News You Can Eat

Brunch and Girl Scout cookies sweeten this round of Dallas restaurant news

Asian Mint's tamarind shrimp.

Courtesy photo

This is a big big dose of Dallas dining news, with numerous openings, new dishes, new brunch, and Girl Scout cookies.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:

Edith's Neighborhood Bistro is now open on CityLine's State Street in Richardson. The French-inspired bistro offers desserts, pastries, cakes, and savory dishes like cassoulet. They have a full bar, a coffee bar with local roasted coffee, an oyster bar, table-side bread service, and a large patio. Table-side bread service, what do you suppose that could be. In the coming months, they'll offer high-tea service.

Seven Mile Cafe is opening a location in Lewisville, at 201 W. Church St., in the space previously occupied by Prohibition Chicken. The local cafe chain is open for breakfast and lunch and is especially noted for its pancakes. Lewisville will be the fifth location, following Denton, Highland Village, Fort Worth, and Keller.

Original ChopShop, featuring protein bowls, salads, sandwiches, and juice, has opened a location in Allen in the new Stacy Green Shopping center, across from the Allen Premium Outlets. It features a 335-square-foot patio, sunny accents, distressed wood, handwritten notes, and local vintage photography. Allen is the sixth Original ChopShop in North Texas and 14th overall for this Scottsdale, Arizona chain.

The Standard Pour, the Uptown bar, is opening a second location in Plano at the Shops at Legacy, going into the space previously occupied by Taco Diner. Known for its acclaimed craft cocktails, Standard Pour features an advanced mixology program and boasts one of the top 50 bourbon selections in America. The food will be modern American cuisine, featuring appetizers, entrees, and desserts, and will be available for weekday dining or weekend brunch. Anticipated opening date is summer.

Salata opened a location in Richardson at 2160 N. Coit Rd., #154, in the space that previously Bombay Chopstix. This is a big foray east for a chain that has placed most of its Dallas-area locations right off the North Dallas Tollway. Way to step outside the zone, Salata.

Saigon Box Vietnamese Kitchen is a new restaurant at 6363 Dallas Pkwy., #106, in Frisco. that serves a homey version of Vietnamese food, with banh mi sandwiches, pho, noodle dishes, and pho. They'll host a grand opening on February 22.

Asian Mint has launched a limited time menu featuring dishes that honor all four regions of Thailand. New menu items include Kao Soy Chicken, a traditional Northern Thai curry noodle dish; Mango Mandarin Chicken, a crispy chicken dish from Central Thailand; Rice Soup with Chicken or Shrimp, a Central Thailand recipe from owner Nikky Phinyawatana’s grandma; and two southern Thailand dishes: Dry Tom Yum Talay, shrimp, scallops and calamari served over jasmine rice and steamed vegetables; and Tamarind Shrimp — shrimp tempura with bok choy, broccoli, and red bell peppers in a sweet tamarind sauce served with rice. They're available until the end of March.

Mexican Sugar has new brunch items including cocktails, sangria bar, and entrees. New brunch cocktails include the Choco Antigua, Prickly Pear Mule, and Guava Pisco Frio. Brunch entree additions include a brunch quesadilla with scrambled eggs, chile-spiced bacon, guacamole, and crema on a jalapeño tortilla; and the Arroz Con Leche: rice pudding with Mexican canela, tres leches, raisins, strawberries, and mangos. Fajitas are now available on the brunch menu with options of chicken, carne asada, Gulf shrimp, and lobster tail with tenderloin. A Sangria Bar is also available where guests can dress their own sangrias by the pitcher or glass. Flavors include White with pinot grigio, elderflower liqueur, peach, pineapple, and club soda; and Blackberry with malbec, Tuaca, blackberry, and lemon. Weekend brunch is offered Saturday-Sunday 10 am–3 pm.

Bartaco has three new dishes, available beginning February 19: ceviche, with citrusy corvina and serrano peppers served on avocado; sesame ribeye taco with bulgogi-style ribeye topped with kimchi; and a grilled corvina taco topped with a Veracruz slaw.

Carl's Jr. has a new topping for its burgers and sandwiches called the Big Fried Cheese, just as it sounds, a puck of breaded, fried cheddar-mozzarella cheese. The "BFC" can be added as a topping to any of Carl’s Jr. burgers for $3. They're also introducing the BFC Angus Thickburger, a third-pound Angus beef burger, charbroiled over an open flame, topped with the fried cheddar-mozzarella cheese, plus lettuce, tomato, and Boom Boom sauce, served on a toasted bun.

Texas Ale Project has introduced a hard seltzer called TAPWTR in two flavors, Wild Berry and Mojito Lime, available in six-packs or mixed twelve-packs. Wild Berry has a splash of natural mixed berry flavor. Mojito has a twist of lime and mint. They'll be available on February 22.

Liberty Burger has a special burger for February: the Roy Roy-al, two double thin smash patties with American cheese, grilled onions, shredded lettuce, special G Sauce, a sesame seed brioche bun. $1 from each goes to charity.

Pinstack has two new dishes: Tuscan-inspired panzanella salad and the New Orleans-inspired hot roasted turkey po’boy. Both are available through February 29 at all three Dallas-area locations.

Pizza Hut has just rolled out the Mozzarella Poppers Pizza, with 16 mozzarella-stuffed, seasoned squares perched around the edge of the crust. The squares contain garlic, onion, parmesan, Italian seasonings, parsley, basil, oregano, and mozzarella cheese.

Miriam Cocina Latina in the Dallas Art’s District now offers brunch Saturday-Sunday, 10 am-3 pm. The menu includes breakfast brisket enchiladas, carne asada con huevos, chilaquiles, huevos Los Compadres, and créme brulee French toast. Beverages include Mimosa Flight, Milk Punch, and a spicy Bloody Mary.

Yard House is the first national restaurant brand to add hard seltzer on tap, at all 81 locations. They're also introducing four new hard seltzer cocktails: Black Cherry with Filthy Black Cherry Syrup, Truly unflavored hard seltzer, drenched cherry; Lime Refresher with Truly unflavored hard seltzer and lime; Ginger Citrus with house-made ginger beer, Truly unflavored hard seltzer, and lemon; and Passion Fruit with passion fruit syrup, Truly unflavored hard seltzer, and mint.

White Rock Alehouse & Brewery has released the 12th iteration of its New England-style IPA, described as a smooth, juicy beer with a tropical fruit bowl of aromas and flavors. Their 8th IPA won the U.S. Open Beer Championship Silver Medal.

Girl Scout cookies are still for sale, and the 2020 lineup features an amazing new flavor: Lemon-Ups, a crispy lemon cookie with light icing and baked with eight messages inspired by Girl Scouts such as "I am an innovator" and "I am gutsy." The new flavor joins the 2020 lineup, which also includes favorites such as Thin Mints, Samoas, and Trefoils.

7-Eleven, Inc. is testing a cashierless store at its corporate headquarters, in Irving. During the pilot, the 700-square-foot non-traditional store is available to 7-Eleven employees. They download an app, sign up, check in at the store, enter the store, shop, and exit. A detailed receipt appears in the app automatically after the customer exits.

Omni Dallas Hotel is hosting a Girl Scout cookie-fest with seven of the property’s restaurants offering a special dessert featuring a different Girl Scout Cookie. Texas Spice is doing Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake [Tagalongs]; The Owners Box is doing a Thin Mint Milk Shake [Thin Mints]; Cafe Herrera is doing Short Bread Fried Ice Cream [Trefoils]. Bob's Steak & Chop House is doing Samoa Cheesecake. Black Ship Little Katana is doing Thin Mint Mochi. Biergarten is doing German Chocolate Cake [Samoas]. Coal Vines is doing Limoncello Tiramisu [Lemon-Ups].

news-you-can-eat

Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 new restaurants for October

Photo courtesy of Sophia's

Red snapper ceviche at Sophia's Cantina

CultureMap's monthly Where to Eat column highlighting the best restaurants to try returns for October with a theme of new and diverse. Every restaurant on this list is a recent arrival, including at least one that has been open for only a day. If you want hot, fresh, and new, you've come to the right list.

The list represents an exciting array, encompassing a one-of-its-kind test restaurant, a fashionable coffee shop, steakhouse, Mexican cantina, Italian speakeasy, and not one, not two, but three places to get dumplings.

Here's where to eat in Dallas for October 2026:

Coach Coffee Shop
Unique cafe just opened inside the Coach handbag store at Allen Outlet Malls, one of seven locations across the U.S., including Austin, which opened in 2025. The drink menu features coffee, espresso drinks including cappuccinos and lattes, cold brew, matcha lattes with rotating seasonal flavors, and lemonade. There are two signature items: Tabby Cake — an adorable chocolate treat shaped like Coach’s trademark Tabby bag and Lil Miss Jo Cookie — an edible version of the chain's coffee-cup animated mascot used in company ad campaigns. They also serve pastries such as salted chocolate chip cookies, blueberry muffins, vegan carrot cake muffins, cinnamon rolls, savory scones, ham and cheese croissant, and soft-serve in waffle cones.

Curry Tei & Bar
Hip Asian restaurant comes to downtown Plano courtesy of Michelle Vi Pepping, who also owns buzzy Okaeri Cafe in Richardson. Curry Tei gives her the opportunity to focus more deeply on favorite Japanese comfort foods, especially house-made curry and crispy katsu, along with a full bar featuring sake, Japanese whisky, and handcrafted cocktails. The curry can be ordered over rice or udon noodles, then topped with a choice from 10 proteins: tonkatsu fried pork cutlet, katsu fried chicken cutlet, tofu katsu fried tofu cutlet, shrimp katsu, karaage fried chicken, Japanese sausage, fried potato croquette, sliced beef, hamburger patty, or gyoza dumplings. Their bowls and noodles run the gamut from chicken teriyaki over rice to chilled green tea soba noodles with vegetable tempura. Popular starters include edamame, dumplings, and karaage fried chicken.

The chocolate bag is one of a few too-cute-to-eat treats at Coach Coffee Shop. Coach Coffee Shop/Instagram

Docent Steak
After two years in the making, the newest restaurant from Harwood Hospitality Group is open in the Harwood No. 14 development as a steakhouse with a menu centered on HWD Beef, Harwood’s exclusive beef product. Prime cuts include filet mignon, NY strip, ribeye, bone-in strip, Chateaubriand, and porterhouse. Docent also serves Kobe beef, including A5 Wagyu available by the ounce, and a rotating Kobe flight featuring five cuts. Non-steak options include crab cake, Kobe potstickers, steak tartare sliders, tempura lobster, oysters, spicy tuna tartare, and a seafood tower. As befits a steakhouse, there's a grand wine list, but also a big selection of sake. The main dining room has a white-tablecloth fine-dining ambience, while a lower level has a casual atmosphere with TVs. There's lots of art, a Harwood trademark.

L's Dumplings
Chef-owned Asian spot just opened on the Lewisville/Carrollton border, where it's doing dumplings and Hong Kong-style dim sum. There's an expansive menu with dim sum-style dishes, dumplings, and even Chinese-American staples like General Tso's Chicken. While the restaurant does not have room for the cart service that often goes with dim sum, it does have a dim sum menu with a dozen dishes you'd find at a traditional dim sum brunch: beef tripe, black pepper short ribs, siu mai topped with roe, Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce, steamed pork ribs with garlic, sticky rice chicken, wontons, and chicken feet in black bean sauce. Dumplings are offered in more than a dozen varieties including soft steamed dumplings, pan-fried dumplings with a crispy bottom, and soup dumplings, famous for containing broth inside the wrapper, creating an especially juicy filling.

Momo2Go
Well-regarded dumpling chain from Canada has opened a location in the Preston Lebanon Crossing shopping center, taking over a space previously occupied by Lalo's Cocina Mexicana, which closed in July. Momo2Go specializes in momos — the dumpling that's a foundation of Himalayan cuisine — and is a spinoff of a family-owned restaurant called Himalayan Kitchen, which debuted in Toronto in 2012. Their momos were so popular that they launched Momo2Go in 2016. They now have 10 including one in Irving, which franchisees Karma Gurung and Tashi Chetan opened in 2023. Frisco is their second location.

Veggie dumplings are a favorite at L's Dumplings.Photo courtesy of L's Dumplings

Ono Hawaiian BBQ
Fast-casual Hawaiian plate-lunch chain from California just opened a location in McKinney, specializing in island-style plate lunches that combine some form of meat plus white rice and macaroni salad. Meats include BBQ chicken, Kalua pork, kalbi short ribs, fried chicken katsu, and Spam musubi, consisting of a block of rice topped with a slice of Spam and wrapped in seaweed. A slightly healthier option combines the meats with rice and a side salad. McKinney is the second location in Texas, following Plano which opened in July. If all goes according to their plan, they will soon be ubiquitous, with 10 locations plotted for DFW.

Open House
New restaurant concept being tested by KFC has opened its very first location in McKinney, with a goal to put a modern twist on Colonel Sanders' fried chicken concept. The location has tableside service, touchscreen kiosks, breakfast, boba drinks, and more. New and unique menu items including sides such as Southwest corn, fried green beans, spicy pickles, and rainbow slaw, as well as the first breakfast lineup featuring chicken tenders sandwiches, hashbrown sticks, mini cronuts, brewed coffee, and iced lattes. The McKinney restaurant will serve as a testing ground for KFC, giving them a chance to try new food, drinks, service, and design ideas before rolling them out across the country.

Red: Italian
Unusual new restaurant in Denton is a subterranean spot in the basement of Ruby Rodeo, a bar and live music venue on Denton Square, where it's serving Italian food and speakeasy charm. The 58-seat underground space — which includes 10 seats at the bar — serves Italian classics, priced from $25 to $40, such as spicy sausage lasagna with arrabbiata sauce, cacio e pepe bucatini, chicken piccata, shrimp diablo, and espresso-crusted filet mignon with Italian seasoning. Appetizers include fried mozzarella, stuffed mushrooms, grilled artichokes, bruschetta, meatballs, flatbreads, and a classic Caesar. The concept comes from Victor García and Mike Church, who also own Ruby Rodeo, as well as the similarly-red-named Scarlett Lounge in Deep Ellum.

Sophia's Cocina & Cantina
Mexican restaurant in Farmers Branch is the new home of Hugo Miranda, the well-respected hospitality figure who previously helmed Hugo's Invitados, a Mexican concept that he opened in 2018 with entrepreneur Mark Hulme. Highlights from the menu (which has not yet been uploaded to the restaurant's website nor their Facebook page) include oysters, pork belly chicharron, sopa de Cebolla, mixed grill, ribeye black Angus tomahawk sliced tableside, whole Pacific snapper, crudos, and upscale tacos such as blue crab with spinach; and salads such as red beet carpaccio with arugula, goat cheese, avocado, and pumpkin seeds.

Yo-Chi
Aussie fro-yo chain known for self-serve bowls, bountiful topping bars, and lively vibe has made its U.S. debut in Dallas near Inwood Village, at 5710 Lovers Ln. #101, to be followed by a second location at NorthPark Center. Yay us. Founded in Melbourne in 2012, Yo-Chi first expanded outside Australia in 2025 with a location in Singapore, followed by London. They tout their use of "fresh milk" in their yogurt, with flavors such as vanilla, salted butterscotch, tart, acai, coconut, matcha, and cinnamon banana. Plus 40-plus toppings arranged in a communal, self-serve station, including mini mochi, pistachio spread, cookie dough, sauces, brownies, fruit, and more. In its Down Under home turf, Yo-Chi locations are said to have a club ambience, with people going there on dates and bouncers at the door on weekends.

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