Tastemaker Awards

Tastemaker Awards party salutes the best in Dallas restaurants in 2025

Foodies from all across Dallas showed up for the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, celebrating Dallas' top restaurants, bars, and chefs who've led the local dining scene most in the past year.

After months of buildup, the winners were revealed at an awards ceremony and tasting event on on Thursday, May 1 at the Astoria Event Venue in Irving.

The presentation of the awards was the pinnacle in a night of food and drink, in which more than a dozen nominated chefs and restaurants served up delicious bites, while bartenders crafted cocktails incorporating spirits from event sponsors including: Still Austin Whiskey and Hornitos Tequila, along with Pennsyvania-based Yuengling Beer, who served their traditional lager as well as Flight, their light lager.

There were specialty cocktails from Silent Pool Gin (English G&T), Hornitos Tequila (Hornitos Paloma, ranch water, and neat), Reyka Vodka (Reyka espresso martini and cucumber martini), and Still Austin Whiskey (Still Austin old fashioned, plus neat pours of Straight and Cask Strength Bourbon and Rye Whiskey).

Alcohol-free options included the Honey Berry Fizz from Punch Bowl Social, the Cucumber Garden mocktail from Seedlip, and an irresistible pistachio espresso martini from Ritual Zero Proof.

Saratoga Spring Water kept everyone hydrated, and also dispensed goody bags containing a box of chocolates, notepad & pen, wine key, key chain, and bottle of water to the nominees. Brioche Gourmet handed out rich bread items to all attendees.

The tastiest plates of the night included Chicken kofta meatballs from Goodwins, Peking duck wraps and spicy tuna cones from Komodo, Salmon bowl box and sesame rice noodles from Loro (served in a cool take-out box), rigatoni Genovese from Perch Bistro, pimento cheese and Benton's country ham sandwiches from The Porch, and pineapple char siu pulled pork baos from Scout at the Statler.

Favorite sweet options included strawberry matcha and pink champagne macarons from Ollio Patisserie, and a medley of treats from LA 57 that included mini almond croissants, mini cannoli, and mini cajeta empanadas. Caffeine fans were rewarded with honey lavender cold brew from Well Grounded Coffee and iced coffee from Whataburger.

After all that eating and drinking, it was time for the awards, delivered by charming emcee Mark Schechtman. For weeks leading up to the event, we published a special editorial series that highlighted nominees in nine categories. Winners were chosen by a panel of local food and beverage experts — except for the category of Best New Restaurant, which was voted on by readers in a bracket-style competition online.

Ashley Gongora

Cucumber salad and crispy beef from Feng Shui

These winners were announced and presented with glass trophies, as the crowd enthusiastically cheered for each one:

Rising Star Chef of the Year: Roman Murphy, Perch Bistro
Pastry Chef of the Year: Ryan Stipp, Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: The Porch
Bar of the Year: Columbian Country Club
Best Coffee Shop: Merit Coffee
Best Eatertainment: Chicken N Pickle
Best New Restaurant: Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge
Chef of the Year: Jeff Bekavac, Goodwins
Restaurant of the Year: Mister Charles

A portion of the proceeds benefited Harvest Project Food Rescue, an indigenous led environmental nonprofit fighting food insecurity by redirecting surplus produce to DFW communities each week.

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Hungry to be a part of it all next year? You can read about all the winners here, and we'll see you in 2026. The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is brought to you by The Yuengling Company, Brioche Gourmet, Still Austin Whiskey, Hornitos, Whataburger, Reyka Vodka, Silent Pool Gin, and PicMe Events. A portion of the proceeds benefitted our nonprofit partner, Harvest Project Food Rescue.

awards bests tastemaker awards

Now brewing

New Love Field-area coffee shop brews matcha and community in Dallas

Instagram/Go Culture Cafe

A matcha drink from Go Culture Cafe.

A new coffee shop and gathering space is coming to the Dallas Love Field area. Called Go Culture Cafe, it will be located at 5606 Maple Ave., Ste. 110, near Inwood Rd., and will open after the Fourth of July.

The concept comes from Farhan Fallahi, an Iran-born fashion designer who has lived in Dallas for 11 years and owns the wedding and event planning company Wedding Erah.

The 1,000-square-foot coffee shop is designed to be a collaboration hub, he says, outfitted with benches, chairs, small tables, and a large coffee bar.

The drink menu will include traditional espresso options like lattes, macchiatos, and mochas, alongside a variety of matcha beverages. Specialty drinks will feature a saffron matcha, saffron latte, fig matcha, fig latte, and an extra-creamy matcha made with heavy cream. They will also offer a mocha latte topped with a cold matcha foam. All coffee drinks will be priced under $9.

To source their beans, they have partnered with Eiland, the Richardson-based artisan roaster.

Additionally, Go Culture Cafe will serve specialty, high-protein smoothies packed with nuts, dates, fruit, and other premium, health-conscious ingredients. The 16-ounce smoothies will retail for around $18.

An iced mocha latte topped with cold matcha foam, one of the signature specialty drinks at Go Culture Cafe.Photo courtesy of Go Culture Cafe

For food, Fallahi is partnering with several local bakeries to offer pastries such as a banana bread cookie, red velvet cookie, and matcha muffins, as well as savory items like avocado toast and cottage cheese toast. All food items will be priced below $10.

The idea for the coffee shop came up unexpectedly, he says.

“I started doing a lot of events and flower pop-ups in front of restaurants and cafes," Fallahi says. "It was cool to see how people would connect over pastries and coffee."

He initially looked into launching a coffee truck before finding the brick-and-mortar location next to a RaceTrac gas station. The building previously housed a coin laundry and a vacant storefront before the landlord divided it into smaller retail spaces.

Fallahi admittedly has no prior background or experience in the coffee industry, which is actually the inspiration behind the entire concept.

“When you start a business from the ground up, it can be very lonely,” he says.

He designed Go Culture Cafe to be a destination for anyone starting something new and seeking inspiration or motivation. The “Go” in the name is a direct invitation for people to “go for it.”

“Whatever it is you’re going after, go for it, even if you don’t feel completely ready," Fallahi says. "Nobody knows exactly what they are doing. Go Culture Cafe is a space for people to gather, collaborate, and make connections.”

Hours of operation will be 7 am-7 pm Monday-Saturday an 9 am-5 pm Sunday.

A grand opening is planned for mid-July, featuring live music, a balloon artist, and other surprises, he says. True to the cafe's roots, the space will host future pop-up events and collaborations to foster community connection.

coffee shop dallas love field matcha coffee