Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 sizzling restaurants in September

The Dallas restaurant scene is coming into fall with lots of openings in the wings. These 10 restaurants were smart to make their move and beat the pack — because it landed them a prime spot in the September edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap's much-anticipated monthly roundup of restaurant picks.

This batch of 10 restaurants has eight new openings — ranging from a high-profile newcomer from New York to an innovative new concept from an award-winning chef team. The other two places that made this list include a notable new offering, and a nostalgic chain with only one location left in Texas.

Here's where to eat in Dallas right now:

Avra Estiatorio
Ultra-buzzy ultra-luxe Mediterranean restaurant is opening in Uptown at The Crescent, at 300 Crescent Ct #120, on September 19. The menu features pristine seafood imported daily, fresh produce, and traditional Greek dishes. Specialties include the famous Avra Chips — crispy paper-thin sliced zucchini and eggplant — as well as whole grilled branzino, prime steaks, lamb chops, Greek salad, and traditional dips. In an Avra signature, diners can select seafood from an ice display. The concept was founded in New York in 2000 by Greek native Nick Tsoulos and has locations in Beverly Hills and Miami; Dallas is the sixth.

Berkley’s Market
Dallas neighborhood market and coffee bar has something new worth checking out: a line of authentic French pastries from French Atelier Bakery, a Dallas wholesale bakery that specializes in croissants and other baked treats, which it supplies to restaurants, hotels, and coffee shops. Now they are available daily at all Berkley’s locations, delivered fresh each morning, with savory and sweet options that include: butter croissant, almond croissant, chocolate croissant, and ham & cheese croissant; tomato basil Danish; cinnamon rolls; pain Suisse; strawberry pop tarts; blueberry and lemon poppy seed muffins, and matcha cruffin.

Curuba Colombia Kitchen
New mom-and-pop in Allen features authentic Colombian dishes such as arepas, the satisfying corn patties filled with ingredients such as cheese or shredded meat; and empanadas with choice of fillings from chicken, brisket, vegan, shrimp, or ground beef, three to an order for $12. There are fried green plantains with choice of Spanish creole sauce or creamy mushroom sauce; and bandeja paisa, a traditional Colombian platter with a variety of meats, plus beans and rice, named after the Paisa region of Colombia where it originates. They have a big selection of sweets, with tres leches and cinco leches cakes, passion fruit mousse, and rice pudding; plus an in-house bakery turning out Latin cakes and treats.

Elephant Bar & Grill
Upscale Indian concept in the former Swank space in Oak Cliff comes from chef Praveen Prasannan (who also co-owns Shivas Bar and Grill, another elevated Indian concept). His goal is to bring Indian food to areas currently lacking in Indian options — such as Oak Cliff, for example. Elephant Bar's menu features Indian classics such as chicken tikka masala, butter masala, tandoori, and a variety of biryani, the comforting rice dish. There are Indo-Chinese fusion dishes such as veggie fried rice, chilli paneer, and hakka noodles; plus wraps and hummus with naan bread. This is a second location of Elephant Indian Bar and Grill following the original that opened in the original Buzzbrews in 2024. He's also about to open an Elephant to-go in the Park Cities.

Elia Greek Tavern
New restaurant in Dallas' Bishop Arts is from prolific chef Habip Kargin and his partner Hayko Sherenian, who also own Selda Mediterranean, the growing Turkish restaurant concept. Located in the former home of Nora Restaurant and Bar (which is now re-opening at Sylvan Thirty), Elia's menu combines Turkish and Greek cuisine, especially seafood such as baked Greek branzino, dorado, swordfish, and snapper, as well as Greek classics like chicken and lamb. They'll also do classic Greek dishes like tzatziki and caviar dips, calamari, and saganaki — a pan-fried Greek cheese — and have brought in chefs from Cyprus, an island south of Greece, to head the culinary team. Hopefully, the Instagram videos showing girls strutting around with sparklers is an anomaly?

Himalayan Indian Spice
New restaurant in Frisco in a prime location near the coming-soon Universal Kids Resort is serving classic Indian dishes alongside Nepalese-style dumplings. Owner Santosh Neupane has a goal to feature the Nepalese dishes he grew up with, and to serve them in a nice upscale setting. Himalayan shines both in food and atmosphere, with a menu that incorporates Nepalese trademarks including momos — dumplings in nearly a dozen varieties, usually steamed, sometimes fried; filled with vegetables or chicken; and served with different soupy-style sauces such as jhol momo, a spicy, tangy, and nutty broth.

Houlihan's
With the recent closure of the Houlihan's in Garland, there is now only one Houlihan's in the Dallas area: Denton at 3120 Town Center Trail, next to the Embassy Suites off University. It's the one last outpost if you're craving their Famous Shrooms stuffed with garlic-herb cream cheese, their bargain lunches, happy hour deals, Bavarian pretzel twist "bigger than your face," Thai chili wings, reasonably priced steaks, and brownie batter cake. This location's proximity to the hotel, not to mention a jovial hands-on owner, means this one is probably not at risk. But keep in mind: it's not only the only Houlihan's in the Dallas area, it's the only Houlihan's in Texas.

Mexican Sugar
Small upscale Latin chain will open in Addison on September 22 with a modern take on traditional Mexican flavors — from chicken mole, Angus skirt steak, and barbacoa tacos to bone-in pork chop and Spanish mussels. Hand-pressed tortillas are made daily with heirloom masa, and agave cocktails are mixed with fresh juices. Located at 4951 Belt Line Rd., the nearly 9,000-square-foot restaurant will debut a striking 360-degree bar, along with the chain's first custom wood-fired oven for new menu items such as hearth-roasted coliflor (the Spanish word for cauliflower, duh), Mexican flatbread, and queso flameado. Three other DFW locations are in Uptown, Plano, and Las Colinas.

Sauvage
New concept from chefs Casey and Amy La Rue is now open next to the Statler Dallas hotel at 1914 Commerce St., in the former Sfereco Pizza, with a renovation that the couple managed to execute entirely themselves. The restaurant's cutting-edge theme is a "woodfire omakase” concept with 16-18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker. Sauvage marks their return to fine dining and will follow the tasting-menu approach they maintained at Carte Blanche, but with a smaller footprint: just 12 seats and two seatings per night, open only four nights a week, from Wednesday-Saturday.

Sugoi Sushi
New restaurant now open at Sylvan Thirty is serving sushi and an omakase offering, with occasional Vietnamese influences. They have about a dozen sushi rolls which are more thoughtfully conceived than the usual California roll, incorporating unusual ingredients like sliced lemon. Some, like the Sylvan roll, which combines salmon, shrimp tempura, avocado, seared scallop, sliced lemon, and eel sauce, are "riceless". Appetizers include gyoza, edamame, and shrimp tempura; there are also three entrees: black cod miso with "asparagus mash." A special omakase offering for $150 features 14 to 16 dishes, including a small bowl of pho.