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Dallas hidden find makes New York Times favorite restaurants list
One surprising Dallas-area restaurant has made a high-profile list: It's the New York Timesannual list of “our 50 favorite places in America right now" and the only name from Dallas is Simply South, a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Irving.
Two other Texas restaurants also made the list: Barbs B Q in Lockhart and Viola and Agnes Neo Soul Cafe, in Seabrook, near Houston.
Published Tuesday, September 24, the list mixes newer restaurants — open since 2023 — with older establishments. Overall, 26 states and Washington, D.C. are represented. California leads the way with five representatives, followed by New York with four.
All three Texas entries are written by Priya Krishna, a NYT food reporter and interim restaurant critic who is also a native of Dallas.
Simply South, which opened in spring 2024 in a former Mattito's Tex-Mex at 1001 MacArthur Park Dr., features dosas, chutneys, and other dishes from the region of Andhra Pradesh, in southern India. Although the restaurant has earned limited mainstream press, it has received 1,245 reviews on Google, many raving about its unique weekend South Indian breakfast.
“The Sunday scene here speaks volumes," Krishna writes. "The wait is three hours, the chatter of Telugu fills the space and the tables are full of bisi bele bath, filter coffee and every variety of dosa and idli you can imagine."
Barbs B Q is no stranger to the New York Times; it made the publication’s 2023 list of “The 20 Best Texas Barbecue Restaurants From the New Generation.” On this list, Krishna praises the way pitmaster Chuck Charnichart incorporates international flavors into her brisket, ribs, and sides.
At Viola and Agnes, a casual soul food restaurant that's located just down the street from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Krishna hails chef-owner Aaron Davis for dishes such as gumbo, fried catfish, and cornbread.