Best Restaurants Where We Ate, 2019

2019 was a banner year for the Dallas restaurant industry. Bars set records for sales. Restaurants raised the standard in our city by reaching new levels of, and varieties of, excellence. Unpretentious but delicious neighborhood restaurants, in particular, are on the rise.

Even as Dallas saw an uptick in new openings that seem tailor-made for wealthy diners, the city enjoyed booming growth in every other food sector, too. Somehow we have more and better tacos than ever. A barbecue institution reopened after taking a year to repair devastating fire damage. Unfussy dining rooms began serving excellent sushi handrolls and ceviche.

Irving’s Nepalese community made a big splash, including two of our favorite new restaurants of the year. Based on their extraordinary work at various pop-up events, Filipino American chefs might follow suit in 2020.

And, at last, national recognition is arriving. Bon Appétit magazine named Dallas the restaurant city of the year, published a beautiful feature on sandwich master Reyna Duong and singled out Khao Noodle Shop as the second-best new restaurant in the United States. Photos by Alison McLean