Where to eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 7 new restaurants to try in August

Two Hands

The August edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap's monthly column giving advice on best restaurants to try, has seven new gems worth checking out. There's an ultra-buzzy new Japanese restaurant, a trendy smash burger place, and an Australian-inspired concept from New York.

Here's where to eat in Dallas right now:

Allegory Kitchen and Bar
Independently owned restaurant now open in Grand Prairie serves Southern fare with a full bar and live music. Menu items include fried catfish, a half-pound burger, pork chop, and roasted half chicken. There are also vegan options such as roasted butternut squash tabouli. Make a meal of the small plates such as lobster mac & cheese, crab cakes, and collard green spring rolls filled with collard greens, onions and peppers, then deep-fried.

Dad Jokes Cheesyburger
Food truck-turned-restaurant in Frisco is a family-owned burger joint that offers a little humor on the side. The restaurant specializes in smash burgers and fries, accompanied by corny dad jokes printed on paper like a fortune cookie. There are also chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and Henry's Homemade Ice Cream, a customer favorite. Mom-and-pop owners Gabby and Clayton Jones say their goal is "to celebrate the dads in our lives and bring some laughter."

Hendy's on Henderson
New restaurant and bar from This and That Hospitality takes over the former Sfuzzi space, which they closed in March after three years. Hendy's is an upscale sports bar with a menu conceived by chef Peja Krstic (Mot Hai Ba) featuring salmon dip, beef tartare, lasagna, fish tacos, and steak frites. Plus cocktails such as the Coconut Matcha Martini, Orange Julius, and a Sour Patch Kid Margarita.

Norman's Western Japanese Grill
Japanese restaurant from Duro Hospitality (The Charles, Mister Charles, Cafe Duro) opened in August and like all Duro concepts is sizzling hot. Located in the former Homewood space, it boasts an Argentinian-style wood-fired grill for larger cuts of meat, and a Japanese charcoal robata for skewers to share. Fun dishes include a clever udon carbonara, Korean fried chicken, and edamame hummus, and there's a raw program with sashimi and handrolls. The bar has pina coladas and seven different sakes by the glass.

Senor Oink
New taqueria in Farmers Branch has a thing for pork carnitas, done in all kinds of ways: tacos, carnitas bowls, carnitas tortas, and carnitas flautas, as well as selling carnitas by the pound. Owner Mauricio Gallegos, who also owns the Mexican coffee shop Xaman in Oak Cliff, is recreating a true carnitas taquería you'd find in Mexico. It also has a bar with beer, cocktails, and mezcal.

Texano Cocina
Tex-Mex restaurant at 5622 Lemmon Ave. in the former El Fenix is a rebrand of Eddie’s Cocina & Cantina after owner Eddie Cervantes and his partners parted ways. They've kept some of the Tex-Mex classics including tacos, fajitas, chicken mole, and chile relleno, but have also added blackened redfish, a smashburger, and a Mexican cheesesteak. Plus lunch specials including combo plates with rice and beans priced from $12-$14.

Two Hands
All-day cafe now open at The Quad was founded in New York in 2014 and has eight locations across the U.S. They draw their inspiration from Australian café culture. They're open long hours with a crowd-pleasing menu that includes a salmon quinoa bowl, corn jalapeno fritters, steak au poivre, a burger; plus brunch and lunch with an acai bowl, a breakfast burrito, and avocado toast. There are thoughtful menus for kids, and a full bar with cocktails, mimosas, and an intriguing wine list.

lists bests where-to-eat

new roots

L.A. celebrity favorite The Ivy plants Dallas branch near Katy Trail

Photo courtesy of The Ivy/Facebook

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A Los Angeles restaurant famous for celebrity sightings on its bright floral patios is opening a branch in Dallas: The Ivy will debut in fall 2027 at 4205 Buena Vista St. inside The Terminal at Katy Trail.

“This will be the first Ivy outside of Southern California,” says India Wolfe, the restaurant founders' daughter, in a release. "I felt a strong calling to bring The Ivy somewhere new and to plant roots there with our family.”

India’s parents opened The Ivy on Robertson Boulevard in 1980, followed by Ivy at the Shore in Santa Monica five years later.

While her father, chef Richard Irving, and mother, Lynn von Kersting, remain in LA, Wolfe and her husband, Ernest Wolfe IV, will move to Dallas in February with their two children and dogs, to operate The Ivy. The restaurant will be located inside a luxury apartment tower overlooking the Katy Trail.

India started working as a teen at the family's third branch in Santa Monica and learned everything "from greeting guests and waiting tables to staging events, filming viral social media, and modernizing the business for a new generation," says the release.

Both she and her husband spent time in other professions but were drawn to the dining field. Ernest helped his in-laws so often at The Ivy that they finally employed him full-time.

“I love working with him," India says, "and we complement each other’s skills really well, not unlike my mom and dad.”

The Ivy The family behind The Ivy.Courtesy photo

The Wolfes say they want the Dallas restaurant to retain The Ivy’s familiar cooking, warmth and character, while making it feel like home in a new city.

“I love the idea of people taking a walk on the Katy Trail and then meeting friends for brunch at The Ivy,” India says.

Her parents are assisting with the design and menu; India wants a contemporary vibe but doesn’t plan to change what works so well.

“I don’t want to make it too different because I think the reason that people from Dallas come to The Ivy is because they love The Ivy,” she says. “That said, this new restaurant will certainly stand on its own two feet.”

Unlike the original, the Dallas Ivy will have a bar, an idea India dreamed up. While restaurant bars are nothing unusual, India actually envisioned what her family jokingly calls “the D Bar" (so named for Dallas), where guests can clink glasses and share good energy around a curved, D-shaped counter.

Her interest in art and flowers will result in a space well-appointed with roses, a family tradition, and local blooms like zinnias and snapdragons.

The Ivy serves upscale American comfort food and Californian cuisine with influences from Italian, French, Cajun, and Mexican cooking. Dishes are made with seasonal ingredients, so the menus evolve throughout the year.

While the Dallas menu is being developed, the restaurant's Southern California winter menus, for example, include starters such as crab cakes, Caesar salad, and grilled-vegetable salad. Pasta options include lobster ravioli with Ivy pink sauce and lobster tagliatelle. Wood- or stone-fired pizzas include margherita and Cajun shrimp pies, while house-baked breads, old-fashioned red velvet cake, coconut cake, and chocolate chip cookies round out the menu.

The Ivy has always been at the center of family life, India notes. Now she and Ernest are bringing that way of life to Dallas.

She adds, “I am confident it will be a great home for The Ivy and for our family.”

openings katy trail