Trick or Treat

Dallas restaurants get Halloween spirit with treats and spooky events

Happy Halloween cake from SusieCakes

SusieCakes

Tricks are for kids, but this Halloween, Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants have plenty of shenanigans for all ages. From murder mystery dinners to special spooky treats, here’s what’s going down during the witching season.

Crown Block
Restaurant atop Reunion Arena will host a Halloween brunch with themed pastries, specialty cocktails, and spooky décor. $80. October 26, 10:30 am-2 pm.

Columbian Country Club
Ross Avenue cocktail lounge will partner with its neighbor Bocado, an authentic Mexican restaurant, to host a Día de los Muertos Block Party on Thursday, October 30, with Día de los Muertos–inspired cocktails, authentic cuisine, Latin music, mariachi performances, and a Lucha Libre exhibition. Tickets are $55, including two vouchers for food or beverages. October 30, 6-10 pm.

Del Frisco’s Grille
All outlets of Del Frisco’s Grille will host an all-day happy hour for Halloween featuring bites like cheesesteak eggrolls, tuna tacos, and cocktails like the famed VIP, $10 each. Select draft and bottled beer are $5. Locations include Plano, Southlake, and Fort Worth. October 31, 11 am-10 pm.

Dunkin'
Doughnut and coffee chain has a new Candy Bar Signature Latte, featuring espresso with chocolate, toffee, pretzel, and peanut butter flavors, with whipped cream, mocha drizzle, and crumbled candy bar pieces, available hot or iced. The Spider Doughnut is a purple-frosted doughnut topped with a glazed chocolate doughnut hole, with chocolate drizzle for spider legs and vanilla flavored icing for the eyes. Through October 31.

Eatzi’s Market & Bakery
Halloween goodies include: The Ginger Dead Man, a soft, spiced skeleton-shaped gingerbread cookie; Spooky Cupcakes that include Vanilla Jack-O’-Lantern, Chocolate Mummy, and Red Velvet Spider; and chocolate-covered Oreos dressed up for Halloween. Through October 31.

Fearing's Trick or Tea
Restaurant at Ritz-Carlton Dallas hotel is doing a special one-time Halloween version of its Afternoon Tea service with a whimsical twist featuring pastries, finger sandwiches, and specialty sweets. Costumes are encouraged for this one-of-a-kind celebration. $95, or $39 for 12 and under. October 25, 11:30 am-1:45 pm.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop
For these days of the dead, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop offers a special combo plate and adult beverage. For $7 (not $6.66?) the Draco Taco combo includes a taco with grilled steak and seared cheese entombed inside a blue corn tortilla, topped with vampiro-style sauce, guacamole, garlic aioli, lime, crumbled feta, and crisp red tortilla strips. Each order comes with draco queso and chips. Fuzzy’s Drac A ‘Rita frozen margarita mixes Bacardi rum with strawberry purée, rimmed with black salt, and garnished with a pair of vampire teeth. Through November 9.

The Hampton Social
Downtown Dallas venue will celebrate the spooky in two ways: First, a Ghosted Halloween Cocktail – a mysteriously bright concoction of vodka, Midori, dry vermouth, black tea cordial, pineapple, and lemon, finished with eerie lychee pearls for $17, available through October 31. Second, a Hamptons Halloween Party on Halloween night with DJ, themed cocktails, and a costume contest (grand prize: $100 Hampton Social gift card). Free entry with RSVP. October 31, 7 pm.

Happiest Hour
Rooftop party in the Harwood District with costumes, DJ, haunted house décor, and drink specials, including Witches Brew with Aspen vodka, Blue Curaçao, Ghost of Tequila’s Past with Espolon, lemon, Coco Lopez, and Triple Sec, and Dracula’s Delight with Jim Beam, lime, grenadine, and cranberry. RSVP on Eventbrite (note: RSVPing does not reserve a table). October 31, 8 pm.

Harvest Hall’s Nightmare on Main Street
Month-long pop-up at Grapevine’s downtown food hall features over-the-top Halloween décor, playfully themed cocktails, such as the Monster Mash-a-rita and Berry Scar’, and themed events, such as Ghouling Dueling Pianos, and Live Band Karaoke. Through October 31.

Heirloom Haul
Festive Halloween Tea with grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwich, spider web muffins, ghost-shaped sugar cookies, hot and iced tea, and pink lemonade. Each child receives a pair of gloves, strand of pearls, and spooky fangs. There's also a pumpkin pie latte for $8. Reservations can be made online or call Frisco at 972-292-9510 or Prosper at 469-481-6339. Through October 31.

Ida Claire
Southern restaurant in Addison is hosting a free party with hauntingly delicious cocktails, costume contest, and live tarot card readings. Featured cocktails include the Death Note (Canaima gin, butterfly pea-flower tea, lemon, simple syrup, egg white), Green Goblin (Golden Eagle vodka, basil simple syrup, lime, liquid chlorophyll), and Blood Raven Sour (True Story bourbon, lemon, grenadine, cabernet floater). October 26, 7-10 pm.

JD's Chippery
Family-owned bakery is doing pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies for $3.50 or $45 for a dozen; and sugar cookies coated in Halloween colored sprinkles for $1.75 or $19.50 for a dozen. A pumpkin shaped sugar cookie cake is $37.50 but must be ordered in advance. Through October 31.

Joa Grill
Special Halloween Eve event features a 5-course menu with Halloween-themed cocktails and festive bites like a devil egg, Korean gumbo, yuzu salad, and meat board with NY strip, chuck flap, and marinated Galbi, plus chocolate cake. Plus costume contest with $300 prize. Tickets are $85. Thursday October 30, 6-8 pm.

KAI at Legacy West
Villains Unleashed party with traditional Halloween décor and a costume contest. October 31, at 10 pm.

Party crowd at Kai at Legacy WestKai

Legacy Hall
Plano food hall is hosting the Hall-o-Ween Bash with the Emerald City Band, guest DJ Ekow, and a costume contest with prizes for best individual, best couple, and best group. More than 20 restaurants and bars will offer food and drinks. Only a few tickets are still available. October 31, 6 pm.

Lounge 31
Highland Park Village bar will transform into a Dark Forest for Chapter 31: The Dark Tales, with chilling décor, eerie vibes, a costume contest, and DJ, from 8 pm-12 am.

Messina Hof Winery
Grapevine winery is hosting two events on Halloween night: Spooktacular Winetail Class features three Hallowine drinks paired with spooky hors d’oeuvres; tickets start at $57. Murder Mystery Dinner: Chamber of Screams is an interactive murder mystery dinner with a Halloween-themed buffet and wine pairings; tickets are $93 including fees. October 31, 6:30 pm.

The Mexican
The Mexican will transform into a stunning tribute to Día de Muertos — with more than 4,200 fresh marigolds, an altar, roaming Catrinas, and live mariachi on November 1–2. Indulge in exclusive holiday dishes like Lobster Poblano Bisque and Braised Short Rib in Recado Negro, and finish with a show-stopping Sugar Skull dessert. October 23-November 2.

Mexican Sugar
Weekend long Día de los Muertos celebration at this Mexican restaurant attempts to bring the spirit of Halloween to life with a Don Julio Tequila Tasting on October 31, 6-8 pm, and tableside sugar skull cocoa bomb carts during restaurant hours October 31-November 1.

Mockingbird Station
Mixed-use destination is hosting Trunk or Treat, a free, family-friendly evening packed with activities, entertainment, food, and sweet treats including Cane Rosso Food Truck wood-fired pizza, Herb’s House Coffee Truck, DJ, face painting, bouncy slide, meet & greets with Spiderman, Woody, Buzz, Elsa, and Rapunzel, palm reader, candy galore, and free wine tasting for adults. RSVP here. October 31, 5:30-8 pm.

Monkey Bar on 9
Bar atop the Tru by Hilton Hotel in Dallas is hosting Boos on 9, a spirited Halloween party with skyline views, DJ, costume contest, photo ops, and spooky twists on the bar’s signature Mambo Taxis. October 31, 2-11 pm.

Oak Cliff Brewing Company
Family-friendly brewery is hosting a Dia de Los Muertos party with face painting, live music, bounce house, tacos, and Oak Cliff Brewing Company brews. November 1, 1–7 pm.

The Parlor at Sheraton Dallas
Downtown hotel is hosting a "party to die for": a Masquerade Murder Mystery Dinner in which attendees must unmask a killer in their midst by trading clues, gathering information, and solving the crime. Masks are provided along with hors d'oeuvres and desserts. Tickets are $60. October 31, 7 pm.

Perch Bistro & Bar
Neighborhood bistro will debut a dramatic new dessert: Autumn Spice Baked Alaska, with Italian meringue, Mexican hot-chocolate cake and pumpkin-spice ice cream, flambéed tableside and available for $16.

Pete's Dueling Piano Bar
Both Frisco and Fort Worth locations will host the Spooktacular Halloween Bash with live music and festive fun, as well as a spirited Costume Contest, where the winner will take home a VIP table for four to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2026 in style. October 31, 8 pm.

Puttshack
Addison restaurant bar with mini golf is slinging a Halloween cocktail called “Frankenstein’s Monster” with Espolòn Blanco, cotton candy syrup, passion fruit, lime juice, and black salt rim, served in a passion fruit smoke-infused chest. Available until November 2.

Frankenstein's Monster at PuttshackPuttshack

Sprinkles Halloween BOOtique
Cupcake bakery has limited-edition Halloween candy-inspired cupcakes at their Dallas and Plano locations and by delivery as follows: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup chocolate cake with peanut butter core and frosting, chocolate ganache, peanut butter cups; Twix chocolate cake with cookie crust, caramel, and Twix bars; Cookies & Scream chocolate chip-studded yellow cake with cookies & cream frosting and a vampire bat. October 20-November 2.

SusieCakes
Artisan bakery is doing sugar cookies shaped like ghosts and pumpkins, themed cupcakes, and cookie-decorating kits in creative designs such as Black SusieKitty, Spiderweb Vintage, Ghost, Jack o’ Lantern, and Barbie Halloween cakes, as well as the Boo Cupcake Box. For Día de los Muertos, SusieCakes is offering a cake with a hand-piped buttercream sugar skull. Available through October 31 at 6 pm.

Te Deseo
Two night celebration in the Harwood District honoring Halloween and Día de los Muertos with live music, tequila specials, and festive cocktails including Flor de Muerto with Espolón reposado, lime, orange, and agave nectar; El Diablo with Espolón blanco, Illegal mezcal, lime, agave nectar, and jalapeño; Calaverita Dulce with Espolón blanco, lime, watermelon, and Tajín. Reserve on EventBrite. October 31-November 1, 10 pm-1 am.

Tequila Social
Celebrate Woof-O-Ween in the Harwood District with adoptable dogs and members of the SPCA young professionals group. Costume contest and $1 on house margaritas will be donated to the SPCA of Texas RSVP on Eventbrite. October 25, 11 am-2 pm.

TX Whisky Ranch
Fort Worth Distillery is hosting two spooky events: On October 24, it's a 6 pm screening (or is it screaming?) of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with food trucks, craft cocktails and tarot or palm readings. Tickets are $12. On October 25, from 12-5 pm, it's their annual Costumes & Cocktails party with axe throwing, DJ, food trucks, and a costume contest with a TX Whiskey barrel grand prize. Tickets are $15.

Vincent's Rooftop Lounge at the JW Marriott
Downtown Dallas hotel bar is getting into the spirit with twilight happy hours and rotating activations that include tarot and lip print readings. Seasonal cocktails hat include a color-shifting vodka-citrus Cosmo Cosmic and a chili-spiked Spicy Mango Margarita.

Virgin Hotel Dallas
Design District hotel is hosting two simultaneous Halloween Night events: The Fright Fest Halloween Dinner at the Commons Club includes $15 Hallow-tini towers, complimentary tarot readings and live music. October 31, 5 pm, reserve here. The Drop Dead Famous Halloween Party, come in costume to The Manor and The Pool Club for holiday-themed drinks and dancing. October 31, 9 pm. Tickets start at $20, VIP tables start at $300; reserve here.

Waterproof at The Statler
Rooftop lounge at The Statler Dallas hotel is transforming into the Horror Hotel for an unforgettable Halloween Night under the stars. Guests will dance to Top 40 and hip-hop, show off their best costumes, and enjoy VIP options with skyline views. General admission $15-$35, cabanas $200; reserve here. October 31, 9 pm.

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Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 best desserts to try for February

DFG

Lemon Doberge cake at Del Frisco's Grille

If January is the month to diet and make up for holiday excess, then it only follows that February is the month to indulge. Thus, for the February edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap's monthly column recommending restaurants to try, we dive into desserts: the newest, the most intriguing, the most decadent. Speaking of sweet things, we have a list for Valentine's Day dinners, as well as a list for V-Day ideas that don't involve going out to restaurants at all.

Here's the sweetest Where to Eat of all: 10 must-try desserts.

Chip City Cookies
New York-based chain with locations across the Northeast and Florida is taking a run at the booming cookie market, which is currently populated by chains whose cookies seem to be nothing more than "sweet." Chip City's cookies are thick and made with high-quality ingredients, summoning the ultra-thick cookies first created by famed Levain Bakery in New York. Chip City has numerous flavors such as chocolate chip, cookies & cream, and the confetti cookie, a sugar cookie flecked with colorful confetti bits. The first Texas location opened in McKinney in 2025, and a second location is about to open in Frisco at Dallas North Tollway and Lebanon Road.

Crispy Cones
Ice cream shop chain that appeared on Shark Tank just opened a location in Plano — its second in the area, following one that debuted in North Richland Hills in 2025. It's an innovative concept that places as much attention on the cone as it does the ice cream. Their cone is fashioned after the "chimney cone," a hollow, sweet pastry with roots in Eastern European with a texture that's more like a croissant: crisp on the outside but soft and fluffy inside. And then they fill it with creamy soft-serve ice cream in flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, swirl, or seasonal flavors like pistachio or cookie dough.

Curuba Colombian Kitchen
Mom-and-pop featuring authentic Colombian food opened in Allen in 2025 with arepas, the corn patties filled with cheese and shredded meat, and empanadas with choice of fillings from chicken, brisket, vegan, shrimp, or ground beef. They have a big selection of sweets: tres leches cake, passion fruit mousse, rice pudding, with in-house bakery turning out Latin cakes and treats such as milhoja, a layered puff pastry. The item generating buzz is their rendition of tiramisu, into which they fold mashed curuba, a tropical fruit also known as banana passion fruit, which is also their namesake — giving the dessert a refreshing tropical twist.

Del Frisco's Grille
The lemon cake is one of the best cakes of all, a far better cake than Italian cream cake with its yucky array of tiny mealy chopped nuts (which do not belong in a cake); the chocolate cake, which overwhelms everything in its path; and the vanilla cake, which has no reason to exist. When it comes to lemon cakes, there may no better example than the Lemon Doberge cake at Del Frisco's Grille, a six-layer marvel featuring lemon cake, lemon buttercream icing, and a lemon glaze drizzle. Del Frisco's Grille itself pronounces it to be "exquisite," and who would dare argue.

Gyu Kaku
This international chain based in Tokyo now has two Dallas locations, including Addison and a second that just opened in Deep Ellum. They specialize in Japanese barbecue, aka yakiniku, in which raw meat is brought for diners to grill at the table themselves. Their dessert menu includes make-your-own s'mores — a perfect dish for this place, since every table has its own built-in grill. But don't overlook the green tea tiramisu, a hybrid that gives the classic Italian dessert a cool Asian theme by layering vanilla cake with matcha ice cream.

IYKYK Mochi Churro
Unusual dessert shop that just opened near Dallas Love Field specializes in Korean-style mochi churros — a hybrid street food treat that combines churros — the Mexican classic fried doughnut — with mochi, the Japanese rice cake with the chewy texture. To make the churros, IYKYK uses the same rice flour commonly used for mochi, which makes the churros chewier on the inside with a fried-crisp shell. (It also makes them gluten-free.) In addition to mochi churros, they also offer soft-serve ice cream in exotic and Asian-inspired flavors including ube, Earl Grey, matcha, and chocolate, for $4.50.

Keke Japanese Cheesecake & Drinks
Cozy bakery recently opened in Sachse with desserts and beverages, in particular Japanese-style cheesecakes and matcha drinks in more than a dozen varieties. Unlike dense New York-style cheesecakes, Japanese-style cheesecakes are soft and fluffy, thanks to their combination of cream cheese with whipped meringue. Keke has four flavors: original, chocolate, Oreo, and coconut pandan, which has a pronounced vanilla flavor. They also do Basque cheesecakes, a favorite from Spain with a burnt brown top, as well as lava cakes with molten centers like matcha, chocolate, or cheese.

Green tea mille cake at Mango MangoPhoto courtesy of Mango Mango

Mango Mango
New York-based Asian dessert chain with a location in Plano, at 2205 N. Central Expwy., calls itself the "House of Desserts" and fittingly so. They have all kinds of exotic ice cream, sundaes, tiramisu, mousse cakes, crepes, waffles, fluffy shaved ice, and more. The must-get is their mille cake — the irresistible layer cake made famous by Lady M Cake Boutique in New York, featuring paper-thin crepes stacked one atop each other, layered with flavored fillings such as green tea or mango cream, resulting in a delectably dense, almost cheesecake-like texture, $9 a slice.

Mexican Sugar
Local chain serving Mexican and Latin dishes is semi-famous for its Chocolate Avocado Cake, featuring a moist chocolate cake paired with avocado mousse, cinnamon meringue, and a vanilla rum crème anglaise. While its dense, fudge-like texture is surely more than decadent, it is perhaps the fact that it has avocado on its ingredient list — adding a richness in a sneaky "you can't taste the avocado" way — that makes it a talker.

Pietro’s Italian Bakery
Beloved family-owned bakery in Frisco opened in 2020 with a case-ful of Italian pastries: cannoli, sfogliatella, tiramisu, biscotti, cakes, and Italian butter cookies, baked from scratch with quality ingredients and old-world techniques. Their cakes in flavors such as carrot cake and red velvet boast many layers, making for a stately slice; the limoncello, featuring lemon-infused Sicilian sponge cake with Italian mascarpone mousse filling — is a local favorite. Take home a pastry sampler box with cannolis, lobster tail, Napoleon pastry, and chocolate eclair.

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