Hot chicken$$deep-ellumWed 11:00-00:00, Thu 11:00-01:00, Sat 11:00-04:00Until 5am Fri-Sat; 3am Thu; 2am Sun-Wed
Velvet Taco in Deep Ellum stays open until 5am on Friday and Saturday, making it the latest operating taco kitchen in Dallas. At 2624 Elm St.
Try: Non-traditional tacos, rotating weekly special
Tip: The line moves fast even at 4am. The Nashville Hot Chicken taco and the WTF (weekly special) are the essential orders.
Pizzeria$$deep-ellumSun-Thu 11:00-24:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-03:00Until 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. Located in Deep Ellum.
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.
Brunch$$east-dallasSun-Wed 11:00-01:00; Thu 11:00-03:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-04:00Until 4am Fri-Sat; 3am Thu; 1am Sun-Wed
Plomo Quesadilla Bar on McMillan Avenue is open until 4am Friday and Saturday, filling the gap between the bar crowd and the breakfast crowd.
Try: Scratch-kitchen quesadillas with Oaxacan cheese
Tip: The mushroom and Oaxacan cheese quesadilla with habanero salsa is the call. The best window is 1-3am when the crowd has cleared.
Middle Eastern$$deep-ellumSun-Thu 11:00-24:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-04:00Until 4am Fri-Sat; midnight Mon-Thu, Sun
Big Guy's Chicken and Rice on Elm Street is the post-bar halal institution in Deep Ellum: Zabihah-certified chicken over saffron rice with white garlic sauce.
Try: Halal chicken over rice with white sauce and hot sauce
Tip: The standard order is the large chicken-over-rice with both white sauce and hot sauce. The line moves fast.
Vietnamese$$east-dallasSun-Thu 11:00-24:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-02:00Until 2am Fri-Sat; midnight Sun-Thu
DaLat on North Fitzhugh serves authentic Vietnamese pho and banh mi until 2am Friday and Saturday with a full bar running Vietnamese-fruit cocktails.
Try: Pho, banh mi, Vietnamese-fruit cocktails
Tip: The pho is the 1am call. The bar's Vietnamese-fruit cocktail menu is the best in East Dallas. Walk in; no reservations. The kitchen matches bar hours exactly.
Cocktail bar$$east-dallasTue-Sun 17:00-02:00Until 2am Tue-Sun; closed Mon
Saint Valentine on Bryan Street is the most sophisticated late-night option in East Dallas: a craft cocktail bar from two veteran Dallas bartenders open.
Try: Caviar hash browns, miso garlic noodles, craft cocktails
Tip: The goose fat-washed Martini with enoki vermouth is the cocktail to order. The miso noodles are the best late-night food on the menu.