Top Dallas Chefs

The 10 best chefs in Dallas always leave diners hungry for more

The clock is ticking on our Tastemaker Awards, where we pay tribute to the best of the best in Dallas food and beverage, leading up to our grand tasting event on May 14 at the Empire Room.

We've recognized the best neighborhood restaurants, along with breweries, bartenders, bars, burgers and rising star chefs. For this chapter, we look at the nominees for Chef of the Year. These chefs are well-established in the field, not only presiding over a kitchen or a restaurant, but also standing out in recent months for their accomplishments and culinary chops.

Like all of our categories, the winner will be announced at our party. And don't forget to weigh in on our Best New Restaurant tournament, where your vote decides who takes the title.

Here are the 10 candidates for Chef of the Year.

Tim Byres, Smoke
The chef and cookbook author (Smoke: New Firewood Cooking, whose foreword was written by recently deceased food writer Josh Ozersky) has achieved a noteworthy feat with the opening of a second branch of Smoke, his upscale meat-centric restaurant: He's almost made Plano seem cool. With every town in Texas requiring a smoked-meat guru, Dallas has Byres.

Graham Dodds, Hibiscus
After exiting the hotel restaurant world (Central 214, Front Room), chef Graham Dodds has breathed new life into Hibiscus, giving it the seasonal focus for which he is known. Dishes like Wagyu oxtail with crisp gnocchi and arugula pesto fill the same opulent niche Hibiscus has always occupied and yet are simultaneously trademark Dodds.

Omar Flores, Casa Rubia
After much critical acclaim at Oak Cliff seafood restaurant Driftwood, chef Omar Flores has rebounded at Casa Rubia, his Spanish tapas restaurant and one of the success stories at Trinity Groves. Classics like paella and mussels are on the menu but upgraded via Flores' finely tuned chef perspective.

Jeff Harris, AF+B
How to put this: Chef Jeff Harris, formerly of Craft Dallas and Bolsa, is good enough to get people from Dallas to drive to Fort Worth. At AF+B, he's doing high-end gastropub fare, putting a fine-dining polish and creative flair on rustic dishes such as chorizo Scotch eggs.

Kelly Hightower, Oso Food & Wine
Between owner Michael Cox and veteran chef Kelly Hightower, there's a lot of experience at Oso Food & Wine, Cox's charming neighborhood restaurant at Preston and Forest. Hightower is in his element with international flavors from Mediterranean hummus to lamb kofte with Moroccan spices to an Italian-themed chop salad.

Andrea Maricich, The Second Floor
At the Second Floor, the high-end hotel restaurant at the Westin Galleria, chef Andrea Maricich starts with traditional dishes, then adds cultural influences and seasonal notes that bring a new level of excitement. Her spring menu includes deviled eggs with New England lobster and a lemon Parmesan crisp.

Matt McCallister, FT33
Chef Matt McCallister continues to make waves at FT33, his Design District fine-dinery known for its minimalist-sounding menu and plate presentations in which much energy is devoted to making things look like a pile of rubble. The chef remains on the crest with the announcement of Filament, a second restaurant opening in Deep Ellum.

Kyle McClelland, Proof + Pantry
Northeast native Kyle McClelland helped anchor Proof + Pantry, the One Arts Plaza restaurant that was at the center of a media maelstrom when it rejected a review from the Dallas Morning News. He'll also helm a new sibling restaurant, Madrina, which will feature Mexican dishes crafted via French techniques.

Stephen Rogers, Gemma
Gemma is the favorite restaurant of the foodie set, thanks to husband-and-wife owners Stephen Rogers and Allison Yoder. Rogers is a Dallas native who cooked in California before returning to his hometown where his thoughtful menu filters global flavors through a California sensibility.

John Tesar, Knife
One of the city's most mercurial and talented chefs, John Tesar is known for never being afraid to speak his mind; in staid, scared Dallas, that makes you dangerous. Knife, his modern revision of a steakhouse with a whole pantheon of meats, was one of the most important openings of 2014. Never at rest, he's now also helping out at the Design District restaurant Oak.

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Buy tickets now to the Tastemaker Awards on May 14.

Mercurial and talented chef John Tesar.

Chef John Tesar of Knife steakhouse in Dallas

Photo by Marc Lee [https://marcsclips.com/]

Mercurial and talented chef John Tesar.

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Opening News

New restaurant The Gibson fills needs of its North Dallas neighborhood

The Gibson

A swanky new restaurant has debuted in North Dallas after overcoming some major obstacles: Called The Gibson, it opened in November at 17552 North Dallas Pkwy., in the space previously occupied by Maguire's Bistro & Bar, after three years in the making.

Husband-and-wife Carl and Carrie Britton first purchased the building in 2022, intending to open a spinoff of The Funky Door, their fine-dining restaurant in Lubbock.

Carrie is a big wine buff who's certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers and is also a French Wine Scholar. She opened The Funky Door in 2010 — a rare fine-dining haven in Lubbock at the time. More recently, she's turned her attention to the Dallas area, opening a French restaurant called Vieux Carre in Flower Mound in 2023 (which is currently closed temporarily).

The Gibson was slated to open sooner, but in mid-construction, they were dealt a serious blow.

"In 2023, The Gibson was devastated by thieves," Carrie says. "They destroyed the building, doubling the remodeling budget in damage by stripping copper from the walls, stealing all the electrical wiring and components, stealing equipment, and destroying everything from the AC to the floors."

To make it worse, insurance wouldn’t cover the loss because it was theft.

"It was a blow that left me truly shaken, and for a long time I couldn’t even look at the pictures of the damage," she says. "Emotionally and financially, I had to really pray about whether I was going to get this done or not. But I really felt like it was something that I needed to do. I want to be victorious. I'm not going to be a victim."

She regained her passion, returning to the vision she had for the space.

“The building had its own personality — I felt like a kind of Hollywood glamor with a new Dallas edge would be perfect," she says.

The GibsonThe Gibson

The facade and decor have an Art Deco flavor with chandeliers, a color scheme with polished black surfaces and bronze accents, and a swooping bar in the center. They've added a patio, helping to make the space right off the Tollway feel more friendly and approachable.

The menu is American with steakhouse touches. There's a tomahawk for two, ribeye, filet, and NY Strip. Plus short ribs, salmon, a burger, vegetarian risotto, and sea bass with an unexpected white chocolate strawberry buerre blanc.

There are deviled eggs, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, and fried pickles. Entree prices start at $20 and top out at $59 for the sea bass.

Cocktails include a pear martini and a Gibson with gin and dry vermouth, garnished with an onion. A large wine list includes what Carrie describes as “unicorns” — bottles that are hard to find, including a 1982 Lafitte.

"There are very rare wines, but we also have everything, starting from $40 a bottle," she says.

They're currently open for dinner with plans to add lunch, and there's definitely an audience. Maguire's had a big following and when The Gibson got vandalized, the neighbors came out in support.

"The neighborhood has been really awesome," Carrie says. "They would alert me when things were going on, and they were really great to help watch over it. That was a big motivation."

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