Pubs galore

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 hot restaurants for November

Grain restaurant at the Park Cities Hilton is embracing the sliders trend aswell as bamboo toothpicks.

Grain/Facebook
Henry's Tavern has a pretty convincing wall of taps.

Courtesy photo
Matt McCallister's FT33 is on the short list for what's hot in November.

Photo courtesy of FT33
Goghee has new digs with a sit-down option at LBJ and Inwood.

Photo courtesy of Goghee

You have the attention span of a flea. You've done the bone marrow at Boulevardier and you're bored with lobster rolls. Restless, hungry, you need to know what's next. We bring you the 10 hot restaurants in Dallas right now.

Stampede 66
Latest entry from celebu-chef Stephan Pyles is Texana all the way, from the longhorns over the bar to the grits on the menu. Decor is stunning, and the menu has plenty of talkers, including a "Freeto pie," served in a custom-designed can, in which even the corn chips are house-made.

FT33
Have you heard of this little old place in the Design District? Starring chef Matt McCallister? With soon-to-be-famous pastry chef Josh Valentine and sommelier Ryan Tedder? They are doing very carefully constructed plate presentations and desserts made with liquid nitrogen. Everybody's going there.

Seasons 52
If you like to count calories — and who doesn't — NorthPark has its own branch of Seasons 52, the Darden concept where every dish on the menu is under 475 calories and you'd never even know it. There is a huge commitment to wine, with a corporate sommelier and a big-big list of wines by the glass. This is the second in the area; the first opened in Plano in 2010.

Henry's Tavern
For its second branch, this bar and grill from Portland, Oregon, could have chosen any city in any state in the world, and it chose Plano, Texas — specifically the Shops at Legacy. It's a massive space, with safe fare like burgers and fish and chips, plus a nod to the craft beer trend, with 100 taps that include seasonal brews.

British Beverage Co.
Hey, it's another place with fish and chips. Located by the Quadrangle, the "BBC" has a pronounced British theme with mussels, Scotch eggs (hard-boiled quail egg and sausage rolled in bread crumbs and fried) and shepherd's pie. The booze lineup is promising, with 45 wines and champagnes available by the glass and 50 beers on tap.

Cook Hall
New restaurant-bar taking over the old Craft space in W Dallas Victory Hotel just opened with a gastropub theme: more casual food such as meatballs, tacos and sandwiches. But do they have fish and chips? Led by 2011 James Beard Foundation Award winner Belinda Chang, the bar program is significant, with daily cocktail specials and vintage beer taps.

Goghee
This Korean BBQ mom-and-pop reopened last month at Inwood Road and LBJ Freeway, in a new permanent space with actual sit-down seating. Time for thee to go get your tacos and "Gimchee" fries — covered with crazy fermented pickled cabbage.

Grain
Renovated restaurant at the Hilton Dallas Park Cities has "cowboy-chic decor" — tooled leather, antlers, roping details, leather strapping and hides — plus steaks and Gulf seafood on the menu. Sounds like a good opportunity to compare and contrast to Stampede 66.

Nick & Sam's Grill
This Nick & Sam's Grill is the second of its kind, another spin-off of Nick & Sam's, following the one in Uptown. This would ordinarily not merit special attention if it were not for the fact that the first Nick & Sam's Grill remains wildly popular. So if you don't like noise and crowds, you're not likely to find them in this space, which used to be the old Ristorante Nicola. Also, it's near Preston Center, which is emerging as the new center of the Dallas restaurant universe.

Ellen's Southern Kitchen
New restaurant in the West End is open all day and night, has a full bar, and serves breakfast all the time. It just opened, and things are still a little rough around the edges. But the super-nice staff tries hard, and West End needs a place like this.

---

Want more stories like these? Click the Where To Eat banner at the top to see the rest of the series.

unspecified

Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 eclectic restaurants for September

Photo courtesy of Elephante

undefined

The September edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap's monthly column recommending new or intriguing restaurants to try, boasts a motley assortment of places — ranging from a modest healthy-ish spot in McKinney to a flashy newcomer from out of town. Somewhere in between, there's authentic Indian; ramen and sushi in the suburbs; and street food from both Cuba and South Asia.

Here's 10 very varied restaurants to try in September 2026.

Bluebonnet & Thyme
Southern bistro and bar now open in Dallas' Victory Park is from chef Kendall Williams, who won a Most Creative prize at the 2025 State Fair of Texas for her Wagyu Bacon Cheeseburger Deviled Egg Sliders. Those aren't on the menu, but you can find deviled eggs, a Wagyu burger, and salmon croquette sliders — alongside dishes like Cornish hen, catfish and lasagna, steak and fries, birria empanadas, and country-fried steak, priced from $26-$52. There's a full bar with margaritas, martinis, and a tequila drink with pineapple and chili syrup. They're celebrating their grand opening this weekend with an event on September 10.

Cafe Zupas
Healthy-ish restaurant chain founded in Utah made its Texas debut in the spring in the McKinney Ranch Center Plaza, where it's winning over McKinney residents with its practical menu of quick eats. They do protein bowls, soups, salads, and sandwiches, such as chicken pesto sandwich, chicken club, potato and green chile soup, tomato basil soup, mangoberry salad, and strawberry harvest salad. Their signature is a free chocolate-dipped strawberry.

Elephanté
Italian restaurant from California is now open at the 23Springs development on Maple Avenue, where it's serving Southern Italian-inspired food and aperitivo-style drinks in an ultrachic two-story space. The menu includes pasta, wood-fired pizza, and dishes to share. Pastas are especially fetching, such as fusilli in arugula pesto with pistachio and Parmigiano; or cavatelli with Italian sausage, pecorino, and broccolini. They're open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, when they serve unique-to-Dallas items like "green eggs" — scrambled eggs with zucchini and avocado. Wines by the glass are noteworthy, including three sparkling options. Dallas is the third location, following Santa Monica and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Filli Cafe
Tea house from Dubai just opened in Carrollton with all kinds of chai teas, espresso drinks, and South Asian street food. They take familiar dishes like breakfast and burgers and give it a creative South Asian fusion. For example, Shawarma Jalapeño Melt with chicken, jalapeños, and cheese. Or Aloo Tikki Sliders, featuring fried potato patties on Hawaiian buns. Or pizza topped with Indian butter chicken. The menu is entirely halal, meaning that all ingredients are processed according to Islamic guidelines. Filli has 70-plus cafes across 14 countries with nine in the U.S., including Chicago, New York, Virginia, Ohio — and now Dallas.

Flaming Bites
Fast-casual restaurant similar to the Halal Guys chain recently opened in Carrollton, with a menu of wraps, gyros, and platters featuring rice or french fries topped with choice of chicken, lamb, beef, falafel, and fish. Like the Halal Guys, this place is also all halal. For American-food holdouts, there are smashburgers, Philly cheesesteaks, chicken cheesesteaks, sliders, chicken tenders, nuggets, and wings.

Frita Baditos Frita, a Cuban-style burger. Photo by Noah Fecks

Frito Batidos
Chef-founded burger spot from Michigan is now open on McKinney Avenue with Cuban street food, including burgers (fritas) and milkshakes (batidos). The concept was launched in college town Ann Arbor by chef Eve Aronoff Fernandez in 2010 and has since expanded to Detroit and Brooklyn (where the burger earned a nod in the NY Times). A frita is a burger made from spicy chorizo, served with shoestring fries on a soft bun. Batidos are tropical milkshakes with fruit, crushed ice, and sweetened milk. The menu also has"loaded" fried plantains with black beans and cheese; coconut-ginger rice with black beans and Muenster cheese; churros; paletas; and cocktails such as margaritas, mojitos, and piña coladas.

Joey
Upscale Canadian chain just opened in Uptown Dallas on Maple Ave with a global menu: fire-torched sushi, steak, bowls, tacos, and burgers. Signatures include sirloin steak with "crispy" mashed potatoes, seared salmon sushi, and sea bass.There are also dumplings, Korean fried cauliflower, fajitas, lobster spaghetti, hibachi wings, tofu bowl, and steak frites. Fun cocktails include margaritas, spritzes, and slush drinks such as frozen spiked coffee with Jameson Irish whiskey. Here's something fresh: They have "low-alcohol cocktails" with half the usual dose. This is the second Joey in Dallas; the first opened at NorthPark Center in 2024.

Koishi House Ramen & Sushi Bar
Ramen comes to Fate, Texas via this suburban-focused chain from restaurateur Jason Chi, following Prosper, which opened as Koishi Ramen & Sushi Bar in May. Located on I-30, the Fate spinoff has an extensive menu with sashimi; 50 sushi rolls; and 10 ramen options including classic tonkotsu, spicy beef, katsu chicken, and veggie ramen. There are noodles, teriyaki-style entrees, dumplings, tempura, and bento boxes for lunch for $14-$15. A full bar features many whiskeys plus cocktails, affordably priced at $10-$11. The space is nicely appointed as well, with Asian lanterns and dark woods.

Lamberti's Ristorante and Wine Bar
This Italian restaurant in Las Colinas is the second location of a beloved local favorite. The first Lamberti's, at 7701 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving, has an interesting history: It started out as I Fratelli’s Ristorante and Wine Bar — the only restaurant venue in the I Fratelli's pizzeria chain. In 2017, the owners of I Fratelli sold the location to then-manager David Lamberti, who changed the name to Lamberti’s and built a loyal following with great food, atmosphere, and doting staff. This spinoff at Water Street has the same menu of pizza, pasta, and wine, but with delightful views of the Lake Carolyn waterfront. They also do crowd-pleasing lunch specials such as pot roast on Monday, spaghetti and meatballs on Tuesday, and chicken parm on Wednesdays.

Ulavacharu
Indian restaurant in Frisco from brothers Vinay Kumar Narahari and Vijay Narahari is an exciting destination for authentic Andhra cuisine, from the Indian state of Andra Pradesh, known for its bold South Indian flavors. Their menu features biryani — a popular and comforting dish combining fragrant rice with meat or vegetables and exotic spices — but they offer versions from a number of regions including Vijayawada, Guntur, Gongura, and Charminar. Other menu categories include Indo-Chinese spicy fried rice, tandoori oven cooked favorites like chicken tikka, curries, vegetarian specialties such as eggplant stuffed with coconut and peanuts, and fresh breads made on-site including naan and roti.

bests lists openings where to eat