This Week in Gluttony

These are the 6 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Your sweet tooth will thank you for attending the Dallas Chocolate Festival.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum and Botanic Garden

Is it hot in here, or is it just that this week's food events are completely on fire? No slow return to normal here, post Labor Day leisure. Foodies are hitting the following events at full throttle. Enjoy.

Thursday, September 6

Plano Magazine's Bite Nite at CityLine Richardson
This second annual event allows guests to sample some of the best cuisine and cocktails from 10 difference restaurants while enjoying live music and raffles in the plaza. Restaurants include Coal Vines, Char'd, Edoko Sushi & Robata, Top Pot Doughnuts, Tricky Fish, and more. Tickets are $32 and the event starts at 5 pm.

Friday, September 7

Dallas Pets Alive Brew Launch at Grapevine Craft Brewery
To mark National Beer Lovers Day, Dallas Pets Alive is launching a first-of-its-kind beer, Dixon's Pale Ale, that will benefit the animal charity. Fifty cents from every pint sold will directly benefit Dallas Pets Alive and its mission to make Dallas a no-kill city. The event is free and kicks off at 6 pm.

Dallas Chocolate Festival at Fashion Industry Gallery
The three-day festival brings in over 70 chocolate makers and chocolatiers from around the world for 2,400 attendees to learn, taste, and experience the artistry and craftsmanship of quality chocolate. The festival kicks off with a VIP party on Friday night, Saturday's main event and expo, and then a day of hands-on chocolate making and tasting at Whole Foods Market Preston Forest on Sunday. Tickets start at $5 and more information on start times can be found here.

Saturday, September 8

Party on the Patio at Rusty Taco Greenville Avenue
The restaurant is celebrating their roots with a return to its original name and a party on the patio. The party will feature $2 tacos, live music from Jayson Bales Music, and giveaways all night long (including limited-edition T-shirts). All proceeds benefit the North Texas Food Bank. Admission is free and the party starts at 6 pm.

The Delicious Debate: Pitmasters vs. Chefs at The Belo Mansion
As part of Texas Monthly's The Edge of Texas programming, guests can listen to a discussion moderated by barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn on the topic of pit masters being placed on the same level as chefs. Should they be? Or is it better to put them in another custom category? Panel members include chef John Tesar, pitmaster Ronnie Killen, and pitmaster Jordan Jackson. This event starts at 11 am and ticket prices for The Edge of Texas start at $65.

Sunday, September 9

Game Day BBQ Throwdown at Wheelhouse
Celebrate the return of NFL season and watch the Dallas Cowboys “smoke” the Carolina Panthers during a BBQ Throwdown and all-day tailgate with Community Beer Co. from 11 am to 7 pm. Enjoy $3 canned, seasonal beers and various barbecue dishes ranging from Carolina pulled pork sandwiches to Texas hot links.

news-you-can-eat barbecue craft-beer fundraisers

Coffee News

French cafe from New York to open at buzzy Dallas center near Lakewood

Maman

Lemon meringue tarts from Maman.

A French cafe chain from New York is bringing its ritzy fare to a buzzy intersection in East Dallas: Maman, a celebrated spot with coffee and brand-name pastries, will open a location in Hillside Village, at 6465 Mockingbird Ln. #316, at the address previously occupied by Palmer's Hot Chicken.

Signage is already up in the space. According to a spokesperson, renovations are underway, with a targeted opening date of early fall.

Famous for its pale blue-and-white toile decor and Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies, Maman was founded in Soho in 2014 by partners Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte, and has expanded across the U.S, with locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Canada.

They made their Texas debut in November 2025 when they opened a location in the Plaza at Preston Center. There are also plans for another location in Frisco at the new Fields West mixed-use center, as well as a location in Casa Linda Plaza. Still more locations are said to be in the works.

At the favorably situated Hillside Village, they'll be joining tenants such as Sprouts, SusieCakes, and Sephora. The center has undergone an overhaul in the past decade with the addition of new tenants, starting when Sprouts took over the former Stein Mart.

Palmer's was there for five years; they opened in 2020, part of a then-wave of hot chicken places, before exiting the premises in January 2026. A permitting notice for Maman was posted the same week.

Maman will update the space, installing their signature interior touches to create a cozy, European garden atmosphere. They boast a French provincial aesthetic with vintage furniture, wood floors, imported tiles, and signature blue toile that extends to the custom espresso machine.

The cafe will be open during daylight hours with coffee, breakfast and lunch: espresso drinks, tea, and pastries such as croissants, kouign maman, Bundt cakes, tea cakes, and cookies. Heartier breakfast and lunch items include quiche, a breakfast bowl (with potatoes, arugula, bacon, caramelized onions, avocado, and egg), chicken Caesar wrap, and Mediterranean steak sandwich.

Their drinks can be elaborate with rarefied ingredients; for example, a vanilla honey butter latte with sweet corn foam & cornbread crumbs, or a salted tahini honeycomb latte. They also partner up on brand collaborations with food & beverage names such as Martha Stewart.

coffee openings desserts breakfast