Holiday Dining

These Dallas restaurants are open for brunch on New Year's Day 2021

No brunch on New Year's Day can go down without a little bubbly.

Photo by Becca Wright

One dining ritual slightly less impacted by coronavirus is brunch and that's because brunch is a daytime thing and it's easier to be outdoors.

They're not saying positive things about the weather in Dallas on New Year’s Day — but hopefully there'll be a little ray of sunshine to point us to better things for 2021.

Here are the Dallas restaurants open for brunch on New Year's Day. (If you're looking for places to go New Year's Eve, that list is here.)

Big Al’s is offering a Buy One Get One Free Rack of Rib Special for $28 available December 31 and January 1, and every Saturday through January. The restaurant is also featuring Hoppin' John for $10 Quart/$35 Gallon and Cornbread $5 a Quarter Pan. Big Al’s will close at 4pm on New Year’s Eve and Day — regular operating hours are Monday-Saturday from 10:30am-8pm. The restaurant also offers online ordering through chownow, curbside pick-up and delivery (within 3 miles of the restaurant); order online www.bigalsbbq.com or by calling 214-350-2649.

Bulla Gastrobar. Spanish restaurant at Legcy West in Plano is hosting a New Year's Day three course brunch menu, plus $6 mimosas and sangrias. Choices include Avocado Toast, Watermelon Salad, Smoked Salmon Montaditos, Garbanzo Frito, Grilled Flatbread, Benedict, Pork Hash, Burger, Huevos Bravos, Huevos ‘Bulla’, Steak + Eggs, Chicken & Waffles, Bikini, Torrija, Flan de Coco, Blueberry & Ricotta Pancakes, Churros con Chocolate, or Hazelnut waffles. $27.

City Works at The Star in Frisco hosts a Rock N’ Roll recovery brunch with dishes such as the Jon Bun Jovi, Chak Shuka Khan, and the Johnny Hash. 10 am-3 pm. Reservations online or call 469-850-1850.

Cotton Patch Cafe. Special limited-edition Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage are available on their own or as a side substitution, for dine-in and online orders, for $1.21, from December 31-January 3.

Dahlia On Ross will be open on New Year's Day for brunch from 11:30 am-3 pm with waffles, brunch biscuit, smoked salmon croissant, breakfast flatbread, and more. Also open for dinner 5-10 pm.

Fearing’s Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas is serving New Year’s Day brunch from 12-3 pm with a three-course menu including jumbo gulf lump crab cake benedict, English Channel John Dory, pan seared Alaskan weathervane scallops, and a sampling of delectable desserts. $100 for adults, $85 for vegetarian and $35 for children, with a complimentary holiday cocktail. Reservations on Open Table or call 214-922-4848.

Manhattan Project hosts a New Year's Day brunch with Hoppin' John, micheladas, and beermosas beginning at 10 am.

Mercat Bistro. Open for brunch from 10 am-3 pm. Reserve at: www.mercatbistro.com.

Mi Dia From Scratch. Special menu includes Chicken Y Waffles and Huevos Rancheros, available to-go via curbside pickup or for dine-in. 11 am-3 pm. Available at all three locations: Grapevine, Plano, and Flower Mound. 817-421-4277.

Norma's Cafe. All five locations — Oak Cliff, North Dallas, Frisco, Park Lane, and Plano — will be serving free samples of black-eyed peas with all dine-in and to-go orders, and traditional meals for purchase including special menu items of corned beef and cabbage. They're also hosting a contest to win Chicken Fried Steak for a Year. Purchase 2 Family Pack Meals, receive a free Mile High Pie. 8 am-8 pm.

Nova. Oak Cliff restuarant will be open 4 pm-2 am with full menu and New Year's specials until 10 pm, followed by a late-night menu until 12 am. For reservations, call 214-484-7123.

Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe. Open all day with $5 Bloody Voodoo Marie and Traditional Black-Eyed Peas.

The Rustic. Hangover Cure Brunch from 10 am-3 pm, with free live music beginning at 12:30 pm.

Sloane's Corner. Special two-course brunch with shared Breakfast Pastries, Deviled Eggs, Cherry Tomato Bruschetta, Lemon Curd Ricotta Pancakes, Smoked Salmon Avocado Toast, or Prime Beef Burger with fries. 11 am-3 pm. Call 214-484-1395 or reserve online.

Snooze, An A.M. Eatery. In addition to regular menu, look for seasonal dishes like Peppermint Bark Pancakes topped with spiced cocoa sauce and peppermint bark, Jalapeno & Pomegranate Glazed Bacon, and the Holiday Harvest Bowl with butternut squash, sweet potato, onions, poblano peppers, corn, pork belly lardons, and poached egg. Snooze will also offer Holiday Kits with hot cocoa recipes, greeting cards, and choice of Holiday Harvest Egg Casserole, Cranberry French Toast Bake, or Holiday Pancake Party Kit, along with a jazz playlist. Kits come with spinach-arugula-kale salad, fruit salad, and bacon. Order 24 hours in advance, available through January 2.

Yardbird. Southern restaurant downtown is open New Year's Day with a limited-edition holiday menu for brunch from 10 am-4 pm, in plus regular menu available to-go. Dining in menu includes Charleston she-crab soup, Wagyu beef carpaccio, prime rib with pimento cheese grits, halibut, truffled gnocchi with mushrooms, and red velvet cake. 10 am-9 pm. Order online or call 469-208-2441.

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Best Happy Hours

Where to drink in Dallas right now: 5 special happy hours for September

Malai Kitchen

This is a most distinguished edition of Where to Drink, CultureMap's monthly column bringing news of the best happy hours around. Distinguished, because these aren't just the cheapest deals. These happy hours are all a little extra, whether it's gourmet chef-driven food, unique location, or a special Korean twist.

Here are the best happy hour destinations for September 2026:

Cipher Lounge
Unique new entertainment venue and lounge in downtown McKinney is an escape room-plus-restaurant and bar, combining food, cocktails, and escape-room experiences under one roof. The Cipher Lounge is not your typical bar or escape room. The lounge boasts a sophisticated atmosphere with craft cocktails and upscale bites. You can stop in before or after the escape room, but you can also just come in for food and drink. And fortunately, they do a happy hour Wednesday-Friday from 2-6 pm with $3 off flatbreads & dips, $3 off well cocktails, $2 off domestic beers, and $1 off import and craft beers.

Malai Kitchen
Small local chain specializing in southeast Asian cuisine is a perennial, with four locations including the original at West Village in Uptown Dallas. They recently expanded their already generous happy hour with more to eat and more to drink, still with the same scratch-made kitchen behind all of it. Signature cocktails are $4 off. Their celebrated house-brewed beer is $6, and their happy hour wines are a cut above: Aveleda Vinho Verde white from Portugal, and Vina Eguia Tempranillo red from Spain, $8 per glass. Bites are $8 or two for $15 including Vietnamese meatballs, cucumber salad, shishito peppers, grilled satay, fried imperial rolls, spicy edamame, Thai chicken wings, and potstickers. Hours are Monday-Friday 3-6 pm, and all day Sunday.

Nuri Steakhouse
Korean steakhouse in Uptown recently launched "Geonbae Hour," its elevated take on happy hour, inspired by the Korean tradition of “Geonbae,” meaning cheers. Featured bites include oysters, bulgogi beef tacos, steak tartare cigar, and truffle popcorn, $7 to $9, plus a Wagyu burger with kimchi-glazed bacon and white cheddar for $20. Drinks include their unique renditions of classic drinks like an old-fashioned, margarita, and negroni for $10; plus beer, wine, and soju, the Korean spirit. It's offered Monday-Thursday 4- 6 pm and all day Sunday.

Two Hands
Australian-style all-day cafe founded in New York, which opened a location at The Quad in 2025, has what it calls a "snacky hour," which is short and to the point: a smashburger for $10, plus $10 cocktails, $3 off glasses of wine (including red, white, and sparkling), and $5 draft beer. Cocktails include martinis (dry or dirty), espresso martini, margarita, aperol spritz, old-fashioned, Negroni, and bloody Mary. Snacky hour is offered every day from 4-6 pm.

Written By the Seasons
Chef-driven concept has two locations in Dallas: Bishop Arts and The Quad. Both host an admirable happy hour 3:30-5 pm Monday-Saturday, with half-off on bottles of wine and significant snacks, including some of their signature dishes. There are smoked Texas pecans, cheese & charcuterie board, boquerones with arugula & crostini, mutabal (the middle-Eastern eggplant dip) with olives and crispy flatbread, and their acclaimed kimchi pancakes, priced from $5 to $12. There's also a burger with American cheese, and a veggie sandwich with cucumber, avocado, daikon sprouts, and shaved carrots on wheat — both $18.

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