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    The Anti Best Restaurant List

    Where to eat right now: 10 most underrated restaurants in Dallas

    Teresa Gubbins
    Apr 8, 2014 | 12:48 pm

    You're a champion of the underdog, a defender of the downtrodden. You see some restaurants getting all the attention, even if they don't deserve it. You know that popularity does not always guarantee greatness, and that a review is just someone's opinion.

    You don't jump on trends. You don't oooh over charcuterie or aaah over food piled like rubble on your plate. You don't heart bacon.

    You don't need a line out the door to tell you if a restaurant is good. Just because a restaurant hasn't made some best-of list doesn't mean it's not worthy. To that end, here is our list of Dallas' most underrated restaurants.

    California Pizza Kitchen
    It's a chain, and professing love for a chain is not cool. On top of that, the pizza revolution that's hit Dallas in the past few years has given us more options and better pies than ever. But CPK remains a reliable, upscale, good-value-for-the-money option. It always has interesting salads, such as the quinoa with arugula, and the restaurant constantly rotates in new items such as the bianco flatbread with gorgonzola cheese and fresh sage leaves.

    FM Smoke House
    From the wall of craft beers on tap to the stick-to-your-ribs menu with smoked corn chowder, bacon-mashed potatoes and chicken-fried steak, FM has it going on with food and drink. Like its Plano sibling Holy Grail Pub, FM hosts beer events with glass giveaways and other perks. But it's in Irving, and Dallas critics snub anything outside of Dallas. Their loss is your gain.

    Local
    Chef Tracy Miller opened Local back when Deep Ellum was cool, and she was an early proponent of the "local" thing. (Duh, look at the name.) She survived during the neighborhood's downtime and now is poised for its renaissance. Her food is simple yet extremely creative; she practically invented tempura-fried green beans. She makes mac and cheese richer with a spoonful of mascarpone, and she shows whimsy with dishes such as panko-crusted tater tots with house-made ketchup.

    Malai Kitchen
    Upscale Thai-Vietnamese restaurant in West Village continues its pursuit of excellence, offering great food, service and value. Signatures include green curry, pho and sticky rice, but husband-and-wife owners Braden and Yasmin Wages are creative and innovative, constantly trying new things such as their recent introduction of two craft beers they're brewing in-house.

    Original Market Diner
    Big menu, responsive service, a big-city atmosphere and friendly prices make OMD a favorite for worker-bee lunches and working-man dinners (Thursdays-Saturdays) in its hospital/Harry Hines/Market Center neighborhood. There's breakfast, blue-plate specials such as pot roast, and ah-mayzing pies. It's just good food with no shtick. You can see how that would be a liability.

    Paesano's Ristorante
    Paesano's looks like any other suburban red-sauce Italian, and it kind of is, with chicken piccata, chicken marsala and the like. But Paesano's has a secret: its dough. It's used to make pizzas — sprawling pies with the usual toppings — and complimentary house bread. Crusty, with a moist, dense crumb, it's good enough to make a meal of, with a side of marinara for dipping. They also sell it by the loaf! For $4.50.

    Peak & Elm
    Jesse Moreno conceived P&E as a place to spotlight the homespun recipes and culinary knowledge of his father Jesse Senior. The menu is simple, the service sweet and the margaritas complimentary. There are enchiladas, fajitas, mole sauce and vegan fajitas. There is no Mambo Taxi, but the prices are crazy-affordable: You can feast for $15, and that's with a generous tip (which you better leave).

    Perry's Steakhouse
    Like Pappas Bros., Perry's has Houston roots; is that why it doesn't get mentioned as often as Bob's, Al Biernat's, Nick & Sam's, etc.? Which is silly because, in the steakhouse world, everyone does the exact same thing: Prime beef, shrimp cocktail, big Cab. Where a steakhouse makes its mark is the sides and desserts. At Perry's, that means Sriracha Brussels sprouts (for a limited time) and a decadent butterscotch bread pudding topped with a house-made marshmallow.

    R&D Kitchen
    R&D is a sibling of Houston's/Hillstone, a chain; insert eye-roll here. But with its all-American polish and cheerful efficiency, it could almost be mistaken for a Neighborhood Services, minus the sweaters on the waiters and the snappy menu writeups. The atmosphere is Cali-sleek, and the food is well-executed with just enough originality to keep it interesting, as in spaghetti with chicken meatballs and broccoli.

    Whole Foods Market Salad Bar
    Ignore the unromantic lighting. Heed not the shopping cart. Focus instead on the fact that you can get almost anything here, and it'll be mostly healthy and organic. The salad bar is about as big as a football field, and it's adjoined by numerous hot stations serving up pizza, sushi, hot dogs, barbecue, jambalaya, raw salads, sandwiches, vegan quesadillas, tacos and soups. The capper: There's an in-house bar with wine and craft beer on tap.

    ---

    Want more stories like these? Click the Where To Eat banner at the top to see the rest of the series.

    Bacon and eggs at Original Market Diner.

    Pancakes at Original Market Diner in Dallas
      
    Photo via Originalmarketdiner.com [https://www.originalmarketdiner.com/]
    Bacon and eggs at Original Market Diner.
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    Tastemaker Awards

    Tastemaker Awards party salutes the best in Dallas restaurants in 2025

    Teresa Gubbins
    May 5, 2025 | 7:59 pm
    Dallas Tastemaker Awards
    Ashley Gongora
    Dallas Tastemaker Awards

    Foodies from all across Dallas showed up for the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, celebrating Dallas' top restaurants, bars, and chefs who've led the local dining scene most in the past year.

    After months of buildup, the winners were revealed at an awards ceremony and tasting event on on Thursday, May 1 at the Astoria Event Venue in Irving.

    The presentation of the awards was the pinnacle in a night of food and drink, in which more than a dozen nominated chefs and restaurants served up delicious bites, while bartenders crafted cocktails incorporating spirits from event sponsors including: Still Austin Whiskey and Hornitos Tequila, along with Pennsyvania-based Yuengling Beer, who served their traditional lager as well as Flight, their light lager.

    There were specialty cocktails from Silent Pool Gin (English G&T), Hornitos Tequila (Hornitos Paloma, ranch water, and neat), Reyka Vodka (Reyka espresso martini and cucumber martini), and Still Austin Whiskey (Still Austin old fashioned, plus neat pours of Straight and Cask Strength Bourbon and Rye Whiskey).

    Alcohol-free options included the Honey Berry Fizz from Punch Bowl Social, the Cucumber Garden mocktail from Seedlip, and an irresistible pistachio espresso martini from Ritual Zero Proof.

    The tastiest plates of the night included Chicken kofta meatballs from Goodwins, Peking duck wraps and spicy tuna cones from Komodo, Salmon bowl box and sesame rice noodles from Loro (served in a cool take-out box), rigatoni Genovese from Perch Bistro, pimento cheese and Benton's country ham sandwiches from The Porch, and pineapple char siu pulled pork baos from Scout at the Statler.

    Favorite sweet options included strawberry matcha and pink champagne macarons from Ollio Patisserie, and a medley of treats from LA 57 that included mini almond croissants, mini cannoli, and mini cajeta empanadas. Caffeine fans were rewarded with honey lavender cold brew from Well Grounded Coffee and iced coffee from Whataburger.

    After all that eating and drinking, it was time for the awards, delivered by charming emcee Mark Schechtman. For weeks leading up to the event, we published a special editorial series that highlighted nominees in nine categories. Winners were chosen by a panel of local food and beverage experts — except for the category of Best New Restaurant, which was voted on by readers in a bracket-style competition online.

    Dallas Tastemaker Awards
      

    Ashley Gongora

    Dallas Tastemaker Awards

    These winners were announced and presented with glass trophies, as the crowd enthusiastically cheered for each one:

    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Roman Murphy, Perch Bistro
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Ryan Stipp, Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: The Porch
    • Bar of the Year: Columbian Country Club
    • Best Coffee Shop: Merit Coffee
    • Best Eatertainment: Chicken N Pickle
    • Best New Restaurant: Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge
    • Chef of the Year: Jeff Bekavac, Goodwins
    • Restaurant of the Year: Mister Charles

    A portion of the proceeds benefited Harvest Project Food Rescue, an indigenous led environmental nonprofit fighting food insecurity by redirecting surplus produce to DFW communities each week.

    ________________________

    Hungry to be a part of it all next year? You can read about all the winners here, and we'll see you in 2026. The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is brought to you by The Yuengling Company, Brioche Gourmet, Still Austin Whiskey, Hornitos, Whataburger, Reyka Vodka, Silent Pool Gin, and PicMe Events. A portion of the proceeds benefitted our nonprofit partner, Harvest Project Food Rescue.

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