Bistros, trattorias and the everyday places where Dallas actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Dallas actually eats.
25 places
Order Beef brisket by the pound. Jalapeño cheddar sausage. The beef rib on Saturdays.
Deep Ellum's most-visited dining room: long communal tables, cold beer, and brisket that made national food media relocate their coverage of Texas BBQ.
Order Shoulder clod cooked 18-20 hours. Brisket on butcher paper with no sauce.
The Bishop Arts BBQ institution run by descendants of Kreuz Market's original bloodline, maintaining the Central Texas no-sauce butcher-paper tradition.
Order Akaushi Wagyu brisket. The Toddfather sandwich.
The suburban BBQ pilgrimage: Michelin Bib Gourmand, Texas Monthly Top 50, Akaushi Wagyu and Duroc pork, and a loyal following that lines up before 10am.
7 of the casual dining on this list are in Deep Ellum. So are these tours and tastings.
Viator · 2.5 h
Eat your way through Deep Ellum, where legendary music, bold food and street art come together in one distinctly Dallas experience. Enjoy 8 generous tastings at 4 rest...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste the bold flavors of Texas in Dallas’ Deep Ellum. Enjoy BBQ brisket, Texas chili, biscuits, pie, and more while exploring the city’s street art, music culture, an...
Musement · 3 hours
Bold Texas flavour meets rich local heritage on this intimate tasting experience through one of the most storied neighbourhoods in Dallas. With a local guide leading t...
Order Brisket tacos. Cheese enchiladas. Mama's ribeye con hongos.
A family-owned Lemmon Avenue institution since 1981 whose brisket taco created a Dallas archetype. Located in Uptown. Kitchen leans tex-mex.
Order Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy. The daily combo plate.
Founded 1918 by Mike Martinez, this is the restaurant most historians credit with formalising the Tex-Mex combination plate in Dallas. Located in Uptown.
Order Al pastor tacos at the counter. The Sunday brunch taco buffet.
The street-taco counter of one of Dallas's most creative Mexican operations. Kitchen leans mexican taqueria. Open tue-sun 5pm-10pm, mon closed.
Order Smoked pork chop. Beef brisket half-pound. The mac and cheese.
A Design District BBQ lunch room that built its reputation on the smoked pork chop, a cut most Dallas operations overlook. Kitchen leans texas bbq.
Order Breakfast tacos; slow-braised fillings that change weekly.
A Lake Highlands chef-driven taqueria that starts serving at 7:30am and closes by 9pm. Order the breakfast tacos; slow-braised fillings that change weekly.
Order Cheese enchiladas. Combination plate. Chips and queso on arrival.
An Oak Cliff Tex-Mex hold-out in the same W Illinois Avenue spot since 1949. The enchiladas here are as honest as Tex-Mex gets: chili gravy, fresh tortillas.
Order Chicken and waffles. The mimosa flight. Coffee is worth ordering here.
Bishop Arts' original all-day cafe: the chicken and waffles draw queues every weekend, the coffee programme is more serious than the casual room suggests.
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Order Weekly rotating taco. Nashville hot chicken. The WTF taco.
The Deep Ellum anchor of the late-night Dallas taco scene, with a rotating weekly special and a 4am Friday and Saturday closing time that makes it essential.
Order Suadero tacos at $1.50 each. Al pastor off the spit.
The $1.50 street taco counter that makes every best-cheap-eats list in Dallas. Suadero, al pastor, counter service, and plastic trays. Located in Deep Ellum.
Order French toast. Full breakfast plate. Egg sandwich at any hour.
The 24-hour Deep Ellum diner open Wednesday through Sunday, where musicians, bartenders, and everyone else converge for breakfasts at 3am without requiring.
Order The frozen margarita, made from the tradition of the 1971 original machine invention.
Mariano Martinez invented the frozen margarita machine on May 11, 1971 at his original East Dallas restaurant. Located in Lakewood. Priced at $$.
Order Blue corn pancakes at brunch. The Southern-inflected small plates at dinner.
Chef Matt Balke's Bishop Arts New American, where weekend brunch draws the neighbourhood and dinner runs a more serious menu Wednesday through Sunday.
Order Shawarma plate. Halal rice bowl with beef and chicken.
A Greenville Avenue halal counter open until 4am every night, inspired by New York street food. Located in Lower Greenville. Open mon-sun 11am-4am.
Order Mezze spread with hummus and fattoush. Shawarma plate.
A fully halal Knox Street Lebanese institution that has anchored the Knox-Henderson dining corridor for years, serving mezze and grilled meats in a room.
Order Oaxacan tacos with slow-cooked meats. Mezcal cocktails.
A Deep Ellum mezcal bar and Oaxacan kitchen open until 2am Thursday through Sunday. Order the oaxacan tacos with slow-cooked meats. Mezcal cocktails.
Order Brisket. Burnt ends on Fridays. House-made sausage.
The Dallas outpost of the Richardson family BBQ, opened in 2025 in the Devonshire neighbourhood near Inwood Village. Kitchen leans texas bbq.
Order Hungarian comfort food bites. A classic cocktail or one of the house originals.
Gothic architecture, dark interiors, Eastern European comfort food, and cocktails until 2am in the most moody room in Deep Ellum. Priced at $$.
Order The seasonal pie of the month. The Drunken Nut on the permanent menu.
A specialty pie shop in a 1930s Victorian bungalow in Bishop Arts, with handmade pies that change seasonally. Kitchen leans American desserts and pie.
Order Daily Indian vegetarian buffet: fresh dals, sabzis, house-made chutneys, rice.
Dallas's longest-running vegetarian restaurant, set inside a Hare Krishna temple in East Dallas. Located in Lakewood. Kitchen leans indian vegetarian.
Order Pan con tomate with jamón. A poured sherry or one of the Spanish house wines.
Spanish tapas and one of the most extensive Spanish wine lists in the US in a casual Knox-Henderson patio bar. Priced at $$$. At 5016 Miller Ave.
Order Croque-monsieur at lunch. The Paris-Brest dessert.
All-day French brasserie at Preston Center, open from breakfast through dinner with a 1,200-sqft covered patio and a casual format that makes the serious.
Order Seasonal pho; spring rolls with heirloom vegetables
Michelin-recommended Mot Hai Ba on Lewis Street blends modern French technique with Vietnamese soul in a casual East Dallas room. Located in Lakewood.
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