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<\/p>\nThe Michelin Guide\u2019s introduction into Texas last year firmly cemented Dallas\u2019 already-strong identity as a foodie city. Here, your dinner plans are just as interesting a conversation topic as the latest book you read or movie you watched. But if you ask for the best restaurant, you\u2019ll get a different response from one person to the next. And that\u2019s what makes food so interesting: It\u2019s deeply personal, individual and meaningful \u2014 and everyone has an opinion.<\/p>\n
With this in mind, we asked five North Texans from all walks of life, professions and parts of town to dish about their favorite spots.<\/p>\n
Mark Thompson, senior vice president of tourism and operations at Visit Dallas<\/p>\n
Courtesy Visit Dallas<\/p>\n
Eat Drink D-FW<\/p>\n
By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n A benefit, or perhaps hazard, of Mark Thompson\u2019s job is knowing great places to eat. In fact, the Michelin Guide launched in Texas due in part to the efforts of Thompson and his team, who advocated for bringing the globally recognized restaurant rating system to the state. For Thompson, each of these restaurants plays a large part in Dallas\u2019 culinary character.<\/p>\n For dinner with a dash of skyline views: El Carlos Elegante<\/b><\/p>\n Dining on Mexican-inspired dishes at El Carlos Elegante in the Design District gives you \u2014 and out-of-town guests \u2014 a chance to see skyline views as you cross the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, notes Thompson. \u201cI love the charred octopus and the tamarind halibut, as well as their full agave menu.\u201d (El Carlos also made the Michelin recommended list.)<\/p>\n For drinks in a glamorous space: The French Room Bar<\/b><\/p>\n Mark Thompson praises Written by the Seasons\u2019 globally inspired menu.<\/p>\n Courtesy Written By the Seasons<\/p>\n This bar in the historic Adolphus Hotel makes a glitzy spot for drinks. \u201cI love their fantastic handcrafted cocktails, extensive Champagne list, wonderful charcuterie platter and decadent truffle fries \u2014 all in a gorgeous, elegant environment that is very VIP.\u201d<\/p>\n For a big barbecue lunch: Pecan Lodge<\/b><\/p>\n Pecan Lodge\u2019s barbecue menu is \u201clegendary,\u201d he says, and great for lunch \u2014 especially if you want to take in a bit of the surrounding artsy locale. \u201cI love Deep Ellum in the afternoon, as it\u2019s a great time to see all the murals and street art … before crowds of folks younger and more fun than me descend upon it to enjoy all the live music venues at night.\u201d<\/p>\n For Sunday brunch: Written by the Seasons<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cA Sunday afternoon in Bishop Arts is magical,\u201d Thompson says, calling out the restaurant Written by the Seasons for its seasonal, globally inspired menu. (This establishment is also on Michelin\u2019s recommended list.) He likes the egg sandwich and burger or the steak and eggs.<\/p>\n For an iconically Dallas dinner: Fearing\u2019s<\/b><\/p>\n Thompson calls chef Dean Fearing\u2019s namesake restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton a \u201cdefinitively Dallas experience from one of the fathers of Southwestern cuisine.\u201d He orders the antelope served with a rabbit enchilada or the buffalo tenderloin. \u201cI\u2019d eat there every day if I could.\u201d (Fearing\u2019s is another Michelin recommendation.)<\/p>\n Chandra North Blaylock, model Marshall David<\/p>\n Modeling has taken Chandra North Blaylock around the world as she posed for multiple Vogue covers and leading fashion brands. But when she\u2019s dining here in Dallas, the Park Cities- based, Fort Worth native is a creature of habit. \u201cI get nostalgic about places,\u201d she says. \u201cI just always want to go somewhere where it\u2019s dependably good.\u201d<\/p>\n For comfort food: Mama\u2019s Daughters\u2019 Diner<\/b><\/p>\n To Blaylock, Mama\u2019s Daughters\u2019 Diner on Irving Boulevard offers \u201cthe most comforting home cooking in town\u201d and the appeal of old-school vibes. \u201cYou feel like you\u2019re stepping into another time when you go there,\u201d she says. She\u2019s not really a breakfast per- son, so her standing order is the chicken-fried chicken with gravy, plus mashed potatoes and fried okra for sides \u2014 and she tries to save room for pie (coconut cream or chocolate).<\/p>\n For a fashionable dose of nostalgia: The Zodiac<\/b><\/p>\n The Zodiac at the downtown Dallas flagship Neiman Marcus store is a favorite of Blaylock’s, whose mother worked there for many years.<\/p>\n Courtesy Neiman Marcus<\/p>\n Blaylock practically grew up in the hallowed halls of the Neiman Marcus flagship store in downtown Dallas, where her mother worked in the couture department for nearly 30 years. Blaylock thumbed through fashion magazines and watched as models came through the store\u2019s Zodiac Room restaurant to show off new items. A visit to The Zodiac brings back many childhood memories, and Blaylock loves how the restaurant continues to serve items from the original 1950s menu. It\u2019s not clear if The Zodiac has a future after the venerable department store shuts its doors at the end of the year, so make a reservation soon. \u201cBe sure you take time to see all the photographs of the legendary Mr. Stanley Marcus with all the legendary celebrity guests of the store,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n For a business lunch: Parigi<\/b><\/p>\n Oak Lawn icon Parigi has been a popular neighborhood bistro since the 1980s. The late Kim Dawson, legendary model and founder of the agency that represents Blaylock, used to lunch here multiple times a week. Blaylock\u2019s favorite menu item is Sharon\u2019s Cali Roll Deconstructed. \u201cEven when [Parigi is] buzzing, which is often, it\u2019s still the perfect spot to catch up over lunch or dinner. You won\u2019t be screaming over the music \u2014 because they don\u2019t play any!\u201d<\/p>\n For tasty Tex-Mex: Avila\u2019s Mexican Restaurant<\/b><\/p>\n When friends from out of town come to visit, Blaylock takes them to Avila\u2019s on Maple Avenue. Her favorite menu item is the Papito\u2019s Special: a cheese enchilada, a beef taco, one soft cheese taco, a guacamole tostada, rice and beans \u2014 though sometimes she goes for the brisket tacos.<\/p>\n Blaylock loves to people watch at the Mansion Bar in the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.<\/p>\n Courtesy Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek<\/p>\n For the best people watching: The Mansion Bar<\/b><\/p>\n The luxe lounge of the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek is Blaylock\u2019s favorite place for drinks. She enjoys the cocktails, the service and the weekend jazz repertoire, but she especially loves the people watching. \u201cIt\u2019s always fun to sit in a booth, with a friend, [and] make up stories about the various patrons.\u201d<\/p>\n Richard Rawlings, entrepreneur and TV personality Courtesy Richard Rawlings<\/p>\n Most people know Richard Rawlings as a car guy, the proprietor of the Gas Monkey Garage and the star of the Fast N\u2019 Loud reality show, but he\u2019s a foodie, too. He operated Gas Monkey Bar and Grill (which closed in the wake of the pandemic) and recently opened Gas Monkey Icehouse in The Colony. While he\u2019d certainly love it if you grabbed a beer there, he\u2019s a loyal patron at many North Texas food institutions.<\/p>\n For classic Texas barbecue: Hurtado Barbecue<\/b><\/p>\n While this Arlington joint hasn\u2019t been around too long (the food truck\u2019s proprietor opened the brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2020), Rawlings considers Hurtado a staple of Texas barbecue. \u201cHurtado is absolutely the best as far as I\u2019m concerned,\u201d he says. The menu offers a unique twist, combining traditional barbecue and Tex-Mex dishes. \u201cEverything they make is absolutely phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n Hurtado is a barbecue staple.<\/p>\n Courtesy Hurtado<\/p>\n For steak: Bob\u2019s Steak & Chop House<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cTo me, that\u2019s an original Dallas steakhouse institution,\u201d says Rawlings of the long-loved steakhouse that\u2019s been a Lemmon Avenue fixture for three decades. His order is simple: steak and a baked potato, with one of the restaurant\u2019s signature side dishes, glazed carrots.<\/p>\n For, of all things, chicken pot pie: Neighborhood Services<\/b><\/p>\n Joe T. Garcia’s in Fort Worth has been one of Rawlings’ favorites since childhood.<\/p>\n Courtesy Joe T. Garcia’s<\/p>\n Rawlings offered Neighborhood Services on Lovers Lane as a great weeknight spot for an easy dinner out. But there\u2019s an essential note about the menu: \u201cOne of my favorite things, especially during the winter: They have a chicken pot pie that is absolutely to die for.\u201d<\/p>\n For an outing that impresses: Evelyn or The Mexican<\/b><\/p>\n Rawlings cites The Mexican and Evelyn as his two favorite spots when he wants to \u201cdress [his] lady up and take her to dinner.\u201d At the opening of Evelyn \u2014 a restaurant run by the same hospitality group that helped open Gas Monkey Icehouse \u2014 Rawlings sipped on a $150 martini called The Price of Fame. But at both restaurants, there\u2019s \u201cnothing you can order that you wouldn\u2019t like.\u201d<\/p>\n When you\u2019re in Fort Worth: Joe T. Garcia\u2019s<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been going there since I was a kid,\u201d says the Fort Worth-born entrepreneur. And Rawling\u2019s approach to the restaurant\u2019s famously limited menu is simple: Get both the enchiladas and the fajitas. Drinks are served by the pitcher, and the sprawling patio makes for a great outdoor dining experience, he adds.<\/p>\n Cristina Lynch, founder of Mi Golondrina David Flores<\/p>\n Cristina Lynch, founder of the fashion line Mi Golondrina, grew up in Dallas and is raising her family here. Work takes her to Mexico often \u2014 her brand sells clothing hand embroidered by Mexican artisans \u2014 and while she certainly has a soft spot for authentic Mexican cuisine, her palate is global. She\u2019s equally apt to try a buzzy new restaurant on date night as she is to return to tried-and- true spots with her three children in tow. \u201cI think Dallas has such an incredible food scene,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m so proud of it.\u201d<\/p>\n For date night: Cafe Pacific <\/b><\/p>\n Lynch says this Highland Park Village staple has \u201cold-school charm\u201d and is a place you\u2019d want to dress up to visit \u2014 and that\u2019s why she likes it. \u201cI love sitting at the bar and getting a burger and a martini with my husband,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty popular spot, so that\u2019s not always easy to do \u2014 but I love it there.\u201c<\/p>\n Sanjh chefs blend tradition with modern techniques.<\/p>\n Courtesy Sanjh<\/p>\n For a unique culinary experience: Sanjh<\/b><\/p>\n One of Lynch\u2019s most recent food discoveries was Sanjh, an upscale Indian restaurant in Las Colinas that opened in 2024. \u201cYou can see them making everything in these big copper pots \u2014 it\u2019s so beautiful. It really is, truly, a great experience, and the food is delicious.\u201d <\/p>\n For authentic Mexican food and a crowd-pleaser with the kids: Jos\u00e9<\/b><\/p>\n Lynch indulges in traditional Mexican cuisine at a favorite neighborhood spot, Jos\u00e9 on West Lovers Lane. Lynch orders carnitas, and her children love the street-style elotes. \u201cI eat elote anytime I can when I get to Mexico, so I guess that\u2019s a good way of getting Mexico in [Dallas].\u201d<\/p>\n For cozy vibes: Rise<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m obsessed with Rise,\u201d says Lynch of the French souffle spot in Dallas\u2019 Inwood Village. \u201cThat is just such an authentic place.\u201d A close personal friendship with the restaurant\u2019s founder, Hedda Gioia Dowd, makes this recommendation particularly personal. Lynch orders the truffle-infused mushroom souffle or the Rise salad, and her favorite dessert souffle is an off-the-menu flavor with Reese\u2019s Pieces candy on top.<\/p>\n Order delicious dishes at Le PasSage along the Katy Trail.<\/p>\n Evan Sung<\/p>\n For ample ambience: Le PasSage<\/b><\/p>\n Glitzy French-Asian restaurant Le PasSage opened last year on the edge of the Katy Trail and is one of Lynch\u2019s favorites. \u201cI think that the ambience is gorgeous, and the feeling of the place is so beautiful and the food is incredibly good,\u201d she says, adding that she loves the Peking duck and the whole fried snapper.<\/p>\n Don Myers, sommelier at Evelyn Jason Janik \/ Special Contributor<\/p>\n Sommelier Don Myers has worked in esteemed Dallas restaurants for more than 20 years, and is currently at the buzzy new Design District spot, Evelyn. An industry insider, Myers knows where to find quality dishes and quality service \u2014 two themes that underscore all his recommendations.<\/p>\n For a great steak, even on a budget: Town Hearth<\/b><\/p>\n At this steakhouse in the Design District, Myers says \u201cthe food always overdelivers.\u201d The restaurant is known for its massive selection of quality cuts, and Myers has a tip for a budget- conscious foodie who still wants a top-notch steak: Order the Rogue Cut.<\/p>\n Endless chandeliers and eclectic decor fill Town Hearth.<\/p>\n Kevin Marple<\/p>\n For late-night bites: Bowen House<\/b><\/p>\n When Myers gets off his sommelier shift late at night, there\u2019s one place he wants to go: Bowen House in Uptown. The kitchen stays open until 1 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday, which he says is perfect when you want to \u201ckeep the party going a little bit\u201d after a game or show. He orders french fries and Champagne for an \u201copener.\u201d (They serve one of his favorites, Delamotte Blanc, by the glass.) He follows that with the filet or the hamburger \u2014 and sometimes the steak tartare in between.<\/p>\n For seafood: Rex\u2019s Seafood & Market<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cThe prices are very within reach,\u201d Myers says of this Northwest Highway and Hillcrest Road spot, which has product flown in daily. \u201cI think you\u2019re going to find some of the best seafood in Dallas there.\u201d The restaurant-slash-market offers a wide variety of seafood for dining in or to take home and cook yourself. Myers is drawn to both the quality of the food and the simplicity of the setup. \u201cIt\u2019s not fine dining, but you\u2019re going to get really great service.\u201d<\/p>\n Rex\u2019s seafood is \u201csome of the best,” says Myers.<\/p>\n Ashley Estave<\/p>\n For the entire menu: Montlake Cut<\/b><\/p>\n Myers is a fan of the entire menu at Montlake Cut, and it\u2019s one of his favorite restaurants in Dallas. (He worked there as a sommelier for a few years, too.) He loves the french fries, oysters, seafood crudo, mussels and fresh fish, but there\u2019s a standout: \u201cWithout a doubt, the best fish and chips in town.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Michelin Guide\u2019s introduction into Texas last year firmly cemented Dallas\u2019 already-strong identity as a foodie city. Here,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":279365,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,26874,52560,116804,1596,58433,990,2105,14647,1931,11213,9065,988,20958,57138,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-279364","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-barbecue","10":"tag-bars-and-cocktails","11":"tag-best-restaurants","12":"tag-dallas","13":"tag-drinks-cocktails","14":"tag-food","15":"tag-food-and-drink","16":"tag-french-food","17":"tag-indian-food","18":"tag-italian-food","19":"tag-mexican-food","20":"tag-restaurants","21":"tag-seafood","22":"tag-steakhouse","23":"tag-texas","24":"tag-tx","25":"tag-united-states","26":"tag-united-states-of-america","27":"tag-unitedstates","28":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","29":"tag-us","30":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115321289216751183","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ZGKMF36MFFEY7HTOZNXSWGZIMI.jpeg\")
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