Tastemaker Awards

These top 10 restaurants in Dallas are the city's tastemakers in 2022

Tasty.

Photo courtesy of Davio's

We've reached the summit of our 2022 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards, an annual celebration shining a light on the city's top culinary talent. And by summit, we're referring to Restaurant of the Year.

It's one in a series of categories honoring Dallas' best food & beverage professionals and institutions, nominated by a panel of judges consisting of former CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners and local F&B experts, alongside Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year, Bar of the Year, Best New Pizza, Best Wine Program, Bartender of the Year, Brewery of the Year, Pastry Chef, and Rising Star Chef.

Winners will be revealed at our Tastemaker Awards party on May 12 at Fashion Industry Gallery, emceed by comedian CJ Starr, when attendees get to dine on bites from nominated restaurants and find out what the buzz is all about. (Tickets are on sale here.)

Restaurant of the Year is about the restaurants that showed themselves at their very best in 2022. They include everything from national award winners to chef-driven gems, and represent Dallas 2022 at its finest.

Here are our nominees for 2022 Restaurant of the Year:

Roots Southern Table
Southern restaurant in Farmers Branch by Dallas celebrity chef Tiffany Derry has brought more attention in the past year to Dallas than any other restaurant, with lots of national nods and acclaim. The menu and theme are inspired by her upbringing on her family's Southern farm. The centerpiece is Duck Fat Fried Chicken served family-style with drop biscuits, watermelon rind preserves, and house-made sauces.

Petra & The Beast
Highly acclaimed restaurant in a former 1930s gas station is award-winning chef Misti Norris' ode to foraging, fermenting, and whole-animal cookery. Norris is doing smart, creative dishes with loads of heart and soul, such as fried chicken hearts wrapped in a pale-green garlic crepe. The restaurant is small and highly personal, with new creations being rolled out all the time.

Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse
Northern Italian steakhouse from the Northeast has gifted The Colony with a bountiful menu featuring pasta, steak, seafood, cocktails and 300-plus bottles of wine. Handmade pasta such as potato gnocchi and tagliatelle Bolognese plays an integral role. Their schtick is spring rolls in a variety of options including their signature Philly Cheese Steak Spring Rolls.

Beverley's
Upscale bistro on transitioning Fitzhugh Avenue from longtime food & beverage professional Greg Katz is where all the cool guys go. Named after Katz' mother, Beverley's has a menu that crosses Jewish with Texas, Mexico, and beyond, with ceviche tacos side by side with chicken schnitzel and matzo ball soup. Service is smooth, and the atmosphere is glitzy, with black woods, brass accents, and a marble bar.

The Exchange/AT&T Discovery District
Downtown Dallas complex remains a consistently top-quality and fun dining experience with a variety of choices, from frozen drinks at Jaxon to avocado toast at Rise + Thyme to refreshing Dole Whip at Bobbers. More than a dozen restaurants are there to satisfy a variety of tastes, and there's also the Discovery District of which it's a part, a pleasant outdoor oasis in downtown with immersive exhibits and entertainment.

Monarch
Downtown restaurant at The National, a residences-plus-hotel in downtown Dallas, from gregarious Chicago chef Danny Grant, has become one of Dallas' top destination restaurants. It's pricey, with $55 lasagna and a $12 side of charred asparagus, but good, and its skytop perch with amazing views make it a popular special-occasion choice.

Homewood
Official cuisine at this restaurant from acclaimed chef Matt McCallister is upscale comfort food, with entrees such as half chicken, grass-fed sirloin, and Wagyu rib eye, and there's a raw bar with oysters, bluefin tuna, and dry-aged beef tartare. Dishes like the signature Parker House rolls, served with a dipping sauce made of parmesan mornay and chicken drippings, really hit the spot.

Sloane's Corner
American bistro from veteran restaurateur Tim McEneny is sweetly named for his daughter. It's a cosmopolitan spot located on a key downtown corner in the Trammell Crow Center near Nasher Sculpture Center, where it very accommodatingly serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus a daily Happy Hour from 2-6 pm, as well as a coffee bar and takeout corner with food and beverage to go.

Mike's Chicken
Family run fried-chicken restaurant in a laundromat is a phenomenon, earning raves from publications that include USA Today and Insider.com. They offer tenders as well as a half chicken, plus combos such as white meat with breast & wing, or dark meat with leg & thigh. The chicken has a distinctive spice blend that includes sage, turmeric, lemon, and ghost peppers. They make everything from scratch including cooking to order.

Meridian
Modern Brazilian cuisine from chef Junior Borges is the fine-dining spot that's part of an entire slate of restaurants rolled out at The Village, the massive residential apartment community in the middle of Dallas, which executed a mixed-use lifestyle project with food and entertainment in early 2021. The restaurant features Brazilian-inspired dishes, with snacks, cocktails, salads, brioche, or a family-style feast from a live-fire hearth.

tastemakers awards bests

Global tastes

New botanería pairs drinks with free bites near Dallas Farmers Market

Chef Karla Soria Palomino's menu delivers authentic Mexican flavors and bold heat.

Photo credit: Paul Torres.

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There is a novel concept open in the Dallas Farmers Market district: Called Sor Juana, it's a botanería inspired by traditional Mexican establishments where drinks are served alongside complimentary snacks and bar bites.

Located at 1908 Canton St., the space provides an immersion into Mexican culture through its food, beverages, decor, and overall atmosphere.

Sor Juana comes from Alexandra Hernández and Karla Soria Palomino. Hernández brings a background in front-of-house hospitality, theatre, and events while Soria Palomino contributes extensive kitchen experience from restaurants across Mexico and Dallas.

The inspiration behind the name and concept comes from 17th-century nun and scholar Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Recognized as the "First Feminist of the Americas," she was a literary trailblazer who learned to read and write during an era when women were denied an education. Considered one of the greatest poets of the Baroque period in what is now Mexico, Sor Juana defied societal norms, stood up to the male-dominated clergy, and excelled in science, mathematics, music, and culinary arts.

“We wanted to pick a strong woman from Mexico as the emblematic figure of our botanería — traditionally run and frequented only by men,” Hernández says. “With our women-run botanería, which is a unique concept for Dallas, we are creating a space for everyone.”

The frame for their idea is a landmark Dallas building originally constructed over a century ago for the Desco Tile Company. Designed in a Venetian Gothic style with exterior arches and columns, the interior features original chandeliers alongside decorative, colorful tilework — including a wall fountain, a fireplace, and terrazzo floors — all preserved intact for Sor Juana, with a few new tile accents added to the bathrooms and bar backdrop.

Historic Dallas architecture meets traditional Mexican hospitality at Sor Juana.Photo credit: Paul Torres

“We tried to respect the architecture of the building by adjusting our concept to the space, rather than forcing the space to adjust to us,” Hernández says.

The duo worked with interior designer Callie Windle on the details, sourcing decorative pieces from artists both in Mexico and locally (many of which are available for purchase).

The 90-seat venue features comfortable seating centered around a dynamic bar program managed by Saúl Hernández (previously of Midnight Rambler, La Viuda Negra, and Las Almas Rotas).

True to the hospitality spirit of a traditional botanería, patrons receive a complimentary botana (bar bite) with every drink purchase. While the offerings rotate regularly to maintain an element of surprise, options range from spiced nuts, fresh fruit, and popcorn to more substantial plates like tacos and caldo de camarón.

The creative cocktail menu ranges from $12 to $16, anchored by their signature “La Nueva Sangre” — an orange blossom gin cocktail balanced with beet juice, lemon, passion fruit, and lavender bitters. Hernández notes the drink is “as complex and interesting, with a little bit of everything, just as Sor Juana was.”

The bar also pours Mexican imports alongside local favorites Shiner and Michelob for $7, wines, and zero-proof options including non-alcoholic champagne.

Happy hour runs Wednesday through Friday from 5:30-7:30 pm, featuring $6 beers, $8 wines, and $8 cocktails infused with house-made Mexican chili oil macha sauce.

Beyond the complimentary botanas, the venue offers a full food menu designed by Chef Soria Palomino. It comes with a playful warning: “Expect bold flavors and a little heat — that’s what the cerveza is for.” Signature items include ceviche, mezcal-glazed wings, tacos, and tostadas, all centered on authentic Mexican flavor profiles.

For dessert, they feature a ganzote crafted by Diana Zamora of Nena Postrería, inspired by the classic packaged Gansito sponge cake.

Community events play a major role in the space, including lotería nights, "Bring Your Own Vinyl" Sundays, and rotating local DJs every other Friday. The team is actively taking community feedback to build out future programming, including upcoming collaborative dinner series.

“Events are a way to build community and bring people together,” Hernández says. “When we started crafting this concept, we looked at every detail — from the playlist to the food and cocktails, as we wanted a total experience where every element comes together and complements the rest.”

Sor Juana is open 2-10 pm Wednesday-Thursday 12 pm-12 pm Friday-Saturday, 12-10 pm Sunday. Metered street parking is enforced until 6 pm, with free parking available afterward.

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