We've reached a special moment in the 2025 edition of our annual
CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, celebrating the people and places that make Dallas such an exciting dining destination: The moment where you get to weigh in.
Some background: In this special
editorial series, we're highlighting restaurants, bars, and chefs who've been nominated in eight categories by our esteemed judging panel of last year's winners and local dining experts.
So far, we've covered categories such as Best Neighborhood Restaurant, Rising Star Chef, Best Coffee Shop, Best Eatertainment Restaurant, and Pastry Chef of the Year.
Now we've come to Best New Restaurant, with 16 nominees that have opened in the past year. In this category, it's up to you to decide, by voting for your favorite new restaurant in a bracket-style tournament that will end with one final winner.
You can vote once per day through April 29.
All the winners will be unveiled on May 1 at the 2025 Tastemaker Awards at Astoria Event Venue. Guests will nibble on bites from nominated restaurants, sip specialty cocktails, and mingle with Dallas' culinary movers and shakers. Get your tickets now, and use the code TOURNAMENT15 for a $15 discount.
Here are our 16 nominees for Best New Restaurant of the Year in 2025. Let the voting begin!
Be Home Soon
Cozy restaurant at Casa Linda Plaza in East Dallas
comes with rock star credentials: It's from Madison King, a onetime Dallas musician-turned-chef who shares her highly personal version of home cooking boasting the occasional global touch in dishes such as jerk-style beef tips & gravy over egg noodles. Full bar, too.
Bucket & Rope
Acclaimed chef Victor Hugo is
back with this casual New American restaurant, partnered with Mike Ruibal, owner of the famed Ruibal's Plants at the Farmers Market. It's in the historic space previously occupied by Green Door Public House with a goal to serve great comfort food and drink — prawns over pesto penne with walnuts, for example — at an affordable price.
Catch Dallas
High-profile seafood
restaurant in the newly-revamped Maple Terrace building is from Catch Hospitality Group and is known for seafood, sushi, steak, and flashy drinks with a lively, clubby vibe. Signature dishes include truffle sashimi, Cantonese lobster, and Japanese Wagyu seared tableside on a hot rock — typical of the experiential dining for which Catch Hospitality Group is known.
Claremont Bar & Grill
Latest concept from restaurateur Greg Katz (Beverley's, Clifton Club, Green Point) is a neighborhood grill in the low-key-affluent neighborhood of Preston Hollow, in the prized former Suze space. Their version of a burger is emblematic: a grilled Wagyu patty with American cheese, dill pickles, grilled onions, and "fancy" sauce on a toasty sesame bun. Cocktails are swell, and so is the patio.
Elephant Indian Bar & Grill
Indian restaurant from chef Praveen Prasanan (Shivas Bar and Grill), located in the former Buzzbrews space off US-75 and Fitzhugh, is a deft combination of modern and traditional. There are the Indian staples one expects such as chicken tikka masala and tandoori chicken, but also salads, spicy Indo-Chinese dishes, and vegan options such as a plant-based version of the Indian classic butter chicken.
Even Coast
Restaurant on Belt Line Road has a simple
goal: steak and seafood under one roof. That means a raw bar with oysters, fish & chips, a 32-ounce bone-in ribeye, and a wine list with plenty of reds. They're also embracing the trend of the moment: pasta made in house. It's from Big Dill Hospitality, a group led by chef Omar Flores and the Marshi Family (behind Muchacho and Whistle Britches).
Feng Shui
New concept from founders of Jia Asian Bistro
offers traditional dishes from three distinct cultures — Chinese, Japanese, and Thai — in a warm, familial atmosphere. Dishes include hamachi, Wagyu beef tataki, unusual chicken eggrolls, and Thai-style beef jerky in sriracha sauce. A full bar features sake, six champagnes, Japanese whisky, and specialty cocktails.
Goldie's
Neighborhood spot serving nostalgic food and drinks is a
salute to Dallas' Lake Highlands from residents Brandon Hays (This and That Hospitality), his wife Brittany Grignon (Session Pilates), and restaurant veteran Brittni Clayton, with a creative menu by chef Matt Perry that includes ceviche, salads, chicken thighs, beet hummus, and a prime filet with mushroom bordelaise.
Goodwin's
Congenial American restaurant on Greenville Avenue is from hospitality veterans Austin Rodgers and chef Jeff Bekavac, who met at Neighborhood Services, to which Goodwin's bears an uncanny resemblance, with a menu of stick-to-your ribs food with a slightly upscale touch: short ribs, half chicken, burger, wedge salad, steakhouse-style sides, cocktails, and wine.
Jack & Harry's
Restaurant from Vandelay Hospitality Group in Snider Plaza
takes on New Orleans with a dash of the South Carolina low country. NOLA-themed dishes include blue crab gumbo, muffuletta sandwich, and oysters St. Claude. There are steaks and coastal seafood such as snapper, flounder, and grouper, pan-fried or broiled. Find lots of bourbon in the bar and French labels on the wine list.
Kati Roll
Restaurant concept from New York is centered on the kati roll, a street food wrap from India with an irresistibly flaky flatbread enclosing fillings such as chicken marinated in yogurt or mashed potato with tomato and green peppers. There are also dumplings, spicy potato chips, and Indian beer. It's a small chain with two DFW locations in downtown Dallas and a second one in Plano.
La Rue Doughnuts
Doughnut shop in Trinity Groves is
from Casey and Amy La Rue, two acclaimed chefs who take an artisanal approach to doughnuts, including Michelin-level toppings and icings. They do raised doughnuts, cake doughnuts, and their signature crullers, constantly rotating in creative flavors such as strawberry shortcake brioche, butterscotch, and pumpkin spice cake, plus croissants.
Mabo
Charming and intimate restaurant in Preston Center is from Masayuki Otaka, beloved former chef/owner of Teppo on Greenville Ave. It features an omakase-style tasting experience, with more than a dozen bites — mostly skewered meat and vegetables cooked over charcoal. Accolades are piling up including a James Beard Award 2025 finalist for Best New Restaurant.
Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge
Upscale Greek restaurant is
from Lisa and Tom Georgalis, who also own Ivy Tavern, the neighborhood bar on Lemmon Avenue, and who were inspired by their heritage to open this spot on Lovers Lane in the former City Cafe space. They're doing dinner, drinks, and dishes from family recipes such as Pefti Kreatopita (falling meat pie), stuffed squash blossom with kefalograviera cheese, and Greek avgolemono soup.
Nuri Steakhouse
Swanky steakhouse combines influences from Asia, New Orleans, and the South. Consider the steak tartare presented in two styles: an Eastern version with fried noodles, quail egg, and yuzu ponzu, and a Western interpretation with capers, anchovies, and egg yolk. Plus an impressive wine list courtesy of acclaimed sommelier Barbara Werley.
Seager & Sons
Fun-loving restaurant from 33 Restaurant Group (Union Bear, The Yard, Suburban Yacht Club) on the Boardwalk at Granite Park in Plano boasts a '70s vibe with nostalgic elements like vintage records, guitars, and lo-fi stereos. On the menu: hand-stretched pizza, fried chicken, cocktails, and beer.
---
The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is brought to you by The Yuengling Company, Brioche Gourmet, Still Austin Whiskey, Hornitos, Whataburger, Reyka Vodka, Silent Pool Gin, PicMe Events, and more to be announced soon. A portion of the proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, Harvest Project Food Rescue.
