This roundup of dining news around Dallas has a whole lot of new menu action, ranging from independently owned fine-dining restaurants to big chains, all trotting out seasonal specials to court restless foodies in search of something new. There is also news of new openings, re-openings, and a closure. What there is not: Halloween-themed items — there's a separate list for that.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news:

H-E-B has opened a supermarket in Rockwall. It's a 131,000-square-foot store, and it joins nine other H-E-B stores and two Joe V’s Smart Shop locations that H-E-B has opened in DFW since 2022. And there's more according to Grapevine Edit, a Facebook page that covers Grapevine: Another Joe V’s Smart Shop is opening in Irving, off Highway 183 and Story Road, in the former 24-Hour Fitness building,

Amelia, a restaurant-bar that opened in 2024 at 3005 Routh St. at the corner of Cedar Springs Road, has apparently closed; their windows and doors are all boarded up. The restaurant served Southern food, cocktails, and eye-popping decor. It went into a space with turnover over the years, and now another has come and gone.

Akai, the speakeasy in Downtown Dallas’ Arts District inside Musume restaurant, has reopened after a six-figure renovation. New appointments include a gold-gridded DJ booth, 15-foot serpentine banquette, velvet seating, mirrored and projection-mapped walls, VIP section, 25-foot black marble bar, ceiling mural, and new lighting installations such as gold asymmetrical floating chandeliers. A new cocktail menu plays with smoky, bitter, and sweet ingredients, such as sesame oil–fat–washed Japanese whisky, lychee-lemon caviar pearls, agar-stabilized yuzu foam, and smoked lapsang tea syrup.

Mountain Mike’s Pizza has a new location in McKinney at 4590 W University Dr. where it will host a grand opening event on Saturday, November 1, from 12-4 pm with festivities, music, and giveaways.

Cowboy Chicken, known for rotisserie chicken and Southern sides, is opening a location in Plano at 8245 Preston Rd. in mid-November. The 2,500-square-foot restaurant seats 75-80, with both indoor and outdoor dining options. They'll serve their signature chicken, sides, sandwiches, and salads. Cowboy Chicken was founded in 1981.The new Plano location is in partnership with Vesta Restaurant Group, which already operates three other Cowboy Chicken restaurants across DFW.

Monarch, the Italian wood-fired restaurant in downtown Dallas, has a new autumn chef’s tasting menu from chef Danny Grant and executive chef Jason Rohan for $175 per guest, optional wine pairings available for $125. Courses include pumpkin arancini with pumpkin mousse, duck confit, vegetables including carrots & beets, Dover Sole, Doppio ravioli, squab, Roman gnocchi with taleggio whipped potato, lemon granita, and poached figs.

Carbone and Vino Dallas are celebrating white truffle season by shaving it over their pastas and steaks including white truffle fettuccine, white truffle tortellini, white truffle porterhouse, ribeye, white truffle burrata, white truffle Dover sole, wwhite truffle Rosewood strip, white truffle burrata, and white truffle carpaccio.

White Rock Brewing Company in Bishop Arts has new menu items including the Trinity Appetizer (a chip-and-dip trio), burger with fried egg, arugula, and aioli, fried dough dessert, rotating pizzas, and new coffee cocktails in partnership with Little Joy Coffee.

Motor City Pizza has new breakfast pizzas available by the slice. Their Detroit-style pizza deep-dish crust can handle meats, eggs, and sauces without flopping. They already were serving breakfast pizza whole; now they're by the slice. The Florentine benedict pizza with bacon, spinach, mushroom, tomato, cheese, eggs, and Hollandaise, is the most popular. Other options include Western omelet pizza, smothered sausage lovers pizza, eggs benedict pizza, and bacon dream pizza, for $8 to $12 per slice.

Son of a Butcher has a new dish called Rip It & Dip It, featuring smashburger sliders on King’s Hawaiian’s sweet rolls with rotating quesos like Hatch chile, chimichurri, and house hot sauce. Hatch Chile has white American, caramelized onions, hatch chiles, comeback sauce, and queso blanco with hatch chiles and green Tabasco, through November 2; Mushroom Chimichurri with mushrooms and chimichurri queso blanco, through November 16; Spicy Pepper with hot pepper blend, pickled onions, and hot-sauce queso blanco, through November 30.

Thirsty Lion has a new fall menu that includes: shrimp & butternut squash linguine; whiskey apple crumble; bacon-wrapped Medjool dates stuffed with Gorgonzola cream cheese; shrimp tempura; harvest bowl with arugula, Brussels sprouts, quinoa, brown rice, butternut squash, caramelized pears, cranberries, goat cheese, beets, candied walnuts, pomegranate vinaigrette, and apple honey dressing; Wagyu beef & prosciutto burger with caramelized onions, cheddar, tomato, arugula, and pimentón; pork ramen with udon noodles; and seared tuna with jasmine rice, sautéed snap peas, red pepper, and cucumber salad.

Mirador has new menus for weekday lunch, Saturday brunch, and afternoon tea. Lunch menu standouts include whipped ricotta with pickled cherries, butternut squash, apple chips, and toasted sourdough; the Pickle Plate with house pickles, mostarda, and rye crackers; and Cacio e Pepe with wild mushrooms and pecorino romano. A prix fixe lunch menu features starter, entrée, and dessert for $30. Brunch highlights include caviar doughnut with amber Kaluga caviar glaze, ube bowl with fresh fruit, ginger, and toasted coconut, and buttermilk pancakes with cinnamon butter and candied pecans. Seasonal cocktails include the Autumn Spritz with Bombay sapphire, amaro nonino, cranberry , ginger, and lemon topped with prosecco, and the Brown Butter Toddy, with Irish whiskey, fig cordial, and lemon.

Crisp & Green has two new dishes: the Verde Chicken Grain Bowl, a Peruvian-inspired dish featuring quinoa, spinach, chicken, corn & poblano, avocado, tomato, napa cabbage, and pickled onion; and the Ranch Club Wrap, in a low net carb tortilla with Romaine, chicken, bacon, avocado, tomato, cheddar, and ranch dressing. Squash Goals Salad has kale, arugula, quinoa, maple-roasted butternut squash, apples, chicken, cheddar, and pecan in apple cider pumpkin seed dressing; and the Wild Child Grain Bowl has wild rice, arugula, chicken, Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Flamant, the Plano restaurant from the owners of Rye and Apothecary in Dallas, has a resort-style brunch on Saturday-Sunday from 10:30 am-2:30 pm. It’s all you-can-eat, served not from a buffet, but directly to your table, for $40 ($20 for 13 and under). Options include hashbrowns with smashed avocado, cannoli French toast, shakshuka with beef cheek & pork meatball and poached egg in tomato-wine-cola sauce, fritatta with greens and cheese, and yogurt with berries and lemon curd.

Del Frisco’s Grille has a new weekend brunch menu available Saturday-Sunday, with Pull Apart Sticky Buns, Short Rib Benedict, Green Eggs & Jamon, Shakshuka, and Gingerbread Pancakes. A new "Brunch Meets Lunch" section features Baby Back Ribs and premium steak cuts and an elevated beverage program designed for group dining.

North Italia has new dishes for fall: Sunday night lasagna with short rib, italian sausage, marinara, ricotta, provolone; focaccia with oregano and rosemary (available only at the locations in downtown Dallas and Plano); Prime NY Steak Tagliata with arugula; Morning Market Board for brunch with caramelized onion frittata, burrata, asparagus-arugula salad, and hearth bread; and caramel budino with espresso fudge.

José, the Mexican restaurant on Lovers Lane, is serving breakfast tacos seven days a week from 7 am-10 am from its Comida Taco Truck, located outside the restaurant. Breakfast tacos are made with egg, cheese, and black beans, and choice of bacon, chorizo, or potato. The truck also offers tamales and Mexican coffee, served hot or iced.

Newk’s Eatery has a new seasonal menu with a steak sandwich on Parisian bread, Black & Bleu Salad with sliced steak beef chili, chili mac & cheese, chili taco salad, pepperoni and portabella pizza, PB & Chocolate Cake, and New York cheesecake.

Dillas Quesadillas has a limited-time Frito Pie dilla with chili cheese Fritos, ground beef, Hatch queso drizzle, and red onions in a grilled tortilla, available through November 27 in a regular size for $10.49 or Gorilla size for $13.49, at all six Dallas-area locations.

American Airlines will begin serving Lavazza Coffee, a family-owned Italian brand since 1895, on all flights in 2026.

Yogurtland, the self-serve frozen yogurt chain, is partnering with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment in a special collaboration to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the popular franchise film series, Back to the Future, with the "Great Scott! Caramel Apple Pie" frozen yogurt flavor topped with "Doc's Churro Bites" through November 30.

DQ restaurants in Texas have brought back chicken & dumplings with chicken, gravy, and dumplings, available through the winter in 12-,16-, and 32-ounce servings.

Andy’s Frozen Custard has a very limited-edition Reese’s Monster Mash Jackhammer Flash Treat with vanilla frozen custard, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Reese’s Pieces, and caramel, from October 31-November 2. Truthfully, that item really belongs in CultureMap's list of Halloween specials, but it's a little late for that now, isn't it.

La La Land, the Dallas coffee shop chain, has a strategic growth investment from Stripes, an equity firm behind brands like Erewhon, Vuori, and On Running. The investment will accelerate La La Land's national expansion to new cities across the country, with plans to expand its footprint nationwide