Pandemic or not, there've been lots of high-profile restaurant openings around Dallas. There've been hot chef openings and buzzy sushi spots and acclaimed BBQ joints and adored pizzerias.
But there've also been low-key openings that have snuck under the radar. Are these the hottest restaurants in town? Some maybe, some maybe not. But that's part of the appeal: These are openings you may not already know about.
Here are eight restaurants around Dallas-Fort Worth that have recently opened under the radar:
Chili’s Grill & Bar
Hey now don't be a snob. Famed chain opened a location in early August at 5012 W. Park Blvd., in the former location of Osaka Sushi. It's the second Chili's in Plano — the other one is in east Plano, which people from west Plano would really prefer not to drive to, OK? While it is not a foodie pick, it is surely a windfall if you live near Park & Preston and want the predictable reliability — the baby back ribs, the fajitas — that Chili's so capably provides.
Muglai Express
Foodies know Muglai as the acclaimed Indian restaurant concept with locations in North Dallas and Southlake. Now comes this quick fast-casual spinoff in Frisco at 5355 Dallas Pkwy., in The Starwood on Lebanon and Dallas Tollway, where you can get some of their authentic North Indian food including trademark favorites such as chicken tikka masala in a more convenient format. They're offering buffet/combos for lunch, and a la carte table service for dinner.
PT Neighborhood Pizzeria
Mini-sibling to Dallas pizzeria chain Pie Tap has debuted at 5715 Lemmon Ave., in Dallas where it's serving pizza — whole pies and by the slice — plus salads, sandwiches, and starters such as pepperoni puffs. It features Pie Tap's signature pizza dough, which creates the crisp and flavorful crust for which they're known, but the menu is smaller. They're also doing an innovative cashless form of payment, where you order and pay via your smart phone and never need leave your seat.
Rosi's Salvadoran Fusion
Rather than an opening, this is more of an evolution. Formerly known as Rosi's Pupuseria, owners Rosalina and Jesus Galdamez rebranded their location in Mesquite at 909 Gross Rd. to Salvadoran Fusion to spotlight the talents of their son, executive chef Jose Galdamez, who graduated from a top culinary arts school in San Salvador. They're still serving their signature pupusas, but also dishes like sirloin steak with jumbo shrimp on chimichurri sauce, accompanied by jalapeno mashed potatoes, as well as a full bar with colorful cocktails.
Tao Roll and Pancake
If you want to eat breakfast like you would in Taiwan, then hit this stand which opened in Plano at 2001 Coit Rd. #166 in April. The restaurant serves rice rolls, crepe-like pancakes, soups, and soy milk drinks. They have 12 flavors of rice rolls — little rectangles of moist rice with fillings such as egg, bacon, kimchi, eel, tuna, and eel, sealed with a sheet of seaweed. They also have thin, eggy, pancake-crepes, folded into layers and served in a paper bag so you can eat them like a snack. They also do another Taiwanese staple: salty or sweet soy milk, served in a bowl like soup.
Toasty Breakfast & Lunch
Farmers Branch spot is a hole-in-the-wall, good for two things: #1 undercover meetings in an out-of-the-way spot, and #2 sheer breadth of selections. Their menu is ridonkulously long, with bowls, pancakes, benedicts, healthy bowls, omelets, French toast in seven varieties, breakfast tacos, avocado toast, migas, biscuits & gravy, plus lunch options including wraps, burgers, sandwiches, panini, and salads. The food comes out hot and fast, and they also have a dish called cinnamon roll pancakes that seem like a must.
Uno Mas
Neighborhood Tex-Mex cafe started out on Henderson Avenue, and now has a spinoff in downtown Dallas, which opened in August in a location with Tex-Mex DNA: It was most recently Queso Beso and before that, Sol Irlandes. Like their Henderson Avenue original — which is temporarily closed for repairs in the kitchen and will reopen in late September — this new downtown Uno Mas specializes in the basics: margaritas, enchiladas, fajitas, and tacos.
Zero Gradi
Sleek dessert bar in downtown Dallas sits between Mendocino Farms and 400 Gradi, the Neapolitan pizzeria that is its big brother. Zero Gradi was created by Johnny Di Francesco, the award-winning chef behind 400 Gradi, and features an espresso bar, dessert bar with an Italian-inspired menu of pastries, and gelateria with 20-plus gelato flavors, including fruity sorbettos. It's dessert heaven with European precision, from brioche to croissants to buns topped with Nutella.
