Where to eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 restaurants to take holiday guests

The Mexican

The December edition of CultureMap's monthly Where to Eat feature almost always follows the same theme: Where to take your out-of-town guests, coming in for the holidays and ready to try the local favorites.

For 2022, the list is broken down into categories to make the selection process even easier, from where to eat if you're on a budget to where to go if you're looking for the big splurge.

Here's where to eat in Dallas right now:

Best spot for tourists
One of the best places to take tourists is downtown Dallas, with city streets you can walk, buildings to ogle, parks to linger in, and don't forget Dallas' No. 1 tourist attraction: the Grassy Knoll. Downtown also has plenty of good restaurants, from hotel eateries to streetside pubs. But Cafe Momentum is the only one with a nationally-recognized program to help at-risk youths, letting you dine out finely and do a good thing, perfect for the holidays. Led by founder Chad Houser, the menu features chef takes on homey dishes like braised rabbit pasta, shrimp bisque, Black Bean Rollatini with vegan cashew queso & fried corn, and their signature dish, smoked fried chicken with mashed potatoes & collard greens.

Best spot for serious foodies
If awards are your benchmark, then Carte Blanche, the fine-dining restaurant on Greenville Avenue, wins hands-down. No other Dallas restaurant has earned 5 stars from Forbes Travel Guide as well as the coveted AAA Five Diamond designation. It's not just about the resume. These awards tell you that Carte Blanche knows how to execute with leading-edge cuisine, ingredients, preparation, service, and atmosphere. They're open for dinner, and their quintessential meal is a 12-course chef's tasting for $225, with courses like smoked boar empanada with sweet potato and collards. But they'll also do six- and four-course versions and even a vegetarian option. The cherry on the sundae is that, in the mornings, they're a bakery (with an award-winning chef) that is making the best pastries and doughnuts in Dallas right now.

Best to grab a drink and a snack
There'll be sometimes when you're not up to a full spread and instead just want to sit and have a small bite. Preferably with a drink. You are after all saddled with guests. Ellie's, the elegant restaurant at the Hall Arts Hotel, fits the bill: It has craft cocktails, a good wine list, an upscale yet comfortable atmosphere, plus bar snacks like eggplant dip with lavash crackers. Its location in Dallas' Arts District is also a plus: near the museums such as Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center, which out-of-towners might want to see, not to mention its own collection of murals and sculptures on site.

Best outdoor space
Dallas' weather makes al fresco dining viable even during winter, something that out-of-towners adore, and everyone these days has some kind of outdoor space. But it's hard to find a prettier patio in Dallas than Fearing's, at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas hotel. It's an expansive courtyard with a variety of seating - benches, comfy couches, bar seats, regular tables & chairs - plus nicely landscaped greenery, fountains, a cozy fireplace - altogether more special when you consider its in-city location, an oasis in an urban area, sunny during the day, sultry at night. On top of all that, your guests will get to eat buffalo tacos, Southwest Caesar salad, and other amazing food by Dean Fearing, one of Dallas' very best chefs.

Best for a big splurge
The stereotypical splurge in Dallas is a steakhouse which is why The Mexican, the luxe restaurant that opened in Dallas' Design District in March, is such a blessing. The restaurant is spearheaded by Monterrey businessman Roberto Gonzalez Alcalá, whose family owns Mission Foods, and is a highly mounted enterprise that spares no details. There are steaks, if you must, and seafood, but with Mexican-style sauces, as well as non-Tex-Mex offerings like lobster enchiladas, roasted cauliflower in a truffle-habanero pistachio dressing, and a Mexican twist on a chopped salad. The decor is its own reason to go, with gorgeous Mexican tilework, ceramic fixtures, and picturesque outdoor patios featuring landscapes from the region.

Best on a budget
Tacos are a food group that fit the bill when you have a tightwad in tow: It's generally well-made food at fast-food prices. One of the most interesting local purveyors is Taco Ocho, a doting family-owned chain with four locations: Richardson, Frisco, Flower Mound, and McKinney. Their menu of tacos, tortas, quesadillas, tostadas, and nachos often spotlights refreshing Latin flavors and ingredients such as black beans instead of humdrum pinto, and a sandwich like the Cusco torta with Peruvian steak layered with potatoes. A sandwich with potatoes, how cool is that. They're also fairly healthy-ish, with great salads and vegan options, including a cool vegan breakfast taco with scrambled chickpeas. They have margaritas, and full service, and nothing is over $15.

Best vegan
More places are offering vegan options, but Dallas also boasts a full-on Vegan Dining Experience at Belse, the plant-based restaurant that opened in downtown Dallas in 2021. Located on the ground floor of an office building behind the Majestic Theater, Belse comes with a California connection: It's a spinoff of Little Pine, a famous vegan restaurant founded in L.A. in 2015, and boasts some of its award-winning dishes. There are sweet potato empanadas, cauliflower tostadas, flatbread with Italian sausage, a patty melt on toasted marble rye, and an irresistible pasta with chick'n in a pumpkinseed pesto. Most vegan restaurants in Dallas fall under Mexican, Asian, or diner-y junk food, making Belse's casual sophistication next level.

Best choice for the hot new thing
"What's the cool new place?" is a question I'm often asked, right before people decide they wanna go to the place they were already thinking about after all. Nonetheless, the answer to that question right now is El Carlos Elegante, a newly opened Mexican restaurant from Duro Hospitality Group (The Charles, Sister, Cafe Duro) located in the Design District. The menu is structured into intuitive categories of Cold, Grill, Vegetales, and Masa, and features intensely intriguing dishes such as a ricotta tamale with mole negro, ohmigosh. Duro is also known for its drop-dead decor, and El Carlos does not disappoint with gorgeous textiles and natural materials including lots of imported Mexican tile and stone.

Best place for big groups
Large parties are the bane of any server's existence, they take up way too much time and attention, and they always undertip. But Pepe & Mito's Mexican Cafe, the popular and long-running Tex-Mex restaurant in Deep Ellum, gamely rolls with the punches: pushing tables together, coming back again and again to replenish the chips, bring another round of strong margaritas, even tolerantly fielding requests for separate checks. The food's good with nachos, combination plates, spinach enchiladas, and the beef tacos Norteños and Mexican meatball soup featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. If Guy Fieri liked it, that'll definitely impress guests.

Best for coffee and dessert
The perfect place when you've had a meal and want to cap it off, or are craving something sweet, or just want a well made espresso is San Martin Bakery & Restaurant, a concept Guatemala that opened in Uptown Dallas in 2018. It's a spacious, highly cosmopolitan place with a cool bakery where you gather your pastries yourself into a little basket, and the selection is amazing, with all sorts of pastries, cakes, decorated cookies, dulce de leche cookie sandwiches, breads, strudel, empanadas, eclairs, cinnamon rolls, tarts, Napoleons, shortbreads, apple cake, guava-cream cheese pie - the only thing more incredible than the breadth and quality of their offerings is the price. This stuff's crazy cheap. Their facade is back a bit from McKinney Avenue but they have their own parking lot, making for a convenient and relaxed stop.

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Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 new restaurants to try in July

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It used to be that summer was a sleepy time for restaurants to open, but those days are gone in Dallas, where the openings keep coming fast and furious. The July 2026 edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap's monthly column offering advice on places to try, includes long-awaited sushi from Austin, an elevated Mexican restaurant in Snider Plaza, and a glitzy high-profile steakhouse with New York ties.

Here's where to eat in Dallas for July 2026:

Cheese Lab
New grilled cheese stand just opened at Legacy Hall food hall in Plano, where it does grilled cheese sandwiches with creative fillings such brisket, pulled pork, Brie with fig, smashburger, and birria with Monterey Jack, onions, cilantro, and consommé. There's even a vegan option featuring vegan cheese, pico de gallo, and grilled artichoke on multigrain bread. The menu also includes loaded mac & cheese, Cheetos Balls, tater tots, boudin balls, and breakfast items such as biscuits, burritos, and bagel sandwiches. This is the second location, following the original which debuted at Assembly Food Hall in Nashville, which, like Legacy Hall, is owned by FB Society.

D-Spot Dessert Café
Dessert chain from Canada just opened its first-ever location in the U.S. in Carrollton, at 3432 E. Hebron Pkwy., where it's serving Belgian waffles, crepes, milkshakes, cakes, croffles, skillet cookies, and globally inspired desserts. Their most over-the-top offering are their giant Belgian waffles topped with photo-friendly items like a syringe of caramel and Belgian milk chocolate, or a doughnut perched on top of ice cream on top of the waffle. They also serve burgers, pizza, wings, and sandwiches, such as brisket & pesto paninis. Founded in 2014, D-Spot now has more than 55 locations across the country and plans to continue expanding in the U.S.

Neighborhood Sushi The Dallas restaurant will introduce some menu items not available at the original Austin location. Photo by Justin Cook

Field & Vine
Restaurant at the Clara Hotel is part of a $4 million transformation of the former NYLO Dallas/Plano Hotel at 8201 Preston Rd. on the Plano-Frisco border. It's still part of Hilton's Tapestry Collection but has been overhauled by Dallas-based investment firm NewcrestImage, which acquired the property in 2025. The menu by executive chef Daniel Armand blends French technique, Haitian influences, and Texas ingredients, including an on-site herb garden. Highlights include ceviche, harissa wings, steak frites, and chicken with roasted root vegetable purée. In addition to F&V, the hotel also is home to Archer, a cocktail lounge.

Neighborhood Sushi
Sushi restaurant long in the works from Austin-based MML Hospitality (Clark's Oyster Bar, Sammie's, Pecan Square Cafe) is now open at The Shops of Highland Park, positioned as an "everyday" sushi restaurant. The menu features sushi bar staples including nigiri, sashimi, hand rolls, miso soup, seaweed salad. There's an impressively big selection of veggie tempura including corn, Japanese eggplant, yam, broccolini, Kabocha squash, truffled beech mushroom, and asparagus; and an equally impressive selection of veggie nigiri that includes fried bean curd, sweet corn, sweet & sour eggplant with crispy garlic. Exotic offerings include squid tentacles, beet-cured salmon, Barnegat light scallop, and reserve Wagyu.

Ollie's Azul House
New restaurant in Rowlett recently opened inside the historic Oliver House at 3410 Main St., taking over the space most recently occupied by Brick & Bones, where it's doing "elevated tacos" and "curated tequila." Ollie's is from some of Rowlett's finest, including former Mayor Pro Tem Michael Gallops. Tacos can be ordered on soft corn, hard corn, or flour tortillas, and include ground beef; chimichurri steak with onions & peppers, elotes chicken, and mushroom. They also sell breakfast tacos with eggs, chorizo, potatoes, and more, from the back window, taken to-go or enjoyed on their expansive patio. Gallops is a bonafide tequila connoisseur and the bar is stocked with 100 kinds, many of which come from high-end boutique distilleries.

Olōyō
Highly anticipated restaurant from chef Olivia López and partner Jonathan Percival, opened in East Dallas in May, in the space previously occupied by the restaurant Cry Wolf. This is the brick-and-mortar version of the masa-obsessed pop-up concept that's built a cult-following. Their focus is on heirloom corn masa, featured in tacos, sopes, and tamales such as tamales con Pipian Verde with pork in green sauce. With only 23 seats, expect a wait for reservations, and their opening is very much a work in progress.

Palladino's Steak & Seafood
High-profile steakhouse from restaurateur Joseph Palladino is now open at Preston Royal, in the former Spec's space at 5959 Royal Ln., where it's channeling New York style in Preston Hollow. This is the second location, following N.Y., which opened with much fanfare in September 2025. The menu is a high-roller greatest hits with big-impression dishes like caviar, prime rib with duck fat popovers, a shellfish bar, sushi, Prime steaks, Wagyu steaks, steak tartare, baked clams, and a big meatball. A separate menu of desserts includes beignets, a sundae, and a cinnamon bun "stack." The opening marks a return to Dallas for Palladino, an ex-NYPD police officer-turned-restaurateur known for concepts such as Nick & Sam's Steakhouse and the Coal Vines pizza chain.

Sueño
Elevated Mexican restaurant just opened at 6600 Snider Plaza — the second, more ambitious location of a concept first founded by cousins and hospitality veterans Julio Pineda and Cristian Lujano in Richardson in 2021 where it quickly earned a following for its refined Mexican food and cocktails. They're now partnered with the Bellomy Hospitality Group (S&D Oyster Co., Rex’s Seafood). At the center of Sueño's cuisine is its in-house masa operation, which uses heirloom blue and yellow corn to make nixtamal daily for tortillas, tetelas, and tlayudas. Menu highlights include Enchiladas Suizas with chicken, cheese, and poblano sauce; and carne asada with Rosewood Ranch New York strip and chorizo enfrijolada. There's also a dedicated tequila lounge called Alma Agave.

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Wabi Sushi
Japanese restaurant recently opened in Flower Mound serves sushi rolls, nigiri, rice bowls, and dumplings. But the must-get is the inari sushi, AKA sushi pockets, a cross between sushi and an open-faced dumpling that's made with a paper-thin slice of tofu fashioned into an edible pouch, then stuffed with sushi rice and choice of topping such as spicy salmon, tuna, seared salmon, or spicy pork. They're available in samplers such as three pockets for $10, or four pockets for $13. Wabi Sushi — which is no relation to Wabi House, a small local chain — is from Dongwhun Lee, a creative chef who learned the ropes of sushi while living in Los Angeles, and has worked at a variety of restaurants such as Avocado Roll Sushi.

Walkers'
Restaurant-market-wine bar is open in a cute neighborhood shop center at 3016 Greenville Ave., where it's serving sandwiches during the day, then switching to full-service restaurant and wine bar at night. Sandwiches served on thick focaccia-style bread include an Italian with salumi, mortadella, & provolone, and a turkey with Green Goddess, cheddar, & avocado. At night they roll out dishes like anchovy toast, beef tongue, agnolotti with peas, and lamb with labneh & mint. The concept is from Rosemary Walker-Green, a sommelier, and her brother Russell Walker. There are cocktails and a wine list focused on small-production producers from around the world, with a rotating retail selection also available for purchase, along with premier foodstuffs.

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