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

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.