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.

holidays lists

new roots

L.A. celebrity favorite The Ivy plants Dallas branch near Katy Trail

Photo courtesy of The Ivy/Facebook

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A Los Angeles restaurant famous for celebrity sightings on its bright floral patios is opening a branch in Dallas: The Ivy will debut in fall 2027 at 4205 Buena Vista St. inside The Terminal at Katy Trail.

“This will be the first Ivy outside of Southern California,” says India Wolfe, the restaurant founders' daughter, in a release. "I felt a strong calling to bring The Ivy somewhere new and to plant roots there with our family.”

India’s parents opened The Ivy on Robertson Boulevard in 1980, followed by Ivy at the Shore in Santa Monica five years later.

While her father, chef Richard Irving, and mother, Lynn von Kersting, remain in LA, Wolfe and her husband, Ernest Wolfe IV, will move to Dallas in February with their two children and dogs, to operate The Ivy. The restaurant will be located inside a luxury apartment tower overlooking the Katy Trail.

India started working as a teen at the family's third branch in Santa Monica and learned everything "from greeting guests and waiting tables to staging events, filming viral social media, and modernizing the business for a new generation," says the release.

Both she and her husband spent time in other professions but were drawn to the dining field. Ernest helped his in-laws so often at The Ivy that they finally employed him full-time.

“I love working with him," India says, "and we complement each other’s skills really well, not unlike my mom and dad.”

The Ivy The family behind The Ivy.Courtesy photo

The Wolfes say they want the Dallas restaurant to retain The Ivy’s familiar cooking, warmth and character, while making it feel like home in a new city.

“I love the idea of people taking a walk on the Katy Trail and then meeting friends for brunch at The Ivy,” India says.

Her parents are assisting with the design and menu; India wants a contemporary vibe but doesn’t plan to change what works so well.

“I don’t want to make it too different because I think the reason that people from Dallas come to The Ivy is because they love The Ivy,” she says. “That said, this new restaurant will certainly stand on its own two feet.”

Unlike the original, the Dallas Ivy will have a bar, an idea India dreamed up. While restaurant bars are nothing unusual, India actually envisioned what her family jokingly calls “the D Bar" (so named for Dallas), where guests can clink glasses and share good energy around a curved, D-shaped counter.

Her interest in art and flowers will result in a space well-appointed with roses, a family tradition, and local blooms like zinnias and snapdragons.

The Ivy serves upscale American comfort food and Californian cuisine with influences from Italian, French, Cajun, and Mexican cooking. Dishes are made with seasonal ingredients, so the menus evolve throughout the year.

While the Dallas menu is being developed, the restaurant's Southern California winter menus, for example, include starters such as crab cakes, Caesar salad, and grilled-vegetable salad. Pasta options include lobster ravioli with Ivy pink sauce and lobster tagliatelle. Wood- or stone-fired pizzas include margherita and Cajun shrimp pies, while house-baked breads, old-fashioned red velvet cake, coconut cake, and chocolate chip cookies round out the menu.

The Ivy has always been at the center of family life, India notes. Now she and Ernest are bringing that way of life to Dallas.

She adds, “I am confident it will be a great home for The Ivy and for our family.”

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new roots

L.A. celebrity favorite The Ivy plants Dallas branch near Katy Trail