Where to Eat

Where to Eat in Dallas right now: 10 restaurants with dishes to share

Deviled eggs are a perennial favorite for sharing.

District

This February edition of CultureMap's monthly Where to Eat series is all about sharing. It's a solid theme for the month, both because it's Valentine's Day month (and you can see our full list of Valentine's Day options here), and also because shareable dishes have become a big trend. Restaurant prices (and prices in general) are higher, so if you still want to dine out, you split an entree and share a few starters.

Here are 10 restaurants in Dallas with shareable dishes:

District. Northern California concept debuted in May 2022 at 5100 Belt Line Rd, #544, at the Village on the Parkway in Addison with a menu of globally-inspired shareable plates, with a big wine and whiskey program. Co-founder Jon D'Angelica and his partner Ryan Vance opened the first District 15 years ago in San Francisco on the idea that shareable plates paired with the right wine (or whiskey) create a more intimate dining experience. They're a standard-bearer for the shareable trend. There are flatbreads, deviled eggs, and a cool twist on Indian pakoras with sweet potato.

Hawkers Asian Street Fare. Pan-Asian restaurant concept founded in Florida is all about street foods. They opened their first Texas location in Dallas in the former Curtain Club space at 2800 Main St. in Deep Ellum, in November 2021 with a menu featuring Thai, Malaysian, and Chinese cuisine including Korean wings, pad Thai, skewers of bulgogi chicken or satay chicken, cooked on a traditional hibachi grill. You get a bunch for the table and share away.

The Londoner. British pub chain came to the rescue of pub fans when it opened a location in Mockingbird Station in the former Trinity Hall Pub space. The menu has classics like fish & chips but in recent years has added a bounty of shareable starters including Scotch eggs, chips & salsa, hummus & pita, wings, cheesy Hampton fries topped with aged white cheddar, a cheese board, and “Rusty nuts,” like fritters containing potato, bacon, jalapeño, onion, and cheese, rolled in bread crumbs and fried.

Melting Pot. Before sharing was a trend, you had Melting Pot, the fondue concept where you and your tablemate split cheese or chocolate fondue, taking turns dipping bites like pretzel bread, seasonal veggies & fruit, macarons, Oreo-dusted marshmallows, and fruit — making them a favorite on any list of Most Romantic Restaurants. They recently introduced Shareable Sips, a menu of cocktails such as Pink Crush, with New Amsterdam Pink Whitney Vodka and La Marca Prosecco.

Mission Pizza. Pizza is the original sharing food, and no one should miss this Denton pop-up at Herf's Denton County Taphouse (Monday-Friday 5-9 pm, Saturday 12-9 pm, Sunday 12-7 pm). A nominee for CultureMap's 2022 Tastemaker Awards, they're worth the trip thanks to their one-of-a-kind angle: South Shore bar pizza, a crispy, cheesy style from founder Steve North's hometown Massachusetts. It's a rich pie with a crisp, buttery crust; crushed tomato sauce; and cheddar cheese, cooked in a pan like Chicago-style or Detroit-style, with sauce and cheese spread to the edge, and with crisp Detroit-style burnt edges.

Nuno's Tacos & Vegmex Grill. Tex-Mex is an easy cuisine to share, with nachos being the most sharing-est dish of all. Nuno's, a North Dallas restaurant that does vegan Mexican food, does amazing vegan BBQ nachos, featuring tortilla chips topped with refried black beans, queso, mac & cheese, smoked BBQ ground "beef," sour cream, pickled onions, jalapenos, and in an unpredictable twist, little chunks of jalapeno-cheddar corn bread. Two notes: It's available Fridays and Saturdays only, and their dining is small, so reservations are a must; call 972-685-2703.

Postino Wine Cafe. Eclectic concept from Phoenix opened their first location in Dallas at 2647 Main St. in Deep Ellum, with a menu built around shareables. The favorite is bruschetta, in 12 varieties including Brie, Apple & Fig Spread; Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil; Warm Artichoke Spread; Smoked Salmon & Pesto; Piquillo Pepper & Goat Cheese; and Burrata, Bacon, Arugula & Tomato. Charcuterie boards form their own category and include veggie and meat versions as well as a Pub Board with soft pretzel, chorizo, cornichon, cheddar, Peruvian corn nuts, and pickle. They also feature 30 wines by the glass and 40 wines by the bottle.

Queen of Sheba. Dallas has a robust Ethiopian population — and that brings us an equally robust selection of Ethiopian restaurants. They're not afraid to be spicy, making the cuisine a good fit for Texas palates. Sheba is a Dallas classic: serving authentic Ethiopian food at its Addison location since 1991. The trademark dish is injera, a sharing classic where you eat without utensils, and they have options with and without meat. You use spongey moist injera bread to scoop up your sauteed spinach, lentils, slow-cooked cabbage, and rice.

Seapot. Conveyor-belt style hot pot restaurant in Northern California just opened its first Texas location in Plano at 1900 N. Central Expwy., near Park Boulevard. Hot pot is the fun communal experience in which a shared pot of simmering hot broth is brought to the table, with raw ingredients that you and your tablemates cook in the broth, then dip in sauces once it's cooked. They offer lots of variety in their options, their ingredients, are fresh, and the conveyor belt makes it more fun and easier to grab items you like.

STK Steakhouse. Fancy chain opened in Uptown Dallas in November 2022, a combination steakhouse-lounge, and is the quintessential example of the current shareable trend, where the entrees are too expensive for each person to get their own, starting at $55 for a 6-ounce filet and topping out at $157 for a 34-ounce tomahawk. (That doesn't count toppings: $5 for a peppercorn crust, $6 for a "zingy rub," $12 for a flavored butter.) The upside: It puts steak in the category of indulgence, something to nibble as a garnish on your mac & cheese.

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East Dock development

'Chopped' champion opens Pan-Latin restaurant at Oak Cliff's East Dock

Photo courtesy of Barro y Fuego

Barro y Fuego specializes in parrilladas, or grilled meats.

A Latin American, chef-driven restaurant is one of the newest additions to Oak Cliff's vibrant dining scene: Barro y Fuego is now open in suite 100 of the refurbished historic East Dock, at 900 E. Clarendon Dr., joining Bite Sushi, Elevate Coffee, Kuluntu Bakery, and other neighbors.

The restaurant comes from longtime friends and business partners Robert Ramirez and Eric Spigner.

Spigner formerly was chef at Nova Oak Cliff, which won Restaurant of the Year in the 2018 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards; he was a Tastemakers Rising Star nominee in 2019. He's best known as champion of the Food Network competition show Chopped in 2021.

Ramirez is a 25-year veteran of the restaurant design business who also envisioned, designed, and developed East Dock, the mixed-use development that houses Barro y Fuego and an assortment of dining, retail, gym, and office spaces. The development is near the new five-acre Halperin Park, a bridge park spanning Interstate 35.

The partners named the restaurant Barro y Fuego — translating to “clay and fire”— to reflect their vision for the restaurant. The grill is always afire for parrilladas, or grilled meats, while decorative clay pots by artists from Peru and Mexico line the interior and are available for purchase.

Beyond a market area, the restaurant incorporates elements of a rustic cantina, with natural wood and earthy tones creating a cozy atmosphere. The indoor dining area accommodates up to 80 guests, with a communal table, booths, traditional tables, and bar seating along the open kitchen. An adjacent outdoor grill and patio overlooking a creek is open year-round and seats another 80.

“The open kitchen was important to us,” Ramirez says. “You can sit at the bar and watch the cooking; it's a natural gathering point. We focused on a design that is raw, minimal, and for everybody: dates, families, friends — come casual or come dressed up.”

The Pan-Latin menu draws on Ramirez’s upbringing and travels throughout the region, along with Spigner’s professional experience with Caribbean, Spanish, and Latin American flavors.

“Latin America is vast; my vision is to take it all in and present a concise statement of a broader culture — where you might not pinpoint a specific country, but rather a fusion of many in a single dish,” Spigner says.

This vision yields a unique menu spanning Latin America with subtle Spanish influences. The menu features shareable plates ranging from $20 to $40 and includes:

Gambas al Ajo Negro: Sautéed shrimp in a black garlic emulsion with charred okra and blistered tomatoes.
Costillas de Res Estofadas: Boneless beef ribs served with chimichurri crème fraîche, plantains, and charred zucchini.
Arroz con Pollo: Chicken confit over red rice, served with coconut milk collard greens and sauce africaine.
Panceta de Cerdo Estofada: Braised pork belly accompanied by chipotle-agave sweet potato puree and collard green chimichurri.

On weekdays, the restaurant offers a menu with items under $20, including sandwiches and smaller portions of main dishes. It’s designed for nearby business tenants, residents, and visitors to the Dallas Zoo and surrounding parks.

Brunch with live Latin jazz music takes places on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am-3 pm. The brunch menu includes clam, chorizo, and avocado tostadas; ropa vieja; torrijas, which are similar to French toast; and a pork belly and pisto manchego Benedict.

The full bar serves specialty cocktails such as a Negroni verde, caipirinha, and espresso martinis using ingredients from neighbor Elevate Coffee. The beer selection celebrates all of Latin America rather than focusing solely on Mexico, the proprietors say. They feature representative brands from nearly every country for $7. They also pour Mexican Lager from nearby, newly opened Smittox Brewery.

Looking ahead, the team says they plan to host ticketed community events, including paella nights, pig roasts, and live music showcasing local cumbia, rock en español bands, and DJs.

bar openings restaurant opening latin american food robert ramirez eric spigner. east dock oak cliff barro y fuego