Spooky Food News

Halloween specials surge on Dallas restaurant menus in 2024

Halloween cake from SusieCakes

SusieCakes

It's been a while since Halloween was just about candy, but the holiday has seriously surged in 2024, and you can see it at Dallas restaurants. More and more are offering Halloween-themed foods and events: From colorful cupcakes to cocktail specials to restaurants hosting costume parties and special themed dinners.

Halloween is not just for kids anymore. Here's where to find all the bewitching eats and drinks:

Food specials

Barrel & Bones is hosting a Haunted Spirits whiskey dinner and costume experience, featuring Natterjack Whiskey and a spooky four-course menu October 29 from 7-9 pm. For $70, customers can expect lobster and crab “Ripped Out Eyeballs”, voodoo pumpkin salad, and corpse bride feast, and Natterjack toad cake. They’ll keep the party going with an after-party presented by Socorro Tequila and Still Austin Spirits on Oct. 30 from 10 pm-1 am with drink specials and a live DJ. Attendees are encouraged to dress in their Halloween best for a chance to win the costume competition. The special is exclusive to The Colony location.

Bread Winners Café & Bakery is offering Halloween-themed cookies (12 for $48), $5 cupcakes, and $3 cake pops. Orders are available online or for pickup at three locations: NorthPark Center, Plano, and Uptown Dallas through October 31.

Cinnaholic, the cinnamon bun destination, has a new Cemetery Box featuring four rolls with chocolate frosting, topped with pretzels, oreos, sprinkles, and ghostly tombstone toppers for $24, available through October 31. Addison, Arlington, Frisco, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Richardson, Las Colinas, Mesquite, and McKinney.

Dive Coastal Cuisine in Snider Plaza has crafted some Halloween-themed charcuterie boards in small or large sizes from $95-$145, featuring a variety of artisan cheeses, meats, dried and fresh fruit plus a few sweet treats all with a Halloween twist. Orders can be made online at least 24 hours in advance.

El Chingon, the Fort Worth Mexican restaurant, has spooky offers ranging from a burrito eating contest to specialty cocktails. The "boo-rito" eating contest on October 27 features an attempt to eat a five-pound ghost pepper burrito within 30 minutes, with the first three people to finish winning prizes including the ultimate VIP experience, a $100 gift card, and a $50 gift card. Entry is free. On October 31, there will be a costume contest with a $500 cash prize. Select cocktails are $12 through November 2, including the vampire’s blood, with vodka, blueberry cordial, lime juice, and Sprite; and candy corn, a combination of coconut rum, peach, orange juice, and grenadine.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice has new Halloween-inspired gelati favorites: Smashing Pumpkin with pumpkin pie ice, vanilla ice cream; Monster Mash with cookies & cream Ice, blue razz Ice, and vanilla ice cream; and Franken Frog with Mint ice and chocolate Ice Cream. All come with Trick or Treat candy mix.

Kate Weiser Chocolate, the Dallas chocolatier, has two new Halloween treats. Four-piece Cosmic Collection features two alien bonbons with dark chocolate shells and a white chocolate blueberry ganache filling, and two ghost bonbons with an apple caramel filling in a white chocolate shell for $15. Chocolate skulls include two white chocolate Oreo Duja skulls, two milk chocolate almond praline skulls with mixed nuts and dried cherries, and two dark chocolate peanut butter praline skulls with Halloween candy for $28.

La Rue Doughnuts, the gourmet doughnut shop at Trinity Groves, is doing two limited-time fall flavors during Octobere: a gluten-free pumpkin cake-style doughnut dusted in powdered sugar; and a "cookies & scream" brioche doughnut filled with white chocolate pastry cream topped with cookie crumbs and an oreo-style sandwich cookie shaped like a ghost. In addition to their usual specialty coffee drinks and drip coffe, they are also featuring a Monster Matcha.

Mr. Gatti's Pizza welcomes back Jack and Frank, two Halloween pizzas, so identified by their shape: Jack, a jack-o-lantern-shaped pizza, and “Frank,” a Frankenstein-shaped pizza. The pizzas are take-and-bake — wrapped on a tray with cooking instructions — and cost $10 each.

Nothing Bundt Cakes offers two special flavors, both starting at $6.25: chocolate toffee crunch, a chocolate chocolate chip cake drizzled with Hershey's caramel, filled with Heath English toffee, and topped with Heath pieces, available through October 20; and Oreo dirt cake with chocolate chocolate-chip cake, Oreo cookie pieces, chocolate pudding filling, and topped with fruity gummy worms, available October 28-November 10.

Southfork Ranch will host a murder mystery dinner on October 31. Attendees will have to unmask the killer behind the mayhem at a masquerade ball. The three-course meal includes salad; Angus steak kebobs with Lyonnaise potatoes and roasted root vegetables, or ginger habanero chicken with pineapple-mango chutney, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans; and choice of peach pie or chocolate lava cake. Attendees must be 21 or older, and are encouraged to wear evening wear and Venetian masks. Tickets are $125.

Sugar & Sage, the Park Cities bakery, is offering mummy and Frankenstein cupcakes and Monster Krispies, ranging from $30 for six cupcakes to $60 for a dozen. Orders can be placed online or in-person at the bakery. Available through October 31.

SusieCakes is serving several spooky treats including ghost and pumpkin sugar cookies, cake decorations — like the Black SusieKitty, spiderweb vintage, and Halloween cookie decorating kits — available through October 31. Prices start at $24 for a box of four Halloween sugar cookies. Boo cupcake box, Halloween cupcakes, and mini cupcakes start at $33 for a mini dozen cupcakes and will be available from October 16-31.

Rita's shaved ice chain has two new items: pumpkin toffee crunch and Dracula’s Delight. There's also a new almond toffee crunch topping. Available at all locations through November 3.

Tous les Jours, the French Asian bakery, is launching "Spooky Delights," a collection of Halloween cakes and pastries. The treats include a Spooky Delight cake with green, orange, and purple layers and cloud cream cheese; peanut butter and jelly cake; and Halloween Cloud cake, an airy, white sheet cake layered with cloud cream, topped with mixed berries and Halloween-themed strawberries. Cakes range from $9-$40 and will be available October 17-31. Tous les Jours has locations in Carrollton and Plano.

Velvet Taco's Weekly Taco Feature (WTF) will include a Halloween taco available from October 30-November 5. The Haunted Harvest WTF includes honey chile butter crispy tenders, roasted butternut squash, apple slaw and cinnamon goat cheese, candied pepitas, all wrapped in a pumpkin spice waffle tortilla for $5.50. Available at all Velvet Taco Dallas locations.

Chipotle Mexican Grill has brought back the Boorito, a Halloween tradition in which Chipotle Rewards members who show up in costume in can get a discounted entree for $6. It's a one-day special, on October 31, available from 3 pm to close.

Halloween cocktail Witches Brew cocktail at Tande ThaiTande Thai

Cocktail and drink specials

Quarter Bar, the McKinney Avenue bar, is hosting a costume contest, DJs, and festive, on-theme cocktails October 21-31. Costume contest is Saturday, October 26, at 10 pm. Cocktails include $13 Witches Heart, with vodka, crème de cassis, apple cider, grenadine, and tonic that illuminates under black light; and $14 Spooky Perfect Patron Margarita, with Patrón Silver, Patrón Citrónge, lime juice, agave, and a black salt rim.

Lombardi Family Concepts, the Dallas hospitality group, is hosting Halloween parties at Regines Lounge, Lounge 31, and Kai Lounge. Each party will feature specialty cocktails, DJs, and costume contests. “The Craft” Halloween party at Regines will last from 8 pm-2 am; "Carnival of Horrors" at Lounge 31 will last from 8 pm-midnight; Kai Lounge will commemorate Día De Los Muertos from 9 pm-2 am. All parties are on October 31. Reservations are encouraged.

Tande Thai at Grandscape in The Colony is featuring a Witches Brew cocktail through October 31. It’s a potion mix of Grey Goose vodka, tangy Apple Pucker, Midori, and butterfly pea tea. The drink transforms from deep blue to purple with a splash of citrus.

Texas Live!, the Arlington entertainment venue, is hosting a graveyard themed bar crawl on October 26 at 8 pm. Sip on special cocktails, including Bloody Shirley Temple and graveyard margarita, enjoy live music from DJs, and compete in a costume contest with $5,000 in cash prizes. The bar crawl is free, but a $30 general admission ticket includes three drinks and a lanyard badge.

Bar Louie is featuring specials on bites and booze, including $5 Blue Moon drafts and limited-time Halloween-inspired shots. Shots feature poison apple, with Rum Haven, Melon Liqueur, Pineapple, and cream and phantom fizz, with Sauza Silver, sour, butterfly pea flower, and Sprite. There’s also October Martini of the Month: the Purple Reign Martini with Deep Eddy Lemon, Las Californias Citrico, honey, pineapple, and lemon butterfly pea flower. Guests can add Bavarian Pretzels to their order for $9. The specials last from October 31-November 3.

Dia de los Muertos

Black Agave at Mercer Boardwalk in Farmers Branch is hosting a three-day anniversary and Dia de los Muertos celebration from November 1-3. The weekend will feature food and drink specials, mariachis, stiltwalkers, and a Day of the Dead Costume Contest. Dining and drink specials include $5 street corn served in Day of the Dead cups, $10 frozen margarita flights and Black Agave cocktails, and $3 Mexican candy shots.

Mexican Bar Co. in Plano's District at Willow Bend is spending Dia de los Muertos with a featured cocktail and dinner for two. Throughout October, the La Ofrenda Margarita is $17.50 and features Mi Campo Blanco, blackberry puree, basil-infused agave, Solerno Blood Orange, and a splash of fresh lemon and lime juice. From November 1-3, two can dine on a five-course meal for $100 that wraps up with a pan de muerto sweet bread for dessert.

Mexican Sugar is offering a cocktail and flower crown class for $45 per person on October 31. Then, there will be Dia de los Muertos celebrations November 1-2, featuring complimentary tequila tastings, a tequila smoke show featuring a nitrogen margarita bar, complimentary permanent flash tattoos, a marigold photo opportunity, and DJs to keep the vibe lively. Activities will be available at Las Colinas, Plano, and Uptown locations.

Taqueria La Ventana is having a Día de los Muertos celebration at Addison and Mansfield locations on November 2 from 6-10 pm. There will be DJs, face painting, and a Catrina costume contest where guests can compete for a $100 gift card. Attendees can also enjoy free pan de muerto and hot chocolate while supplies last. In Mansfield, the bonus feature is a Pretty Little Things market and a game of lotería.

lists holidays

What Just Opened

Crazy wave of Dallas restaurants and bars have all just opened

Courtesy

1519 Main St.

The Dallas hospitality scene almost never sleeps and right now it's pulling an all-nighter, with a big slate of fresh openings, all of which have debuted within the past days, give or take.

Everyone's hustling to get their doors open in time for the holidays, and these establishments have all made it happen: From a cosmopolitan new lounge in downtown Dallas to a modern Asian restaurant in Plano to a bountiful AYCE Chinese seafood spot in Richardson, there's something here to pique everyone's interest and appetite.

1519 Main
Spectacular lounge is now open in downtown Dallas at 1519 Main St., in a nearly century-old building across from the Joule Dallas hotel where it's serving up stellar drinks in a space that's both cosmopolitan and low-key. The bar is from Hospitality Alliance, the company led by restaurant wunderkind Kevin Lillis, who helped create the original AT&T Discovery District. It's a stunning space with many original features like the rose-and-cream marble floors from the 1920s and the brick walls with signage from prior businesses in the space that dating back decades. The menu has cocktails from Brian Van Flandern, who oversaw the program at Per Se, The Carlyle Hotel, The Plaza Hotel, and Palm Court restaurant, and also has a homage menu featuring recipes from some of the most impactful but now closed cocktail lounges in the country. They're open Thursday-Saturday from 5 pm-12 am.

Centrale Italia
New concept from veteran restaurateur Patrick Colombo (Cru Wine Bar, Princi Italia) opened in November at Preston Hollow Village at Walnut Hill Lane and US-75 with a menu of wood-fired dishes, Neapolitan style pizza, pastas, and gelato made in-house. They're debuting brunch on Sunday December 7 and lunch on Monday December 8, with a menu that includes spicy meatball sub, chicken parm on toasted ciabatta, and a parmesan garlic cheeseburger with Wagyu beef and arugula. Salads include Little Gem Caesar, chopped salad with salami, prosciutto, and soppressata, and an Italian Cobb salad with chicken, Romaine, radicchio, avocado, beets, prosciutto, eggs, and Campari tomato in a creamy gorgonzola.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Restaurant in Richardson which just opened in the former Maxim's space is an all-you-can-eat sushi/seafood buffet featuring a daily rotating menu with 300-plus items from various Asian cuisines. There are oysters, crab legs, lobster, sushi bar, ramen bar, dumplings bar, skewers bar, noodles, stir-fries, and Chinese dishes both Cantonese and Sichuan, such as spicy boiled beef and kung pao chicken. Plus dim sum and desserts such as precision-cut layer cakes and a chocolate fondue station where you can dip strawberries and other fruit. (The lobster and crab are available at dinner and weekends only, not at lunch.) The price is $20 at lunch, $30 at dinner on weeknighs, and $35 all weekend long.

Jashan
Indian ambitious new Indian restaurant with a one-of-a-kind menu offering has opened at Plano's Legacy North with a chef team who are bringing flavors from cities and regions across India, from Dehli's fried potato tikkis to pepper chicken from the south. For those seeking something truly unique, Jahsan also offer a Dil Se menu — an omakase-style tasting, available in 7- or 13-course versions, featuring a procession of these flavors, letting guests discover the stories of these cities in one visit.

La Stella Italian Steakhouse
Stupendous Italian restaurant just opened at a storied North Dallas address at 14655 Dallas Pkwy. in the former Lawry's space, where it stands as a bigger, grander spinoff of its sibling La Stella Cucina, the Italian restaurant in Dallas' Design District. The menu is an expanded version of the original: combining Italian seafood and a chophouse, plus an accompanying music lounge for live entertainment.

LuLu Modern Chinese
Glamorous new Asian restaurant just opened in Plano at 3310 Dallas Pkwy. #121, with a goal is to bring an authentic and modern Chinese American dining experience. The menu features classics like Peking duck, xiao long bao (soup dumplings), and seafood executed with spices and recipes from various regions of China — from Shanghai to the Pan Asian continent. The 4,300-square-foot space features a subtle lounge theme — a place you can dine or grab tequila shots over a soundtrack of '90s hip-hop and pop, plus craft cocktails, and a serious collection of sake and wine — but not what you'd typically find at a Chinese restaurant.

Mendocino Farms
California chain known for creative sandwiches, salads, soups, and other healthy fare, has opened its newest DFW-area location — the sixth — at NorthPark Center, joining Addison, downtown Dallas, Plano, Preston Hollow, and Dallas' West Village. With its casual but upscale menu, featuring staples such as the Chicken & Hummus Crunch Wrap — as well as seasonal offerings like the November to Remember sandwich with turkey, mozzarella, mushroom & turkey sausage stuffing, spicy cranberry chutney, and Romaine on toasted cranberry walnut wheat bread — NorthPark seems like a perfect fit.

Old Ferry Donut
Doughnut shop chain from Korea entered the U.S. in 2023, with five locations in California. Now they've made their Texas debut in Carrollton at 2225 Old Denton Rd. #215, Their doughnuts are unique: They have a slightly chewier, more bready texture than the fluffy texture of a Krispy Kreme, and are a little less sweet than traditional American doughnuts. Many of their doughnuts have fillings, made from premium ingredients. The menu includes old-school flavors such as Boston Cream, Original Glaze, and Cinnamon Sugar — but also new-school flavors like White Chocolate Sesame, Earl Gray, and Matcha Cream.

Roots Chicken Shak
Fried chicken restaurant concept from celebrity chef Tiffany Derry, just opened a location at 3748 Belt Line Rd. #118, in a former Einstein's Bagels on the southeast corner of Marsh Lane. There are chicken wings, tenders, nuggets, and sandwiches on sweet potato buns. Derry opened the first Roots Chicken Shack at Plano's Legacy Food Hall in 2017, but the Addison location is owned by franchisees.

Yearby’s Barbecue & Waterice
Halal BBQ spot which originated in Pilot Point is in soft opening mode at a new second location in Plano at 3201 Alma Dr., just west of US-75, where they'll be open from 11 am–3 pm or sell out. There's likely to be a line, because BBQ places like to have a line, but the Yearby's in Pilot Point also earned a slot on Texas Monthly’s 50 Best list for 2025.

openings