oak-cliffUntil Approx 3am Fri-Sat; midnight weekdaysCash only
Fito's Taco de Trompo on Gaston Avenue is a late-night trompo taco stand where a rotating vertical spit of marinated pork produces $2.30 tacos until the meat runs out around 3am on weekends. Cash only, outdoor seating.
Try: Trompo (spit-carved pork) tacos, $2.30 each
Tip: Cash only; ATM not nearby. Get there before 1am if you want the full trompo still going. Order the trompo with al pastor sauce, onion, and cilantro on a doubled corn tortilla.
downtownUntil 2am daily
Midnight Rambler in the subterranean level of The Joule Hotel is one of the World's 50 Best Bars and stays open until 2am daily. The cocktail programme is the most sophisticated in Dallas and bar snacks run until close.
Try: Craft cocktails; small bar plates; charcuterie
Tip: Walk-in only; no reservations. Rotating seasonal cocktail list. Charcuterie and cheese plates run until close. Dress up slightly.
deep-ellumUntil Open 24 hours
Cafe Brazil on Elm Street in Deep Ellum is Dallas's 24-hour breakfast-all-day institution: migas, French toast, egg sandwiches, and strong coffee served at 3am with the same quality as at 9am.
Try: French toast, migas, breakfast all day
Tip: The kitchen never closes. Migas are the institutional 2am order. Bring cash as a backup; the card reader can be slow late at night. The front window booths fill fast after the bars close.
deep-ellumUntil 5am Fri-Sat; 3am Thu; 2am Sun-Wed
Velvet Taco in Deep Ellum stays open until 5am on Friday and Saturday, making it the latest operating taco kitchen in Dallas. The weekly rotating taco special and the Nashville Hot Chicken taco are the 3am staples.
Try: Non-traditional tacos, rotating weekly special
Tip: The line moves fast even at 4am. The Nashville Hot Chicken taco and the WTF (weekly special) are the essential orders. Take-out is quicker than sit-down at peak post-bar hours.
deep-ellumUntil 3am Thu-Sat; midnight Sun-Wed
Serious Pizza on Elm Street serves New York-style pizza by the slice from a 30-inch pie until 3am Thursday through Saturday. The plain cheese and the pepperoni are the 2am standards.
Try: 30-inch New York-style pizza by the slice
Tip: A single slice from a 30-inch pie is the best size-to-price ratio in Deep Ellum. The plain cheese on a fresh-out-of-the-oven pie is the order. Walk in; no reservations.
east-dallasUntil 4am Fri-Sat; 3am Thu; 1am Sun-Wed
Plomo Quesadilla Bar on McMillan Avenue is open until 4am Friday and Saturday, filling the gap between the bar crowd and the breakfast crowd with made-to-order quesadillas in a scratch kitchen.
Try: Scratch-kitchen quesadillas with Oaxacan cheese
Tip: The mushroom and Oaxacan cheese quesadilla with habanero salsa is the call. The best window is 1-3am when the crowd has cleared. Every quesadilla is made individually, not pre-pressed.