Best Dine-in Theaters

The best theaters around Dallas to grab dinner and a movie

Movie theaters have come a long way from hot dogs on stale buns, fake-cheese nachos, and overpriced sodas. In fact, theater food and drink has gotten so good that you might go there just for a meal and a cocktail.

That real restaurant experience, plus technological improvements in the auditoriums, make going out for dinner and a movie more fun than ever before. And thanks to the proliferation of dine-in theaters in recent years, Dallas moviegoers have myriad options.

Alamo Drafthouse
We’ve now been blessed with the Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson for more than three years, and with the Cedars location opening earlier in 2016 (and more locations on the way), we are flush with the goodness that the Austin-based chain has to offer.

The Cedars location is now the crown jewel in Alamo’s growing local empire, featuring seven auditoriums with state-of-the-art technology and Alamo’s usual stellar programming. And that’s before you take a trip upstairs to the Vetted Well, a bar with killer views of downtown Dallas, private karaoke rooms, and a selection of beers that rivals any bar in town.

Alamo’s menu features mainly sandwiches, burgers, and pizzas, but the ingredients set them apart. The list of salads, all of which can come with grilled chicken, steak, or tofu, has enough variety to compete with salad specialty stores. Pizzas, which can also be ordered gluten-free, feature toppings like Brussels sprouts, smoked bacon, and basil pesto. Specialty choices include mini banh mi hot dogs and truffled Parmesan buttered popcorn, while burgers can come with Hatch green chilies, hummus, or a fried egg.

Alcohol is a given, but Alamo is better than most with adult milkshakes and a full bar with tons of local beer and wine. Add in brunch options like crème brûlée French toast and special items themed to go along with certain big movies, and you have a theater where the food is just as interesting as the films.

iPic Theaters Fairview
iPic Theaters, which currently only has one area location, just north of Allen in the Village at Fairview, positions itself as an upscale movie theater, and when you get a look at the menu, it’s not hard to see why. It’s chock-full of fancy-sounding items like Thai coconut shrimp, lobster roll, caprese panini, ratatouille pizza, filet slider trio, truffle fries, and red velvet bread pudding.

Although all auditoriums are equipped for dining, iPic has two different levels when it comes to service: Cinema and iPic Express seating. iPic Express ticketholders have to buy food prior to entering the theater. Their food choices are also relatively limited compared to those in Cinema auditoriums, but it still has many of the favorite items from the full menu.

In addition to the full menu, the Cinema seating offers plush leather recliners that come with individual blankets and pillows. With all that comfort and fantastic food, moviegoers should be careful not to take a snooze during the film.

Look Cinemas
When Look Cinemas opened in March 2013, it appeared to be sitting pretty, as it had the highly trafficked Addison area to itself. Then AMC Village on the Parkway opened up virtually across the street, providing more than a little competition.

What Look does have on its side are dine-in options. Although it’s not fully dedicated to the dine-in theater experience, as only a handful of its auditoriums offer that possibility, anyone who sees a movie in those auditoriums has access to an abridged menu from the great restaurant Ivy Kitchen, which is attached to the front of the theater.

Appetizers include red pepper hummus and two types of sushi. There are three salad options, and entrées include filet mignon, Maryland-style blue lump crab cakes, and more. Even if dining while watching a movie isn’t for you, having Ivy Kitchen and a location of Coal Vines Pizza and Wine Bar attached to the theater is almost as convenient as being able to eat inside.

Moviehouse & Eatery
The newest entry into this crowded field, Moviehouse & Eatery has three area locations, including one about to open in McKinney. The mini-chain, which started in Austin in 2012, is pulling out all the stops in hopes of challenging the big guns.

All of its auditoriums offer full food and beverage service from an extensive menu featuring a variety of enticing choices, with not-so-standard ingredients made from scratch. Among the ingredients that are prepared onsite: smoked bacon, pastries, tortillas, pizza sauce, and pizza dough.

Menu items include a Maters & Okra appetizer, with fried green tomatoes, fried okra, and fried artichoke hearts; several items with a pumpkin seed pesto sauce; the intimidating Big Jake Burger, with a steak patty, pepper Jack cheese, bacon, horseradish aioli, red pepper relish, and bourbon barbecue sauce; Porkin’ Pie-napple pizza, with coriander oil, pork carnitas, house-made bacon, white cheddar, queso fresco, fresh pineapple, and pickled shallots; and brunch offerings like an egg strata and breakfast Philly cheesesteak.

With a variety of classic movie series that seem designed to emulate the model of Alamo Drafthouse, Moviehouse & Eatery looks to be in the game for the long haul.

Studio Movie Grill
Despite the other competition on this list, Studio Movie Grill still leads the way when it comes to the number of theaters it has, with eight locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Its flagship theater is now the one at Spring Valley, which is just down the road from Alamo Drafthouse Richardson.

All of the area locations have either been renovated or had improvements in recent years, including the original location in Plano, which now boasts 12 auditoriums. And with the recent opening of a new location in The Colony and a second Arlington location in its near future, Studio Movie Grill shows no signs of slowing down.

Perhaps in response to the type of food being offered at the other theaters, Studio Movie Grill has upped its dining game in recent years as well. The menu now features items like edamame; ceviche lettuce wraps; a Maya salad with kale, spinach, and arugula; sriracha chicken sliders; roasted vegetable pizza; and Nutella beignets for dessert

For the oenophiles, Studio Movie Grill now offers its own brand of wine. SMG Cellars Cabernet and Chardonnay are available alongside a variety of other alcohol options, including an assortment of cocktails and Studio Movie Grill’s own unique adult milkshakes.

SMG is even conscious of budget-minded moviegoers, offering a two for $25 combo menu any day of the week, as well as varying daily specials on drinks and food. Great food and great prices keep Studio Movie Grill near the top in this increasingly competitive field.

Big Jake Burger from Moviehouse & Eatery.

Photo courtesy of Moviehouse & Eatery

Big Jake Burger from Moviehouse & Eatery.

dinner movies

Awards Season

CultureMap critic's guide to the 2026 Oscar Best Picture nominees

Michael B. Jordan and Miles Caton in Sinners

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

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The nominations for the 2026 Academy Awards have been announced, with 10 films vying for Best Picture. Leading the way is Sinners with an astonishing 16 nominations, the most in Oscars history.

The other top films include One Battle After Another, which earned 13 nominations, and Frankenstein and Sentimental Value, which each got 9 nominations.

As a refresher, below are links to the full reviews for each of the nominees covered by CultureMap in the past year, as well as brief thoughts on the films and their various nominations.

Movie fans will have plenty of time to catch up with each of the nominees, as this year's Oscars ceremony will not take place until Sunday, March 15.

Here's the list of Best Picture nominees, in alphabetical order:

Bugonia
Yet another off-the-wall film from director Yorgos Lanthimos features two great performances by Emma Stone (nominated for Best Actress) and Jesse Plemons at its center. Written by Will Tracy (nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay), the conspiracy theory film is alternately brutal and funny as the characters played by Stone and Plemons use their form of power to try to manipulate the other. With a fair amount of intrigue and two great actors going head-to-head for much of its running time, it gives even more Oscar pedigree to its filmmakers and stars.

F1
The biggest surprise among the Best Picture nominees has to be the racing movie F1. It was a technical marvel, to be sure, as its nominations in Film Editing, Sound, and Visual Affects attest. But the fact that it has no other nominations in any of the above the fold categories indicates that its other qualities are lacking. As a showcase (aka advertisement) for the sport it depicts, the film works relatively well. As a complete movie, though, there’s not much to recommend, to the point that it almost negates any of the positives that come from the racing scenes.

Frankenstein (not reviewed)
Writer/director Guillermo del Toro (nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay) loves himself a monster movie, and he takes on one of the classics with his new version of Frankenstein (now streaming on Netflix). Oscar Isaac plays Victor Frankenstein, who brings to life The Creature, played by Jacob Elordi (nominated for Best Supporting Actor). With a slew of nominations in technical categories, there's a chance this film goes home with a lot of awards at this year's ceremony.

Hamnet (not reviewed)
Writer/director Chloé Zhao (nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay alongside co-writer Maggie O'Farrell) gets back to her Oscar-worthy skills for the first time since 2020's Nomadland (after the unfortunate detour into the MCU with Eternals). A story about love, loss, and grief involving William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, the film is most notable for the performances of its two leads, Jessie Buckley (nominated for Best Actress) and Paul Mescal.

Marty Supreme
There was no other movie this year, or maybe even this century, like Marty Supreme. Directed and co-written by Josh Safdie (nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay alongside co-writer Ronald Bronstein), the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives. At its center is the fast-talking, powerhouse performance by star Timothée Chalamet (nominated for Best Actor), who cements his status as his generation’s movie star one year after playing the polar opposite role of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Look for the film to be a strong contender in the inaugural Best Casting category, as Safdie fills the film with non-actors who are crucial to the film's success.

One Battle After Another
Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson (nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay) has an acclaimed career going back 30 years, but has yet to actually win an Oscar. That will change this year, as One Battle After Another is one of the favorites to win Best Picture thanks to Anderson's stellar filmmaking, as well as multiple great performances that earned the film four acting nominations (Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor, Teyana Taylor for Best Supporting Actress, and Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn for Best Supporting Actor). Add in a story with a very timely political critique (that's getting more relevant by the day) and you have the recipe for a big winner on Oscar night.

The Secret Agent (not reviewed)
No foreign country has quite the influence on the Oscars as Brazil, which for the second straight year has gotten one of its films nominated for both Best International Feature Film and Best Picture. Written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, the film is anchored by the performance of Wagner Moura (nominated for Best Actor) as a technology expert in the late 1970s who flees from a mysterious past to try to find peace in his hometown.

Sentimental Value (not reviewed)
For the third year in a row, two international films made the cut in the Best Picture race (but whither It Was Just an Accident?). Directed and co-written by Joachim Trier (nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay alongside co-writer Eskil Vogt), the film is tied for the most acting nominations this year, earning nods for Renate Reinsve for Best Actress, Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Best Supporting Actress, and Stellan Skarsgård for Best Supporting Actor.

Sinners
It takes a special kind of filmmaker to make movies that are both popular and Oscar-worthy, and writer/director Ryan Coogler (nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay) has done it again, seven years after helming the Oscar-winning Black Panther. Both a tribute to Black music history and a gnarly vampire movie, the film is led by Michael B. Jordan (nominated for Best Actor) in dual roles as twins Smoke and Stack. With a story infused with all manner of subtext and a bunch of great supporting performances, including Best Supporting Actress nominee Wunmi Mosaku, the film demonstrates Coogler's great filmmaking abilities that should keep him in demand for years to come. Amazingly, there was only one category for which it was eligible in which it did not receive a nomination.

Train Dreams (not reviewed)
The second Netflix movie this year to be nominated, Train Dreams is a contemplative film about a logger (played by Joel Edgerton) in early 20th century America who tries to adapt to a rapidly-changing world. Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for the script by director Clint Bentley and co-writer Greg Kwedar, the film is most notable for the work done by Adolpho Veloso (nominated for Best Cinematography), who showcases the Pacific Northwest in all its glory.

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