Meet the Tastemakers

10 best restaurants in Dallas for 2026 shine as culinary standouts

Sushi Kozy is one of several omakase concepts leading Dallas dining right now.

Courtesy photo

There's no doubt that Dallas' dining scene is booming, from a host of hot new restaurant openings to sweet dessert programs and neighborhood favorites. The annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards will celebrate them all, including the coveted award for Restaurant of the Year.

As the big event approaches on May 7, we turn our attention to the top two awards categories of the year, beginning with the nominees for Dallas' Restaurant of the Year. (Stay tuned next week for Chef of the Year.)

Our 2026 nominees include stalwarts of the dining scene alongside flashier new entrants. They span cuisines and trends — omakase is hot right now, as is Vietnamese food, and barbecue never goes out of style. Meet the 10 restaurants that represent the best of Dallas dining below, and learn about the rest of our nominees in this special editorial series.

Hungry for more? Now's the time to get your tickets to our tasting event and awards ceremony on May 7 at Astoria Event Venue. You'll sample bites from participating nominees, sip signature cocktails, and be there when the Tastemakers winners are revealed by our emcee, Cleo Greene, host of NBC5's Texas Today. Tickets remain for both General Admission and VIP entry, but act fast.

And now, here are the 2026 Dallas Restaurant of the Year nominees:

Cattleack Barbeque
Recognized by both the Michelin Guide and many Dallasites as the best barbecue in town, this North Dallas favorite has been attracting droves of smoked meat enthusiasts since 2013. Cattleack’s got something for every serious barbecue fan, whether you’re in search of succulent, barky brisket or looking to "pork out" with the Toddfather, an enormous sandwich that features just about every kind of barbecued meat imaginable.

Crown Block
Steak and sushi collide at Crown Block, in what is arguably Dallas’ most iconic dining room, located atop Reunion Tower. Even though the restaurant doesn’t attract diners by rotating anymore, it still keeps things exciting with its luxe menu and lavish surroundings. Here, you can feast on A5 Wagyu imported from Japan or build a seafood tower overflowing with oysters, lobster, and crab, all while taking in some of the most breathtaking views of the city.

crown block veggies Veggies on the menu at Crown Block. Crown Block

Gemma
Ever since its 2013 debut, this Henderson Avenue restaurant has been a total knockout. From the super-fresh oysters to the perfectly made pastas and succulent duck frites, chef Stephen Rogers’ menu is positively packed with dishes that have stood the test of time. It’s also one of the city’s best spots to grab a glass of wine, and the dimly lit dining room feels especially romantic when you score a late-night reservation.

Mabo
Yet another entrant into Dallas’ increasing omakase field, Mabo offers a decidedly fresh take on the concept. Instead of focusing only on raw fish, chef Masayuki Otaka’s binchotan-grilled yakitori skewers are just as much the star of this show, ranging from succulent chicken thigh to crispy pork jowl and more adventurous cuts. The sushi is equally compelling, thanks to top-quality fish that changes according to what’s freshest and Otaka’s painstaking preparations.

Mamani
This French restaurant made a splash immediately when it debuted in 2025, as the Michelin Guide awarded it a coveted one-star rating just 60 days after the doors opened. Even with those lofty expectations, chef Christophe De Lellis has managed to consistently produce some of the city’s finest dishes. From the jaw-dropping veal cordon bleu to the Paris-Brest dessert, everything on the menu at Mamani is a star.

Mot Hai Ba
Since 2013, Mot Hai Ba has reliably been one of the city’s best places to find inventive Vietnamese dishes. Under the guidance of chef Peja Krstic, who purchased the restaurant from its founders in 2016 after starting in the kitchen a year earlier, it has evolved to include a wider range of culinary influences. From the kimchi and foie gras dumplings to binchotan-grilled gnocchi, Mot Hai Ba never fails to excite.

Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen
Dallas has a lot of great Vietnamese food, and this Greenville Avenue spot serves up some of the city’s best bowls of pho and vermicelli, all inspired by the cooking techniques passed down to owner Carol Nguyen by her mother, Ngon, whose name inspired the restaurant. Here, find addictively spicy brothy bowls of bon bo hue, eminently fresh spring rolls, and beautifully spiced curries for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen A vibrant spread from Ngon. Courtesy photo

Nonna
Twenty years ago, chef Julian Barsotti’s Nonna opened its doors in Highland Park, and the city’s Italian dining scene has never been the same. Two decades later, it remains an excellent date-night spot and neighborhood favorite, known for its toothsome housemade pastas and wood-fired proteins, and is proof that a Dallas restaurant doesn’t have to be over-the-top to earn a devoted following.

Sushi Kozy
Omakase is really having a moment in Dallas, and chef-owner Paul Ko’s Sushi Kozy is a standout in the crowded field. Thanks to the expertly sourced and prepared seafood, which is transformed into stunning sashimi, temaki, and nigiri every night, this omakase-only spot is among the city’s best places to splurge on a celebratory dinner.

Tatsu Dallas
This Michelin-starred Deep Ellum omakase is among the hardest tables to get in town. Chef Tatsuya Sekiguchi, whose family has been making sushi for four generations, brings a level of care and expertise to the experience that is unparalleled, making it worth the price tag — and the effort to grab a coveted reservation at the first of the month.

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The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Dallas by Maker's Mark, Shutto, NXT LVL Event, Seedlip, Ritual Zero Proof, H-E-B, and more to be announced. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Harvest Project Food Rescue.

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Where to Eat

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

Photo courtesy of Sophia's

Red snapper ceviche at Sophia's Cantina

CultureMap's monthly Where to Eat column highlighting the best restaurants to try returns for October with a theme of new and diverse. Every restaurant on this list is a recent arrival, including at least one that has been open for only a day. If you want hot, fresh, and new, you've come to the right list.

The list represents an exciting array, encompassing a one-of-its-kind test restaurant, a fashionable coffee shop, steakhouse, Mexican cantina, Italian speakeasy, and not one, not two, but three places to get dumplings.

Here's where to eat in Dallas for October 2026:

Coach Coffee Shop
Unique cafe just opened inside the Coach handbag store at Allen Outlet Malls, one of seven locations across the U.S., including Austin, which opened in 2025. The drink menu features coffee, espresso drinks including cappuccinos and lattes, cold brew, matcha lattes with rotating seasonal flavors, and lemonade. There are two signature items: Tabby Cake — an adorable chocolate treat shaped like Coach’s trademark Tabby bag and Lil Miss Jo Cookie — an edible version of the chain's coffee-cup animated mascot used in company ad campaigns. They also serve pastries such as salted chocolate chip cookies, blueberry muffins, vegan carrot cake muffins, cinnamon rolls, savory scones, ham and cheese croissant, and soft-serve in waffle cones.

Curry Tei & Bar
Hip Asian restaurant comes to downtown Plano courtesy of Michelle Vi Pepping, who also owns buzzy Okaeri Cafe in Richardson. Curry Tei gives her the opportunity to focus more deeply on favorite Japanese comfort foods, especially house-made curry and crispy katsu, along with a full bar featuring sake, Japanese whisky, and handcrafted cocktails. The curry can be ordered over rice or udon noodles, then topped with a choice from 10 proteins: tonkatsu fried pork cutlet, katsu fried chicken cutlet, tofu katsu fried tofu cutlet, shrimp katsu, karaage fried chicken, Japanese sausage, fried potato croquette, sliced beef, hamburger patty, or gyoza dumplings. Their bowls and noodles run the gamut from chicken teriyaki over rice to chilled green tea soba noodles with vegetable tempura. Popular starters include edamame, dumplings, and karaage fried chicken.

The chocolate bag is one of a few too-cute-to-eat treats at Coach Coffee Shop. Coach Coffee Shop/Instagram

Docent Steak
After two years in the making, the newest restaurant from Harwood Hospitality Group is open in the Harwood No. 14 development as a steakhouse with a menu centered on HWD Beef, Harwood’s exclusive beef product. Prime cuts include filet mignon, NY strip, ribeye, bone-in strip, Chateaubriand, and porterhouse. Docent also serves Kobe beef, including A5 Wagyu available by the ounce, and a rotating Kobe flight featuring five cuts. Non-steak options include crab cake, Kobe potstickers, steak tartare sliders, tempura lobster, oysters, spicy tuna tartare, and a seafood tower. As befits a steakhouse, there's a grand wine list, but also a big selection of sake. The main dining room has a white-tablecloth fine-dining ambience, while a lower level has a casual atmosphere with TVs. There's lots of art, a Harwood trademark.

L's Dumplings
Chef-owned Asian spot just opened on the Lewisville/Carrollton border, where it's doing dumplings and Hong Kong-style dim sum. There's an expansive menu with dim sum-style dishes, dumplings, and even Chinese-American staples like General Tso's Chicken. While the restaurant does not have room for the cart service that often goes with dim sum, it does have a dim sum menu with a dozen dishes you'd find at a traditional dim sum brunch: beef tripe, black pepper short ribs, siu mai topped with roe, Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce, steamed pork ribs with garlic, sticky rice chicken, wontons, and chicken feet in black bean sauce. Dumplings are offered in more than a dozen varieties including soft steamed dumplings, pan-fried dumplings with a crispy bottom, and soup dumplings, famous for containing broth inside the wrapper, creating an especially juicy filling.

Momo2Go
Well-regarded dumpling chain from Canada has opened a location in the Preston Lebanon Crossing shopping center, taking over a space previously occupied by Lalo's Cocina Mexicana, which closed in July. Momo2Go specializes in momos — the dumpling that's a foundation of Himalayan cuisine — and is a spinoff of a family-owned restaurant called Himalayan Kitchen, which debuted in Toronto in 2012. Their momos were so popular that they launched Momo2Go in 2016. They now have 10 including one in Irving, which franchisees Karma Gurung and Tashi Chetan opened in 2023. Frisco is their second location.

Veggie dumplings are a favorite at L's Dumplings.Photo courtesy of L's Dumplings

Ono Hawaiian BBQ
Fast-casual Hawaiian plate-lunch chain from California just opened a location in McKinney, specializing in island-style plate lunches that combine some form of meat plus white rice and macaroni salad. Meats include BBQ chicken, Kalua pork, kalbi short ribs, fried chicken katsu, and Spam musubi, consisting of a block of rice topped with a slice of Spam and wrapped in seaweed. A slightly healthier option combines the meats with rice and a side salad. McKinney is the second location in Texas, following Plano which opened in July. If all goes according to their plan, they will soon be ubiquitous, with 10 locations plotted for DFW.

Open House
New restaurant concept being tested by KFC has opened its very first location in McKinney, with a goal to put a modern twist on Colonel Sanders' fried chicken concept. The location has tableside service, touchscreen kiosks, breakfast, boba drinks, and more. New and unique menu items including sides such as Southwest corn, fried green beans, spicy pickles, and rainbow slaw, as well as the first breakfast lineup featuring chicken tenders sandwiches, hashbrown sticks, mini cronuts, brewed coffee, and iced lattes. The McKinney restaurant will serve as a testing ground for KFC, giving them a chance to try new food, drinks, service, and design ideas before rolling them out across the country.

Red: Italian
Unusual new restaurant in Denton is a subterranean spot in the basement of Ruby Rodeo, a bar and live music venue on Denton Square, where it's serving Italian food and speakeasy charm. The 58-seat underground space — which includes 10 seats at the bar — serves Italian classics, priced from $25 to $40, such as spicy sausage lasagna with arrabbiata sauce, cacio e pepe bucatini, chicken piccata, shrimp diablo, and espresso-crusted filet mignon with Italian seasoning. Appetizers include fried mozzarella, stuffed mushrooms, grilled artichokes, bruschetta, meatballs, flatbreads, and a classic Caesar. The concept comes from Victor García and Mike Church, who also own Ruby Rodeo, as well as the similarly-red-named Scarlett Lounge in Deep Ellum.

Sophia's Cocina & Cantina
Mexican restaurant in Farmers Branch is the new home of Hugo Miranda, the well-respected hospitality figure who previously helmed Hugo's Invitados, a Mexican concept that he opened in 2018 with entrepreneur Mark Hulme. Highlights from the menu (which has not yet been uploaded to the restaurant's website nor their Facebook page) include oysters, pork belly chicharron, sopa de Cebolla, mixed grill, ribeye black Angus tomahawk sliced tableside, whole Pacific snapper, crudos, and upscale tacos such as blue crab with spinach; and salads such as red beet carpaccio with arugula, goat cheese, avocado, and pumpkin seeds.

Yo-Chi
Aussie fro-yo chain known for self-serve bowls, bountiful topping bars, and lively vibe has made its U.S. debut in Dallas near Inwood Village, at 5710 Lovers Ln. #101, to be followed by a second location at NorthPark Center. Yay us. Founded in Melbourne in 2012, Yo-Chi first expanded outside Australia in 2025 with a location in Singapore, followed by London. They tout their use of "fresh milk" in their yogurt, with flavors such as vanilla, salted butterscotch, tart, acai, coconut, matcha, and cinnamon banana. Plus 40-plus toppings arranged in a communal, self-serve station, including mini mochi, pistachio spread, cookie dough, sauces, brownies, fruit, and more. In its Down Under home turf, Yo-Chi locations are said to have a club ambience, with people going there on dates and bouncers at the door on weekends.

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