Wow, it’s shaping up to be a great season to try a new restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth. Options on this month’s Hot List range from a Guy Fieri-approved restaurant in Colleyville to a bakery in Dalworthington Gardens that caught millions of views on TikTok.
Two beloved North Texas restaurants, Cris and John and Resident Taqueria, expanded to bigger spaces.
And although a half-dozen bars closed in Dallas-Fort Worth over the summer, newcomers have arrived. You’ll find a gorgeous little lounge in Uptown, a sports bar at Knox-Henderson and a West Texas-themed restaurant near Fair Park. And hey: You’ll be in Fair Park this month anyhow, right? The State Fair of Texas kicks off Sept. 26, 2025, and you’ve got eating — and drinking — to do.
Restaurants listed in alphabetical order. If visiting these hot spots on Labor Day, check first to be sure they’re open.
Restaurant News
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Big Guys Bodega in Euless
We keep our eyes out for a new halal restaurant, and Big Guys Bodega is one of the newest options in Dallas-Fort Worth. Sandwiches range from a reuben pastrami to a smash burger to a turkey pesto panini. CultureMap says it’s owned by the same people behind Big Guys Chicken and Rice next door. Take a friend who misses living in New York City.
Big Guys Bodega is at 1001 E. Harwood Road, Euless.
Caché in Uptown Dallas
Nearly 50 years after S&D Oyster Company started selling fried shrimp on Dallas’ McKinney Avenue, its new owners are opening a bar upstairs. Cache is romantic and moody.
Samantha Marie
The owners of long-time Dallas seafood shop S&D Oyster Company have opened a tiny upstairs bar called Caché. How great, for an old restaurant to do something new. The owners turned an office into a sexy cocktail den with a New Orleans feel. One peek at the photos will have you making plans.
Caché is at 2701 McKinney Ave. (above S&D Oyster Co.), Dallas. Evenings only. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Chef Point in Colleyville
Locals already know Chef Point, the fine-dining restaurant that moved from a gas station in Watauga — to a dining room in Colleyville. But now the whole world knows about Chef Point, because it was featured last month on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy Fieri’s Food Network show. Better make a reservation before you go.
Chef Point is at 5220 State Highway 121, Colleyville.
Cris and John in Far North Dallas
“Viet-Mex” restaurant Cris and John was regularly packed at lunchtime with hungry customers visiting a strip center a few blocks from Galleria Dallas. There simply wasn’t enough room for those pining for birria bao, “angry” pho and the restaurant’s signature phorrito. Find the new restaurant, with more space, a few miles north.
Cris and John moved to 6090 Campbell Road, Dallas. Closed Saturdays and Mondays.
Dudley’s Sports Grill in Dallas
Chicken-fried steak from Dudley’s Sports Grill in Dallas is made with Wagyu beef, garlic potatoes, shallot sauteed spinach and bacon gravy.
Dannielle Rankin
Just a few days ago, Dudley’s Sports Grill opened on Dallas’ Henderson Avenue. It’ll be football central here for the next few months — and you won’t be disappointed, as the owners spent more than $100,000 on TVs. But don’t forget to order food. The chef is making brisket deviled eggs, chicken-fried steak and burgers.
Dudley’s Sports Grill is at 2927 N. Henderson Ave., Dallas.
Far Out in the Fair Park area
Don’t let the name fool you: Far Out is right in Dallas, close to the Cotton Bowl and Interstate 30. But the building is head-scratcher. It’s a semicircular Quonset hut that has had many lives over the years, including a mechanic’s garage and a fried turkey shop. Today, go for food from chef Misti Norris and cocktails like a Ranch Water, Carajillo or vodka martini.
Far Out is at 1906 S. Haskell Ave., Dallas. Dinner only. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
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Little Joy Cafe in Elmwood
Little Joy Cafe in Elmwood, a neighborhood within Oak Cliff, now sells sandwiches.
Russell Tibbits
Formerly Little Joy Coffee, this happy little spot south of the Trinity River added Cafe to its name. The idea here is “to find pause in the chaos and feel at home” — a lovely sentiment from owner Russell Tibbits, who took inspiration for Little Joy from the cafes in Europe. Customers will find focaccia sandwiches for $12 or $13: tuna salad, mozzarella and pesto, rotisserie chicken with garlic aioli and more. While you’re in this corner of Dallas, make it a foodie adventure and stop into neighboring shops selling Herby’s Burgers and CocoAndre chocolates.
Little Joy Cafe is at 2105 S. Edgefield Ave., Dallas.
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Mamani in Uptown Dallas
Mamani in The Quad is meant to transport you to Europe.
Maribel Morales
One of Dallas’ most exciting new restaurants in 2025, Mamani, is ready to serve. French-born chef Christophe De Lellis’ opening menu focuses on French food with Italian inspiration: house-made bread, gougères, pappardelle with lamb ragù, Dover sole with brown-butter sauce and Meyer lemon and more. The chic space is the biggest in a little village of five restaurants at The Quad, Uptown Dallas’ redesigned Quadrangle.
Mamani is at 2681 Howell St., Dallas. Dinner only, starting Sept. 2, 2025. Closed Sundays and Mondays, for now.
The Mont in Fort Worth
The Mont opened in Fort Worth in early August 2025, in the Montserrat neighborhood southwest of downtown.
Samantha Marie
I love the look of The Mont, a new Fort Worth restaurant with a midcentury modern design. The restaurant and its menu were created to feel timeless, said partner Jason Cross in a statement. The menu calls for classics like crab cakes, deviled eggs, beef tartare and steak au poivre. Looks like a good bet for a business dinner or date night.
The Mont is at 4729 Saint Amand Circle, Fort Worth. Dinner only.
NADC Burger in Uptown Dallas
It’s easy to sense the joy radiating from NADC Burger co-owner Neen Williams as he bites into the burger he spent months perfecting.
Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer
One $16 burger: That’s what’s on the menu at NADC in Uptown Dallas. The confidence! The swagger! NADC’s double meat, double cheese burger can stand on its own, said professional skateboarder and NADC co-founder Neen Williams. It’s good enough that the restaurant didn’t need to litter the menu with options, he said. (There is one other, a kids’ burger for half the price. But if you’re old enough to read this, you need to get the real one.)
We wanted to see just how this burger was made, so we photographed it, step by step. Go try it.
NADC (Not A Damn Chance) Burger is at 2908 McKinney Ave., Dallas. The company also has a restaurant in Fort Worth at 604 Main St. (inside Big Laugh Comedy Club).
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No. 1 Steak in Highland Park
Mario Carbone, co-founder of nearly 50 restaurants, private clubs, bars, and hotels in 15 cities worldwide, traveled to Dallas in mid-August 2025 for the debut of No. 1 Steak in Highland Park Village.
Chase Hall
Brunch spot Sadelle’s in Highland Park Village is adorable, with its pastel wallpaper and generous salads. Know what it isn’t? On the minds of Dallasites for dinner. Enter No. 1 Steak, its masculine alter ego. Open evenings only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, No. 1 Steak is designed to bring in a Dallas dinner crowd with its fixed menu of salad, steak, onion rings and soft-serve for $59. Martinis cost extra, but you’ll probably want of those, too.
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Norman’s Japanese Grill in Dallas’ Oak Lawn
Norman’s Japanese Grill serves shrimp tempura handrolls with beef-bacon mayo in a Western-inspired dining room in Dallas.
Samantha Marie
An eclectic Japanese restaurant has opened on Dallas’ Oak Lawn Avenue, replacing Homewood. Dallasites are already clamoring for a seat. I found myself intrigued by the choice in cuisine. And I was impressed by the team behind it, which owns The Charles, Mister Charles, El Carlos Elegante and Sister.
But who is Norman?
This is an important question. And the answer is amusing.
Norman’s Japanese Grill is at 4002 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas. Dinner only. Reservations on OpenTable.
PanPan Bakery and Cafe in Dalworthington Gardens
Barista Ashley Gomez delivers a tray of baked goods fresh from the kitchen oven at PanPan bakery in Dalworthington Gardens.
Steve Hamm / Special Contributor
Say what you will about TikTok, it’s helped mom-and-pop shops find swaths of new customers. Young entrepreneur Laura Molinar posted a video to TikTok that’s now been seen by 3 million people. In it, she walks customers through PanPan Bakery and Cafe, showing off the shop’s Japanese toilet even before she explains the reason we’re watching: to see her beautiful Mexican-Japanese pastries.
It’s simple, it’s charming and it’s brought an army of people to Dalworthington Gardens, a town near Arlington with a population under 2,500 people. I dare you to read Imelda García‘s sweet story and not be tempted to get in the car for concha-matcha.
PanPan Bakery and Cafe is at 2110 Roosevelt Drive, Dalworthington Gardens. Closed Sundays.
Resident Taqueria in Lake Highlands
If you know, you know: Resident Taqueria is one of Dallas’ most affordable restaurants. And now, this gem tucked on the back side of a shopping center in Lake Highlands is bigger, thanks to a renovation. Will Michelin inspectors offer this restaurant a Bib Gourmand after missing it in 2024? Resident Taqueria is that good.
Resident Taqueria is at 9661 Audelia Road, Dallas. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Ask about the secret bar menu.
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Sauvage in downtown Dallas
Chef-owner Casey La Rue wants to play with color and texture at Sauvage. Here’s foie gras and truffle mousse with charred onion jam.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
At $245 per person, new restaurant Sauvage has one of the priciest tasting menus in Dallas. Happily, maybe, the restaurant feels fairly casual. Customers will sit at one of the 12 counter seats, which look straight into the kitchen where chefs make most of the 16 courses, live. Courses include caviar, truffles, foie gras and Wagyu.
Sauvage is at 1914 Commerce St., Dallas. Dinner only. $245 per person, reservation required. Cocktail and wine pairings available for extra fee.
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Urban Cookhouse in Prosper
Friends north of Frisco, you’ve got a new lunch and dinner spot called Urban Cookhouse. The Southern menu includes wraps, salads and sandwiches made with lime-marinated steak, smoked turkey, chipotle-braised pork or chicken salad. Urban Smokehouse has lots of locations in Alabama, but the Prosper restaurant is Texas’ first.
Urban Cookhouse is at 1151 S. Preston Road (near University Drive), Prosper.
Zaxbys in Fort Worth
DUNK.
Zaxbys
The burst of interest over White Castle moving into Texas next year made it clear that our readers care about fast-food brands. So mark it down next time you’re in Tarrant County and hungry for fried chicken: Atlanta-based Zaxbys is opening in Fort Worth on Sept. 1, 2025.
The company has said it wants to open a shocking 100 to 150 restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth. So if you’re not familiar with Zaxbys yet, get there. You might have one near you soon.
Zaxbys is at 5384 Sycamore School Road, Fort Worth.
Check out past Hot Lists