Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 new restaurant openings for April

Spring has brought many new restaurants to Dallas, and that's good news for the April edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap Dallas' monthly column highlighting restaurant picks. This list includes not only fresh faces but also established restaurants in a new home — in cuisines such as Mexican, Indian fusion, and fried chicken chain from South Korea.

Here's where to eat in Dallas now:

BarraCruda
Tex-mex restaurant in Little Elm is serving something rarely found around DFW: Mexican and Indian fusion cuisine. The restaurant started out as a Mexican place and still has Mexican-only dishes. But current owner Pavan Paladugu expanded the menu with Indian flavors in dishes such as butter masala chicken enchiladas and curry chicken tacos.

Belén de la Cruz
Empanada restaurant recently opened across Inwood Village where it's doing empanadas with savory fillings ranging from beef, chicken, bacon, and ham & cheese to vegetarian fillings like caprese, spinach, corn, and butternut squash. All empanadas are $4 each, and they're as pretty as they are tasty, with a pale golden crust and the filling names heat-branded on top. There are also desserts including dulce de leche alfajores, brownies, dulce de leche, tres leches cake, and lemon mousse.

Del Mar Seafood and Oyster Bar
Family-owned seafood restaurant relocated from Garland to east Dallas where it's doing seafood in many styles: from Louisiana Cajun plates to Sinaloa-style shrimp and ceviche. Choose from garlic shrimp, fried catfish, or Cajun-style boiled seafood platter with shrimp, crab, sausage, corn, and potatoes. They're also doing traditional Mexican dishes such as enchiladas, menudo, tacos de birria, and barbacoa.

DH Noodles Plano
Small noodle chain from New York has opened its first location in Texas in Plano at the Park Pavilion Center. DH incorporates flavors and ingredients from northwestern China and Arabian countries in dishes such as braised beef with potatoes, spiced with Middle eastern flavors. Their signature is hand-pulled Lanzhou wheat noodles, served in a noodle soup in beef broth.

Easy Slider
Slider concept closed in Deep Ellum in 2023 has made a grand return with a new location in East Dallas, where they're serving signature sliders like the Sweet & Lowdown with angus beef, bacon, goat cheese, strawberry jam, as well as unique new dishes such as a chicken tenders basket and a regular side smash burger. They also have three food trucks that make weekly appearances at venues such as Truck Yard.

G’s Cheesesteaks
Small cheesesteak restaurant chain from New York made its Dallas debut, taking the former Sal's Pizza space in early March. They have 11 cheesesteak options including the trendy Mike’s Hot Honey steak with pepperoni, sliced steak, bacon, and cheese wiz; and a veggie with fried onions, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, marinara sauce, and cheese. The menu also features non-cheesesteak bites such as smash burgers, chicken wings, loaded fries, and milkshakes.

The Hampton Social
Buzzy beachy restaurant from Chicago-based hospitality group recently opened in downtown Dallas in the former home of Iron Cactus. Famous for its "Rosé All Day" motif, the restaurant is meant to feel like a vacation at the Hamptons, with a coastal-inspired design and seafood on the menu such as crab and shrimp bruschetta. There's also a big weekend brunch with fried chicken on French toast, frosé and a wine list with choice of 20 rosés.

Nirvana Lounge
Indo-Chinese lounge which recently opened at Toyota Music Factory in Las Colinas is from the owners of Indian restaurant Sanjh in Irving. Nirvana is a more casual, more clubby concept with Indian street food like wraps, noodles, and salt & pepper shrimp. There are Indian-spiced cocktails as well as DJ nights, bottle service, and moody neon lighting.

Party of Five
Brunch and lunch spot now open in Bishop Arts is a mom-and-pop from Corey and Shannon Turner, who were previously doing BBQ but wanted to showcase family recipes in a brick-and-mortar space. They offer fried catfish with fries, wings, quesadillas stuffed with brisket & cheese, and sliders. On Sunday, they have jazz brunch with bites like brisket breakfast tacos and a live saxophonist.

Puradak
Fried chicken wing chain from South Korea has opened only its second US location in Carrollton. They use a unique oven-fried method that results in a juicy, crispy chicken. The menu features fried chicken wings, boneless bites, and a whole chicken. As with many chicken places, Puradak has various sauces, but they're more exotic than usual, such as a sweet Korean sauce topped with crushed peanuts. They also have chicken sandwiches, fried rice, and fried mochi-like cheese balls.