Awards Time

Dallas' best restaurant and top chef revealed at 2018 Tastemaker Awards

This photo should give a clue as to who won top chef.

Whistle Britches

For weeks, we've been celebrating the bars, restaurants, and people that make Dallas-Fort Worth a vibrant culinary community, as part of our 2018 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

In our special editorial series, we honored nominees in a wide range of categories. A panel of expert judges helped compile the contenders, and the panel selected all of the winners — except for Best New Restaurant. That was determined by you, our readers, in a bracket-style tournament.

On April 19, the winners were revealed at an awards ceremony and tasting event at Sixty Five Hundred, emceed by award-winning television personality and Good Morning Texas co-host Jane McGarry.

These are the 2018 Tastemaker Award winners:

DALLAS

Restaurant of the Year: Town Hearth
Chef Nick Badovinus really gets what Dallas is about, and he brings it to the Design District in an over-the-top manner with this blown-up steakhouse. We’re talking $75 steaks, a raw seafood bar, and 64 glowing chandeliers.

Chef of the Year: Omar Flores, Whistle Britches
Critical acclaim follows Flores wherever he cooks: First at Oak Cliff seafood restaurant Driftwood, then at Casa Rubia, his Spanish tapas restaurant at Trinity Groves, and now at Whistle Britches, his restaurant in North Dallas where his chicken and biscuits are impossible to resist.

Rising Star Chef of the Year: Anastacia Quinones, The Cedars Social
"AQ" is known for her elevated take on modern Mexican food at restaurants such as Alma, Komali, and Kitchen LTO. She’s currently wowing diners at Cedars.

Best New Restaurant: Ferris Wheelers
This over-the-top restaurant in Dallas' Design District features barbecue from chef Doug Pickering, along with craft beer, games, live music, and a 50-foot running Ferris wheel. The brisket queso served with chips is divine.

Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Nova
This gastropub in North Oak Cliff is beloved by the locals for its comfortable atmosphere and great food by chef Eric Spigner, with homey dishes like scallops with grits.

Best Biscuits: Crossroads Diner
People rave about Crossroads’ sticky bun, but chef Tom Fleming’s biscuits are winners, too. They’re everything you want from a biscuit: golden-brown on top, buttery and moist inside.

Pastry Chef of the Year: Keith Cedotal, The Joule
Keith Cedotal is a highly inventive chef who’s been at the Joule since 2017, where he does all the desserts for CBD Provisions, Americano, and Mirador.

Bar of the Year: Parliament
Speakeasy from legendary mixologist Eddie "Lucky" Campbell is oft-cited as the best bar in Dallas, for good reason. With a welcoming staff and perfectly mixed drinks, Parliament is hard to beat.

Bartender of the Year: Trevor Landry, Jalisco Norte
Prior to his post at Jalisco Norte, Trevor created cocktail menus for the Front Room and Dakota's Steakhouse. He’s worked at many establishments around Dallas and has won numerous awards. None better than this Tastemakers Award!

Wine Program of the Year: Bullion
Downtown Dallas restaurant from chef Bruno Davaillon has a French theme on the menu, and a wine list by sommelier Andrew Schawel to match. It's a stunning collection with some rare bottles and a big selection of wines by-the-glass.

FORT WORTH

Restaurant of the Year: Piattello Italian Kitchen
Chef Marcus Paslay's restaurant in Fort Worth’s Waterside area serves comfortable Italian fare, including pizza and some of the city's best house-made pastas.

Chef of the Year: Lanny Lancarte, Righteous Foods
Part of the legendary dynasty of Joe T. Garcia's, Lancarte has been a culinary trailblazer for Fort Worth, first with his upscale Lanny's Alta Cocina Mexicana, and then again with Righteous Foods, where he blazed another trail with health-conscious food, juices, and great coffee.

Best New Restaurant: B&B Butchers & Restaurant
Steakhouse from Houston is a meat-lover’s paradise with 22 cuts that include Japanese Wagyu, Texas Wagyu, and pA5 Kobe Beef from Japan — and it’s all now being served at the Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth.

Bar of the Year: Proper on Magnolia
Lisa Adams' cozy neighborhood bar on Magnolia Avenue serves nicely made cocktails in a casual, upscale environment that’s great for dates and grown-up conversation.

Closing News

Mediterranean restaurant in Dallas' Deep Ellum to close after 11 years

Zatar

Chicken at Zatar

A restaurant in Deep Ellum will close after more than a decade: Zåtar Lebanese Tapas & Bar, which opened at 2827 Commerce St. in December 2016 as a rare Lebanese restaurant in Dallas, has decided to close.

According to the owners, they're closing due to ongoing construction and other operational challenges, and will be closing by the end of August.

"This wasn’t an easy decision," they say. "Over the last two years, we’ve fought through one challenge after another. We poured everything we had into keeping our doors open because we truly believed things would turn around. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the ongoing construction and other challenges have made it impossible for us to continue."

Zatar was originally opened by partners Marc Mansour and C.K. Khoury, both natives of Lebanon, with a menu that included tapas, specialty dishes, and Lebanese desserts such as the traditional knafeh. The restaurant stood out both for its authentic Lebanese cuisine and its welcoming ambiance.

Mansour and Khoury sold the restaurant in 2019 to restaurant veteran Sam Fawal, who also owns Pokeworks in Uptown Dallas and Addison. (Mansour and Khoury relocated to Atlanta where they are currently wowing diners with Bey Mediterranean, which they opened in Roswell in 2024.)

In recent years, Zatar shifted from its original focus on "authentic Lebanese" and more towards a casual destination with a nightlife component, including the addition of hookah pipes.

Meanwhile, the conversion of Commerce Street in Deep Ellum from one-way to two-way street has dragged on and on through multiple delays. Completion just got pushed back again to 2027 — which Fawal confirms was a factor.

"Yes, the continued delays with Commerce Street construction definitely played a big part in the decision," Fawal says. "It's been a frustrating situation, the project started in June, 2024 and it is still going. Unfortunately, I think we're going to see more businesses impacted by it."

His post gives thanks to the staff and to "everyone who walked through our doors, shared a meal with family and friends, celebrated special occasions, or simply made Zatar part of your life," before inviting fans to come visit before they close.

Fawal says they're finalizing the closing date, but anticipates on or around August 23.

"We still have a few weeks left, and we’d love the opportunity to see our customers one last time," he says. "Come enjoy your favorite dishes, have one more drink, smoke one more hookah, and help us celebrate the memories we’ve created together."

deep-ellum closings

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Closing News

Mediterranean restaurant in Dallas' Deep Ellum to close after 11 years