Where to Eat

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

Branzino and sushi roll from Soy Cowboy

Soy Cowboy

This July installment of the CultureMap Where to Eat column returns with 10 restaurants that have opened recently around Dallas. The majority of these are exactly the kind of small, family-owned places we all love to support: from a family-owned Indonesian restaurant to a burger startup to a local Thai restaurant trying something new.

Here are 10 new restaurants you should try in July:

AG Sushi Grill
Sushi concept from chef Gabriel Reyes and Alejandra Murillo, owner of El Atoron Mexican Restaurant, is now open in the former Snookies at 3604 Oak Lawn Ave. The dishes are a blend of Mexican and Japanese influences, such as gyoza, stuffed jalapeños, and sushi rolls. For the early-bird crowd, there's weekend brunch featuring omelets, eggs benedict, and bento boxes.

Bali Street Cafe
Family-owned restaurant preaches the gospel of Indonesian food, which incorporates Chinese, Indian, and European influences. Their menu of authentic dishes includes Rendang, a beef stew; and Ayam Kalasan, a unique Indonesian twist on fried chicken. Check out the martabak manis, dessert, a stuffed pancake filled with chocolate, cheese, peanuts, and condensed milk.

Beef-A-Roo
Family-owned chain from Illinois specializing in roast beef sandwiches opened its first location in Texas in DeSoto. Sandwiches include the classic roast beef, beef & cheese, Wild West (bbq sauce and onion rings), and mushroom and Swiss cheese. There are also burgers, salads, soups, wraps, and breakfast items, such as the croissant sandwich and a roast beef breakfast sandwich.

Cap’t Loui
Franchise from Massachusetts specializing in seafood boils made its Texas debut in Carrollton thanks to husband-and-wife franchisees Danny and Hanna Rhee. The signature item is the broiler, which includes a choice of crab, lobster, shrimp, crawfish, clams, or mussels, by the pound or half-pound, and served in a bag with potatoes and corn. They also have oysters and fried seafood baskets.

Ka Thai - Midtown
Thai restaurant first founded on McKinney Avenue has expanded, with two new locations: at The Hill shopping center and in North Dallas at Hillcrest Village. Both serve the affordable, well-made Thai food for which founder Jackie Kaewlamduan is known, but the location at The Hill also has a special esan menu with spicy-hot tapas-style food including Laos style papaya salad, Thai style corn ceviche, Thai grilled pork salad, and esan pork ribs soup.

Ookuma Burger
Japanese burger pop-up from Ka-Tip Thai street food owners YuYee Sakpanichkul Kaiho and George Kaiho opened in July in the former Sandwich Hag space (which closed in May for hiatus) at 1902 Botham Jean Blvd, where it will reside for the summer and beyond. Burgers include the teriyaki burger with choice of beef or pork, karaage (deep fried breaded chicken), korokke (deep fried potato and meat croquettes), and a veggie burger with a pea protein patty.

Paparazzi Chophouse
Upscale steakhouse with a Southern twist opened in Deep Ellum from former owners of Harpers, which previously occupied the space. The restaurant serves steaks, chops, and cocktails, with a lounge vibe and DJs. Menu items include boudin egg rolls, seafood platter, fried chicken, lobster roll sliders, and vegan mushroom risotto.

Soy Cowboy
Stylish and flashy pan-Asian restaurant opened at Loews Arlington Hotel and Convention Center at 888 Nolan Ryan Expwy. from charismatic Houston restaurateur and founder of Berg Hospitality Group, Benjamin Berg. The menu brings Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese influences in dishes such as sushi, A5 Kobe beef, Wagyu Beef Tsukune, lobster wontons, and omakase.

Tacos Chacon
Family-owned taco spot inside the Oak Cliff Tower features the flavors of Veracruz, the hometown of husband-and-wife Jaime and Aurora Tacon, who run it with their kids and family members. They serve breakfast and lunch, including chicken tortilla soup, Ceasar and cobb salads, a breakfast burrito, chilaquiles, and a torta with sausage, chicken, and ham.

Taqueria El Arquito
Local family-run taqueria chain has eight locations, many in gas stations or convenience stores. Now they have arrived at Preston Center, serving tacos de trompo, plus Cubana and Hawaiian tortas. They offer tamales and menudo on weekends, and there's also a breakfast menu featuring migas, chilaquiles, breakfast tacos, breakfast burritos, and a breakfast sandwich.

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Opening News

Dallas diner & music venue will open in former Ferris Wheeler space

Courtesy

Pancakes

A new restaurant has been unveiled that will take over the former Ferris Wheeler space near Dallas' Design District at 1950 Market Center Blvd.: Called AM/FM, it'll be an all-day diner and lounge with a big backyard and a stage for live music, and it's from Spune Productions, the music and event production company.

According to a release, it'll open in early January initially with evening hours, cocktails, and a few afternoon soccer matches. Music acts are already booked beginning January 8. More hours will be added down the road.

Ferris Wheelers BBQ, which was also a restaurant with a big backyard and a stage for live music, closed in November after eight years. Spune had already been involved since 2023 to help ramp up the live music side. Now they'll take it over with a fresh new personality and long hours.

They were famous for having a Ferris wheel on-site; an inquiry on its status went unanswered.

The diner will open daily at 7 am, serving "musicians coming off late nights, workers heading into morning shifts, and neighbors who want a place that remembers their name," says the release very poetically.

They've redecorated the interior with a new bar and banquettes that wrap the room. Alongside the renovations inside, the set-up outdoors will evolve over the coming weeks, with extra care given to the concert experience,

Menu
The food at AM/FM will be rooted in elevated Diner classics, with a menu overseen by chef Anastacia Quinones-Pittman (Oh, Hi! Hospitality) that's influenced by Mexican-American kitchens and Nuevo Southern traditions.

Breakfast offerings include huevos rancheros, breakfast tacos, breakfast empanadas, French toast, avocado toast, pork belly toast, and an intriguing twist on pancakes called masa pancakes, made using masa harina AKA corn flour.

Lunch includes a chicken Milanesa Caesar salad, Sonoran hot dog, fried catfish po'boy, kale salad, Cobb salad, and a Mexican twist on chicken noodle soup with fideo noodles.

Entree plates include pot roast, meatloaf, fried chicken, and a weekly pot pie.

The beverage program will aim for accessibility with coffee, cocktails, and craft beer, says Victor Rojas, Quinones-Pittman's partner at Oh, Hi! Hospitality.

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