Roundup of Restaurant News

Buckle up for bazillions of new dishes in this Dallas restaurant news

Sanjh in Irving is one of many restaurants with new dishes.

Sanjh

This latest roundup of dining news in Dallas features a couple of openings, a closure, and a relocation. But the dominant theme is new menus. Nearly every every item in this roundup — taken from emails and various social media posts — is a new menu. Evvvveryone is doing new menus.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:

La Casita, the Richardson bakery coffee shop and bakery owned by Maricsa Trejo and Alex Henderson, has opened its long-awaited outlet at the Half Price Books flagship at 5803 E. Northwest Hwy., going into the old Black Forest Coffee space, where it's operating as a coffee shop-restaurant. They're doing sandwiches and savory items like avocado toast, mushroom toast, potato sandwich, turkey club, Cubano, Nashville hot chicken, chicken tiki masala, chicken parmesan, a burger, and an LCB burger. This marks their third location: They opened have a similar cafe in Rowlett, called La Casita Coffee, in January 2023.

First Watch is opening a second location in Prosper in September, at 4890 W. University Dr. Founded in California in 1983, First Watch is open for breakast, lunch, and brunch only, with seasonal dishes, a healthy juice bar, and a reputation for being fresh and light. (They don't have deep fat fryers or heat lamps.) This is the 21st location in DFW.

Mountain Mike’s Pizza will open a location in Melissa at 3031 Washington Dr. on September 4. The chain is known for their 20-inch "Mountain" size pizzas and their curly pepperoni. They'll host an opening event from 4-8 pm. This is the fourth DFW location for the growing chain, following Lewisville and two in Fort Worth.

HTeaO, the iced tea chain, has opened a new location in Flower Mound, at 3551 Morriss Rd., from franchisees Aaron and Alexandria Mattlage. The chain also has new fall seasonal treats which will debut on September 5 including dirty chai apple crisp, mocha butter pecan, and Texas pecan batch brew. They use Free Rein Coffee Company’s Homestead blend. Plus, there's a new food item, the Just Dessert carrot cake cupcake. Additionally, HTeaO has added Free Rein’s Texas Pecan Batch Brew in stores for a limited time. The drinks and cupcake will debut on September 5.

Bo Bo China, a Chinese restaurant in Lake Highlands, has reportedly closed its location at 10630 New Church Rd. The restaurant opened in 1977 as one of the first Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood. According to Lake Highlands Advocate, a flier on the door from the landlord cited "nonpayment of rent."

Pacheco Taco N Burger, which previously operated out of a gas station in Grand Prairie, has relocated to Four Corners Brewery, the craft beer brewer in the Cedars District at 1311 S. Ervay St., where they have a bigger kitchen for their menu of tacos and smash burgers.

The POT is a "baked potato bar" that started out at a Frisco farmers market in 2021, now with a storefront at South Dallas' Forest District at 1639 South Blvd. where they're open for long lunches and early dinner Tuesday-Saturday 11 am-6 pm. The menu centers on loaded baked potatoes topped with a variety of saucy entrees such as Buffalo chicken, lamb chops, and a vegetarian with spinach, bell pepper, onion, mushroom and parmesan cheese.

Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium has a new menu for the 2024 NFL season, available through September 15. Items include the pizza burger, buffalo chicken empanadas, flatbreads, and vegan Tostitos ultimate nachos. On the sweeter side, desserts include the churro waffle and the Fritos sundae. There is also merchandise including a Rowdy Souvenir Cup and Yeti 30 oz Tumbler.

Ice House at PGA Frisco has a new pitmaster and state-of-the-art equipment. Pitmaster Rick Adamo brings more than 30 years of experience and has worked in kitchens across North Texas. Adamo is supervising the installation and firing of the restaurant’s new smoker: The Southern Pride SPK 1400. The 7-foot tall, 6-foot wide smoker can hold up to 60 briskets or 180 chickens at a time.

Coupes, the champagne bar in Highland Park, has a new menu featuring potato & bacon croquettes, white bean dip, shrimp cocktail, salmon toast, quiche du jour, a burger, and baked oysters. New brunch items include brioche French toast, omelet with caviar, and crêpes. Coupes also offers the option to add caviar to any plate for $12 or ordered separately. Selections include Imperial Golden Ostera, Royal White Sturgeon and Wild Paddlefish.

Chído Tacos & Tequila is offering brunch at their Dallas location with $4 Mimosas and Bloody Marys. Main dishes include banana bacon pancakes, birria stacked enchiladas, the Machaca, which features braised beef, tomatoes, peppers and scrambled eggs served with rice, beans, and tortillas, and the breakfast crunchy wrap. Brunch is Saturday-Sunday from 10 am-4 pm.

Snooze A.M. Eatery has rolled out a new menu, happy hour, and reservations at its DFW locations. Menu additions include three new omelets, pumpkin pancakes, and a refresh in the lineup of their Signature Pancake Flight. A new all-day happy hour features $5 Bloody Mary and mimosas and $3 mocktails Monday-Friday. Also, now guests can make reservations to dine at Snooze seven days a week. Snooze has five Dallas locations in Dallas, Addison, Frisco, and Plano.

Cinnaholic, the gourmet cinnamon roll bakery, is offering fall desserts starting September 3 including cinnamon apple cobbler roll, pumpkin spice roll, and pumpkin bread. There’s also a mini dozen pumpkin patch baby buns — cinnamon rolls adorned with pumpkin spice frosting and topped with homemade pumpkin bread.

Sanjh Restaurant & Bar, the elevated Indian restaurant in Irving, has a new menu by Chef Balpreet Singh Chadha with tandoori Cornish hen, prawn mango curry, and Gulnaar Kofta (fried cylinders of paneer stuffed with pickled fig. New desserts include the paan cassata, a signature creation of Indian digestive, paan, with rose petal and betel leaf ice cream; and Gajar Halwa, a classic Indian carrot pudding made with ghee, nuts, and dried fruits.

Dairy Queen has a new DQ Texas Sauce combining the flavors of honey mustard and BBQ, resulting in a sweet and tangy combination with a smoky undertone. This marks the first branded sauce specifically for DQ restaurants in Texas, which will join the best cream gravy in the Lone Star state. It's available September 1 only in Texas.

Overeasy at The Statler is offering chicken & waffles with chicken tenders tossed in Overeasy's spicy honey butter sauce, served over a Belgian waffle for $12. There's also pumpkin spice latte, featuring a double shot of H.C. Valentine organic Mayan espresso, pumpkin spice syrup, and a choice of milk for $6.

Tacodeli is celebrating 25 years with the return of the daily specials menu. Specials include Monday: Carne Asada; Tuesday: chicken tinga; Wednesday: brisket el rey; Thursday: scallop; Friday: Steak Chimichurri; weekends: ceviche. There will also be $5 classic rocks and frozen margaritas and hand-mixed Ranch Water at all locations as part of its ongoing anniversary celebration.

Twin Peaks has new items include $15 quesabirria tacos, $13.49 backyard BBQ brisket flatbread, and $13 chicken tikka flatbread. There are also new wing sauces, including tikka (medium heat), which is a mix of Indian spices; and spicy chili crisp (medium/high heat), described as a balance of sweetness, spice, umami, and crunch. The chain just opened its first location in McKinney.

White Rhino Coffee has a new menu for fall which includes Chumpkin (Pumpkin Chai Latte), spiced Mexican mocha, and tamarind cider. Food items include millionaire’s bar, a chocolate ganache and tamarind bar; Mexican chocolate strudel; and pumpkin loaf.

Madam Paleta Tequila is now carried in select Total Wine & More locations in Dallas and Plano. The Blue Agave tequila comes in three flavors: tamarind, pineapple and grapefruit.

Dog Haus, the burger and hot dog chain, is kicking off its first Oktoberfest celebration starting September 3. Guests can enjoy exclusive menu items, including the limited-time Oktoberwürst bratwurst, Oktoberwürst burrito, and King’s Hawaiian pretzel bites. This two-month-long celebration also features special collaborations with classic German brands, Paulaner and Jägermeister.

Black Rock Coffee Bar has new fall drinks including pumpkin blondie, pumpkin Mexican mocha, and witch’s brew fuel, available through October 31.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill has new fall menu specials including Calabrian wings, cheese ravioli, meatball malfatti (with spinach and ricotta dumplings), 22-ounce pork chop, and caramel apple cheesecake. New drinks include espresso martini and cafe boom boom, a cappuccino coffee, Kahlua, Baily's Irish Cream, Grand Marnier served with a biscotti.

Krak Boba in Addison has new beverages including Cocoberry smoothie with strawberry and coconut; the Cosmos Serenade with strawberry lemonade and butterfly tea; CocoThai Butterfly with Thai and butterfly teas and coconut cream; yogurt smoothie with peach, strawberry, mango, or lychee; and Matcha Prince, a creamy matcha drink swirled in coconut juice with mini boba.

GongCha has three new pumpkin pie drinks: iced pumpkin pie milk tea with milk foam & boba, hot pumpkin pie milk tea with milk foam, and pumpkin pie slush with milk foam, all priced from $5 to $7, and available September 9-October 31.

JINYA Ramen Bar which has locations in Victory Park, Preston Hollow, and Carrollton, has new specials from chef Kazuya Takebe including tangy shrimp cilantro ramen and chicken wings with a sweet soy glaze, available through the end of December.

Razzoo's Cajun Cafe has launched 10 new dishes, including blackened salmon New Orleans, grilled mahi with voodoo shrimp, mahi mango tango, and a fried flounder sandwich ranging from $15-$22. Drinks feature the big peach energy and Mardi Gras daiquiri. They're available until September 10.

Rita's shaved ice chain has new items for fall: pumpkin cold brew frozen coffee and pumpkin pie concrete. The fall items are available at all Rita’s locations through September 29.

Torchy's Tacos has added two tacos: The Hogfather with green chile pork carnitas, and the Fo Sho, a vegan option with avocado, refried pinto beans, Mexican rice, grilled onions, and peppers.

Whataburger has a new spin on "wings": Nashville Hot WhataWings featuring the WhataWings tenders they debuted in January, drenched in cayenne and paprika.They'll be available for a limited time starting September 3, while supplies last.

Favor Delivery customers can now shop at H-E-B through an H-E-B Now app. Shoppers can get up to 15 items delivered in 45 minutes or less.

news-you-can-eat lists

Food trends

Dallas-Fort Worth pitmasters lead Texas’ growing halal BBQ boom

Levant BBQ

undefined

FORT WORTH, Texas (RNS) — At 9 am on a scorching Saturday in June, nearly 100 people were already lined up outside Goldee’s BBQ, a small, wooden-shack restaurant.

First in line was 30-year-old Thanh Huynh, who had been sitting in a lawn chair on the joint’s rustic porch since 6:30 am.

“I have, like, a whole list, and I’m going to spend lots of money here. It’ll be worth it,” he said, laughing while rattling off a long order of meats and sides from his phone’s Notes app as a sweet, smoky scent from nearby pits hung in the air.

Opened in 2020 by a group of his friends, the restaurant was named the No. 1 barbecue spot in the state by Texas Monthly a year later, and then won a Bib Gourmand award from the prestigious Michelin Guide, given for “great food at a great value.”

The restaurant serves classic Texas barbecue like craft pork belly, sausage, and ribs. But it also offers halal brisket, turkey, and lamb.

"Halal" means meat raised and butchered in accordance with Islamic guidelines. It refers to the method in which the animals are slaughtered, one that focuses on humane treatment, cleanliness, and acknowledging the value of life — similar in concept to kosher food in Judaism.

A growing number of halal places have opened around Fort Worth in recent years, and there are also non-halal restaurants that use halal beef, such as burger institution Kincaid's, the new Burger Vault in Keller, and the forthcoming Tick Tock Taco in Colleyville.

Growing Texas trend
At a time when Republican leaders are increasingly targeting the state’s growing Muslim communities, halal barbecue joints like Goldee’s are thriving in Texas. Across the state, Muslim pitmasters are gaining recognition for putting their own spin on one of Texas’ most iconic culinary traditions.

Goldee's Barbecue is an acclaimed BBQ joint in Fort Worth. Goldee's Barbecue/ Facebook

At least a dozen barbecue spots now serve halal meats, including Yearby’s Barbecue & Waterice, run by Black Muslim couple CJ and Sabrina Henley, soon-to-be in Plano; and Levant Mediterranean BBQ, a restaurant with locations in Houston and Frisco and whose all-beef menu includes a brisket shawarma sandwich.

“Now there are so many options, and for us to have highly rated barbecue, it’s a blessing,” said Haris Ghaffar, who drove an hour from Celina and stood in 90-degree weather for nearly two hours with a friend for the halal options at Goldee’s.

Growing up in the 1990s, Ghaffar said a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich was one of the few halal meals he could eat while dining out. Back then, halal food was seen as serving a small community. Today, it’s a multibillion-dollar industry that’s part of the American culinary mainstream, said James Beard Award‑winning food writer Farhan Mustafa, who wrote about the rise of American halal barbecue for Bon Appétit magazine in 2025.

“Halal food is American food,” said Mustafa, who is based in Seattle. “It belongs on your plate. It belongs in the casual chat. It belongs in hip hop tracks. It’s the most American thing there is.”

Mustafa said Muslims are part of a growing list of communities putting their stamp on Texas barbecue. “Whether they’re first, second or third-generation Muslims or Muslim Americans or just Americans, they’re bringing what they know and what excites them,” he said.

More than salt and pepper
Texas barbecue is typically defined by salt-and-pepper brisket and pork ribs, but this new crop of halal pitmasters are adding inventive twists, often based on their own family heritages.

Zain Shafi, a pitmaster and co-owner of Goldee’s, previously ran Sabar Barbecue, a food truck that offered Pakistani-infused halal dishes, such as brisket with rub that included spices like bay leaf and coriander.

Sabar was nominated for Best BBQ in CultureMap's 2025 Tastemaker Awards, and made the list of Texas Monthly's Top 50 Barbecue Restaurants of 2025. The restaurant was also featured in a recently published BBQ book Texas BBQ: The Art of Low and Slow. He closed Sabar in December 2025 after two years.

Sabar BBQ Sabar Barbecue offered a Pakistani twist on BBQ. Sabar Barbecue

Shafi brought tandoori smoked turkey to Goldee’s menu. And sourcing halal cuts, he said, was a natural choice because they are “the highest quality” meats.

Goldee’s chef and part owner Nupohn Inthanousay also blends his Laotian heritage, serving a smoked Lao “sai oua” sausage with sticky rice and a fiery, tangy dipping sauce.

At Kafi BBQ in Irving, owner Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi brings halal Wagyu beef and Iraqi spices to classic Texas barbecue, challenging what he said is the “traditional old guard of Texas barbecue.”

“My goal at Kafi BBQ is to make the best barbecue in Texas,” Abdul-Kafi said. “I have not been shy about that at all, and making the best barbecue in Texas does not necessarily have to include pork.”

A former Silicon Valley tech worker, he moved to Texas six years ago in search of a Muslim community. On weekends in his backyard, he smoked brisket for friends. By 2024, he bought a smoker and opened Kafi BBQ.

He said he spent months testing and perfecting recipes and finding local producers. Abdul-Kafi attributes his obsession with crafting a stand-out menu to the Islamic concept of “Ihsan”— an Arabic term meaning doing something with excellence for the sake of God.

On a Sunday afternoon this summer, the restaurant’s red booths were packed with diners, drawn to menu items like the 13-spice Wagyu brisket, pomegranate-glazed beef belly burnt ends and Iraqi-inspired spicy beef sausage.

“That sausage, I’d probably put it at the top sausage I’ve ever had, and we eat barbecue a lot. This place is unique,” said Jonathan Tate, a Fort Worth resident who came to Kafi BBQ with a friend after reading about it on a Facebook foodie group.

“I don’t necessarily have to have it halal, but it’s nice to know they took good care of the food, the meat,” his friend Jon Sklar said, before going back in line to order oxtail.

Meat at Kafi BBQ in Irving. Kafi BBQ

'We love barbecue'
Although political rhetoric against Muslims in Texas has become increasingly hostile — some GOP lawmakers even discussed a ban on halal food at a conference this month — pitmasters like Abdul-Kafi see the rise of halal barbecue as an effective counterargument.

“It’s an example of exactly the opposite of what the Islamophobes talk about, right?” he said. “They say, ‘oh, Muslims don’t integrate, they stay alone, they don’t help society and all this stuff.’ And it’s like, I’m sitting here contributing to the most well-known cuisine of Texas.”

One of the diners at Kafi BBQ, Houston native Muhammad Sohail, 23, said the restaurant reflects who he is — a proud Texan and Muslim. “This place is super important because I can see halal within the culture of Texas, which is my culture at this point,” Sohail said. “We love the food. We love meat. We’re Muslims and we love barbecue.”

After finishing a big lunch with 10 relatives, Areeba Ali, a Dallas native of Indian heritage, said the restaurant’s appeal cuts across communities, which she said is evidence that halal barbecue isn’t a niche but resonates broadly with Texans. “If you look around in the restaurant, you see everybody in there — it’s not just one demographic in there,” Ali said.

For Mustafa, that success is ultimately a testament to the resilience of Muslim American communities.

“No matter how much they try to erase us, our food is here to stay,” he said. “You will see the power of just good food and the fact that most people really seem to understand that this is just as American as anything else.”

---

This story was written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. It also includes information from the CultureMap archives.

halal halal barbecue muslim communities pitmasters religion texas texas barbecue trends culinary traditions goldee's barbecue