Dallas, TX
Visiting Dallas for the NBA Finals? Here are 24 restaurants to try
We’re proud of our Dallas Mavericks. We’re also proud of our food scene. Regardless of who you’re cheering for in the NBA Finals (go Mavs), we want you to eat well while you’re in town for the games. Here’s a list of restaurant recommendations for every meal of the day.
Close and convenient
Billy Can Can
This modern take on a Texas saloon is a stone’s throw from American Airlines Center, and it’s a prime spot for a nice but unfussy dinner before a game. Try the smoked fish dip and the fried quail.
Billy Can Can is located at 2386 Victory Park Ln., Dallas. Open for dinner only. Reservations available here.
Happiest Hour
If you’re looking for bar food, a drink and maybe some patio seating if the weather isn’t too hot, Happiest Hour is a good bet. It’s also a good option for a post-game post up while you wait for traffic to clear.
Happiest Hour is located at 2616 Olive St., Dallas. Open late every day of the week.
Hero
It doesn’t get any closer or more convenient than Hero. This huge sports bar is located in the main plaza near American Airlines Center. It’s got all the bar food staples plus build-your-own bowls if you’re looking for something a little lighter.
Hero is located at 3090 Nowitzki Way, Dallas. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Mercat Bistro
This little French bistro is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Come here for a pain au chocolat in the morning or tri-tip steak frites in the evening. They also have happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Mercat Bistro is located at 2501 N Harwood St., #225, Dallas. Open daily for all three meals, except for Saturday and Sunday when it opens for brunch at 10 a.m. Reservations available here.
Taqueria La Ventana
There are few things Dallasites love more than sitting on a patio with a tart margarita in hand and bowls of chips and salsa on the table. Taqueria La Ventana is great for such a moment. If you’re looking for a similar experience but with air conditioning, El Fenix, which is the oldest restaurant in Dallas, is next door.
Taqueria La Ventana is located at 1611 McKinney Ave., Dallas. There are two other locations in Oak Lawn and the Dallas Farmers Market. Open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. or later every day of the week.
The Henry
This all-day restaurant serves avocado toast in the morning and braised short rib in the evening. It also has a rooftop patio where you can snack on small bites like fritto misto while sipping cocktails like smoked pineapple margaritas.
The Henry is located at 2301 N. Akard St., #250, Dallas. Open daily for all three meals. Reservations available here.
Good for breakfast
Goodfriend Package
It’s hard to find a place that rivals Goodfriend Package when it comes to breakfast sandwiches. Try the East Point (egg, bacon, ham and white cheddar) or the Ol’ Dirty (egg, sausage, American cheese and gravy). They’ve also got a great corned beef hash here, and a lineup of non-breakfast sandwiches like pastrami on rye and an Italian sub. Cultivar Coffee is located inside, so no need to make a separate coffee stop.
Goodfriend Package is located at 1155 Peavy Rd., Dallas. Open daily for breakfast and lunch.
Mama’s Daughter’s Diner
Love a classic diner? Mama’s Daughter’s Diner is for you. You’ll find pancakes, waffles, omelets, grits and chicken fried steak (a Texas classic) here. There are a few locations in North Texas, but the Dallas location is located in the Design District near downtown.
Mama’s Daughter’s Diner is located at 2014 Irving Blvd., Dallas. Open daily for breakfast and lunch.
Starship Bagel
Dallas might not be known as a bagel destination, but we’ve got some great bagels here. Starship Bagel, which has a walk-up window location in downtown Dallas and another shop in North Dallas, won Best Bagel last year at BagelFest in New York. Try the owner’s favorite order — a plain bagel with fermented jalapeño cream cheese.
Starship Bagel is located at 1520 Elm St., #107, Dallas. Open daily for breakfast and lunch.
Good for lunch
Fond
This relatively new restaurant in Dallas has become a beloved lunch spot for many people who work in the downtown area. They serve sandwiches (try the grilled cheese with comté and tomato jam), salads (try the smoked salmon niçoise) and Detroit-style pizzas. They also have killer pickles here that are made in house. Don’t skip the soft serve, which changes daily.
Fond is located at 1601 Elm St., #110, Dallas. Open Monday through Friday for lunch, aperitivo and dinner.
Klyde Warren Park food trucks
For a food truck experience, head to Klyde Warren Park in the heart of the city near the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center. You’ll find everything from Cuban food to Italian ice. It’s also one of the only places where you can get a famous Fletcher’s Original Corny Dog outside of the annual State Fair of Texas. The Fletcher’s truck sets up shop at the park only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The Klyde Warren Park food trucks are located at 2012 Woodall Rodgers Fwy., Dallas. Open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Loro
Asian flavors and Texas barbecue join forces at Loro, a casual patio restaurant with two locations in the Dallas area. The Austin-based concept is the brainchild of Tyson Cole of Uchi and and Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue. Its quick ordering system and laid-back atmosphere make for an unfussy dining experience. We love the chicken karaage, the rice bowls and the mango slush made with sake.
Loro is located at 1812 N. Haskell Ave., Dallas and 14999 Montfort Dr., Dallas. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Sachet
Sachet’s pita, served hot from the wood-fired oven, is worth coming for alone. This Mediterranean restaurant in the Highland Park area is just as great for dinner as it is lunch, but the “salady bowls” on its lunch menu deserve a mention. It also serves a porchetta-spiced pork shoulder sandwich, which you don’t see on many other menus.
Sachet is located at 4270 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas. Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday (but closed midday between 2:30 and 5 p.m.). Closed Sunday.
Good for dinner
Beverley’s
Oysters mignonette, caviar and latkes, steak frites, matzo ball soup and pastrami are all on the menu at Beverley’s, which melds Jewish and French flavors in a beautifully designed space. Happy hour is from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Beverley’s is located at 3215 N Fitzhugh Ave., Dallas. It is open for dinner Tuesday through Friday and for brunch and dinner Saturday and Sunday. Reservations can be booked here.
José
This Mexican restaurant and its chef, Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, have received a lot of national attention, and for good reason. Just try the coconut ceviche, tacos de tacha or the squash blossom fried quesadillas to see why.
José is located at 4931 W. Lovers Ln., Dallas. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations can be booked here.
Resident Taqueria
The tacos coming out of the kitchen at Resident Taqueria are some of the most interesting and exciting in the city. Morel mushrooms, soft shell crab, paneer — it all ends up in taco form here. But you’ll also find more expected tacos like braised pork shoulder and carne asada.
Resident Taqueria is located at 9661 Audelia Rd., #112, Dallas. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday.
Rye
Everything on the menu at Rye is interesting, and cleverly named. Ever had an Icelandic hot dog? You can experience a Wagyu version of one here. You’ll also find pork belly lollipops, a carrot and fava bean tartare, and beef cheek raviolo. Grab a drink before or after dinner next door at Apothecary — a stellar cocktail bar from Rye’s creators.
Rye is located at 1920 Greenville Ave., Dallas. Open Tuesday through Friday for dinner, and Saturday and Sunday for brunch and dinner.
As Texan as it gets
Las Palmas Tex-Mex
Looking for a Tex-Mex experience? Head to Las Palmas in Uptown. You’ll find everything you envision when you think of Tex-Mex here — queso blanco, combo plates of enchiladas and crispy tacos, fajitas, chimichangas — but it’s all done a little more delicately than at some other Tex-Mex spots. Take note of their flour tortillas, which they make in house.
Las Palmas Tex-Mex is located at 2708 Routh St., Dallas. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Nick & Sam’s
Dallas and steakhouses go hand in hand. There are plenty to choose from, but Nick & Sam’s is the place to go if you want to dine amongst the who’s who. Dallas Cowboys players, celebrities, CEOs and Luka Doncic himself are regularly spotted here. Speaking of Doncic, Nick & Sam’s has The Luka on its menu — a 77-ounce New York strip that is dry aged for 77 days in honor of the Mavs star.
Nick & Sam’s is located at 3008 Maple Ave., Dallas. Open for dinner daily.
Slow Bone
Come to this classic barbecue spot for the brisket and pork, but also come here for the fried chicken, which is a fan favorite. You’ll find all the classic barbecue sides here, plus some unique ones like squash casserole and sweet potato praline.
Slow Bone is located at 2234 Irving Blvd., Dallas. Open daily for lunch.
Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que
The Reaves family has been serving hickory-smoked barbecue at Smokey John’s for more than four decades. Try their ribs or fried catfish. If you ask for the “Steve White Plate,” you can get them both, says Texas Monthly’s barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn.
Smokey John’s is located at 1820 W Mockingbird Ln., Dallas. It is open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.
Splurge worthy
El Carlos Elegante
Masa is the star of the show at the moody and thoughtfully designed El Carlos Elegante. The corn is nixtamalized in-house and used for tetelas, tamales and tortillas. If you really want to see what this place is about, we recommend the Elegante Experience — a fixed menu where every dish is a surprise until it’s brought to the table. It’ll set you back $99 per person, but you’ll leave full and inspired.
El Carlos is located at 1400 N. Riverfront Blvd., Dallas. Open daily for dinner. Reservations can be booked here.
Lucia
Lucia, an Italian restaurant in the Bishop Arts neighborhood, has long been considered one of the best restaurants in Dallas. Reservations aren’t easy to come by, but if you show up early you might be able to snag walk-in seats.
Lucia is located at 287 N. Bishop Ave., Dallas. Open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner only. Reservations can be booked here.
Petra and the Beast
Petra and the Beast from chef Misti Norris, who was named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine in 2019, places its focus on local sourcing, whole utilization of ingredients, and fermentation. While the restaurant is known most widely for its cured meats and charcuterie boards, the pasta dishes here are not to be missed.
Petra and the Beast is located at 1901 Abrams Rd., Dallas. Open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner and Sunday for brunch. Reservations can be booked here.
The Dallas Cowboys were one of the most quiet teams during the free agency, much to the chagrin of fans. Cap room could be a big issue as to why owner Jerry Jones did not make any significant moves to improve the team’s roster. However, it appears the team is not done searching for potential playmakers, as the team has brought in multiple free agents for workouts.
Read more: Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Reportedly ‘Fed Up’ With Jerry Jones
According to the team’s website, the Cowboys brought in four former UFL (United Football League) players for a workout at The Star on Tuesday.
Defensive end Jonathan Garvin, defensive end Wyatt Ray, defensive end Derick Roberson, and running back/fullback John Lovett all arrived to showcase their skillset to coaches ahead of training camp.
Scott Rovak/UFL/Getty Images
Garvin was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2020 and played three seasons with the team, racking up 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He was cut by the team in 2023, leading to his signing with the Birmingham Stallions. In his first season in the UFL, he recorded 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Ray was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2019 but would be waived during rookie training camp. He spent time with the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Denver Broncos before landing with the San Antonio Brahmas in 2024. During his first season with the team, he logged 24 tackles and 5.5 sacks.
Roberson was signed by the Titans in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, spending three seasons with the team. During his three-year stint, he secured 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He would be drafted in the XFL Supplemental Draft to the Houston Roughnecks in 2023 but was eventually released in Dec. 2023. He would land with the DC Defenders in 2024, finishing the season with 32 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Lovett was initially signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent but was cut during rookie training camp. He would eventually land with the UFL San Antonio Brahmas, where he ran for 423 yards (fifth in the league) and scored five touchdowns (second in the league).
Though the Cowboys already have Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, it wouldn’t be terrible to add some depth players at the pass rush position. The team also brought back running back Ezekiel Elliott, but there is no true fullback on the current roster, making Lovett a good option should he make the 53-man roster.
The Cowboys are doing their due diligence, as are the rest of the 31 teams in the NFL. The UFL had its first inaugural season, leading many former NFL players to suit up in hopes of returning to the NFL.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Veteran guard Odyssey Sims signed a hardship contract with the Dallas Wings, the team announced Tuesday.
A hardship exception is a replacement contract eligible to any team with two players out due to injury, illness, or other conditions. Sims replaces Morgan Bertsch, who previously signed following forward Maddy Siegrist’s injury last week (finger) but was released on Monday.
The Irving-native rejoins her hometown team, as the Wings look to breathe new life into their losing season. Sims, 31, played for the Wings in three previous stints, including when the team was formerly in Tulsa.
Dallas sits at the bottom of the league on an 11-game losing streak, without a win since May 26.
Sims played 28 games with the Wings last season. She joined the team via a hardship exception, before signing a rest-of-season contract on June 28, 2023. She averaged 12.0 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
She began playing in Dallas in 2016 after the Tulsa Shock moved their franchise and became the Wings at the end of 2015. She appeared in 34 games, averaging 14 points and nearly four assists.
The 5-8 guard brings a decorated 11-year professional career to the losing team.
Since being drafted second overall in the 2014 WNBA draft, Sims has averaged 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. She was a member of the 2014 All-Rookie team while on the Tulsa Shock, was named a 2019 All-Star and made All-WNBA Second Team while on the Minnesota Lynx.
She also brings much-needed winning experience in her home state.
At Irving MacArthur, Sims led her team to the state semifinals her senior year. She was rated the top point guard in the class of 2010 and had her jersey retired. At Baylor, she was a member of the 2012 national championship team, finishing the season with a perfect 40-0 record.
The veteran was also a part of the Los Angeles Sparks’ 2017 and the Connecticut Sun’s 2022 WNBA finalist teams.
Sims will make her debut on Thursday, as the Wings look to reverse their luck against Minnesota.
Find more WNBA coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Dallas roads are getting more congested, according to a new traffic study.
Transportation data and analytics company INRIX studied hundreds of cities around the world and found that post-COVID, traffic patterns are still adjusting, with a new midday rush hour and different peak travel times.
Traffic in Dallas has increased 12% compared to before the pandemic, according to the company’s 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard. The report ranked Dallas as the 17th most congested city in the country.
Long-distance commuting has surged across the country after the pandemic, according to a study by Stanford University researchers. On average, people who work in Dallas have added 35 miles per trip to their commutes. “Super commuting” more than 75 miles to work has increased 29% post-pandemic, the study found.
Bob Pishue, the traffic scorecard’s author and a transportation data analyst at INRIX, said Dallas doesn’t have as much traffic as other large metros, despite its large size. Toll roads and public-private partnerships give the city more ways to address transportation issues to alleviate traffic.
“Texas is always looking at interesting ways to finance and deliver infrastructure, and that is not that common in other states or areas,” Pishue said. “Dallas isn’t afraid to build.”
While the city isn’t at the top of the country’s most congested cities, Dallas drivers still face busy roads every day.
“If you’re sitting in it, it sucks,” Pishue said. “[But] for its size, it does pretty well in terms of traffic congestion and delay.”
The average driver in Dallas lost 38 hours due to congestion in 2023, a six-hour increase from 2022, costing $658 in wasted time. This was slightly below the national average of 42 hours. The value of time lost in traffic was based on the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s 2016 guidance, which puts one hour in traffic at $17.45 after adjusting for inflation. The value takes into account a population’s average hourly income, demographics, mode of transportation, purpose of travel, distance and other factors.
Dallas’ US-80 Eastbound from I-635 to FM 548 in Forney was the 11th most congested corridor in the country, with drivers losing 66 hours due to traffic on that corridor alone. Its peak congestion is reported around 5 p.m., the study found. The Texas Department of Transportation is in the process of expanding that route from two to three lanes in each direction as the Kaufman County city ranks among the fastest growing in the country.
I-30 Westbound from St. Francis Avenue to I-345 is the city’s second busiest corridor, with an average delay of 34 hours annually for Dallas drivers. Third was North Walton Walker Blvd.
The company has published an annual report on traffic patterns for more than 15 years. The scorecard looks at nearly 1,000 cities across 37 countries to see how traffic is changing and uses anonymized data from trucking fleets, delivery vehicles, passenger vehicles, mobile apps and more.
The pandemic changed traffic patterns, but congestion is ramping back up as people return to offices. Still, Pishue sees a “new normal” on the roads. Dallas is one of many American cities experiencing a new mid-day traffic rush as work schedules are more flexible and many people work from home.
INRIX found a 23% increase in mid-day trips in the U.S. compared to before the pandemic. Almost as many trips are made nationwide at noon as at 5 p.m., the report said. Work hours and changes to the traditional workday have also affected traffic patterns. Across the country, the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. each saw a higher volume of trips than 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Another change has occurred in downtown trips. In Dallas, Pishue said the downtown holds only about 2% of the region’s jobs, and the pandemic deemphasized, to different degrees, downtown areas across the country as economic centers. But in 2023, the city’s downtown trip volume was up 3% and the average speed for drivers downtown was 16 mph.
The scorecard put New York City as the most congested city in the world, followed by Mexico City and London. According to the report, traffic congestion shows economic growth but also means lost time and money for commuters.
The report helps cities identify problems in transportation systems and address issues relating to traffic patterns, Pishue said.
“Those that do it best, at least right now, are looking at these post-COVID travel patterns and adjusting,” Pishue said. “That’s what it’s about, is being able to adjust more frequently.”
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