Where to eat
Where to eat in Dallas right now: 11 hot new restaurants for March
Lobster roll at Ocean Ranch
This month's edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap Dallas' column highlighting the best spots to eat, is focused on new openings, and there've been plenty: from a department store boutique to an Italian kitchen in an old converted gas station in Celina, this list covers lots of concepts and lots of mileage.
Here's where to eat in Dallas right now:
Cafe Dior
Upscale restaurant inside the new Dior shop in Highland Park Village recently opened at the end of February. Leading the concept is Michelin star chef Dominique Crenn and partner chef Juan Contreras. Blending both dining and fashion, the menu offers dishes like chicken with Tuscan kale, marbella prawns, and sandwich petit fleurs. Reservations are already booked until April.
Cleaver & Co.
There'a new burger in town from the owners of Roti Grill with this new spot that recently opened in Uptown. There are burgers with avocado, blue cheese, and bacon-jalapeno jam, as well as a smashburger with American cheese. There are also chicken sandwiches, a falafel burger, milkshakes, and floats. This is a kind of test-run for the concept. The restaurant will operate from this location for a limited time since the lease is short-term.
Crazy King Burrito
Restaurant concept founded in Cozumel, Mexico opened a location in Dallas, at a storefront near the Galleria Dallas mall. They're obsessed with burritos — offering 14 options ranging from surf & turf to spicy to veggie to breakfast burritos. Sides includes queso and bean dip, and there are two desserts: churros and a tempting offering called Mexican ice box cake.
Malabar Kitchen
Takeout-only Indian restaurant now open in Richardson spotlights the flavors of Malabar, located on the southwestern coast of India. There are curry stews, vegetable fried rice, and flaky, layered flatbreads, and everything is under $20. Although there is no dining room, the restaurant is a pleasant space lined with shelves of imported Kerala dried goods like banana chips and rice crackers.
Mangiamo's Italian Market and Deli
Italian restaurant using family recipes is now open in an old Celina gas station. The concept comes from Jason Algiere and his dad, Robert, who previously worked in restaurant renovation. The menu features pizza, pasta, sandwiches, meatballs, salads, and Italian desserts. Customers have compared the pizza to what you'd find in New York.
Mr Habanero
Mexican restaurant just opened in February at Webb Chapel Village in northwest Dallas. It's a spinoff of Grand Prairie restaurant, Habaneros, and like the original, it offers quesadillas, flautas, and other staples people expect at a Mexican restaurant — but it does a whole lot more: upscale entrees like rib eye steak in a mushroom cream sauce; or tropical salmon salad with mixed greens and fruit. Prices are reasonable: The $25 rib eye is the most expensive dish
Ocean Ranch
Swanky new Italian chophouse just opened on Greenville Avenue, in the former Carte Blanche space, where it's doing a crowd-pleasing combination of seafood and steak with an Italian influence, featuring dishes like fish & chips, Wagyu meatballs, lobster roll, seafood risotto, penne a la vodka, and trendy steak frites. Founder Nando Silvestri and chef Enrico Glaudo are both savvy veterans of California's Italian restaurant scene.
Pan Asian Kitchen and Noodle
The Lake Highlands neighborhood got a new Asian restaurant from Jarren Wang, son of Dallas Chinese restaurant legend Howard Wang, which opened in the Lakeridge Village shopping center former Hei Hei spot in January. The restaurant offers dishes in three Asian cuisines: Chinese, Japanese, and Korean including yakisoba, fried rice, bibimbap bowls, ramen, salads, and soups.
The Quay McKinney
Upscale global fusion restaurant opened in February at McKinney's Adriatica Village in the former Waterfront Restaurant space. The concept comes from chef Saicharan Shankar, who also opened the Indian restaurant Tantra Modern Indian Bistro in the same center. The menu features a seven-course tasting menu with items like hotstone A5 Wagyu, Ruby Beet Chèvre, and risotto with prawns and truffle aioli. Unique vegetarian options include the botanica schnitzel made with king oyster mushroom.
Soulard Gyro
Fast-casual restaurant serving halal gyros made its Texas debut in Plano in February. The concept was started in St. Louis in 2009. This is the only location of the chain's five locations that is halal, using no pork and a beef substitute for bacon instead. There are a dozen gyro options, including doner kebab, Philly cheesesteak, and veggie. The menu also includes, wraps, salads, Greek fries, and hummus.
Soul Shack
Buzzy soul food restaurant made its way into Cedar Hill in January. The concept, which started in Chicago, was founded by restaurateur Erik "Rico" Nance and is led by his business partners Theous Griffin and Ronald Edwards III. Unlike the Chicago express location, the Dallas restaurant is full-service with a 1920's jazz lounge vibe. The menu features soul rolls— filed with jerk chicken, collared greens, sweet potatoes, and mac and cheese— oxtails, lamb chops, and grilled blackened salmon.
