Where To Eat Lunch

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 best new lunch spots

Of all the meals out there, lunch is the most flexible. It can be the getaway from work or an interview for work. It can be a rendezvous with your lady or a lunch with the ladies. But however you use your lunch, you'll want to keep up on the newest places to get it. Here's our list:

Best Thai Diner
This unique concept is the newest member of the small, individualistic family-run Best Thai chain. It's the rare Thai food buffet that will go beyond the usual pad Thai by featuring dishes from all regions of Thailand, with different dishes swapped out from day to day.

Carmel
Newly opened restaurant in Coppell is a family-run spot that combines American classics and Mediterranean specialties. The menu ranges from a rib-eye steak to hummus and fattoush salad, a fresh vegetable medley with tomato, onion and cucumber, served with toasted pita bread. A $10 lunch combo gets you soup and sandwich combos such as turkey panino and a mozzarella press.

Clay Pigeon
For the Fort Worth crowd, Clay Pigeon is open for lunch Wednesday through Friday, with soups, salads, sandwiches, specials such as steak frites and a quiche du jour. Salads include beet with goat cheese or spinach with bacon and a sunny-side-up egg; the sandwich pick is the turkey melt with avocado, arugula and Gruyere.

Ivy Kitchen
New restaurant adjacent to the Look Cinemas in Prestonwood fills in the old Nick & Sam's Grill space with a Houston's-like largesse. The menu, which is the same for lunch and dinner, includes steaks, seafood, sandwiches, and salads such as the wedge and Caesar.

Kitchen LTO
With "naughty chef" Blythe Beck in the kitchen at LTO, the menu these days is upscale Southern with signature dishes such as shrimp and grits, chicken-fried rib-eye, and deviled eggs. Her wedge salad is a spectacular version with iceberg lettuce topped with diced tomato, crumbled bacon and a crown of spicy onion rings.

Knife
Critically acclaimed restaurant starring chef John Tesar is now serving lunch daily, 11 am to 2:30 pm. The lunch menu includes some highlights from dinner as well as a selection of sandwiches, including a super-cheesy grilled cheese, a BLT made with Iberico bacon, a pressed Cuban, a tangy Reuben and an upscale banh mi with pork belly.

Paninis Plus
This fast-casual concept seems made for lunch with panini, salads, wraps and green drinks. Selections include a Cuban with pork, ham and Swiss; a muffaletta with salami, ham, mozzarella, provolone and olive salad; and a veggie with portobello mushroom, roasted red peppers and mixed greens.

Proof + Pantry
One Arts Plaza spot, now serving lunch Tuesday through Friday, features dishes from chef Kyle McClelland, including Nanna's meatballs; a $15 pantry burger with caramelized onions and American cheese; a roasted vegetable sandwich with eggplant, squash, zucchini, red pepper and pesto; an $18 lobster roll; and steak frites.

VH
Restaurant from former Lombardi team features American cuisine with reasonable prices. Lunch — which extends to a luxuriant 4 pm — includes burgers; tacos; and a turkey melt with smoked turkey, bacon and avocado. A quintet of salads runs from a chicken salad to one with grilled eggplant, spinach, golden raisins, almonds and goat cheese.

Villa-O
Travis Walk Italian has a daily lunch with specials such as chicken Parmesan and the Villa-O burger. Pizzas include the Diavola (spicy soppressata, salami, pepperoni, San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and chili flakes) and a breakfast pizza (sunny-side-up eggs and prosciutto), which is served all day.

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New Ivy Kitchen near Look Cinemas.

Photo courtesy of Ivy Kitchen

New Ivy Kitchen near Look Cinemas.

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Bar News

Rodeo Dallas bar takes party to Uptown Dallas at new location

Rodeo

Rodeo bar is open in Uptown

A bar with Deep Ellum roots is expanding to Uptown Dallas: Called Rodeo Dallas, it'll open at 2922 N. Hall St. in the space previously occupied by Palms Bar. According to co-owner Joseph "JD" Ybanez, it'll open on November 28.

The first Rodeo location in Dallas opened in 2023 at 2724 Elm St. from Ybanez and partner Josh Reagan, a pair of hospitality veterans whose prior venues include Longshots in Dallas, plus two locations of Varsity Tavern, in Fort Worth and in Tempe.

Ybanez' first bar was Trophy Ranch in Fort Worth which had a mechanical bull. "That's where I learned how popular it was," he says. (He also became familiar with Fort Worth's bar scene and went on to open a Rodeo spinoff in 2024.)

In August 2025, the Deep Ellum location became the focal point of neighborhood concerns about crime and was closed via an order from the Dallas city attorney. Ybanez says the city is scapegoating Rodeo for other problems in the neighborhood, and that the Deep Ellum location isn't going anywhere.

“This is not a relocation,” he says. “We maintain an ongoing legal dispute with our landlord Asana Partners regarding the re-opening of our Deep Ellum establishment. The Uptown location represents an expansion of the brand.”

Prior to opening Rodeo in Deep Ellum, they opened a bar in Tempe in 2018 called Rodeo Ranch which served as a template for the concept, featuring an "adult playground" with mechanical bull, bottle service, girls in bikinis, DJs, dancing, and light show.

According to Ybanez, visitors to the Uptown location can expect to take these factors to the next level.

“The Uptown space offers an expansive back patio,” Ybanez says. “This area will feature a massive video wall, optimizing it for communal sports viewing. Furthermore, we have executed a comprehensive refinement of our food menu, which we are confident will elevate the guest experience."

The menu is rendered by Donde Los Tacos, the highly regarded Mexican taqueria in Oak Clifff, with $3 and $4 tacos, like trompo, barbacoa, and suadero. The Uptown location will also serve brunch with dishes such as chilaquiles.

"We have meticulously preserved the core of the Rodeo experience: the unparalleled atmosphere and vibes, our commitment to genuine hospitality, the homegrown character of the brand, and the inclusive spirit that welcomes every member of the community," Ybanez says.

uptown openings