Start with a stellar batch of shrimp shumai steamed dumplings before diving into a bowl of ramen. There are plenty of broths to choose from: tonkatsu, black tonkatsu, baisen shoyu and miso. Can't decide? Order the half-and-half, which comes in a divided bowl allowing you to slurp two different types, topped with proteins like shrimp with shell on (for prime flavor) and chashu. They also serve sides of tsukemen if you're here for the noodles. Decked out in natural wood with semi-private booths and modern Japanese accents, this is a great date-night spot. There are also locations in Denton and Fort Worth.

The State Fair of Texas lasts about a month in the fall, but you can get bonafide fried food treats year-round at this South Dallas restaurant. Southside Steaks & Cakes won a Big Tex award in 2022 for its Peanut Butter Paradise, which is a honey bun rolled in funnel cake batter and injected with caramel before getting a dunk in a deep fryer. It's then topped with peanut butter and chocolate. You can also get cheesesteaks, which are a favorite at the State Fair.

Green Point opened on Knox Street in 2023, bringing coastal town breeziness to Weir Plaza. It's from the Katz Brothers Hospitality Group (Beverly's and Clifton Club). It's open for lunch and dinner, and a seat at the horseshoe-shaped bar in the middle of the restaurant is a great perch. The space is chic and unfussy. Service is attentive but not stuffy. Oysters on the half shell are fresh and vary by day. Seafood is sourced from around the world and procured daily. If you're peckish and looking to indulge, order the La Perla Tower with 10 oysters, eight jumbo cocktail shrimp and chilled lobster tail for $95. Fun note: the drink menu is larger than the food menu.

Norma's has been attracting fans of home cooking since 1956. For more than 30 years on Thanksgiving, the Oak Cliff restaurant has been opened to people who can't afford a dinner, and the line is down the block. For its anniversary this year it offered plates of chicken-fried steak and slices for cake for $1.85, prices from the year it opened. The proceeds, $12,500, were donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Dallas.

First of all, to the sweet crew at Stewart's: Sorry we've told everyone about the amazing breakfast at your quiet little abode. Lying low in an industrial park in Irving, Stewart's decor is simple and charming, and the breakfast burritos with homemade tortillas are satisfying, but it's the biscuits and gravy ingeniously served in a cup that has us hustling over in the morning. Be sure to add bacon or sausage to the top because if you're going to do it, do it right. Stewart's is only open weekdays only from 5:15 a.m. to noon.

Paradiso's recently renovated patio certainly claims a top spot on the list of must-visit sites in the Dallas summertime. The coastal Mediterranean restaurant's central courtyard space boasts a grand allure, studded with colorful umbrellas, seating and a central fountain that just calls for pictures. Drop by for weekend brunch, when views are complemented by biscuits and gravy or the signature apricot-ricotta French toast, or at dinnertime, when the wood-fired pizza selection and handmade pastas make their debut. Unwind with $16 all-day cocktails, all while appreciating the quiet chatter and light music of the patio space.

There's certainly a good reason for the almost never-ending line outside the doors of Ali Baba from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. throughout the week (or 11–3 on weekends). That's when the 25-year-old Lebanese restaurant serves its renowned all-you-can-eat lunch. For only $20 on weekdays and $25 on weekends, the buffet has become known for its royal spread of Middle Eastern staples. For the amateur diner, it's an almost-overwhelming sight; self-serve plates are stacked high throughout the establishment, and huge trays are refilled every few minutes with freshly cooked kebabs, falafels, salads, dips and more. Don't leave without sampling the pita breads, baked in an open-fire oven behind the counter, or the signature rice pudding, which loyal Ali Baba patrons swear by. Just arrive earlier rather than later to make the most of the dine-in experience. Food is unlimited, but time isn't.

Fresh-cooked tapioca balls, artfully ombréd drinks and vibey lounge space are hallmarks of Alley Boba, which has locations in Garland and Plano. The Taiwan-based bubble tea shop, originally the creative vision of graphic designer Mao Ting Chiu, first gained Instagram fame for its characteristic decor and photographable lounge space, but more recently has earned rightful acclaim for its bubble teas, complete with a warm scoop of some of the chewiest tapioca balls we've tried in the area. Loyalists swear by The Alley's signature purple rice drink, a tangy yogurt base that's sweetened with pockets of sticky purple rice, or the brown sugar creme brulee boba, streaked with brown sugar swirl and textured with fluffy mounds of egg pudding. Browse through safe choices on the hard-to-miss "top 5" menu while munching on the signature croissant-waffles, decorated in fluffy chantilly cream and sprinkled in sugar.

La 57 started as a small Farmers Market stand, but pastry chef Laura Gomez's baking hobby quickly turned into a sensation, now boasting its own permanent storefront inside the Dallas Farmers Market. The bakery, named after Gomez's childhood route to her hometown in Mexico, is best known for its rotating selection of sweet pastries, savory Danish pastries and (most notably) social-media-trending circle croissants. Inventive options like a goat cheese truffle Danish sell out sooner in the day than familiar staples like the chocolate croissant, although all are just as artfully prepared. It's little surprise that an early-morning line trails out the door, packed with patrons hungry to get a taste of Gomez's ultra-flaky, indulgently buttery and lightly caramelized pastries.

It's tough to find pancakes fluffier than those at La Casita, Dallas' very own James-Beard-nominated bakery that recently began its venture into brunch. La Casita first earned acclaim for pastry chef Marisca Trejos' crunchy, flaky and all-around buttery pastries, each inspired by her Hispanic heritage. But the brunch menu quickly caught up in acclaim. Salsa-soaked chilaquiles, loaded sourdough sandwiches and coffee-soaked French toast are all award-worthy, but of particular interest to us are the banana praline pancakes. This must-try stack of two thick pancakes, cooked souffle-style, boasts an addicting fluff, an almost-perfect backdrop for the crunchy pecan-praline compote drizzle on top. The two-stack is adorned with bruleed banana halves on top for an indulgent mix of soft, crunchy, nutty and sweet. Portion size is big, but we advise against sharing. Each bite into syrup-soaked pancakes only adds to the temptation for another.