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.
Dallas, TX
Dallas City Council approves resolution to explore leaving Dallas City Hall
DALLAS – Dallas City Council members approved a measure to explore options for leaving Dallas City Hall while, but left the door open to staying in the iconic building.
Resolution to explore leaving City Hall passes
What we know:
The resolution approved will explore options to buy or lease a new City Hall building. It was amended to include a plan to pay for repairs to the current building that would be compared side by side to the options to leave.
Dallas City Council approved the resolution by a 9-6 vote. The vote came around 1 a.m. Thursday morning after 14 hours of debate.
Councilman Chad West told FOX 4’s Lori Brown that if the city decides to stay or leave City Hall, the resolution includes proposals to redevelop the land around the building.
“We still should be looking at redevelopment options to tie it into the convention center later on, because otherwise it just equals ghost town, which is what we have now,” West said. “And of course, if we decide to move and City Hall itself gets repurposed or demolished and something gets built there, we need to have a projected plan for what that could look like as well.”
Debate on City Hall’s future
Local perspective:
Around 100 residents spoke about their desire to keep the current Dallas City Hall, the historic structure designed by architect I.M. Pei.
“The thought of losing this land to private hands is disheartening. A paid-off asset, unfair to taxpayers, built on what is here,” Meredith Jones, a Dallas resident, said.
“The decision belongs to the people, not the city council,” David Boss, the former manager of Dallas City Hall, said.
Several questioned why the price tag for a repair is public knowledge, but the cost for a move isn’t.
“The public deserves to know the value of the land we are giving up. Dallas deserves a careful decision, not a rushed one,” resident Azael Alvarez said.
Future Mavs arena looms large
Dallas City Council went back and forth on the resolution, amending it before it finally passed. Much of the conversation revolved around the Dallas Mavericks’ potential interest in the site for a new arena.
Mayor Eric Johnson lamented that conversation revolved around the Mavs’ future and not City Hall itself.
“A conversation about a particular sports team and where you want them should never have been part of the conversation because that was not what was infront of us,” Johnson said. “I’ve never seen such vehement opposition to gathering more information.”
Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn wore a Mavericks T-shirt to a recent hearing due to the continued conversation around them.
“We’re talking a lot about the Mavs. They’re the elephant in the room, but they’re actually not here, so let’s at least let them have a seat at the horseshoe,” Mendelsohn said on Monday.
Residents were also upset at the idea of City Hall being bulldozed to make way for a new Mavs arena.
“The Mavericks were ridiculed nationally, and still are. Worst trade in the history of the NBA,” one resident said Monday. “The decision to knock this building down without all the facts and allowing the people to make the decision is your Luka Dončić trade.”
A potential 10-digit repair cost
The backstory:
Experts who assessed Dallas City Hall said the 47-year-old building’s mechanical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical systems don’t meet modern standards.
It put a $906 million to $1.4 billion price tag on keeping the iconic building, which was designed by the famous Chinese architect I.M. Pei, for another 20 years.
Downtown Dallas Inc., an advocacy group for Downtown Dallas, said last week they support leaving the current City Hall site.
“We believe Dallas City Hall is no longer serving its intended purpose. The important functions that happen and must continue to be evolved and innovated within our city government are inefficient and truly stymied in that space,” said Jennifer Scripps, President and CEO of Downtown Dallas Inc. told the crowd. “Our board called a special called meeting and voted unanimously in support of pursuing options to relocate City Hall and redevelop the site. We were we feel that the opportunity is huge.”
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 4 reporting.
Dallas, TX
Study says the real value of a $100K salary in Dallas is…less than that
How much do you earn? And how far does that paycheck really go?
In Dallas, a $100,000 salary is a figure that’s more than double the area’s individual median income, but nevertheless a useful benchmark for the region’s burgeoning business community. However — once taxes and the local cost of living is factored in — it has the effective purchasing power of around $80,000 according to a new financial report.
Consumer-focused fintech site SmartAsset worked the numbers on the country’s 69 largest cities, determining the “estimated true value of $100,000 in annual income” in each location by measuring federal, state and local taxes as well as local cost of living data, including on housing, groceries and utilities.
It used its own proprietary figures, as well as information from the Council for Community and Economic Research.
Related
Despite recent research suggesting North Texas has lately been losing some of its famous economic advantage — a major factor behind the region’s explosive growth — Dallas actually fared relatively well in SmartAsset’s analysis. Of the 69 cities, Dallas’ effective purchasing power, of $80,103 on the $100,000 salary, tied with Nashville to rank 22nd highest.
Like many cities in the report, Dallas also actually saw a year-over-year effective salary bump, likely because of slightly lower effective tax rates and living costs that have hewed closer to the national average. In 2024, the value of a $100,000 salary in Dallas came out to $77,197.
Other large Texas cities fared even better than Dallas. El Paso, where SmartAsset calculated the effective value of the $100,000 salary at nearly $90,300, ranked third highest overall.
San Antonio, where the effective value was around $86,400, ranked eighth. Houston, where the figure was around $84,800, ranked 10th, and Austin, where the figure was $82,400, ranked 17th.
Oklahoma City topped SmartAsset’s value ranking, with an effective salary of around $91,900, and Manhattan, which the website considered as its own city, came in with the lowest value, at around $29,400.
Dallas’ relatively strong effective value score won’t necessarily translate to the good life: Another financial report, published in November by the website Upgraded Points, determined that even a single adult with no kids needs a pre-tax salary of at least $107,000 to live “comfortably” in the Metroplex.
Dallas, TX
Public frustration grows as Dallas leaders debate billion‑dollar City Hall fix or relocation
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