Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 best new restaurants for October

Local Public Eatery is now open on Henderson Avenue.

LPE

October is a new month and calls for another round of Where to Eat, CultureMap Dallas' monthly column with tips on best restaurants to try. This edition includes some exciting newcomers from cities like Miami and Seattle that are making their Dallas debut. The month also brought some welcome local family-owned concepts, as well.

In alphabetical order, here's our Where to Eat in Dallas for October:

Bikanervala
Vegetarian restaurant chain headquartered in Delhi, India made its Texas debut in the MacArthur Park shopping center in Las Colinas. It’s the fifth location to open in the U.S., and is wildly popular with natives of India. They do Indo-Chinese and North Indian dishes including thali platters, momo dumplings, and rice bowls. They're also known for their trademark desserts such as kulfi ice cream topped with exotic rose syrup and jelly.

The Charlotte
Nostalgic teddy bear-themed restaurant with a playful spirit is now open in the former Enrique Tomas space on Henderson Avenue. Leading the concept are seasoned duo Wyl Lima and Kimberly O’Neal (Sister, Temporis, Hillstone Restaurant Group). The menu offers Southern-American and internationally-inspired dishes such as biryani spiced wings, shrimp & grits, steak au poivre, and their distinctive Spaghetti & Catfish — a Southern twist on spaghetti with meat sauce and a crispy catfish filet.

Due’ Cucina
Small restaurant chain from Seattle that dubs itself “the official restaurant for Italian food snobs” just opened in September in Lakewood Shopping Center. It's a fast-casual concept from two native Italians that offers affordable Italian fare and pasta made in-house daily. Dishes include ravioli, eggplant parmigiana, and short ribs ragu over a choice of pasta. Dallas is their first foray outside Seattle, where they have four locations.

Hideaway Pizza McKinney
Pizzeria founded near Oklahoma State University in 1957 just opened in McKinney — its second DFW location, behind Plano — bringing its fun irreverent style including employees dressed in tie-dyed shirts, while serving up pizza, pasta, and appetizers. The menu features 17 signature pizzas, including chicken Florentine, Pepperonipalooza, and veggie combo. Crusts include thin; a puffier hand-tossed; GF; and cauliflower.

Las Favela
Family-owned Mexican restaurant opened at 7260 Gaston Ave. in the former Andrea's Italian space in Lakewood. It’s a concept from sisters Elvira and Josefina Favela, and Josefina’s daughter Natalie. The menu features more than 80 traditional dishes, including enchiladas la laguna, nachos, and a sharable Don Juve platter — with flautas, stuffed jalapeños, quesadillas, fried shrimp, and French fries for $32.

Local Public Eatery
Restaurant and sports bar from Canada-based Joey Restaurant Group just opened on Henderson Avenue in the former Sushi Axiom space (and a sibling to Joey Dallas, which opened at NorthPark Center in January 2024). LPE does your basic comfort bar food — burgers, fish & chips, ppizza — with a subtle twist: truffle cheeseburgers with truffle jam, steak frites, a fried chicken ramen bowl, and shrimp & pesto pizza.

Oishii
Beloved sushi restaurant concept from chef Thanh Nguyen just opened a location at Preston Forest in the former, highly desirable Pei Wei space, offering the neighborhood a much-appreciated full-service option. It's the fifth location for the chain, which first opened in 2003. There’s an expansive menu of sashimi, specialty rolls, dinner and lunch entrees, and pho. Signature items include peking duck, sushi lunch platter, and a new Preston Roll.

San Marzano
Unique Italian restaurant from New York opened in Uptown’s West Village in late September, featuring "mix-and-match" pasta at a budget price. Customers choose a pasta such as pappardelle or rigatoni; add a sauce such as Bolognese, tomato-vodka, or wild boar ragù; and toppings, such as sausage, bacon, artichoke, or grape tomatoes. They also offer three paninis, such as pesto caprese, and Italian desserts, like cannoli.

Talkin’ Tacos
Tacos from Miami made their Texas debut in Plano in September. They started as a food truck, and now have 17 locations where they serve tacos and more. The signature meat is birria, which they incorporate into birria tacos, birria pizza, and birria ramen. They also offer street corn in a cup, rice bowls in a crispy taco shell bowl, and desserts such as loaded churros.

Tikka Shack
Fresh Indian restaurant concept is a spinoff of the Masala Wok chain, which just opened its first Dallas-area location on Greenville Avenue in a former Pie Five. It's a fast-casual restaurant that focuses on the very best Indian dishes, such as biryani bowls, tikka masala, and butter masala, along with a cool Indian twist on pizza, salads, and wraps, with lots of options for vegetarians.

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Burger News

Fun family-owned Big Mike's Bar and Grill from TV star debuts in Plano

Tommy LeBeouf

Big burger from Big Mike's in Plano

A charming family-owned restaurant with TV star ties has debuted in Plano. Called Big Mike’s Bar and Grill, it's an elevated sports bar that just opened at 3200 Alma Dr., in a former Pancho's Mexican Buffet where it's serving tasty Angus burgers and beer-battered onion rings, hand-battered in-house.

Big Mike's is from husband-and-wife Mike Cancelmi and Jennie Marie; she gained fame as the star of the 2018 TLC show Mama Medium. The couple is from Rochester, New York, but fell in love with the Dallas area with their four sons after visiting a friend in 2021.

Their signature Big Mike's burger is a biggie: a half-pound patty with cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg on a brioche bun, served with choice of hand-cut fries, tater tots, or sweet potato fries, for $18.

They bring their Northeast influence with dishes such as a Reuben sandwich with corned beef on marble rye, and their own version of poutine, the Canadian specialty, which they make with fries, cheese curds, brown gravy, and thick-cut crumbled bacon.

One dish reflects their hometown roots: Called the Trash Plate, it's inspired by the Garbage Plate, a sloppy comfort food dish that's the unofficial signature dish of the city of Rochester.

Big Mike's version combines macaroni salad, home fries, and choice of hot dogs from Rochester-based Zweigle’s (which they fly in from New York), or two smash burger patties with hot sauce, mustard, and onions.

Their menu also features a few entree items like NY strip steak, their priciest item at $35, served with garlic mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts; and chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans for $24. Portions are abundant.

Big Mike's family: Mike and Jennie Marie and their four sons.Big Mike's

“I created the menu based on things I like to eat," Mike says. "Everything we make is made from scratch, the way I would do it if I was cooking for my friends."

They host weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday until 2 pm with a cinnamon roll skillet, frittatas, avocado toast, and a hash version of the Garbage Plate with home fries, mac salad, onions, diced Zweigle's hot dogs, eggs, and meat hot sauce. There are mimosas — they have a full bar — and they also do a daily happy hour from 3-6 pm with appetizer specials and domestic beers for $3.50.

Mike's background as a former contractor can be seen in the restaurant's spiffy remodel. The space sits 270, with enough room to host events that include karaoke every Wednesday, live music during brunch, and a ticketed group psychic event where Jennie Marie draws from her TV show days, performing readings and mediumship, with food and drink.

The restaurant has a wonderful family-oriented atmosphere. Many of their employees are friends of their sons from school or ice hockey, giving the restaurant a comfortable, homey vibe.

“We try to visit every table — that personal touch is important to us," Jennie Marie says. "We want that hometown feel, get people what they want so they come back."

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