Lunch Date

Toyota Music Factory is here to end the great lunch debate

Where to have lunch. Some see it as a timeless dilemma, while others view it as an opportunity to be bold and try somewhere new.

Toyota Music Factory has three restaurants open now — and plenty more on the horizon — that are attuned to the lunch rush. Next time you need to be in and out while still enjoying a great meal, consider one of these three spots.

Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill
This Portland import is a major step up from your basic pub grub, with an abundance of healthy options rounding out the menu. Its lunch selections are vast, but hungry diners should definitely check out the green chili chicken sandwich, which is topped with roasted pasilla chilis, avocado, cilantro, jalapenos, pepper jack and cotija cheese, Napa slaw, and chipotle aioli on grilled ciabatta.

More in the mood for salad? Take your pick from the blackened salmon Caesar, grilled steak, Cobb, or roasted beet and grilled chicken. There's even a trendy ahi poke bowl, with sushi rice, avocado, carrots, cucumbers, pickled radish, fresh mango, daikon, nori, sesame seeds, Napa slaw, a ginger-soy glaze, and Thai peanut vinaigrette.

Freshii
The Canadian fast-casual chain focuses on bowls, wraps, salads, burritos, juices, and smoothies, often with a seasonal twist. Right now the goodness includes the Good Roots, which combines kale, brown rice, sweet potato, goat cheese, beet slaw, dried cranberries, green apple, pumpkin seeds, and balsamic vinaigrette.

You can energize any meal with the addition of falafel, tofu, chicken or steak, and make kale or quinoa the base. Don't forget to grab some low-fat probiotic frozen yogurt to end lunch on a sweet note — you can choose from almonds, strawberries, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, green apple, honey, mango, or walnuts as your two toppings.

Bar Louie
You might think this restaurant more of a happy-hour go-to, but flatbreads, sandwiches, burgers, and salads abound — a welcome sight for the hungry. Whether you want to chow down on a Voodoo sandwich (blackened chicken breast, pepper jack cheese, andouille sausage, sauteed peppers and onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo on a brioche bun, served with tots or fries) or the BLT wedge salad (iceberg lettuce, bacon, bruschetta tomatoes, green onion, egg, blue cheese crumbles, and blue cheese dressing), the options are seemingly endless.

Don't forget about an appetizer or two for the table. The Bavarian pretzel sticks (served with a trio of cinnamon butter, queso, and honey mustard) and the ginger sesame chicken lettuce wraps are eminently shareable.

Ahi poke salad bowl

Photo courtesy of Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill

Ahi poke salad bowl

promoted lunch

What Just Opened

Crazy wave of Dallas restaurants and bars have all just opened

Courtesy

1519 Main St.

The Dallas hospitality scene almost never sleeps and right now it's pulling an all-nighter, with a big slate of fresh openings, all of which have debuted within the past days, give or take.

Everyone's hustling to get their doors open in time for the holidays, and these establishments have all made it happen: From a cosmopolitan new lounge in downtown Dallas to a modern Asian restaurant in Plano to a bountiful AYCE Chinese seafood spot in Richardson, there's something here to pique everyone's interest and appetite.

1519 Main
Spectacular lounge is now open in downtown Dallas at 1519 Main St., in a nearly century-old building across from the Joule Dallas hotel where it's serving up stellar drinks in a space that's both cosmopolitan and low-key. The bar is from Hospitality Alliance, the company led by restaurant wunderkind Kevin Lillis, who helped create the original AT&T Discovery District. It's a stunning space with many original features like the rose-and-cream marble floors from the 1920s and the brick walls with signage from prior businesses in the space that dating back decades. The menu has cocktails from Brian Van Flandern, who oversaw the program at Per Se, The Carlyle Hotel, The Plaza Hotel, and Palm Court restaurant, and also has a homage menu featuring recipes from some of the most impactful but now closed cocktail lounges in the country. They're open Thursday-Saturday from 5 pm-12 am.

Centrale Italia
New concept from veteran restaurateur Patrick Colombo (Cru Wine Bar, Princi Italia) opened in November at Preston Hollow Village at Walnut Hill Lane and US-75 with a menu of wood-fired dishes, Neapolitan style pizza, pastas, and gelato made in-house. They're debuting brunch on Sunday December 7 and lunch on Monday December 8, with a menu that includes spicy meatball sub, chicken parm on toasted ciabatta, and a parmesan garlic cheeseburger with Wagyu beef and arugula. Salads include Little Gem Caesar, chopped salad with salami, prosciutto, and soppressata, and an Italian Cobb salad with chicken, Romaine, radicchio, avocado, beets, prosciutto, eggs, and Campari tomato in a creamy gorgonzola.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Restaurant in Richardson which just opened in the former Maxim's space is an all-you-can-eat sushi/seafood buffet featuring a daily rotating menu with 300-plus items from various Asian cuisines. There are oysters, crab legs, lobster, sushi bar, ramen bar, dumplings bar, skewers bar, noodles, stir-fries, and Chinese dishes both Cantonese and Sichuan, such as spicy boiled beef and kung pao chicken. Plus dim sum and desserts such as precision-cut layer cakes and a chocolate fondue station where you can dip strawberries and other fruit. (The lobster and crab are available at dinner and weekends only, not at lunch.) The price is $20 at lunch, $30 at dinner on weeknighs, and $35 all weekend long.

Jashan
Indian ambitious new Indian restaurant with a one-of-a-kind menu offering has opened at Plano's Legacy North with a chef team who are bringing flavors from cities and regions across India, from Dehli's fried potato tikkis to pepper chicken from the south. For those seeking something truly unique, Jahsan also offer a Dil Se menu — an omakase-style tasting, available in 7- or 13-course versions, featuring a procession of these flavors, letting guests discover the stories of these cities in one visit.

La Stella Italian Steakhouse
Stupendous Italian restaurant just opened at a storied North Dallas address at 14655 Dallas Pkwy. in the former Lawry's space, where it stands as a bigger, grander spinoff of its sibling La Stella Cucina, the Italian restaurant in Dallas' Design District. The menu is an expanded version of the original: combining Italian seafood and a chophouse, plus an accompanying music lounge for live entertainment.

LuLu Modern Chinese
Glamorous new Asian restaurant just opened in Plano at 3310 Dallas Pkwy. #121, with a goal is to bring an authentic and modern Chinese American dining experience. The menu features classics like Peking duck, xiao long bao (soup dumplings), and seafood executed with spices and recipes from various regions of China — from Shanghai to the Pan Asian continent. The 4,300-square-foot space features a subtle lounge theme — a place you can dine or grab tequila shots over a soundtrack of '90s hip-hop and pop, plus craft cocktails, and a serious collection of sake and wine — but not what you'd typically find at a Chinese restaurant.

Mendocino Farms
California chain known for creative sandwiches, salads, soups, and other healthy fare, has opened its newest DFW-area location — the sixth — at NorthPark Center, joining Addison, downtown Dallas, Plano, Preston Hollow, and Dallas' West Village. With its casual but upscale menu, featuring staples such as the Chicken & Hummus Crunch Wrap — as well as seasonal offerings like the November to Remember sandwich with turkey, mozzarella, mushroom & turkey sausage stuffing, spicy cranberry chutney, and Romaine on toasted cranberry walnut wheat bread — NorthPark seems like a perfect fit.

Old Ferry Donut
Doughnut shop chain from Korea entered the U.S. in 2023, with five locations in California. Now they've made their Texas debut in Carrollton at 2225 Old Denton Rd. #215, Their doughnuts are unique: They have a slightly chewier, more bready texture than the fluffy texture of a Krispy Kreme, and are a little less sweet than traditional American doughnuts. Many of their doughnuts have fillings, made from premium ingredients. The menu includes old-school flavors such as Boston Cream, Original Glaze, and Cinnamon Sugar — but also new-school flavors like White Chocolate Sesame, Earl Gray, and Matcha Cream.

Roots Chicken Shak
Fried chicken restaurant concept from celebrity chef Tiffany Derry, just opened a location at 3748 Belt Line Rd. #118, in a former Einstein's Bagels on the southeast corner of Marsh Lane. There are chicken wings, tenders, nuggets, and sandwiches on sweet potato buns. Derry opened the first Roots Chicken Shack at Plano's Legacy Food Hall in 2017, but the Addison location is owned by franchisees.

Yearby’s Barbecue & Waterice
Halal BBQ spot which originated in Pilot Point is in soft opening mode at a new second location in Plano at 3201 Alma Dr., just west of US-75, where they'll be open from 11 am–3 pm or sell out. There's likely to be a line, because BBQ places like to have a line, but the Yearby's in Pilot Point also earned a slot on Texas Monthly’s 50 Best list for 2025.

openings