was struck between the two before anything landed in court. Barsotti's is a dark, slightly more brooding reiteration of the original, but the recipes and dishes are still spectacular. Our restaurant critic, Chris Wolfgang, got a first look recently.

Wolfgang also got a peek at the second outpost of OAK'D BBQ in Addison, which has strong barbecue game like the original location, as well as a big patio and games.

You know how they say smoke follows smoke (they say that, right?). Well, there's a new barbecue restaurant in Farmers Branch not far from Cattleack Barbecue, which is only notable because it's tucked away in an industrial park. Crossbuck BBQ is from Tim McLaughlin, a chef and former pitmaster at Lockhart Smokehouse. Wolfgang got the two-meat plate and much, much more.

Turan Uyghur recently opened in Plano, serving authentic Uyghur cuisine. The Uyghurs are a Muslim group native to the Xinjiang region of Northwest China, and since 2014 have been subjected to widespread human rights abuses by the Chinese government. Hank Vaughn visited the restaurant and took a dive into their culture as well.

Chef Josh Bonee, formerly of Stephan Pyles' Flora Street Cafe and Fine China, has opened a Hawaiian spot, Teriyaki 4 U, where he applies his fine-dining background to traditional Hawaiian dishes and presents it in a fast, casual setting. We're excited about this approach to island fare, especially the crab rangoon, which you can read all about here.
La Parisienne French Bistro opened earlier this year at the The Star in Frisco. Close your eyes and imagine a chicken sandwich drenched in a white wine butter sauce with mushrooms and a backdrop of Tiffany blue. Or just take a look at Hank Vaughn's got great photos here. You might even forget it's in Frisco (might ... nah, you won't).

Also in Frisco, we got a first look at Kyuramen. If you've ever flirted with a egg-induced gag reflex, don't watch the social media videos from here — the ones where they slit an omelet open and stuff oozes out. This franchise has more than 120 locations around the world serving omurice (the slit egg dish topped with curry) and ramen to diners in hexagon booths. There's a lot of social media FOMO lingering here.

If you're a fan of Spiral Diner, you'll want to check out two restaurants from its founders that have recently opened in Fort Worth at PS 1200, a new mixed-use development. One is a doughnut and ice cream shop, Dreamboat Vegan Donuts and Scoops, which opened in May. Then on June 1, Maiden Fine Plants and Spirits opened its doors as the first vegan tasting menu in North Texas.

We also announced recently that The Grapevine Bar has found its new home. After 27 years on Maple Avenue, the property was bought by Crow Holdings, forcing the popular dive bar out. No worries, though. The Grapevine is being transplanted to a much larger space just two miles up the road. They're expected to make the move "this summer." (That's all they'll commit to right now, which is on brand for a dive bar.)

La Comida near the Bishop Arts District is a pink flamingo-bedecked restaurant in the old Spiral Diner space. The owners, natives of the Yucatan, serve Tex-Mex and specialty items like cochinita pibil. This is the second outpost; the original La Comida was in Addison, but closed in 2019.

The Dolly Llama Waffle Master will unveil its second Texas location in Plano on June 10. As soon it's open, make sure you head over to try the bubble waffles, a popular street food in Hong Kong that uses a special batter to produce a unique, crispy, custard-like texture. Also here: Belgian-style waffles. And tons of ice cream.

A new cafe and brunch spot has opened in Carrollton. The owner of Brian's Coffee Roasters brought in a champion baker from France, via Taiwan, to establish the pastry program here and it's a beaut, Clark. Brian's is also one of the few places in North Texas that serves Japanese souffle pancakes. We got some good photos of the food and some big butts outfront. And, yes, they do roast their own coffee.

Just in time for Pride month, Hamburger Mary's is open in the Oak Lawn and Cedar Springs neighborhood, Dallas’ LGBTQ+ nightlife district. This restaurant and bar chain is known for its drag performances. We hear the burgers are solid too.

Then there's Frisco. A total of 13 new restaurants have opened at the new PGA complex, including a Lounge by Topgolf, a swankier version of its sporty-spice sibling, plain ol' Topgolf.
If you're a big fan of tiny cocktail lounges, great news: Tina's Continental is a cozy, 800-square-foot vintage bar that recently opened in the historic Continental Gin Building in Deep Ellum. It's from the same people who own Leela's Wine Bar, which also opened a new location in Uptown on Olive Street that may be our new crush. Actually, it's our big new crush.

If you're near the Arts District and are peckish, head to the new Pizza Leila. Start with the little fried arancini balls served with a spicy marinara and then get a thick square of Sicilan pie. We got a first look back in April, but have since gotten second and third looks.

Finally, after several years of sitting atop the city all alone, the ball atop Reunion Tower has a new tenant. Crown Block, from a Las Vegas-based hospitality group, is now open, but not spinning. We got to visit and the 360-degree view of Dallas is great, the food — which was for a media event — was good, and we honestly just want to go back and sit at the bar (where no reservations are required) and have the mac and cheese waffle. And, no, it really doesn't spin. They reserve that special ride for people who rent out the upper level. Gotta pay to spin in this town.