This Week's Hot Headlines

Good and bad Dallas dining news feeds this week's 5 most popular stories

Editor’s note: Another week has come and gone, and there’s a lot we all probably missed. But we’re looking out for you, kid. Here are the most popular stories from this past week:

1. The 12 best restaurants in Dallas to take out-of-town guests. When the holidays come, so do out-of-town guests. At some point during their visit, you will inevitably be eating out. Choosing the right restaurant is key. For inspiration, we turned to our Top 100 list of the very best restaurants in Dallas and pulled out 12.

2. Burger joint with a view pops up in unexpected Dallas-area location. A new restaurant in Grand Prairie offers views from here to the horizon with its burgers. Called Radial Cafe, it's located at the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport, giving diners a bird's-eye view of aircraft in the sky.

3. Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 top restaurants with cozy fireplaces. When the temperature drops below 50, it's imperative to take advantage and find a cozy spot to sup. Fire's what you need — a blazing fireplace you can gaze at while dining on casseroles and other wintry foods. Here are 10 options.

4. Nationally recognized hot dog joint quits Deep Ellum. Luscher's Red Hots, the Deep Ellum hot dog joint from Dallas chef Brian Luscher, served its last meal earlier this week, after two years in business. In 2015, it was a contender for Bon Appetit's best new restaurants in America.

5. Master list of Hawaiian poke restaurants flooding Dallas. If you like seafood and fiendishly follow dining trends, you already know about poke, the raw fish sensation from Hawaii. If you do not, then get ready for the invasion of the poke bar, which will hit Dallas hard in 2017.

Out-of-town guests will love Cafe Momentum.

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Margarita News

Mi Cocina secret Monkey Bar to open on rooftop at Dallas hotel

Mi Cocina

Mambo Taxi and friends

A bar spinoff of the Dallas Tex-Mex chain Mi Cocina is making its debut: It's called Monkey Bar on 9, and it's opening at the Tru by Hilton Dallas Market Center, at 1949 N. Stemmons Fwy., on the ninth-story rooftop, where it will debut on Friday, June 13.

Monkey Bar on 9 is a spinoff of Monkey Bar, the once "secret" bar at the Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village, part of the M Crowd Restaurant Group that includes Mi Cocina, The Mercury, and Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q.

The venue will feature an outdoor patio and indoor bar, with views of the downtown Dallas skyline, open for both hotel guests and locals for happy hour, gatherings, and private events.

The menu will mirror that of Monkey Bar Highland Park Village, with tequilas, mezcals, margaritas, and cocktails made with cold-pressed juices: from a pour of Clase Azul to a jalapeño honey margarita to the Monkey Bar Mambo Taxi. There'll also be a food menu of shareable favorites such as queso, guacamole, and nachos.

The Monkey Bar started out as the unofficial title of a speakeasy on the third floor at the Highland Park Village branch of Mi Cocina, where it served as a private hangout for those who knew it existed.

In 2015, they gave it a makeover and made its existence more public. It was originally always going to be a one-and-only thing: In 2021, when they opened a Mi Cocina at 3232 McKinney Ave. with a bar similar to the Monkey Bar, they stated at the time that "we won't call it the Monkey Bar. There will never be more than one Monkey Bar." But you know what they say: Never say never.

“Monkey Bar is more than just a rooftop venue—it’s a place to escape, take in the stunning view and relax in open air with friends or coworkers,” says M Crowd CEO Edgar Guevara. “We’ve built on the experience our guests love at Monkey Bar Highland Park Village, but this location offers a larger space ideal for private parties and the wow factor of expansive views. Guests will enjoy the Dallas skyline from a new perspective.”

Monkey Bar will be open daily for ages 21 but not too late: 4-10 pm Monday-Thursday and 2-10 pm Friday-Sunday.

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