Dallas, TX
Hot List: 20 great restaurants to visit in Dallas-Fort Worth in March 2025
Innovation is on our minds as we head toward the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas. This month’s Hot List celebrates restaurants thinking big.
There’s NADC, the smashburger shop in Fort Worth from California chef Phillip Frankland Lee. He moved to Texas during the pandemic — seems like everybody did — and he now owns 12 restaurants in the Lone Star State.
Two other innovators are The Plot Twist in Denton and La Tiki Paisa in Dallas, both bars in bookstores.
This month’s Hot List spotlights all the North Texas restaurants you need to visit now: new, old and everything in between.
Restaurants listed in alphabetical order.
Bugatti Ristorante in Farmers Branch
We heard you lamenting the loss of Bugatti, the more than 45-year-old restaurant serving Italian classics in Dallas. Bugatti was never gone, but its dining room was closed for nearly two years while the restaurant relocated to a new development in Farmers Branch.
The new restaurant, tucked in a corner of interstates 635 and 35E, boasts the same maître d, Zee Aziz, who some people call “Mr. Bugatti.” You’ll have to set your maps to a new location, but regulars tell us a jovial Italian spirit lives on in the new space.
Bugatti Ristorante is at 1940 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, Farmers Branch. Dinner only.
Catch in Uptown Dallas
Celebrity spotters, make your reservation at Catch right now. This dark, dim, sexy seafood restaurant is teeming with VIPs most nights of the week. On a recent visit, I had excellent service and food — and I paid a premium for both. Catch seems like a quintessential place to celebrate something in Dallas, without the pricey plane ticket to Las Vegas, Aspen or New York.
Catch is at 3005 Maple Ave., Dallas. Dinner only.
Chicken Guy! in Dallas’ Preston Hollow
Fans of Guy Fieri should hightail it to Chicken Guy!, Fieri’s fast-casual chicken tenders restaurant that just opened near Trader Joe’s at Walnut Hill and the North Central Expressway. You probably won’t find Fieri himself at the restaurant; he’s busy with the Food Network. But you’ll soak up all the pleasures of Flavortown here in Dallas.
Chicken Guy! is at 7859 Walnut Hill Lane (at Preston Hollow Village), Dallas.
The Chumley House in Fort Worth
If you’re looking for an upscale night out on the town, The Chumley House is the answer no matter where you live in North Texas: It’s worth the drive. The menu calls for comfort food like butter chicken, ricotta-stuffed shells and chicken schnitzel, and all are served in a handsome dining room with attentive service. We hope Michelin’s mysterious critics are paying attention to it.
The Chumley House is at 3230 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth. Dinner only.
Cleaver and Co. in Uptown Dallas
It’s not an ax throwing place, it’s a burger joint. This casual restaurant was designed to feel like a “blend of a sports bar atmosphere and rustic butcher shop,” according to press materials. It’s one of the few restaurants on this list I’ve not been to yet. I think the way to go is to try two classic burgers, the smashburger and Cleaver’s signature burger, and compare. Tots on the side.
Cleaver and Co. is at 4438 McKinney Ave., Dallas.
Ebesu Robata & Sushi in Plano
Open since 2019, Ebesu is one of the most interesting Asian restaurants in Collin County. How does it compare to the restaurants in the entire state? Yelp named it the 32nd best restaurant in Texas in its Top 100 Places to Eat, making it the highest-ranking restaurant on the list from D-FW.
If you want to try the restaurant’s best bites, consider the $60 4-course tasting or the $99 10-course tasting. We wouldn’t call it “inexpensive,” but for a fixed-menu format, it’s one of the most affordable in town.
Ebesu Robata & Sushi is at 1007 E. 15th St., Plano. Dinner only.
Eddie’s Cocina & Cantina in Dallas
Tex-Mex restaurateur Eddie Cervantes, who created the infamous Primo’s Bar & Grill in Uptown Dallas in 1986, has opened a new restaurant on Dallas’ Lemon Avenue. He’s putting his name on the sign, as he did with Eddie’s on Greenville Avenue, which opened in 2021.
At the new Eddie’s at Lemmon Avenue and Inwood Road, Cervantes’ menu includes his classics: margaritas, queso, stuffed jalapenos, brisket tacos and more.
Eddie’s Cocina & Cantina is at 5622 Lemmon Ave., Dallas.
Four Sisters in Mansfield
TikTok influencer Keith Lee recently put Vietnamese restaurant Four Sisters on a list of recommended Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants. We’re right to question whether we love Lee’s suggestions, but we’re wrong to ignore them. He calls Four Sisters an “off the radar” spot that is most definitely on the radar now.
Lee loved the bao buns and beef pho. The seasonal crawfish fried rice and the Bo luc lac (shaking beef) look great.
Be right back: I’m driving to Mansfield.
Four Sisters is at 3806 East Broad St., Mansfield.
K&L Bagels in North Dallas
We’re in the midst of another mini bagel boom in Dallas-Fort Worth. Go check out K&L Bagels at Preston Road and Forest Lane in Dallas. It’s a tiny space selling our favorite carb-loaded breakfast item.
And, have you had a Jerusalem bagel in Texas? They sell ‘em at K&L.
K&L Bagels is at 11930 Preston Road, Dallas. Closed Mondays.
Kome in Preston Hollow/North Dallas
Do you want another Keith Lee rec? He found Kome to sell “quick and fresh sushi” and called it his “go-to nigiri spot” in Dallas. The restaurant is tucked inside The Hill shopping center and is known for its hand rolls.
Kome is at 8041 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas.
Meddlesome Moth in the Dallas Design District
You still have time to dine at The Meddlesome Moth in Dallas before it closes in late May 2025. The Moth was one of Dallas’s first gastropubs, and it helped make the Dallas Design District cool. (Today, the DDD is a hotspot for restaurants.) The Moth will close because of elevated rent prices. Time to go back for brunch and sit under those famous stained-glass windows.
The Meddlesome Moth is at 1621 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas. It’s expected to stay open until May 20, 2025.
NADC Burger in Fort Worth
I walked into NADC Burger alone on a Tuesday night, unapologetically hungry. A manager asked if I was there to drink at the bar, watch a comedy show or eat a burger. Three good options, but I had an agenda: to eat that burger I kept seeing on the internet. NADC’s two-patty smashburger was cheesy, greasy, gooey and delicious. I ate it in less than five minutes, and I’d do it all over again.
NADC (Not A Damn Chance) Burger is at 604 Main St. (inside Big Laugh Comedy Club), Fort Worth.
Pepe’s and Mito’s in Deep Ellum
For more than 30 years, Pepe’s and Mito’s has been serving Tex-Mex in Deep Ellum. But in late February 2025, an internet rumor suggested that the longtime, family-owned restaurant had closed. Not true! The owners are currently doing damage control. Want to help? Go get a margarita and some Tacos Norteños.
Pepe’s & Mito’s Mexican Cafe is at 2911 Elm St., Dallas. Closed Sundays.
The Plot Twist in Denton
Denton’s new bookstore selling sexy romance novels is not a restaurant — but it is a bar. And we love a non-traditional place to eat or drink. The Plot Twist is owned by a mother-daughter duo who took a chance on an industry that’s seemingly dying. See, Denton zigs where other cities zag: Nearly 1,000 North Texans showed up on grand opening weekend. In the weeks since, book worms have continued to share their love of romantasy novels.
The Plot Twist Romance Bookstore & Bar is at 227 W. Oak St., Denton. Closed Mondays.
Ruthie’s Fueled by Good in South Dallas
After years of roaming Dallas selling grilled cheese sandwiches from a food truck, Ruthie’s has opened a permanent restaurant for breakfast and lunch. The shop is on MLK Boulevard, in a food desert in South Dallas. In addition to selling good food, Ruthie’s has a mission to extend second chances to people who need them and to raise money for The Good Foundation nonprofit.
A bonus: Ruthie’s has a private room. Think kids celebrating a birthday, businesspeople hosting a meeting or moms playing Mahjong.
Ruthie’s is at 1632 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dallas. Open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SauceBros Pizza in Plano
SauceBros in Plano had its biggest weekend ever in February 2025. Bon Appétit honored this Bengali restaurant for its innovative pizzas, and news organizations (including ours) flocked to the tiny Plano strip center to interview the guys behind it. You’re going to want to order a SauceBros pizza. But give them a few weeks to recover.
Sauce Bros is at 3115 W. Parker Road, Plano. Closed Mondays. Order online for pickup or delivery at saucebrospizza.com.
Saved by the Bagel in Plano
It’s just adorable, theming a bagel shop after the 1990s show Saved By the Bell. This restaurant is especially interesting to me because it’s at the intersection of my childhood home in Plano — home base for my afternoon TV sessions with Zack Morris. It all comes back around.
Saved by the Bagel is at 6921 Independence Parkway, Plano. It opened Dec. 22, 2024.
La Tiki Paisa near East Dallas and Lake Highlands
A second bookstore bar made our Hot List this month. That has to be some kind of record! La Tiki Paisa is a cocktail bar and restaurant attached to Half Price Books in Dallas. The food and the cocktails are serious, but in a fun way. Here’s the story: Go for happy hour and snacks, then wander over to your favorite section of the bookstore and shop.
La Tiki Paisa (same storefront as La Casita Coffee) is at 5801 E. Northwest Highway, next to Half Price Books in Dallas.
La Tiki Paisa serves dinner and drinks only. The shop is open earlier in the day for coffee, pastries and lunch.
Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q in Allen
(Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer)
We called Vaqueros North Texas’s hottest barbecue joint in early 2025 now, and that’s still true a month later. Take a drive up to Allen and you’ll find a casual restaurant with Mexican-inflected barbecue. My favorite bite was the birria taco stuffed with brisket.
Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q is at 970 Garden Park Drive, Allen. Closed Mondays.
Zodiac Room in downtown Dallas
Bad news first: You probably can’t snag a reservation to The Zodiac at Neiman Marcus anymore. Neiman Marcus announced it would close its flagship retail store in downtown Dallas, and The Zodiac restaurant will close with it.
Good news now: In The Zodiac’s 71 years open, it served some of the most fashionable food in Dallas. It is the quintessential ladies-who-lunch spot, but anybody who wanted to feel fancy for an hour was welcome.
Do you have a vivid Zodiac memory? Email me at sblaskovich@dallasnews.com.
The Zodiac is at 1618 Main St. (inside Neiman Marcus, on level six), Dallas.
Dallas Parks and Recreation will distribute 25,000 all-access passes that give Dallas teens free admission to cultural and recreational attractions across the city throughout July.
Passes will be available beginning June 29 on a first-come, first-served basis at City of Dallas recreation centers.
The program, now entering its fifth year, is open to Dallas residents ages 13 to 17. City leaders say the initiative, which launched in 2021, helps promote positive engagement opportunities for teens and reduce crime during the summer months.
Teens must register in person and provide proof of Dallas residency to receive a pass.
The city says the program is made possible through partnerships with local cultural, recreational, and entertainment organizations.
Participating attractions include:
- African American Museum
- Bahama Beach
- Bath House Cultural Center
- Latino Cultural Center
- South Dallas Cultural Center
- Oak Cliff Cultural Center
- Dallas Museum of Arts
- Community Art Pop Up Cultural
- Dallas Arboretum
- Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
- Dallas Park and Recreation Summer Fitness
- Dallas Zoo
- Frontiers of Flight Museum
- Golf Dallas
- Reunion Tower
- Shakespeare of Dallas
- State Fair of Texas
- Southern Skates Roller Rink
- Texas Discover Garden
- The Sixth Floor Museum At Dealey Plaza
- Trinity River Audubon
A full list of participating attractions and recreation centers distributing passes is available at DallasParks.org
At least four people were injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd of people in Dallas on Thursday evening.
Dallas police responded to an “Assist Officer call with an Ambulance” at approximately 7 p.m. in the 300 block of West Davis Street.
Authorities learned that a vehicle drove into a crowd, injuring multiple people. At least four have been taken to a local hospital for treatment. Police said no one was in critical condition.
The driver of the vehicle was arrested at the scene, police said. Authorities are still working to determine if this driver could have been drunk or if this could have been a medical episode.
According to police, there is no indication that the crash was terrorism related.
The investigation is ongoing.
This story will be updated as we learn more.
Dallas, TX
FOX’s Kasper Schmeichel compares England to Dallas Cowboys, so who are their other sports analogs?
Scottish World Cup fans reportedly drink Boston dry
Dana Perino announces that Scottish World Cup fans have caused an unprecedented beer shortage in Boston, emptying bars and liquor stores. Jesse Watters playfully observes that Europeans visiting America seem to “love it,” despite negative media portrayals, while Greg Gutfeld adds a satirical comment about “liberal mayors” and local resource management, contrasting Boston’s beer woes with LA’s water and Chicago’s Bears.
FOX Soccer analyst Kasper Schmeichel came prepared for this year’s World Cup on American soil.
The former Danish goalkeeper may not be from around these parts, but that didn’t stop him from dropping an eerily accurate comparison between two overconfident but long-suffering sports programs.
With England and Croatia warming up inside AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Schmeichel decided he would roast two fanbases with one stone, comparing the Cowboys to the Three Lions with a hilarious one-liner.
Funny, but also painfully true if you’re a supporter of either team.
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I made a comparison last week between the English national team and Notre Dame, but Schmeichel got me thinking, who are the sports analogs to England from the four major North American leagues (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA)?
Today, I will be doing exactly that, including giving a slightly better NFL comp than the Cowboys (shocking, I know).
Without further ado, let’s piss off our neighbors from across the pond.
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NFL – Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears helmets are displayed before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Sept. 28, 2025. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
While the Dallas Cowboys are a fine comparison for the English national soccer team, I think I can do one better.
Schmeichel mentioned that England “won it once and have never stopped talking about it,” and although the second part of that statement applies to both, the Cowboys are five-time Super Bowl champions, having won it most recently in January 1996, a good three decades after England.
If you really want a team that more accurately mirrors the hard luck of the English, it would have to be the Chicago Bears.
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They have one Super Bowl win to their name, which came 40 years ago, and really don’t have much else to show for it.
Also, having lived in the DFW area for the better part of a decade, I can confidently say Cowboys fans are a little too arrogant and cocky to be compared to the English.
Sure, England will say things like “it’s coming home,” but they are far more self-deprecating and aware of their faults, even nihilistic in some cases.
The Bears hang onto their history because they know things will inevitably go bad for them on the biggest stage.
Speaking of which…
NHL – Toronto Maple Leafs
Spencer Carbery, assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, looks on from the bench during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ont., on April 14, 2022. (Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs actually line up with England more closely than either fanbase would like to admit.
While the Leafs have a litany of Stanley Cups to their name, their most recent win was back in 1967, less than a full year after England won their first and only World Cup.
As far as expectations go, both constantly go into their respective tournaments with the weight of the world on their shoulders, only to come crashing down in the most horrific ways imaginable.
For the Leafs, it comes in the form of blowing big leads in the playoffs, while English fans and players alike can’t even hear the words “penalty kicks” without having a mental breakdown.
England and Toronto are both long-suffering cities, but their fans keep showing up expecting a different outcome.
Insanity? No, just sports fandom.
NBA – New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks celebrates a three-point basket with Karl-Anthony Towns during Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 5, 2026. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
This one would have been an even better comparison if the New York Knicks hadn’t gone and won the whole damn thing this year, but these two sports teams are still eerily similar.
WHY THE KNICKS, DISRESPECTED BUT CLAWING BACK, TOUCHED A RAW NERVE IN NEW YORK CITY AND ULTIMATELY THE COUNTRY
Think of the Knicks’ 2026 NBA Championship run as a window into what it would look like if England captured a World Cup (on American soil, no less).
Before this year, the Knicks famously had not won a Larry O’Brien trophy in over 50 years, yet they were still considered one of the “blue bloods” of the NBA.
Decades of heartache didn’t change that; it only made their fans more insufferable, but their triumph earlier this month in the NBA Finals exorcised all those demons.
THE ATHLETIC BEWILDERINGLY CELEBRATES ‘ZOHRAN MAMDANI SPORTS SUMMER’ AFTER NEW YORK KNICKS WIN NBA FINALS
A win in the World Cup Finals would probably do the same for England fans, as you could probably feel that sigh of relief from the other side of the Atlantic.
MLB – New York Mets
New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto reacts after scoring a run on an RBI double by infielder Bo Bichette against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on April 2, 2026. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
Hello again, New York.
The Big Apple certainly has its fair share of winners, but it also has plenty of franchises that are aching to make a trip back down the Canyon of Heroes, none more so than the Mets.
Year after year, the Mets are near the top of MLB in terms of spending, with little to show for their efforts.
WATCH THE WORLD CUP FINAL ON FOX ONE
They won a World Series back in 1986 and have been chasing that high ever since.
The common thread between England and the Mets (along with all the other teams on this list) is expectations relative to results, and it seems like the Mets are sort of a Schrödinger’s baseball franchise in that regard, expected to both compete for a World Series with their high-priced talent and flame out in spectacular fashion all the same.
FOX ONE’S NEW WORLD CUP VIEWING EXPERIENCE
England always has flashy players heading into World Cup play, but the results haven’t been there, and they’ve often been sent home in brutal fashion, offering a great parallel to the Mets’ clockwork-like midsummer swoons and late-season meltdowns.
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