E Bar made some headlines last year for its stance on serving people who smell like marijuana (short version: if you do, they don't). But aside from the no-bake business model, E Bar earns back some street cred with its killer queso. Skip the entry-level queso and opt for the namesake. It's a straightforward affair of white melted cheese with an island of seasoned ground beef flanked by domes of sour cream and guacamole dropped in the middle. A cup goes for $11.50, but make a bowl for $1.50 more and turn it into a meal on its own. We're not ones to judge.

You're in the Lower Greenville/Knox-Henderson district, and time has faded from evening to the wee hours of the morning. You went through a parade of cocktails, and now you're starving. We've all been there. This is where Plomo comes in. Plomo, open until 4 a.m. on weekends, doles out a smorgasbord of after-hours, munchies-curing, specialty quesadillas, many named for notorious drug lords. Take the Escobar, for example: Stuffed with rib eye, melted Jack, avocado, elote and pickled red onion. Or the El Chapo, made of piquant pork chorizo, Jack, pico, pickled radish and cilantro. But our favorite may very well be the Vasquez, which has Caribbean jerk chicken, mango, jalapeños, pickled red onion, salsa verde and sriracha. And be sure to order your quesadillas "dirty."

We had the privilege of visiting Kitchen + Kocktails (from restaurateur Kevin Kelley) in October. It made our Top 100 Restaurants in 2023, so yeah, Kitchen + Kocktails made an impression. One of the dishes we're still daydreaming about all these months later is the oxtail served over a fluffy bed of rice and savory Southern gravy. Good oxtail should fall right off the bone when picked up, which is precisely the case at this swanky downtown restaurant and bar. If you're into oxtail, it's hard to imagine anyplace doing it much better than Kitchen + Kocktails.

Chicken-fried steak is to Texas as Cajun food is to Louisiana, and when you find a place that does it right, you owe it to your friends and family to spread the good word. Well, friends, we are here to share the word that Jonathon's Oak Cliff and Jonathon's Forestwood knows how to do chicken-fried steak right. Not only is the portion size as large as a human head, but the steak is tender, juicy and seasoned well, and more important it is battered with a saltine cracker mixture that doesn't get soggy and fall apart the second after the peppered cream gravy is poured on top. It remains crispy and crunchy through the very last bite, which is why it rises to the top of our list.

Williams James Norman founded his produce business more than a quarter-century ago and died in 2018. These days, you can still find Christian Luckett-Palmer parked in his truck on local Dallas roadsides carrying on his grandfather's legacy. Luckett-Palmer's truck bed is often crammed with immaculate South- and East Texas-sourced juicy watermelons and other organic fruits (peaches, plums, mangos, pineapples, cantaloupes and even Kool-Aid-brined pickles). The yellow watermelons, which are typically sweeter and have a more candied profile, are life-changing. For updates on when and where you can find Luckett-Palmer, check the PawPaw Facebook page.

Sisters Andrea and Jen Lubkin opened up this East Dallas shop in the former location of 20 Feet Seafood Joint last August and it's a welcome addition to the city's burgeoning bagel scene. Exceptional bagels and schmears are made in-house, and there are sandwiches, soups, sweets and a decent cup of coffee to wash it all down. Along with the expected schmear flavors it has some interesting choices such as roasted carrot hummus and chopped chicken liver along with whitefish salad. The bagels have a great chew factor, crisp on the outside but chewy on the inside.

The first Eataly opened in Torino, Italy, in 2007 and eventually found its way to New York with locations near the Flatiron, Downtown and SoHo. Opening in Dallas at NorthPark Center late in 2020, this destination for all things Italian quickly became the go-to spot for those searching for hard-to-find ingredients, artisanal products or just a good prepared meal at one of its three sit-down restaurants. You can also have some wine at the wine bar, sample freshly made pasta or grab a slice of pizza after you pick up that pound of prosciutto from the extensive deli.

Brick and Bones is a dive bar with a small kitchen that pushes out fried chicken that will change your life. First, the chicken rests in a brine of rich Mexican spices including japones, piquin, cayenne and morita peppers, honey, salt and garlic. Then it's deep fried, creating a crust that hugs the meat and offers a light snap. The owners recently expanded to Rowlett and also offer a wide delivery area (especially since Dallas Police Department has choked off access to the restaurant on weekends). The mac and cheese ain't no slouch either.

Cris and John, which opened in a small strip mall in 2017, is a wonderfully playful fusion of Vietnamese and Mexican street food, the brainchild of Cristina Mendez and John Pham. The phorrito, their take on a deconstructed bowl of pho inside a flour tortilla that is served with a side of pho broth for dipping, is perhaps the most popular offering, but don't overlook the birria tacos, bao buns or chicken wings. It also offers several $35–$60 platters for those of us with low impulse control who want to try it all.

The Schmurger at Burger Schmurger is without a doubt the best burger in Dallas. Using an 80/20 mix of ground beef, the double patties are smashed thin on the grill and topped with sliced American cheese that melts and oozes perfectly. It is then garnished with house-brined dill pickles and thinly sliced grilled onions before being placed on a toasted buttery bun that has a generous spread of homemade burger sauce. The crispy edges of the meat and the hint of onion flavor melt in your mouth. If you like to spice things up, order a side of habanero mustard sauce and pour a little on the burger. But make sure you have an ice-cold beverage handy.