This week in gluttony

Festivals dominate 6 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Pizzas galore at Eataly's second annual Pizza Fest.

Photo courtesy of Eataly Dallas

Festival season is here, and there are three on the list just this week. Venture out for all-you-can-eat pizza from more than 30 pizzerias, a pie fest with bakers from across the state, and a wonderland of global-inspired goodies in a fair-like setting featuring more than 200 vendors. Start the week with seafood during a grand opening for a good cause. (For a long list of must-attend spring festivals, check out this story.)

Tuesday, April 14

Flying Fish Grand Opening Benefiting Heritage Farmstead Museum
The casual seafood joint will open a new location in Plano at 4032 Preston Rd. with a special deal for a good cause. The $30 ticket covers dinner, with choices ranging from grilled redfish, catfish, or flounder with red beans and rice and grilled vegetables; to fried seafood baskets, tacos, “poor” boy sandwiches with fries and hushpuppies, seafood salad, and burgers. Beverages are included, and 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit Plano’s Heritage Farmstead Museum. Available from 5-7 pm. Tickets should be purchased in advance.

Thursday, April 16

Dallas Art Fair Dinner Service at Mirador
For two nights only coinciding with the Dallas Art Fair, Mirador will open for a limited-time dinner experience, on Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17. The chic café located atop Forty Five Ten (which just opened a spinoff in Fort Worth) will offer dinner specials including chef’s featured caviar pasta ($42), roasted salmon with trout roe and Swiss chard ($48), and 72-hour Wagyu with miso black garlic bordelaise ($45). Seating times are available from 6-9:30 pm.

Friday, April 17

FoodieLand Dallas
Touted as the nation's largest food festival with more than 200 vendors, FoodieLand will make a stop in Dallas at Fair Park Friday through Sunday. Vendors specialize in global flavors, with lots of fair food, too. Guests can also expect artisan shops, games, and live music. Entry is $12.99 (children five and under get in free) and the event hours are 3-10 pm on Friday and 1-10 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, April 18

Texas Pie Fest
The eighth annual celebration of pie – which takes place at Tate Farms in Rockwall – will feature pie bakers from all over the state along with food trucks, artisan vendors, a pie-baking contest, pie-eating contest, pie fight, and more. Tickets are $15 and children 7 and under get in free. The event will run from 10 am-3 pm.

Tacos & Takedowns Festival at Legacy Hall
Pair tacos and tequila with high-flying Lucha Libre wrestling at Plano’s Legacy Hall. Guests can peruse more than a dozen taco vendors (with tacos starting at $3) and partake in complimentary tequila tastings beginning at noon. Match times are 3 pm, 5 pm, and 6:30 pm, with live music sets in between. Open seating tickets around the ring are $15, plus tax and a service fee, and VIP balcony seating starts at $40.

Sunday, April 19

Pizza Fest 2026 at Eataly Dallas
Dallas’ largest all-you-can-eat pizza festival happens at Eataly at NorthPark Center. There’ll be more than 30 Dallas-area pizzerias in attendance slinging their best pies for sampling, including Zoli’s, Farina in Grani, Fortunate Son, and more. The event will also feature live pizza-making demos by viral digital creator Dave Hale of Dave’s Pizza Oven. The $75 ticket includes pizzas galore plus Italian wines, local beers, live music, chef demos, hands-on pizza-making, and more. Or go VIP for $125 and get access to cocktail bars, a lounge, and desserts by Eataly. General admission entry is either 11:30 am-2:30 pm or 4-7 pm. VIP tickets allow for entry 30 minutes early. A portion of proceeds will be donated to Bonton Farms.

pizza tacos festivals food events

Chocolate News

Dallas' nationally renowned Kate Weiser Chocolate to close its doors

Photo courtesy of Kate Weiser

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Dallas' top chocolatier is closing: Kate Weiser Chocolate, nationally known for its impeccably crafted and breathtakingly beautiful fine chocolates, is closing its doors for good.

According to a note from founder Kate Weiser, she and her financial partners have decided to close, "after 12 years of creating beautiful chocolates and making holiday memories."

Weiser stated that "our business is highly seasonal, labor-intensive, and over the last few years has required a heavy financial lift to keep operating."

They'll keep their locations at Trinity Groves and NorthPark Center open until they sell out of chocolate. Online ordering will be available until Wednesday, April 15.

Weiser, who began her culinary career as a pastry chef after attending the California Culinary Academy, founded her eponymous chocolate company in 2014 as part of the "incubator" program hosted by Trinity Groves, where she earned instant renown for her distinctive hand-painted, colorful bonbons — part of her vision to create edible art.

Kate Weiser Chocolates Carl Snowman Carl the Snowman will be available during Christmas 2026. Photo courtesy of Kate Weiser Chocolate

She drew national fame after creating the popular "Carl the Snowman" hot chocolate kit, consisting of a hand-painted chocolate snowman, filled with marshmallows, that melts into a rich and creamy hot cocoa when submerged in warm milk. The product, which has been widely copied, earned her a spot on the annual "Oprah's Favorite Things" list in 2025 — her second time on the coveted list, following her initial appearance in 2018.

She expanded her brand to NorthPark Center in 2016 and the Shops at Clearfork in 2018, and partnered with Neiman Marcus. She was named Top 10 Chocolatiers in North America by Dessert Professional Magazine in 2014.

"While this is not the outcome I had hoped for, I am deeply proud of what we created and incredibly grateful for the lessons, relationships, and experiences that came with it," Weiser said. "I'm looking forward to applying those lessons to the next chapter and building something memorable again in the future."

She said her immediate focus was on securing jobs for her team. She's also arranged production for "Carl the Snowman" to have one final Christmas season with Central Market for the 2026 holiday.

"This company has been so much more than chocolate," she said. "It’s been a community, a creative home and a place to find gifts for the people you love. We are endlessly grateful for every visit, every gift shared, every holiday tradition and every moment you chose to include us in your lives. You all mean the world to me and I will take these memories with me forever."

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