A Michelin-listed Highland Park Italian with a wood-burning oven producing some of the city's best pizza and a pasta programme that keeps the room full every night of the week.
Must order: Wood-burning oven white clam pizza; ravioli of Maine lobster.
Tip: Friday lunch is the sleeper: the room quieter than dinner, clam pizza the same, fewer people competing for a table.
Address: 4115 Lomo Alto Dr, Dallas, TX 75219
Operating since 1981, Mia's serves the brisket tacos that became a Dallas archetype. The original family recipes and the loyal crowd of regulars make this an institution on Lemmon Avenue.
Order: Brisket tacos, the dish that earned Mia's citywide loyalty. Cheese enchiladas with chili con carne.
Tip: The brisket taco was created by founder Butch Enriquez. The original recipe still runs the kitchen.
Founded 1918 by Mike Martinez, El Fenix is the oldest Tex-Mex chain in the US, credited with formalising the enchilada-chili-gravy combination plate Dallas loves.
Order: Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy. The combination plate that opened in 1918.
Tip: The McKinney Ave location is the flagship. The weekday lunch combo runs under $12 and changes daily.
Operating since 1981, Mia's serves the brisket tacos that became a Dallas archetype. The original family recipes and the loyal crowd of regulars make this an institution on Lemmon Avenue.
Order: Brisket tacos, the dish that earned Mia's citywide loyalty. Cheese enchiladas with chili con carne.
Tip: The brisket taco was created by founder Butch Enriquez. The original recipe still runs the kitchen.
Founded 1918 by Mike Martinez, El Fenix is the oldest Tex-Mex chain in the US, credited with formalising the enchilada-chili-gravy combination plate Dallas loves.
Order: Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy. The combination plate that opened in 1918.
Tip: The McKinney Ave location is the flagship. The weekday lunch combo runs under $12 and changes daily.
The Dallas outpost of the Lockhart BBQ tradition, run by descendants of the original Kreuz Market bloodline. The no-sauce ethos and post-oak smoke produce shoulder clod unavailable at most other Dallas BBQ operations.
Order: Shoulder clod cooked 18-20 hours over post-oak. Brisket with no sauce on butcher paper.
Tip: The shoulder clod is a Central Texas rarity worth ordering over brisket on your first visit if you have not had it before.
Street tacos at the counter and, through a separate entrance, Purepecha: a prix-fixe tasting menu built on ancient Mexican techniques and corn imported weekly from Oaxaca. The Purepecha room is among the city's most ambitious tasting-menu formats.
Order: Al pastor tacos at the counter; if you can get into Purepecha, the eight-course tasting menu at $150.
Tip: Purepecha runs Thursday-Saturday by reservation only; the counter tacos are available all week without booking.
A Design District lunch institution that closes when the meat runs out. The smoked pork chop has built a cult following since the restaurant opened, standing apart from a brisket-dominated market.
Order: Smoked pork chop, a cut most Dallas BBQ joints skip. Beef brisket by the half-pound.
Tip: Lunch-only, closes by 3pm or earlier. The pork chop sells out before noon on Saturdays.
Chef Matt Balke's Bishop Arts neighbourhood restaurant in the former Bolsa space. The blue corn pancake with cajeta became so well-known the mix is now sold at H-E-B. Dinner brings a New American menu with Southern roots.
Order: Blue corn pancakes with cajeta drizzle; weekend brunch tasting menu.
Tip: Weekend brunch is the draw. Dinner is quieter and easier to book. The blue corn pancakes are on both menus.
