Where To Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 cool new restaurants for February

Get your fork and knife into this CFS.

Photo by Marc Lee

If you haven't already blown your monthly dining-out budget on Valentine's Day or other distractions, these 10 restaurants represent some cool new openings around Dallas. There is Italian, Vietnamese, Tex-Mex, and tapas.

Here's where to eat in February:

Cris and John Vietnamese Street Food
Cute Vietnamese restaurant in Richardson comes from Cristina Mendez and John Pham, a young married couple and pair of foodies who drew from Pham's first-hand knowledge of Vietnamese street food. Menu includes the phorrito, in which all the ingredients of pho — minus the broth — are wrapped up like a burrito. Seared steak, fried shallots, basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, jalapenos, onion, rice noodles, hoison, and Sriracha sauce are wrapped in a flour tortilla. There's also the phorrito's identical cousin, the ramenrrito, with grilled chicken, ramen, kimchi, fried shallots, cilantro, and house sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla. There are french fries topped with kimchi, and three sandwich options: buns, tacos, or banh mi.

El Corazon de Tejas
If you're craving Tex-Mex from the restaurant that was once in Oak Cliff, then a field trip to McKinney is in order. El Corazon has opened at 1222 N. Central Expy., just up US-75 from their Cuellars' Fajita Ranch in Plano. El Corazon takes over a former El Chico's which they've decorated with some of the fixtures from the Oak Cliff store, including its signature mural. The menu includes nachos, cheese and onion enchiladas topped with chili, beef tacos, bean layer dip, fajita taquitos, and excellent margaritas.

Mamoun's Falafel
Concept from New York's Greenwich Village uses authentic Syrian recipes, in a menu starring the namesake falafel, plus shawarma, hummus, baba ganouj, and baklava. Founded by Mamoun Chater in 1971, the concept is now carried on by his four sons, who have continued to uphold their reputation for having the most authentic, flavorful falafel. They've expanded the concept to New Jersey, Connecticut, Chicago, Atlanta, Northern California — and now Dallas, where it has opened at 3839 McKinney Ave., in Dallas' West Village.

Mockingbird Diner
Collaboration between restaurateur Jack Perkins (Maple & Motor), and chef Jeana Johnson (Mot Hai Ba, Good 2 Go Taco) aims to become the quintessential Dallas restaurant, serving Texas standards such as chicken-fried steak that they've elevated via careful preparation. The menu includes home-cooking favorites like fried chicken, meat loaf, Frito pie, pork chops, and ham steak with the bone in. A "fryday" basket has fried shrimp, catfish, and salmon croquettes. Located across the street from Dallas Love Field at 3130 W. Mockingbird Ln., the Diner welcomes locals, airport workers, travelers, hotel guests, and diners of all kinds.

Musumé
Restaurant specializing in contemporary Asian fusion cuisine has opened at the Hall Arts complex in Dallas' Arts District, bringing sushi, Asian entrees made with French techniques, and a comprehensive selection of sake. Musumé comes from some of the same folks who previously owned Kenichi in Victory Park, and you can see some similarities on the menu and in the massive selection of sakes. Dishes include grilled lamb lollipops, five-spice duck leg confit, steamed buns, and vegetarian items including vegan sushi rolls.

Sallio Itallio
A spin-off of Sallio Bistro, the Mediterranean restaurant at Preston Road and Forest Lane, Sallio Itallio is an Italian restaurant with a soft spot for seafood. Crab cakes and lemon sole share the menu with rigatoni bolognese and eggplant parmesan. There are chops like the 14-ounce New York strip steak with mashed potatoes and green beans, and a bone-in pork chop topped with bacon jam. Italian dishes include house-made pastas, pizzas, and calzones. Weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays includes seafood crepes, Italian sausage benedict, and mushroom-spinach ricotta frittatas.

Tapas Castile
Spanish tapas bar takes over the space at Trinity Groves vacated by former tapas bar Casa Rubia, where it offers a modern take on the traditional Spanish tapas bar. The menu has meats, cheeses, and boards with meat and cheese. There are meatballs, ham croquettes, cheese croquettes, mussels, fried eggplant, olives, and almonds. Three entree-style dishes include whole fish and a paella that feeds four. Owner-partners are Jessica Kate-Martinez and Kendra Valentine, who both worked at Design District restaurant FT33. Kate-Martinez, whose mother hails from Spain, manages the front of the house; Valentine serves as executive chef. The wine list has an extensive collection of exclusively Spanish wine.

Top Round Roast Beef
Los Angeles-based chain claims to bring a "chef-driven approach" to fast food by roasting their roast beef slowly and cutting their french fries by hand. How very chefly. Sandwiches include beef & cheese, beef with horseradish and mushrooms, and beef with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and ranch. There are fried chicken sandwiches and their fries are fried in beef fat, and can be ordered curly, cheesy, "dirty," or with gravy. Vegetarian options include grilled cheese, kale slaw, and a big salad. They do frozen custard desserts, such as shakes, floats, sundaes, and concretes.

3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails
Fine new restaurant from the owner of RJ's Mexican Cuisine is now open in the the former Hoffbrau Steaks space in the West End where it serves modern American, with a from-scratch kitchen and craft cocktails. The menu is an appealing mix of familiar dishes like calamari, deviled eggs, and crab cakes, along with innovative items such as quinoa and hummus fritters. Hummus dip is made from spiced black beans, and served with naan bread. Four flatbreads include one with steak and cheese, and another with spinach and wild mushroom. Salads include a Caesar with Gulf shrimp, a steak salad, and a refreshing Thai peanut salad.

Uchiba
New restaurant on top of Uchi Dallas picks up where the former Top Knot left off. Familiar menu items from Uchi appear on the Uchiba menu, as well as Top Knot favorites such as the fried chicken on a biscuit. There is edamame-jalapeño hummus, which yes was on the Top Knot menu; and chicken thigh which yes was on the Top Knot menu. But come on, it's completely different now, updated with a sushi bar and yakitori grill. Totally not the same.

where-to-eat

Revolving Doors

12 restaurants in Dallas that have either just opened or just closed

Harumama

Harumama Noodles & Buns

In the inevitable ebb and flow of Dallas restaurants, openings and closings are part of the deal — often coming at the end of the year, when restaurateurs, like the rest of us, take stock of the future.

When there is more than one opening and closure, it becomes difficult to keep track. For this reason, there are lists.

Here's a roundup of Dallas restaurant openings and closures, with the bad news first.

CLOSURES

Terra Mediterranean
Mediterranean favorite in Plano closed on December 8, almost four years to the day they opened. When restaurateur brothers Jalal Chanaa and Adam Shanaa opened it at the The Shops at Willow Bend, it was the third location of Terra, following the original in Fort Worth and another in Irving. Both of those locations have since closed, although they're planning to reopen Fort Worth soon. Meanwhile, the brothers are advising Dallas fans to head to Ali Baba, their other restaurant in Richardson, which they say has the same menu.

Yummies
Despite the confusingly quirky name, this Allen restaurant was a fast food halal restaurant featuring halal beef patties prepared fresh in-store every day, plus pita sandwiches, shawarma, and fajitas. They'd been open for seven years including enduring the pandemic, and locals liked their burgers. But they closed at the end of November.

Whistle Britches
Fried chicken & biscuits concept from chef Omar Flores quietly closed its location at 6110 Frankford Rd. in November. Queries about the what and why are going unanswered, but a recording on the location's phone says both that #1 the closure is temporary and also #2 a new concept will go in its place. This was the location featured in Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, so closing it seems like a shoot-yourself-in-the-foot kind of move, but there are still two remaining locations open, in Plano and Southlake.

Mixtitos Kitchen
Mexican-fusion restaurant in East Dallas finally closed after two years of chef-owner Jose Luis Rodriguez bemoaning a lack of interest in his unusual menu of American, Mexican, and French dishes. He earned oodles of idiotic media attention, but the menu was a tough sell in a space that was previously home to La Acapulqueña, which served cheap Mexican food and margaritas in that space for 33 years. Changing the menu or paying his rent apparently never crossed his mind.

Barley & Board
Denton brewpub is closing after nearly 10 years. According to a post from the owners, the lease was up and they opted not to renew. B&B brought a level of cosmopolitan cool to Denton, combined with an easygoing vibe that made it a fresh addition when it was opened by a hospitality supergroup in 2015. Alas, they got pummeled by the pandemic; one chef said that "things were never the same after COVID." In 2021, they pared down the menu, although they remained a big magnet and brought lots of patrons and revenue into the Square. Their second location which they opened at Grandscape in 2018 closed in November. Denton will close on January 6.

Taco Cabana in Murphy
The Taco Cabana location at 104 FM 544 in Murphy has permanently closed. A Taco Cabana representative said that the location was not doing enough business. People of Murphy, it's on you. Fortunately, the chain has 18 other Dallas-area locations. Support your neighborhood Taco Cabana!

Harumama cutesy bunsHarumama

OPENINGS

Rodeo Cold
Yee-haw dive bar in old east Dallas at 3826 Ross Ave., in the former Eastbound & Down space, is now open. Rodeo Cold is a sibling of Green Light Social, the Austin-born nightlife venue which opened off Good Latimer Freeway in 2021 from owners Robert Dummond and Ian Fletcher, who've partnered with Ian’s brother Eric Fletcher. Their vision is a bar with a late '70s/early '80s vibe plus a little Texas Western color thrown in. They have a basic menu designed by Green Light Social Chef Luis Ayala, with American classics such as steak fingers with gravy, Texas chili, burgers, hot dogs, and Frito pies, plus nothing-too-fancy ready-to-drink cocktails.

MiYa Chinese
New Chinese restaurant is now open in Casa Linda Plaza, in the former Pei Wei space where it's doing an elevated take on Chinese cuisine, blending traditional flavors with a modern, yet cozy atmosphere. MiYa is the brainchild of David Romano, an industry veteran with 30-plus years of food and beverage experience; and brand creator and menu visionary Jia Huang, who grew up in China immersed in her family’s restaurant and has 10-plus years of experience in restaurant operations in America. They're doing classic Chinese take-out items like beef with broccoli and orange chicken, plus hand-pulled noodle dishes such as Sichuan Dan Dan with cucumber, carrot, and sesame Dan Dan sauce ranging in price from $14 to $18.

Be Home Soon
Casa Linda is on fire right now with yet another new opening, this one a place with rock-star cred that just opened in mid-November. The restaurant is from Madison King, a onetime Dallas musician-turned-chef who envisions a warm, comfortable restaurant with a full bar and menu she describes as "home cooking, no matter where you're from." They're open for lunch and dinner with a menu that includes fun appetizers, soups, salads, and sandwiches for lunch, then roll out blue plate specials for dinner.

Kafi BBQ
This one jumps the gun a little because it isn't quite open yet but it's days away. This unusual BBQ restaurant specializing in halal Wagyu beef, will open at 8140 N. MacArthur Blvd. #100 in Valley Ranch on December 14. It's from Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi, a Missouri-born tech engineer and amateur chef who started bringing his BBQ to events at his mosque, where he would sell out very quickly. The menu will include $15 Wagyu brisket sandwiches, brisket on a stick, Iraqi kebab-inspired sausage, and combo plates.

Harumama Noodles + Buns
Small San Diego-based chain with five locations in California is known for "cute" steamed buns decorated to look chicks, pigs, cows, pandas, etc. They've opened a location in Carrollton — their first in Texas — at 1060 W. Frankford Rd. Beyond its twee appeal and Instagram value, the restaurant has a big menu featuring ramen, poke, bao buns, crab wontons, fried rice, potstickers, eggrolls, and salads.

Russo's New York Pizzeria - Frisco
Longtime pizza chain based in Houston which serves New York-style pizza has opened a new location in Frisco at 3420 Main St. #200, in a small new center near Teal Parkway. In addition to full pies, they offer pizza by the slice.

closings lists openings