The stereotype about February is that it's the sweetest month of the year, and in this case, the stereotype proves true. It's all about Valentine's Day, and it is definitely sweet for restaurants, who confirm that it's one of the hottest reservations of year. We have a list for Valentine's Day dinners, as well as a list for its polar opposite, the Galentine's party.
For Where to Eat, we finish with the best ending of all: a well made dessert.
Läderach Chocolatier Suisse
Family-owned Swiss chocolate company famous for its chocolate bark opened at NorthPark Center in 2024, where it offers more than 85 varieties of artisanal chocolates, imported from Switzerland, including pralines, mini pralines, snacks, chocolate-covered popcorn, Tartuffi, chocolate tablets, and gifts. The centerpiece is their signature FrischSchoggi — "fresh chocolate" — counter, where customers can taste and select from more than 20 varieties of Läderach’s iconic hand-broken chocolate bark slabs in combinations of white, milk, and dark chocolate, nuts, and dried fruits. They also
have boxed mixed chocolates with flavors such as coffee, walnut marzipan, pistachio-gianduja, caramel, nut trio, dulce de leche, and more, ranging from $12 for a 4-piece box to $70 for a 36-piece box.
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream
Ice cream chain from Ohio has seven stores in the DFW area including a shop that recently opened in Arlington off I-20 at 4407 Little Rd. # 690, from Deric and Vanessa Sheriff. Deric is an Arlington Police officer of 22 years, and Vanessa is a retired nurse and paramedic. Founder Alice Handel started the company in 1945, making ice cream with fruit from her backyard and that homemade tradition continues. Notable flavors include Graham Central Station, starring graham ice cream with graham cracker ripple and chocolate-covered crunchies; Monkey Business, with banana cake batter ice cream, bananas, caramel ripple, and brownie pieces; and seasonal flavors like gingerbread, featuring gingerbread ice cream layered with gingersnap cookie pieces.
La Rue Doughnuts chocolate hazelnut croissantLa Rue Doughnuts
Komodo Dallas
Southeast Asian-inspired restaurant on the edge of Deep Ellum from Miami-based Groot Hospitality is both restaurant serving sushi, tacos, and cocktails, and a nightlife destination with an intimate lounge. But don't get fooled by the flashy exterior, because it's actually really good, with a menu that's both innovative and also solidly executed, right down to the desserts. The most decadent is the
chocolate peanut caramel bar, a fabulously rich rectangle with layers of chocolate nougat, peanut-butter mousse, and shiny chocolate ganache, then crowned with squibs of cream, chunks of Skinny Dipped (a trendy brand name) peanut butter cup, and gold leaf. On the side, a scoop of salted banana gelato balanced atop a crumbled nougat bar.
La Rue Doughnuts
Doughnuts are not just for breakfast — at least, not the doughnuts from La Rue, the chef-owned doughnut shop in Trinity Groves from husband-and-wife Casey and Amy La Rue which opened in August 2024. They do raised doughnuts, cake doughnuts, and their signature
crullers, in flavors such as strawberry shortcake brioche, butterscotch, and pumpkin spice cake. Their doughnuts are made from scratch, not from a mix like most doughnut shops, and they take their toppings and icings as seriously as any Michelin Guide restaurant. They rotate in new flavors at least once a month, with current entries such as the Guava Cheese Brioche with cream cheese icing, guava paste, and graham & Biscoff crumb. Due to customer demand, they also recently added croissants, weekends only, in oft-decadent options such as a chocolate croissant topped with chopped hazelnuts, and dark chocolate inside.
D'Caramel Patisserie
Pastry shop in Southlake is a bit of hike, but the beautiful croissants and French desserts, as pretty to look at as they are to eat, make it worthwhile. The shop is from Anna Narinian, who learned technique while studying with European chefs and is bringing her own innovative twists. She does croissants and precise little cakes but it's her pastries, molded to look like food objects such as raspberries or coffee beans, but with mousse and cake on the inside, that are the talkers — the pastry equivalent of the trompe l’œil technique in fine art.
Birthday cake scones from Ruby's in Rockwall.Ruby's
Ruby Baking Co
After building a cottage bakery business, baker Chelsea Gannon
opened a storefront in 2024 in Rockwall, at 811 E. Yellowjacket Ln. #122, where she rolls out a wide menu with treats like cinnamon rolls, blueberry muffins, sugar cookies, strawberry cupcakes, Texas sheet cake, and her signature oatmeal creme pies. All of her goods are vegan and gluten-free, and her shop has become a real destination for special request cakes — which she offers both custom-order and smaller to-go cakes. She's hugely creative, always rotating in new items such as her latest: birthday cake scones, topped with icing and multi-colored sprinkles, pretty to look at, irresistible to eat.
San Martín Bakery & Restaurant
International family-owned bakery from Guatemala is a sophisticated bakery-cafe serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including exotic offerings like corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, topped with two fried eggs and ranchera sauce, served with a side of refried beans, plantains, and cabbage slaw. Their bakery is a serve-yourself feast with pan dulce, croissants, eclairs, breads, and pastries. They have a whole menu of seasonal items such as their raspberry croissant with a pretty raspberry ribbon that circles throughout. They have two DFW locations: Their original in Uptown at 3120 McKinney Ave., and a
second location on the Addison-Dallas border at 5407 Belt Line Rd., which opened in 2024.
Swirled Peace
Dessert shop in a cute house in Bishop Arts is a one-of-a-kind in Dallas: It's a self-serve ice cream place — similar to a frozen yogurt shop— but it serves soft-serve ice cream that's all-vegan and all plant-based. You can help yourself to as big or little a serving as you want, in as many flavors as you want. But instead of frozen yogurt, the selection is non-dairy, made with oat milk, using recipes developed in-house. You don't need to be vegan to go there and you won't notice it's vegan — thanks to the use of oat milk which has a thick, creamy texture on par with any dairy product. There are six flavors, and even the "basics" like Mexican vanilla have a little spin. They rotate in flavors so there's always something new to try. Currently
serving: lemon custard.
White Rhino
Coffee house chain with 14 locations across Dallas-Fort Worth has a limited-time menu for Valentine’s Day including the love notes latte - a chocolate strawberry latte, and the reason we are here: a vegan strawberry guava Pop Tart for $6, available through February 26. (It's pictured above.) It's a flaky, crunchy treasure with a satisfying cap of icing, whose strawberry-guava filling is both familiar and novel. You might recognize the pop tart if you're a regular at
La Casita Bakeshop — that's who supplies White Rhino — and La Casita has it at their locations, as well. It's just so popular that it's frequently out of stock. Finding another pipeline for them at White Rhino locations is our special little insider tip.
