Where to Eat
Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 best restaurants for groups
February is the month for lovers. It's the month for chocolate-covered strawberries and romantic dinners for two.
Don't be that person. Be the person who's going out with your friends and ignoring what the florists and chocolatiers and jewelers tell you to do.
Here are the 10 best restaurants in Dallas to go with a group:
Americano
Restaurant at The Joule hotel specializes in Italian-American classics, including house-made pastas such as tortellini stuffed with ricotta and butternut squash, or hand-cut pappardelle with Bolognese. There are Neapolitan-style pizzas, small plates, larger composed plates, and house-cured meats and cheeses, Artisanal breads, pastries, and desserts, including gelato. The restaurant has an easygoing vibe, and the space is minimalist yet warm, with pale wood tables that are easily pushed together for big groups.
Cane Rosso
Local chain specializes in the best Neapolitan pizza in town, with pastas and creative starters like fried artichokes with aioli deviled eggs. The food's great. They have an interesting selection of beers and wine, and some not-bad cocktails. But beyond the good eating-and-drinking possibilities, all of their locations have spacious dining rooms and patios that make it easy to spread out.
Fadi's
Mediterranean/Middle Eastern buffet from Houston family exhibits tremendous variety and very good quality. It's a buffet-style pace, which you can get vegetarian-style or with meat, making this a popular go-to for vegetarians. Hummus is extra-smooth, and warm pita is made in-house. The dining room is yours to make of it what you will, and they also serve wine. Best of all, the buffet mode means that you pay for yourself, so there's no awkward haggling over the check.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Austin-based chain specializes in burgers, obviously, but the food is good, and there are options for all your favorite eating plans including vegans; Hopdoddy was the first in Texas to get the buzzy Impossible Burger, the lifelike burger made entirely from plants. There's beer and wine, with fast-casual service style, so you pay your own way, and you can push tables around and take over the place.
Luck at Trinity Groves
Trinity Groves restaurant and bar features variations of regional comfort food favorites including smoked meats, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. Beverages include craft beers sourced only from North Texas breweries, with up to 40 options on tap, as well as Texas wines and spirits. Like most of what's at Trinity Groves, the atmosphere is totally relaxed, and if someone in your group wants to grab a bite from a neighboring restaurant, you can still nosh together on the patio.
Manny's Uptown
Classic Tex-Mex restaurant is a family spin-off of Mia's, one of Dallas' original Tex-Mex chains. Manny is Manny Rios, brother to Ana "Mama Mia" Enriquez, the matriarch behind Mia's. His menu is similar to what's served at Mia's: fajitas, tacos, enchiladas. But people love Manny's for two things: the brisket tacos and the swirl margaritas. The Uptown branch has multiple rooms and accommodatingly greets your group with salsa and warm chips.
The Porch
Gastropub on Henderson Avenue was one of the original settlers and keeps the flame burnin with upscale comfort food and creative cocktails, which they were doing at a time when creative + cocktails was not a common pairing. Currently steered by chef Brian Zenner, their menu includes lots of appetizers that are good for sharing such as pimento cheese dip. They're roomy enough that you can show up with 5 of your besties, but reservations are best for parties of 8 or more.
Saint Ann Restaurant & Bar
Saint Ann was one of the first restaurants to settle in the Harwood District restaurant and the question you have to ask is not "Is it good for groups?" but instead, Is anyone here not in a group? The menu includes fun items such as chorizo-stuffed dates and a braised short rib sandwich, with good cocktails and a surprisingly hefty wine list. A grassy patio in front of the place stretches for miles.
Seasons 52
The selling point on this highly popular chain from Darden Restaurants is that nothing on the menu is over 500 calories, and that's certainly not a bad thing. But the food is good, the atmosphere is lively, and the booths are like football fields. The wine list is not only extensive but also changes regularly; they take their wine program very seriously, with a sommelier who procures better wines than you'd expect. View the mall setting as a plus and not a minus: You and your gang can shop after dinner.
Trinity Hall Pub
Irish pub at Mockingbird Station is one of the most congenial and group-friendly spots in town, with all kinds of seating nooks that beg to be commandeered by your office pod, spin class, or vegan dating club. That doesn't even count the easy-come easy-go patio in front. Their beer list is excellent, they have plenty of variety on their menu (including dishes designed for the vegan club), and servers that take it all in without batting an eye.
Frita, a Cuban-style burger. Photo by Noah Fecks