Mardi Gras, the holiday known for beads and boisterous parades, falls on March 4 this year. Its origins in the U.S. date back to 1870 in New Orleans.
The biggest day of all during the celebration is Fat Tuesday, which turns attention to food and King Cake, a colorful cake that typically has a tiny baby doll inside, a sign of luck. Though Dallas is quite a ways from the birth place of Mardi Gras, you don't have to make the trip out to Louisiana to celebrate because these local restaurants make it feel like you're already in the midst of the party.
Here's where all the Mardi Gras specials are happening in Dallas:
Bbbop Seoul Kitchen. Oak Cliff restaurant will have a menu featuring gumbo, Asian Cajun drumsticks, and classic Hurricanes. Seating is first-come, first-served. March 2.
Bread Winners. Offering specials, including Shrimp Étouffée, King Cakes, and $8 King Cake Martinis. Plus, let us take your Mardi Gras celebrations to the next level with our catering options, featuring delicious King Cakes, Cupcakes, and Mini King Cakes. Available at Allen, NorthPark, Plano, and Uptown.
Cannon's Corner. Oak Cliff Irish pub hosting their Mardi Gras parade party with food and drink specials, including hurricanes and French 75s, po'boy sandwiches, and gumbo. There will be beads. March 2, 9 am.
The Charlotte. Neighborhood bistro on Henderson Avenue offering special menu with $35 blackened red fish, $35 crawfish boil, and drinks including a hurricane and frozen strawberry daiquiri, which are $12 each. March 4, all day.
Cinnaholic. Cinnamon roll chain is offering King Cakes for $30. This shareable cake will serve eight to ten people, and can be found at Addison, Arlington, Frisco, Grand Prairie, Irving, Grand Prairie, McKinney, Mesquite, and Richardson locations. Available now through March 4.
Colombian Country Club. Offering a menu with a gumbo crafted by the chef, while mini king cakes will be placed on tables to add a traditional touch, alongside their cocktails including the Columbian daiquiri, frozen strawberry daiquiri, and the Bourbon Street Old Fashioned. Plus, there will be a special drinks menu from Aguasol, providing a dual frozen machine featuring specialty frozen daiquiris. Prices a la carte. March 4.
Dee's Table. Frisco restaurant offering special dishes including the $19 pastalaya, $16 shrimp po-boy, Bananas Foster bread pudding, and Voodoo daiquiri. March 4, starting at 11 am with live music at 3 pm.
Dodie's on the Harbor. Rockwall restaurant is hosting food and drink specials the Friday through Monday leading up to Fat Tuesday featuring $11 gator bites, $7 King Cake and ice cream, and $5 hurricanes or margaritas. They'll also have a Fat Tuesday celebration from 2 pm to close featuring live music, free beads all day, bead contest, and $3 drink specials with margaritas, hurricanes, and Miller Lite.
Ida Claire. Addison restaurant celebrating with menu of boiled crawfish, King Cake bread pudding, gumbo, daiquiris, and hurricanes. Prices start at $6 for food and $12 for hurricanes. During Fat Tuesday, they’ll have a mask-making station with New Orleans-inspired tunes. February 28 through Fat Tuesday, March 4 with a Mardi Gras celebration.
Jack & Harry's. French Quarter-inspired chophouse in Snider Plaza is offering a menu with blue crab gumbo, oysters St. Claude, and prime, dry-aged steaks, and French onion filet. Prices are a la carte. Featured cocktails include Bourbon Street classics like the Sazerac and Hemingway Daiquiri, plus new $9 mini martinis. March 4.
Nuri Steakhouse. Uptown steakhouse hosting a Mardi Gras soiree on the Jade Terrace featuring passed hors d'oeuvres, such as crab cakes and Wagyu dumplings, and special cocktails. The event also includes live entertainment. Festive masks and attire encouraged. Tickets are $150 with a reservation. March 4, 6-10 pm.
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. Cajun seafood restaurant offering a menu of specialty dishes including rainbow trout Mardi Gras and New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp. Dessert features vanilla cheesecake with traditional Mardi Gras king cake, cinnamon, graham cracker crust, and crème anglaise. They'll also be offering a keepsake Mardi Gras glass with each Swampthing cocktail order starting February 28. Dining specials available February 19 - March 4.
S&D Oyster Company. The Uptown oyster bar will be rolling out mini king cakes— 25 of which will have a mini baby hidden inside. Guests who find a baby will get their cake for free and win a $20 gift card to return to S&D. March 4.
Quarter Bar. Offering New Orleans-inspired specials, including $6 Hurricanes, $8 King Cake shots, shrimp étouffée, a shrimp and crawfish boil, and King Cakes — all set to the backdrop of live music. March 4.
The Village Dallas. The mixed-use community in east Dallas is offering Mardi Gras packages to access specials at its dining spaces. Buzz and Bustle, the local craft coffee house, is featuring a Banana’s Fosters cold brew latte,mini King Cake,Muffaletta sandwich,and mango sunrise drink; Over Under sports bar is featuring red beans and rice,shrimp etouffee, and a crawfish boil, served by the pound with corn and potatoes while supplies last; and Sandy Pickle offering a beignet station, hushpuppies with remoulade, and shrimp po’boy. Tickets include Hurricane package for $25, and the Crawdaddy package for $40. March 1, 12-6 pm.
