It's a grand time in Dallas' restaurant realm right now, with all sorts of openings and action, from a wide variety of operators: acclaimed local chefs, small personal concepts, and big names from L.A. and N.Y. There is truly something for everyone, from a vegetarian restaurant to a chicken tenders joint; from a California chef eatery to a California club spot.

For the latest edition of our Where to Eat column, here are 10 varied new restaurants to try in May.

Alara
Mediterranean restaurant now open in Dallas' Design District in the former Pakpao Thai is from from Turkish-born chef Onur Akan, with modern twists on Mediterranean such as deconstructed baklava and a Caesar salad made with gem lettuce and green goddess dressing. They're currently open for dinner only, with entrees and nightly specials, but will eventually add lunch with a more casual menu of mezze, doner kebab, sandwiches, and salads.

Cosmic Cafe
Old-time vegetarian haunt from the '90s has risen from the dead, after being closed for five years (and after the property was up for sale; no buyers, apparently). The reopening comes via Deepak Chalise, who cooked at the cafe in the '90s, and who is bringing back classics such as the Cosmic Stir-Fry of veggies and tofu in yogurt ginger sauce; and their famed Buddha's Delight with curried vegetables, samosa, dahl, rice, pappadam, and naan. In true Cosmic Cafe fashion, it's a bargain with everything priced under $15.

El Chingon
Mexican hangout from San Diego has opened a location in a former florist shop near downtown Dallas, with food, cocktails, and a clubby atmosphere. It's an indoor-outdoor experience with drinks and vibe first. The kitchen is housed in a repurposed shipping container, from whence it serves tacos, mulitas, quesadillas, house-made corn masa tortillas, burritos, nachos, and loaded fries. This is their second DFW location; the first opened in Fort Worth in 2020.

Flock & Fresh
Latest entry into the very-saturated chicken tenders field, now open in the Old Town Shopping Center at 5500 Greenville Ave., is from Wan Kim, CEO of Smoothie King and owner of Nuri Steakhouse. The menu is compact with choice of tenders plate, fried chicken sandwich, or grilled chicken sandwich, served with potato chips and the usual sauces — here with a few twists such as sweet Korean, Cajun Buffalo, and Japanese ranch.

Lions Den
Set to open on May 7, this Italian restaurant at the Stoneleigh — part of a multimillion-dollar transformation of the hotel — features a menu by chef Michael White, a veteran of New York's dining scene known for his pastas. Lions Den will serve some including garganelli with prosciutto & English peas, agnolotti with oxtail & leeks, mushroom risotto, bucatini with clams, and tagliatelle with ragu Bolognese. Entrees include cauliflower steak with pinenut sauce romesco; branzino with artichoke; and ribeye with rosemary potatoes.

Maroma
Newly opened restaurant at the Thirteen Thirty Three Building in the buzzy Design District from chef Omar Flores (nominated for a 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Award for Chef of the Year) focuses on coastal Mexican cuisine: seafood, citrus-forward dishes, and items cooked over a wood-fired grill. Dishes include oysters, seafood tower, clams with chorizo & fingerling potatoes, and beef cheek barbacoa sopes. Fancy cocktails include a paloma and a shareable Cazuela with cognac, peach, and prosecco.

Ospi
Southern Italian restaurant now open in the former Meddlesome Moth is from Jackson Kalb, an L.A.-based chef who competed on Top Chef and trained at foodie temples Alinea and Joël Robuchon. There are four Ospi locations across SoCal, including the original in Venice which opened in 2020; Dallas is the fifth. Their trademarks are handmade pasta and pizza Tonda Romana, a style with paper-thin crusts, plus kale salad and spicy vodka rigatoni.

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PopUp Bagels
Bagel concept from the Northeast opened its first location in Dallas at Inwood Village, next to the Inwood Theatre, where it's serving a very limited menu consisting of five bagels — plain, poppyseed, salt, sesame, or everything — sold whole only, not sliced, with a tub of cream cheese or butter on the side. You're supposed to tear the bagel and dip it into the spread — a novelty experience that has lit up the Instagram world.

Trattoria Bugatti
New Italian-ish restaurant just opened in northwest Dallas with fresh pastas such as gnocchi with Bolognese, shrimp scampi, and "Italian Alfredo" with fettuccini, butter, garlic, Parmesan — no cream, which is how chef Erin Willis a James Beard Award nominee and former owner/chef of RM 12:20 Bistro, learned to make it while studying in Italy. They're open for lunch and dinner, with a full bar and a nice wine list with plenty of bottles under $50.

Uptown Dumpling
Asian restaurant in North Dallas spotlights xiao long bao, the famed soup dumplings, which they offer in six varieties including pork & green pepper, pork & shrimp, and Wagyu & black truffle. They also do two dessert flavors, chocolate and taro, plus regular steamed and pan-fried dumplings, as well. Their Taiwanese braised beef noodles are popular, as is their unusual Chinese tea program, featuring four varieties: jasmine, Longjing, Yunnan red tea, and aged tangerine peel pu'er tea.