Year in, year out, summers can often feel sleepy on the Dallas restaurant news front — but 2026 is shaping up to be gratifyingly busy. Dizzingly busy, even. This latest edition has new restaurant openings, new chefs, exciting awards, and all sorts of new food and drink specials to try.

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

Ghost Pizza is a new pizzeria from Frank Nuccio, part of the family that owned the venerable Marco's Pizza and My Family's Pizza local chains, now open at 10675 Northwest Hwy. #1635, serving pizza, salad, pasta, with a BYOB policy. Nuccio, the son of founder Marco Nuccio, most recently opened Pizza Gianna in 2021.

Bird & Beast is a new restaurant in Irving at 3710 Cheyenne St., serving Nashville chicken, saffron wings, shawarma chicken wraps, and churros. They celebrated their grand opening on May 30.

Bombshells, the military-themed sports bar chain, is opening a location in Rowlett at 8525 Meigan Elise Dr. with 80 high-def TVs, bottle service, wings, burgers, steaks, tacos, a massive outdoor patio, DJs and more. It's opening at Sapphire Bay, a $1 billion live-work-play environment transforming the Lake Ray Hubbard shoreline into a regional destination, which will include 1,500 residential units, retail, restaurant, entertainment space, a Hyatt-branded hotel, crystal lagoon, surf village, waterfront features, marina, parks, and trail systems.

Mom’s Iron Wok is a new restaurant in McKinney, at 2741 Virginia Pkwy. #500, offering Sichuan cuisine and Chinese-American food including rice, noodles, and dumplings.

Vegan Food House in Bishop Arts won a top award from PETA for best vegan steak, for their steak frites in gravy and topped with (dairy-free) feta. The dish is served with fries and a mixed greens salad with vegan bacon bits, walnuts, & blueberries in vinaigrette dressing. The restaurant was opened in 2019 by husband-and-wife team Elizabeth Anderson and Anthony Bookman.

Logan's Roadhouse has launched The Great American Road Trip, a limited-time summer menu with a cute USA theme featuring cedar planked chicken with Alabama white sauce, Carolina Gold fried ribs, NOLA BBQ shrimp, BBQ Platter, 12-oz. Texas Ribeye, Rte. 66 chicken bacon ranch, potato skins, beer-battered stuffed jalapeños, seasonal sides, and three summer cocktails: Original Electric Lemonade, Rockin' Strawberry Groupie, and Big Easy Blue Roadhouse Tea.

Oak & Stone, the beer tap restaurant which recently opened in McKinney, has introduced "Poptails" — cocktails served with a popsicle from Frios Gourmet Pops. Options include the Midnight Sun with Tito's Vodka, St-Germain, lemon, blueberry, & prosecco with a blackberry ginger lemonade popsicle; and Blue Crush with rum, lime juice, mint, & Sprite with a blue raspberry popsicle.

La Madeleine has a new seasonal menu featuring a protein bowl with balsamic-marinated chicken, bistro salad with strawberries, feta, & croissant croutons, French Cobb salad with chicken & croutons, strawberry chocolate eclair, and strawberry chantilly cake.

Postino has brought back its annual Battle of The Bruschetta, a summer-long competition featuring six limited-time trial recipes: Cherry Mostarda; PB, Bacon, & Banana; Roast Beef & Horseradish; Muffuletta (cheddar, mortadella, olive tapenade); Smashed Pea with whipped feta & spicy marcona almonds; and Pear & Cambozola. Diners vote for their favorite, leading to a bracket-style faceoff at Postino from August 1–15. The winning bruschetta gets added as a permanent item on the fall menu.

Jo’Seon, the Korean Wagyu omakase restaurant, is launching a sushi omakase experience, available as a full omakase in the restaurant’s private dining rooms and à la carte in the main dining room. The menu includes nine handrolls, including an A5 wagyu handroll, a uni handroll, a spicy tuna and shrimp tempura handroll, and more.

Maman, the bakery chain, has limited-time treats including strawberry citrus cruffin, vegan vanilla peach upside down cake, vegan lemon poppyseed cookie, s'mores croissant cube, and pistachio loaf cake. New beverages include banana pudding iced latte or matcha, peach pie iced matcha latte, espresso or matcha tonic with Mandarin fruit whip, cucumber melon lemonade, and cucumber melon matcha lemonade. New Martha Stewart-branded items include passionfruit green tea palmer, heirloom tomato & burrata bowl, Greek salad sandwich with chicken, cherry cheesecake turnover, and salted caramel chocolate chip cookie. Available through September 2.

Shake Shack has brought back the Dubai chocolate pistachio shake, inspired by the viral Dubai chocolate bar. It has pistachio frozen custard, toasted kataifi shredded phyllo, coated in a crackable dark chocolate shell and topped with chopped pistachios and kataifi, for a limited time, how long they do not say.

55 Seventy, the Park Cities dining destination, has launched Sunday brunch from 10:30 am-2:30 pm with a menu by executive chef Josh Sutcliff that inclues deviled eggs, ham & cheese tartine, bread pudding French toast, Anson Mills polenta with pork belly, mushroom & pork strata, steak & eggs, smash burger, chicken salad club sandwich, and Chef’s brunch salad with chicken, tomato, frisee, bacon, beets, and avocado.

PopUp Bagels brings back the Oishii Berry Schmear, first introduced in 2025. These Japanese berries are grown year-round and have a strawberry-ish flavor. Available June 18-July 1.

The Mercury, the North Dallas restaurant, welcomes back chef Roger Man, a longtime collaborator of Mercury chef Chris Ward, dating back to their days working together at Citizen. Man has also worked at Nobu Dallas and Uchi Dallas. Man stepped away to help operate his family’s Vietnamese restaurant.