Where To Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 8 hot new restaurants to check out

Newness happening in Uptown.

Photo courtesy of Sixty Vines

Spring is a time for new things to flourish, and that includes Dallas restaurants. Recent openings feature new barbecue, new biscuits, new pizza, and new sushi.

Here are 8 hot new restaurants in Dallas right now:

The Biscuit Bar
Founded by husband-and-wife Jake and Janie Burkett, The Biscuit Bar is a fast-casual Southern concept newly opened in Plano that does biscuits, biscuit sandwiches, tater tots, and sweet potato tater tots. There's also a full bar with beer and cocktails. Menu favorites include The Hoss, named after Janie's father, made with fried chicken, bacon, jack/cheddar, honey butter, and sausage gravy; and the BBar burger, which is a burger on a biscuit. There's also a chicken biscuit, and the "FABB," which has fig, arugula, and bacon. "Nanner Puddin" has bananas, vanilla pudding, ‘Nilla wafers, and whipped cream.

Carlton Provisions
Barbecue stall at Plano food hall Legacy Hall is from Chili's founder Larry Lavine and Jordan Swim of Vestals Catering. It is the only food stall operating in the Box Garden, the outdoor patio and entertainment venue. Their menu includes brisket, pastrami, five-hour ribs, and turkey. Sides include bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapenos, french fries, apple-fennel cole slaw, poblano creamed corn, and beans. Desserts include a trio of puddings — banana, coconut, and chocolate — plus cookies, seasonal cobblers, and pies.

MidiCi
Pizza chain based in Los Angeles does Neapolitan pizza in an upscale atmosphere, but with the affordability of a casual restaurant concept. Unique options include chicken pesto, truffle and vegetable, and bacon and egg. They also serve appetizers, salads, and gelato. The Dallas location is in West Village, next to Cru Wine Bar in a space that was previously Lemon Bar and Lazare.

Nature's Plate
Vegan/plant-based "meals to go" company opens its second Dallas location at Preston Forest Square, at the southwest corner of Preston and Forest roads. Offerings are 100% vegan with many gluten-, soy-, and nut-free options. There's a yummy BBQ plate with BBQ-baked tofu, mashed potatoes, and broccoli; a buffalo chickpea wrap with a spicy mix of chickpeas, veggies, and hot sauce, combined with Romaine lettuce and carrots in a whole grain wrap, served with house-made ranch dressing; and spaghetti and "meatballs," with whole wheat spaghetti, bean- and nut-based "meatballs," and a savory mushroom marinara sauce.

Original ChopShop
Arizona-born healthy restaurant chain opened its first DFW location in Las Colinas, the seventh location overall and the firsht outside Phoenix. Protein bowls are a core component of the menu; the most popular is the teriyaki chicken bowl, which can be served with superfood forbidden rice, brown rice, or sweet potato hash. Three more locations are coming to the Dallas area in 2018, including two locations in Plano and one at The Hill, at Walnut Hill Lane and US 75.

Petro Tower Grill
Restaurant and bar in the Cambria Dallas Downtown hotel on the first floor of the historic Tower Petroleum Building is aimed at travelers and local business people. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the restaurant serves burgers, filet mignon, tortilla-crusted salmon, and pasta primavera. A daily happy hour runs from 5-7 pm, with cocktails and shareable plates such as sliders, flatbreads, a charcuterie board, wine, and beers.

Sixty Vines
Classy pizzeria took over the former Palomino Euro Bistro space at Crescent Court, where it features an indoor/outdoor design with grape vines, wine barrels, and harvest tools creating an ambience similar to a vineyard tasting room. There's an extensive selection of wines on tap, and a "wine country" cuisine. Menu items include shared items such as oysters, hummus, and meatballs. There are charcuterie boards, salads, pastas, burgers, steaks, avocado toasts, and last but not least, exceptional pizza.

SushiFork
SushiFork is in the hot college zone of SMU Boulevard east of US 75, in the space that used to be World of Beer, and Verts Mediterranean Grill. Opening in mid-May, the menu features standard rolls such as the California roll with krab (not crab), cucumber, and avocado; and a Philly with smoked salmon and cream cheese. They also have a create-your-own option, where you choose your protein, fillings, and toppings. Most rolls are $5 — making this a good option for the student population nearby or anyone who likes cheap sushi. SushiFork also offers the currently-trending sushi burrito, a cross between a sushi roll and a burrito.

where-to-eat

Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun