Mot Hai Ba is a vietnamese restaurant in Lakewood, Dallas.
Editorially verified May 25, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: Seasonal pho; spring rolls with heirloom vegetables
Tip: Tuesday through Thursday is the easiest booking window. The seasonal menu changes frequently; the pho preparation is always the dish to watch.
Address: 6047 Lewis St, Dallas, TX 75206
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: Beef brisket by the pound. Jalapeño cheddar sausage. The beef rib on Saturdays.
Tip: The beef rib on Saturday is the highlight. Come at 11am or accept the queue. They sell out daily.
The Bishop Arts BBQ institution run by descendants of Kreuz Market's original bloodline, maintaining the Central Texas no-sauce butcher-paper tradition.
Order: Shoulder clod cooked 18-20 hours. Brisket on butcher paper with no sauce.
Tip: If you have not had shoulder clod, this is the place to start. Cooked 18-20 hours over post-oak, it is not available at most Dallas BBQ joints.
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.
Order: Akaushi Wagyu brisket. The Toddfather sandwich.
Tip: BYOB. Credit card only. Pre-order whole meats for the best selection. Closed most of the week.
A family-owned Lemmon Avenue institution since 1981 whose brisket taco created a Dallas archetype. Located in Uptown. Kitchen leans tex-mex.
Order: Brisket tacos. Cheese enchiladas. Mama's ribeye con hongos.
Tip: Expect a wait on weekend evenings. The brisket taco was created by founder Butch Enriquez in 1981; the recipe is unchanged.
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: Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy. The daily combo plate.
Tip: The weekday lunch combo runs under $12. The chili gravy here is the reference version for the style.
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: Al pastor tacos at the counter. The Sunday brunch taco buffet.
Tip: Sunday brunch buffet at the Elm St Gastro Cantina runs 11am-3pm. The main counter is more casual and faster.
