Where to Eat Now

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 best restaurants for new brunch

Feeling pretty gung ho about brunch.

Photo courtesy of Gung Ho

Whether spring or fall, summer or winter, Dallas always wants its brunch. Seeing the writing on the wall, these 10 restaurants have answered the call for brunch — whether they're veterans introducing a new brunch, or newly-opened eateries adding that final, essential piece to their mealtime puzzle.

For the October edition of Where to Eat, here are 10 brand new brunches to try:

Cool River Cafe
Southwestern restaurant in Las Colinas celebrates its 20th anniversary by launching a new brunch menu with 10 fab new items added on to the lunch menu. Blueberry pancakes come with Nueske's bacon and Chambord Mascarpone cream. Chicken & waffle has a fried chicken breast on a Belgian waffle with cinnamon brown sugar butter. Paleo hash has two eggs on a roasted sweet potato with spinach. Other options include B&E sandwich, crab quiche, eggs benedict, quiche Lorraine, and chicken-fried pork & gravy, with eggs & grit cake. Saturday-Sunday 11 am-3 pm.

Gung Ho
Lowest Greenville Avenue restaurant just launched brunch with a menu of American brunch staples with a Chinese twist, plus Chinese brunch favorites with an American twist. So many twists! Dishes include orange chicken & waffles, toasted coconut waffles with spiced pineapple, fried rice burrito, and a dish called "not biscuits & gravy," with crispy rice cake, mushroom gravy, sunny-side eggs, and fermented greens. There is also dim sum with matcha-orange sticky bun, coconut cream egg rolls, and lo bak go tots topped with sweet & sour pork belly. Drinks include the yuzu breakfast martini. Saturday-Sunday 10 am-3 pm.

Jack's Kitchen
Lakewood restaurant specializing in biscuits now offers brunch. There are biscuits with gravy, with fried chicken, with bacon & eggs, with brisket, and with blueberries. But there's also shrimp & grits tamales, a granola bowl with yogurt, and a "bubba benedict" on a jalapeño-cheddar cornbread waffle with shredded pork. Cinnamon & sugar "doscuits" are a special thing: deep-fried doughnut-cut biscuits rolled in cinnamon sugar. Mimosas are complimentary during brunch hours. Sunday 10:30 am-2 pm.

Mirador
The restaurant atop Forty Five Ten has launched a weekend brunch which in this case means Saturdays. Features include the everything brunch bagel (topped with sausage, bacon marmalade, eggs, and cheddar), buttermilk pancakes with candied pecans, and a yogurt bowl with honey and dried fruit. French omelet is served with mornay sauce, with the option to add caviar. For lunchier brunch items, there's smoked trout salad and cavatelli carbonara with poached egg. New cocktails for brunch include an "Eggs & Bacon" cocktail combining bourbon with lemon, maple syrup, egg whites, and bacon. Saturday 11 am-2:30 pm.

Pinstack
The entertainment-centric eatery just introduced brunch at all three locations in Allen, Plano, and Las Colinas. In addition to basics such as eggs benedict and stuffed French toast, there are novel creations such as wheat toast with avocado spread, hard-boiled eggs, and arugula; and a foot-tall pancake tower. Mimosas can be ordered by the carafe, or you can build your own Bloody Mary from a bar with mixes, toppings, and spicy sauce. Saturday-Sunday 11 am-2 pm.

Perle on Maple
Restaurant at the Stoneleigh Hotel has a new Sunday brunch event called Bubbles & Brioche, with a French-inspired "le brunch" menu featuring champagne and French Bistro classics with a Texas twist. Dishes include duck confit pancakes, eggs mimosa, brioche French toast, and the signature perle avocado toast. Order a la carte or in a two-course prix fixe menu with choice of one starter and one main dish for $30. Sunday 10 am-2 pm.

Street's Fine Chicken
The Forest Lane location of this local chicken chain has a new weekend brunch, featuring a variety of dishes, many with chicken. There's Texas toast stacked with boneless fried chicken breast, jalapeño gravy, sweet potato, pickled onion and a fried egg; a duo of biscuit sliders, one with fried chicken, the other with bacon, egg, and jalapeño cheddar. There's biscuits & gravy, chicken-fried bacon sandwich, brioche French toast with cream cheese, blackberry compote, and applewood smoked bacon, and a breakfast burrito with fried chicken, scrambled egg, and pimiento cheese fritters. Mimosas are $3. Saturday-Sunday 11 am-4 pm.

Velvet Taco
Dallas-based taqueria chain now has a brunch menu with a total of four items: Chicken & Waffle with chicken tenders, peppercorn gravy, green apple slaw, maple syrup, peppered bacon, red chili aioli, and chives atop a waffle tortilla. Bacon & Eggs comes with tater tots and smoked cheddar on a corn tortilla. Monte Cristo is a sweet and savory taco twist with strawberry jam, honey ham, gruyere, and strawberry jalapeño salsa on a French toast flour tortilla. Steak & Eggs features potatoes, hollandaise, and arugula in a flour tortilla. Available all day every day which contradicts the idea of brunch but hey, brunch.

Vidorra
Now that this new restaurant and rooftop bar in Deep Ellum has its bearings, it's introduced a weekend brunch. You gotta ease into brunch. Highlights include a Mexican egg casserole with chorizo, tortillas, black beans, corn, and fried avocado; and green chile eggs benedict with sweet potato hash, veggies, chorizo, poached eggs, and green chili hollandaise. Churro toast is like a cinnamon sugar-dusted French toast with golden agave syrup and fried banana slices. Cocktails include a mimosa with pineapple, cilantro, coconut, jalapeño, St. Germaine, Cantarino, and bubbles. Saturday-Sunday, 10 am-3 pm.

Zoli's Pizza
Ital-American restaurant in Addison recently introduced a new brunch menu of stick-to-your-ribs dishes. There is chicken and maple waffle, brisket and grits, and a calzone with sausage, ham, spinach, and scrambled eggs. Cinnaknots are rolled in cinnamon and sugar and glazed with cream cheese frosting. There are two brunch pizzas: one with bacon, eggs, ham, and potatoes; and another with scrambled egg, chorizo, and jalapeño ranch. A frittata has eggs, onions, spinach, feta, and pepper. Fortunately, they are still doing their trademark zeppole, aka doughnut holes, served with caramel. Saturday-Sunday 11 am-3 pm.

brunch where-to-eat

Deep Ellum News

Mexican 'vibe' restaurant from California to open in Deep Ellum Dallas

Mama Por Dios

A buzzy concept from California is coming to Dallas: Mama Por Dios, a Mexican restaurant chain known for its vibe, will open its first location in Texas in Deep Ellum in the Epic development at 2525 Elm St., taking over the former La Neta space, which shuttered in May.

According to a spokesperson, the restaurant will open in early to mid-January.

Mama Por Dios was founded in Southern California in 2020 by chef Misael Guerrero, who famously got his start selling Mexican sushi out of his garage.

Since those early days, he's gone on to form a restaurant empire called Emme Group, with concepts that include Los Amores de Julia, El Rincon de Los Dolidos, and Culichi Town, a lower-priced chain known for Sinaloa-style Mexican sushi & seafood, which has a local presence: It opened a location in Mesquite in 2022.

Mama Por Dios — which translates to "Mother of God" — describes itself as modern Mexican, offering a unique blend of steakhouse, sushi bar, and seafood. The menu includes favorites like tacos and enchiladas, alongside luxe dishes like lobster with spaghetti, lobster enchiladas, and a surf & turf featuring a lobster tail balanced atop a skirt steak. Prices range from $18 for birria tacos to $48 for a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

But they also have a showy side that includes flamboyant presentations such as the bacon-wrapped shrimp which come strung on clothespins; or the trompito al pastor, served on a personal spit, as well as servers who walk around with shots while dancing with patrons.

There's a Gold Burger for $65 featuring Prime beef on a brioche bun garnished with 24k gold leaf, and a similarly gilded tomahawk steak for $400 that brings to mind the good old days of Salt Bae. Decor is swanky with low lighting, and there'll be a serious brunch offering on weekends.

Cocktails such as the Al Agua Pato — served in a mini bathtub with a rubber ducky — are made for Instagram. They offer margarita and mezcalita flights with flavors such as mango, tamarindo, and strawberry, and intriguing sips like Carajillo, a Spanish cocktail with Licor 43, espresso, and 43 different fruit, citrus, aromatic, and herbal ingredients.

There’s also a $20 per-person minimum spend, and the menu comes with a warning that everything is cooked to order — meaning some dishes may take 30 to 40 minutes. For many diners, waiting will surely be part of the experience.

deep-ellum tex-mex openings