Meet the tastemakers

All the nominees vying for 2025 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards

Raise a glass to the Dallas Tastemakers on May 1.

Photo by Ashley Gongora

The time has come to celebrate all the people and places who make Dallas such an exciting city to dine in. The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards are back, and we can now reveal the 2025 nominees.

We’ve asked leaders of the city's culinary community to tell us which chefs, restaurants, bars, and more have set the standard in dining for the past year. Our judging panel will pick the winners in eight of the categories, including two exciting new "wildcard" contests: Best Coffee Shop and Best Eatertainment. CultureMap readers will pick the winner of Best New Restaurant in a head-to-head, bracket-style tournament that's sure to get heated.

We’ll celebrate the nominees and reveal the winners at our awards ceremony and signature tasting event on Thursday, May 1 at the new Astoria Event Venue.

More than a dozen of this year’s finalists will be serving bites, and our sponsors will supply all of the drinks necessary to keep the party going. Then we’ll reveal the winners in our short and sweet awards ceremony.

A limited number of Early Bird tickets are on sale now at discounted rates of $60 for general admission and $99 for VIP (includes early access to the event and a dedicated bar). Prices will go up soon, and tickets will sell out. Act fast - you don’t want to miss out.

We’ll dive more deeply into the nominees in a special editorial series that celebrates their accomplishments. But first, a round of applause for all of this year's finalists:

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

Cafe Momentum
El Carlos Elegante
Mirador
Mister Charles
Rye
Starship Bagel
Stillwell's
Tatsu
Written By the Seasons
Zavala's Barbecue

CHEF OF THE YEAR

Jeff Bekevac, Goodwin's
Michelle Carpenter, Restaurant Beatrice
Gabriel DeLeon, Mi Dia From Scratch
Mansour Gorji, Gorji
Jeffery Hobbs, Slow Bone
Victor Hugo, Bucket & Rope
Habip Kargin, Selda
Dennis Kelly & Melody Bishop, Written by the Seasons
Minji Kim, JOA Grill
Masayuki Otaka, Mabo

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR

Parker Cantera, Resident Taqueria
Ricardo Viesca Gutierrez, Sheraton Dallas
Mario Hernandez, Nuri
Cristina Lara, El Carlos Elegante
Rhonda McCullar, Uchiba
Roman Murphy, Perch Bistro
Jonathan Myrick, Cane Rosso
Anais Paniagua and Iris Rojas, Doña Maria
Fernando Ramirez, Thirsty Lion
Jake Yoon, Naminohana

PASTRY CHEF OF THE YEAR

Meriel Bautista, Cafe Momentum
Matt Bresnan, Bresnan Bread and Pastry
Chelsea Gannon, Ruby Baking Co.
Macarena Gomez, LA 57
Bryan Motta, Breadhaus
Dyan Ng, Le Passage
Leen Kim Nunn, Omni Frisco
Sara Saginaw, Swirled Peace
Ryan Stipp, PGA Frisco
Golda Sumpon, Ollio Patisserie

NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

Cafe Madrid
Cedar & Vine
Dee's Table Burgers & More
Loro
Mayor's House By Selda
Miss Pasta
The Porch
San Martin Bakery
Wabi House
Wagamama

BAR OF THE YEAR

Bar Sardine
Catbird
Clifton Club
Colombian Country Club
Ginger's
Milo Butterfingers
Patrick Kennedy's Irish Pub
Scarlet Lounge
Saint Valentine
Valle Lounge

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Be Home Soon
Bucket & Rope
Catch
Claremont Bar & Grill
Elephant Indian Bar & Grill
Even Coast
Feng Shui
Goldie's
Goodwin's
Jack & Harry's
Kati Roll
La Rue Doughnuts
Mabo
Nikki Greek Bistro
Nuri
Seager & Sons

BEST EATERTAINMENT

Chicken N Pickle
Eataly
Happiest Hour
Kanpai Coffee & Beer Garden
Katy Trail Icehouse
Komodo
Punch Bowl Social
Scout
Suburban Yacht Club
Truckyard

BEST COFFEE SHOP

Arwa Coffee
Common Good
Civil Pour
Hola Coffee
Kanpai Coffee & Beer Garden
Killer Joe
Merit Coffee
Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters
Well Grounded Coffee
White Rhino

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The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Dallas by The Yuengling Company, Brioche Gourmet, Still Austin Whiskey, Whataburger, PicMe Events, and more to be announced. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Harvest Project Food Rescue.

chefs nominees restaurants tastemaker awards

Hummus News

Revered family-owned Mediterranean restaurant debuts in North Dallas

Samantha Marie Photography

Zon Zon food spread

An upscale Mediterranean restaurant is coming to North Dallas from a trusted name: Called Zon Zon, it'll open at 5455 Belt Line Rd. #130, in the Work/Shop center, and it's hospitality group Yela Concepts led by Yaser Khalaf (Darna, Baboush), together with his son Mak Khalef in their first collaboration.

According to a release, it'll open on December 22.

Named for Mak's sister Zaina (“Zon Zon”), the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with a refined take on Mediterranean dining, rooted in tradition but with modern influences.

"We tried to merge what embodies Mediterranean cuisine with dishes that people in Dallas love," Mak says. "A lot of the dishes we have on menu are Mediterranean but have American and Texan influences."

Mezze favorites include hummus topped with green shatta and extra-virgin olive oil; baba ghanoush with charred eggplant, tahini, dukka, and pomegranate; crispy cauliflower with saffron labneh; tuna neya with tahini, mixed pickles, and Aleppo pepper; and kibbeh with ground lamb, onions, pine nuts, and dill labneh.

Salads include seared tuna salad with freekeh and golden beets; Tahini Caesar with tahini–Caesar dressing and za’atar croutons; and roasted beets with burrata, oranges, and pistachios.

Entrées include roasted chicken with garlic-batata and pomegranate jus; chicken shish kebab over saffron rice with almonds and raisins; hanger steak shawarma frites — a clever twist on steak frites with hand-cut fries; ZZ’s Wagyu cheeseburger with smoked provolone and house pickles; Prime ribeye with za’atar chimichurri and heirloom carrots; and apricot lamb couscous.

The beverage program complements the menu with a Mediterranean-focused wine list and creative cocktails such as the coffee-kissed Midnight Istanbul and ZZ’s Margarita, with burnt pineapple and ras el hanout.

Designed in collaboration with Dallas-based Coeval Studios, the restaurant features a 2,130-square-foot interior with an expansive 735-square-foot patio that seats 76, for a total occupancy near 100.

The restaurant boasts an open kitchen, while decorative finishes include modern woodwork, rich textures, and Middle Eastern-inspired details — stylish yet inviting, with a setting that feels like home.

“The inspiration behind Zon Zon came from wanting to create the kind of place we’ve always wished existed — a neighborhood Mediterranean spot that feels both familiar and exciting - we wanted to create a comfortable space where guests can meet up with friends or neighbors on a regular basis,” says Yaser in a statement.

Mak went to college to sudy biomedical engineering, but says he couldn't resist the lure of the restaurant world in which he grew up.

"Zon Zon is a reflection of everything we love about food," Mak says. "What makes this especially meaningful is building it with my dad — bringing our family’s story and passion to the table."

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