Where to eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 8 hot new restaurants for January

Scrumptious avocado toast served at brunch at Monaco in Las Colinas.

Monaco

It's only a week or two into 2023, but there are already new restaurants opening like crazy around Dallas. That makes "brand new restaurants" the obvious theme for this edition of Where to Eat in Dallas Right Now, our monthly feature spotlighting restaurant picks.

The list includes sushi, Tex-Mex, plant-based, Italian, and Chicago-style hot dogs. Something for everyone.

Here are 8 brand new restaurants to try right now:

Earth Burger
The arrival of this San Antonio plant-based burger chain is not a stand-alone restaurant but is instead a new addition at Oomi Digital Kitchen, the digital food hall at 3510 Ross Ave. It's still a major big deal: Earth Burger is known for its burgers made with plant-based patties, chik-n, and “fishless” filets. The company is embarking on a national expansion expansion with assistance from Sinelli Concepts, the Dallas group founded by Jeff Sinelli that owns Which Wich Superior Sandwiches. They'll be available to order starting on Tuesday, January 17.

Green Papaya Plant-Based
This vegan restaurant opened in December in the former Green Papaya Vietnamese restaurant on Oak Lawn Avenue, representing a huge shift from its former identity as a neighborhood Asian favorite. But they are already wowing both locals and vegans with their quirky menu featuring breakfast dishes like bacon-egg-&-cheese bagel, mushroom toast, veggie burgers, acai bowls, smoothies, and a neat selection of latte drinks.

Kinzo Sushi
New sushi restaurant just opened in North Frisco near Little Elm, at 14111 King Rd. #2100, where it's serving sushi, plus special hot and cold dishes, plus a full bar. Kinzo is a partnership between manager Kyle Choi and chef Leo Kekoa, who previously worked for Nobu. Their mission: bring the omakase experience to residents in the area and saving them a drive to Dallas.

La Comida Mexican Kitchen and Cocktails
Former Spiral Diner space in Oak Cliff is now a Tex-Mex restaurant that built a following at its previous location in Addison from brothers Mario and Ivan Urtecho with a menu that includes ceviche, chicken flautas, empanadas, nachos, fajitas, quesadillas, tortas, combination plates, tacos, mole chicken, mahi mahi, plus eight kinds of salsas and four kinds of queso, and Queso Elegante with fajita chicken, spinach, white queso, red bell peppers. No liquor license yet, so margaritas are still to come.

Loro Addison
Addison gets its own location of Loro, the Asian smokehouse and bar from chefs Tyson Cole and Aaron Franklin, serving grilled and smoked meats with Southeast Asian and Japanese-inspired sauces, sides, and a bar serving craft beer, boozy slushees, and batch cocktails. Located at 14999 Montfort Dr., in the former Flying Saucer (which is actually officially Dallas), it's the second Loro in DFW, following the first that opened on Fitzhugh Avenue in Old East Dallas in July 2021.

Monaco Restaurant
Restaurant in Las Colinas inspired by the French Riviera actually opened a few months ago by food & beverage veterans that include the Lamberti family, who own Lamberti's Ristorante in Irving. They just updated their lunch menu with must-haves such as an Italian beef sandwich and an elevated grilled cheese sandwich made with upscale Raclette cheese with watercress on sourdough, and with their views of Las Colinas' canals, they're an awesome destination for brunch.

Portillo's
After much anticipation, Portillo's has opened its first DFW restaurant in The Colony. The menu of Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, crinkle-cut fries, and shakes is great for nostalgic Windy City natives, possibly inscrutable for everyone else. Located at the Grandscape complex, it's a sprawling 7,900-square-foot space with seating for more than 260, a double lane drive-thru, and a vintage 1967 Toyota Stout as a nod to the Toyota's headquarters nearby, a "local" touch.

Quarter Acre
New Lower Greenville spot in the former Rapscallion spot is from chef Toby Archibald (Bullion, Georgie by Curtis Stone), and features a menu of contemporary global cuisine inspired by Archibald's world travels and New Zealand roots, with an emphasis on local produce as well as national and international ingredients such as seafood and wine from New Zealand and Australia.

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Italian Restaurant News

Italian restaurant The Saint makes debut in Dallas Design District

Samantha Marie Photography

The Saint

A swanky restaurant is relocating from one hip Dallas neighborhood to another: The Saint, the Italian steakhouse from Hooper Hospitality Concepts which originally opened near Deep Ellum in 2023, is moving to a new address in the Dallas Design District.

The restaurant will open at 1000 N. Riverfront Blvd., and it's happening soon: According to a release, it'll open on Saturday, January 3.

It's going into same building that will be home to Night Rooster, The Saint's sibling Asian concept which will open sometime in 2026.

Hooper Hospitality Concepts CEO Andy Hooper says in a statement that "the Design District offers the ideal setting for the experience we’ve created. It gives us greater visibility, a setting that matches the sophistication of our menu, and a chance to welcome even more guests into the world of The Saint."

Decor
The 1,800-square-foot dining room seats 85. Highlights include a golden-tiled stairway leading to the restaurant’s second-story landing, crowned by an 18th-century gilt chandelier, counterbalanced by a graffitied antique oil portrait hand-tagged by Design District artist Kelly O’Neal.

It's a whole opposites theme, creating a space where both “saints and sinners” feel at home. The wallpaper features a vivid interpretation of saints-and-sinners iconography, blending flora, fauna, snakes, doves, and talismanic motifs into a damask pattern.

Scalloped upholstered booths soften the room with elegant curves under the pink glow of an antique 1920s Parisian glass-domed chandelier. Nearly every seat captures a view of the downtown Dallas skyline.

New chef
The kitchen is now led by executive chef Sergio Esquivel, a Dallas-born chef whose culinary roots trace back to early days cooking beside his grandmothers. He attended The Culinary Institute of America and has worked at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Georgie by Curtis Stone, Harper’s, Nuri Steakhouse, and as personal chef for the Jones family at AT&T Stadium.

His style blends steakhouse tradition with Italian technique, Peruvian brightness, American comfort, and Korean depth, with a commitment to crafting everything in-house.

His menu will include dry-aged cuts from Texas ranchers, Wagyu selections, housemade pastas, seafood, and vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Standout menu items include

Texas Wagyu Tartare with truffle carpaccio and balsamic cured egg yolk
Shellfish Platter with Maine lobster, king crab, oysters, and prawns with cocktail sauce
Wild Mushroom & Black Truffle Tagliatelle
32-oz Bistecca Alla Fiorentina

The bar program will continue to offer inventive cocktails and a notable wine selection, now enhanced by a lineup of new signature drinks such as the In Good Faith with Ford’s Gin, Ramazotti Apertivo, hibiscus syrup, lemon and sparkling wine; plus new smoked whiskey decanter drinks, offering a mesquite-smoked Manhattan and Old Fashioned in regular and top shelf selections.

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