Restaurant news

Limited-edition specials top the dish in this Dallas restaurant news

Chicken fried lobster roll at Y.O. Ranch.

Photo courtesy of Y.O.Ranch Steakhouse

This edition of Dallas restaurant news includes a continued burst of spring menu items and light, buzzy cocktails. Other notable news tidbits include the sad closure of a sushi restaurant in Carrollton, but the upbeat reopening of an east Dallas food park.

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

Kyodai Handroll & Seafood Bar in Carrollton has permanently closed. The company shared the news on Facebook but didn’t provide a reason. Their statement says in part, “From the bottom of our hearts, we want to express our sincere appreciation for your unwavering support throughout the years. Your patronage, kind words, and smiles have made this venture a truly memorable experience.”

The Shindig Food Park, the food park concept in East Dallas, reopened in mid-March after closing temporarily during the winter. The half-acre space features a rotating cast of food trucks and small operators.

E.J. Wills Gastropub, the chef-driven pub in McKinney, has rebranded and changed its name to Tipsy Crawfish. Their menu still has many of the same items, but is getting a new focus on Cajun fare with an emphasis on po’boys.

Knife Plano has added spring menu items, such as spring pea risotto (made with pea purée, truffle butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, and pea shoots) and seven new cocktails, including the Yattsu cocktail (Japanese gin, black peppercorn, juniper berry, grapefruit, lime, agave, and tonic), and the Spring Tiki (white rum, Fernet Branca, Strega, amaretto, anise syrup, and lemon juice).

Dive Coastal Cuisine has new seasonal menu items, including smoked salmon and fennel salad with grapefruit, dill, and mixed greens; tahini carrot soup with a fusion of leeks and lemon; and a Mahi crunch wrap, featuring basil slaw, Mahi Mahi, jasmine cilantro rice, and chipotle aioli. Available through April 30.

Bulla Gastrobar, the Spanish restaurant in the Legacy West food hall, has menu items for spring, including Crema de Gambas, shrimp & clam chowder with pork belly; Macarrones con Chorizo, macaroni with tomato and chorizo sauce, goat cheese, and Manchego; Mushrooms con Chorizo, chorizo-stuffed cremini mushrooms, with mozzarella, garlic brisket sauce, and toasted baguette; braised ribs with red wine, sofrito, and tomatoes and served with garlic potato purée; and Estofado de Res, Catalan-style beef stew with cremini mushrooms, carrots, and Valencia steamed rice. Seasonal cocktails are also available.

Mexican Bar Co. in Plano is offering a specialty frozen pina colada for April, made with Don Q Cristal rum, Rumhaven coconut rum, Coco Lopez coconut cream, heavy whipping cream, pineapple puree, and Goslings dark rum for $15.50. Available during April.

Monarch, the Italian steakhouse in Downtown Dallas, has added springtime dessert Panna Cotta, infused with buttermilk, citrus, and served alongside almond dacquoise, granola, and mandarin sorbet.

Barrel & Bones Craft Bar and Smokehouse is offering $5 mint juleps all day on Derby Day on May 4 in honor of the Run for the Roses.

Margaret’s, the ranch-to-table restaurant on the 11th floor of the JW Marriott Dallas Arts District, is offering a new dry-aged beef program and spring-inspired entrees, appetizers and desserts for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Highlights include four new dry-aged steaks served with twice-baked bone marrow baked potatoes, and multiple new proteins including lobster, quail, and lamb.

Y.O.Ranch Steakhouse in Dallas’ West End has added chicken fried lobster rolls with lemon aioli and crispy capers for $28 to its lunch menu.

Sassetta, the casual Italian spot inside The Joule hotel, has launched a revamped menu that includes Insalata di Burrata, a blend of watermelon radish, red watercress, frisée and strawberry, and dark peach vinaigrette; Cappelletti ‘Cacio e Pepe’, lemon ricotta-stuffed pasta with parmesan crisps and black pepper; Petto D’Anatra Arrosto, Long Island Duck paired with ramps, chanterelle mushroom, spring onion potato pave, and jus; and Costola Corta Short Rib, served with arborio rice cake, spring peas, and salsa verde.

CBD Provisions, the modern Texas brasserie located in The Joule hotel, has launched a revamped menu that includes Brown Butter Diver Scallops placed on top of a roasted pepper risotto with chorizo seco and preserved lemon; Gulf Catch, paired with garlic lime-dressed quinoa, tomato, avocado, and red watercress; Beef Tartare Royale, enhanced with paddlefish caviar, caper, red onion, chive Chiltomaline dressing, and sourdough; and Texas Deviled Eggs, a combination of poblano, bacon, cilantro, crême fraîche, chives, and CBD’s housemade hot sauce.

Bread Winners Café & Bakery is offering a $30 brunch pairing of one cocktail and one entree from the following: chicken fried steak and eggs, chicken and waffles, and croque madame. Cocktail options include Cold Brew Old Fashioned, bourbon, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, and orange peel; espresso martini with Grey Goose vodka, coffee liqueur, vanilla reduction, and espresso; and Hugo Spritz with St. Germain, Prosecco, mint, and club soda. Available through April 30.

Fogo de Chão, the Brazilian steakhouse chain, is offering a limited-time $44 special that includes a selection of their signature Brazilian cuts of meat and sides such as charcuteries, soups, and salads, plus desserts of tres leches, crème brûlée, or chocolate brigadeiro.

Lazy Dog Restaurants has new seasonal dishes including firecracker shrimp, spicy tuna crispy rice, green goddess salad (goat cheese, peas, red grapefruit, pickled red onions, pumpkin seeds, on greens in green goddess dressing), rainbow trout (with crispy smashed potatoes, garlic green beans, charred corn + roasted red peppers), NY steak with garlic butter green beans & waffle chip potato au gratin, sweet + spicy St. Louis style ribs with umami fries, three-layer confetti cake, and roadtrip bowl with fried chicken.

Thirsty Lion Gastropub has launched its spring menu featuring fried pickles with Sriracha sauce, Wagyu beef and bacon jam burger, chicken & waffles, and a cast iron skillet southern peach crumble. Spring cocktails include Tito’s Hibiscus Lemonade and Spicy Mango Margarita with jalapeños and Sauza Hacienda tequila.

Pepitas, the vegan taqueria in Denton, is now serving brunch on Saturdays and Sunday from 11 am-2 pm. Menu items include tres leches pancakes; breakfast tostadas with black beans, pico de gallo, salsa, cheese, and guacamole; breakfast tacos filled with cheese, soyrizo, tofu, potatoes, and chipotle mayo sauce; and breakfast quesadillas filled with egg, pico de gallo, and sausage.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, the gelato and ice cream chain, has collaborated with Oreo to offer three new flavors: Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flavorite (chocolate chip cookie dough ice, vanilla ice cream, and Oreo crumbles), Oreo Double Stuf Flavorite (Oreo crème ice, vanilla ice cream, Oreo crumbles, and Oreo crème swirl topper), and Oreo Frappe Flavorite (Oreo mocha ice, vanilla ice cream, and Oreo crumbles. Available through April 30.

Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, the Italian ice chain, has new frozen treats starring Oreos, available through April: Cold Brew Frozen Coffee made with OREO cookies, joining their trio of Original, Mocha, and Caramel flavors; and Rita’s Cookies n’ Cream Concrete.with vanilla ice, custard, cold brew coffee, and Oreo cookies.

Pizza Patrón, the pizza chain known for Latin-inspired pies, has opened a new location in Grand Prairie at 2810 S. SH-161 #125. The chain has nearly 90 locations in the U.S.

McDonald's bagel sandwichesMcDonald's

Jakes Gameday is now serving hi-Seltzers, a line of non-alcoholic, zero-calorie, zero-sugar, THC-infused seltzers, available in lemon-lime and cherry flavors. They’re offering three cocktails, using the specialty seltzers.

Yogurtland has unveiled two new flavors, Strawberry Matcha and Milk & Honey, and also brought back the fan-favorite Strawberry Mango Sorbet. Available while supplies last.

Wetzel’s Pretzels is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a nostalgic ’90s creamsicle-flavor beverage, the Orange Dream for $7+. It’s made with sweet, creamy orange citrus granita and layered with soft whip topping.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop has released a new drink, the Patrón Sidekick, for the month of April. It features a margarita served on the rocks or frozen with an added one-ounce shot of Patrón Silver sidekick that hangs on the rim of the schooner. Available through May 5.

McDonald’s in North Texas is getting in on the bagel action by bringing back the bagel breakfast sandwich. McDonald’s removed the bagel sandwiches in 2020 to pare down its menu and get rid of all-day breakfast. But fans formed a Facebook group with more than 12,000 members called “Where’s my McDonald’s Bagel?” to track where the sandwich was still offered. It's being revived at only a limited number of stores but those include North Texas, in three varieties: bacon, egg, & cheese; sausage, egg, & cheese; and steak, egg, & cheese. They’ve also brought back spicy chicken McNuggets for a limited time.

Spoetzl Brewery, the family-owned brewer of Shiner Bock, updated the design and packaging of the Shiner Bock bottles to honor Texas roots and history dating back to 1909. The new cans include a map of Texas, a more prominently featured ram, and simplified typography for a fresher, more contemporary feel and easier recognition on crowded shelves.

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Food trends

Dallas-Fort Worth pitmasters lead Texas’ growing halal BBQ boom

Levant BBQ

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FORT WORTH, Texas (RNS) — At 9 am on a scorching Saturday in June, nearly 100 people were already lined up outside Goldee’s BBQ, a small, wooden-shack restaurant.

First in line was 30-year-old Thanh Huynh, who had been sitting in a lawn chair on the joint’s rustic porch since 6:30 am.

“I have, like, a whole list, and I’m going to spend lots of money here. It’ll be worth it,” he said, laughing while rattling off a long order of meats and sides from his phone’s Notes app as a sweet, smoky scent from nearby pits hung in the air.

Opened in 2020 by a group of his friends, the restaurant was named the No. 1 barbecue spot in the state by Texas Monthly a year later, and then won a Bib Gourmand award from the prestigious Michelin Guide, given for “great food at a great value.”

The restaurant serves classic Texas barbecue like craft pork belly, sausage, and ribs. But it also offers halal brisket, turkey, and lamb.

"Halal" means meat raised and butchered in accordance with Islamic guidelines. It refers to the method in which the animals are slaughtered, one that focuses on humane treatment, cleanliness, and acknowledging the value of life — similar in concept to kosher food in Judaism.

A growing number of halal places have opened around Fort Worth in recent years, and there are also non-halal restaurants that use halal beef, such as burger institution Kincaid's, the new Burger Vault in Keller, and the forthcoming Tick Tock Taco in Colleyville.

Growing Texas trend
At a time when Republican leaders are increasingly targeting the state’s growing Muslim communities, halal barbecue joints like Goldee’s are thriving in Texas. Across the state, Muslim pitmasters are gaining recognition for putting their own spin on one of Texas’ most iconic culinary traditions.

Goldee's Barbecue is an acclaimed BBQ joint in Fort Worth. Goldee's Barbecue/ Facebook

At least a dozen barbecue spots now serve halal meats, including Yearby’s Barbecue & Waterice, run by Black Muslim couple CJ and Sabrina Henley, soon-to-be in Plano; and Levant Mediterranean BBQ, a restaurant with locations in Houston and Frisco and whose all-beef menu includes a brisket shawarma sandwich.

“Now there are so many options, and for us to have highly rated barbecue, it’s a blessing,” said Haris Ghaffar, who drove an hour from Celina and stood in 90-degree weather for nearly two hours with a friend for the halal options at Goldee’s.

Growing up in the 1990s, Ghaffar said a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich was one of the few halal meals he could eat while dining out. Back then, halal food was seen as serving a small community. Today, it’s a multibillion-dollar industry that’s part of the American culinary mainstream, said James Beard Award‑winning food writer Farhan Mustafa, who wrote about the rise of American halal barbecue for Bon Appétit magazine in 2025.

“Halal food is American food,” said Mustafa, who is based in Seattle. “It belongs on your plate. It belongs in the casual chat. It belongs in hip hop tracks. It’s the most American thing there is.”

Mustafa said Muslims are part of a growing list of communities putting their stamp on Texas barbecue. “Whether they’re first, second or third-generation Muslims or Muslim Americans or just Americans, they’re bringing what they know and what excites them,” he said.

More than salt and pepper
Texas barbecue is typically defined by salt-and-pepper brisket and pork ribs, but this new crop of halal pitmasters are adding inventive twists, often based on their own family heritages.

Zain Shafi, a pitmaster and co-owner of Goldee’s, previously ran Sabar Barbecue, a food truck that offered Pakistani-infused halal dishes, such as brisket with rub that included spices like bay leaf and coriander.

Sabar was nominated for Best BBQ in CultureMap's 2025 Tastemaker Awards, and made the list of Texas Monthly's Top 50 Barbecue Restaurants of 2025. The restaurant was also featured in a recently published BBQ book Texas BBQ: The Art of Low and Slow. He closed Sabar in December 2025 after two years.

Sabar BBQ Sabar Barbecue offered a Pakistani twist on BBQ. Sabar Barbecue

Shafi brought tandoori smoked turkey to Goldee’s menu. And sourcing halal cuts, he said, was a natural choice because they are “the highest quality” meats.

Goldee’s chef and part owner Nupohn Inthanousay also blends his Laotian heritage, serving a smoked Lao “sai oua” sausage with sticky rice and a fiery, tangy dipping sauce.

At Kafi BBQ in Irving, owner Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi brings halal Wagyu beef and Iraqi spices to classic Texas barbecue, challenging what he said is the “traditional old guard of Texas barbecue.”

“My goal at Kafi BBQ is to make the best barbecue in Texas,” Abdul-Kafi said. “I have not been shy about that at all, and making the best barbecue in Texas does not necessarily have to include pork.”

A former Silicon Valley tech worker, he moved to Texas six years ago in search of a Muslim community. On weekends in his backyard, he smoked brisket for friends. By 2024, he bought a smoker and opened Kafi BBQ.

He said he spent months testing and perfecting recipes and finding local producers. Abdul-Kafi attributes his obsession with crafting a stand-out menu to the Islamic concept of “Ihsan”— an Arabic term meaning doing something with excellence for the sake of God.

On a Sunday afternoon this summer, the restaurant’s red booths were packed with diners, drawn to menu items like the 13-spice Wagyu brisket, pomegranate-glazed beef belly burnt ends and Iraqi-inspired spicy beef sausage.

“That sausage, I’d probably put it at the top sausage I’ve ever had, and we eat barbecue a lot. This place is unique,” said Jonathan Tate, a Fort Worth resident who came to Kafi BBQ with a friend after reading about it on a Facebook foodie group.

“I don’t necessarily have to have it halal, but it’s nice to know they took good care of the food, the meat,” his friend Jon Sklar said, before going back in line to order oxtail.

Meat at Kafi BBQ in Irving. Kafi BBQ

'We love barbecue'
Although political rhetoric against Muslims in Texas has become increasingly hostile — some GOP lawmakers even discussed a ban on halal food at a conference this month — pitmasters like Abdul-Kafi see the rise of halal barbecue as an effective counterargument.

“It’s an example of exactly the opposite of what the Islamophobes talk about, right?” he said. “They say, ‘oh, Muslims don’t integrate, they stay alone, they don’t help society and all this stuff.’ And it’s like, I’m sitting here contributing to the most well-known cuisine of Texas.”

One of the diners at Kafi BBQ, Houston native Muhammad Sohail, 23, said the restaurant reflects who he is — a proud Texan and Muslim. “This place is super important because I can see halal within the culture of Texas, which is my culture at this point,” Sohail said. “We love the food. We love meat. We’re Muslims and we love barbecue.”

After finishing a big lunch with 10 relatives, Areeba Ali, a Dallas native of Indian heritage, said the restaurant’s appeal cuts across communities, which she said is evidence that halal barbecue isn’t a niche but resonates broadly with Texans. “If you look around in the restaurant, you see everybody in there — it’s not just one demographic in there,” Ali said.

For Mustafa, that success is ultimately a testament to the resilience of Muslim American communities.

“No matter how much they try to erase us, our food is here to stay,” he said. “You will see the power of just good food and the fact that most people really seem to understand that this is just as American as anything else.”

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This story was written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. It also includes information from the CultureMap archives.

halal halal barbecue muslim communities pitmasters religion texas texas barbecue trends culinary traditions goldee's barbecue