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The Observer's Top 100 Restaurants in Dallas

It's too hot to turn on the stove. Support a local restaurant like you mean it. Visit our top 100 list for spots to hit.
Image: Al pastor at El Carlos Elegante is cooked over a wood-fired grill and served with an abodo sauce.
Al pastor at El Carlos Elegante is cooked over a wood-fired grill and served with an abodo sauce. Alison McLean
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We recently wrote about the best breakfast spots in Dallas, for those of you who need more than a ciggie and a cup of coffee before noon. We've also recently reported on viral desserts, new culinary gems on rooftops and Michelin ambitions inside Frisco hotels. It makes our stomachs giddy up in excitement. But cut through it all and pick your next meal out with our Top 100 restaurants in Dallas: the best of the best.

Our aim with the Top 100 is to give you the boots-on-the-ground truth about the variety of local haunts that give Dallas its color and texture. We’re eating right next to you at the steakhouses, pizza joints and neighborhood bistros that we all adore, regardless of what national-level attention they may or may not garner. The Top 100 tells the local story because we live it every day.

The Dallas dining scene continues to experience growth with a constant supply of new concepts, even in the face of high-priced real estate and increased food and labor costs. While we cover as many restaurants as possible, we love shining the light on the local spots that are our friends and neighbors, as opposed to a faceless corporation opening the next location of their chain.

The list starts with newbies, classics, upscale hidden gems and top neighborhood restaurants, and then breaks out into barbecue, Hispanic and Pan Asian favorites.

Finally, you’ll find the top 100 restaurants that have closed so far this year, demonstrating the challenges restaurateurs face despite being lauded. There are no guarantees in this difficult business, but the best way to ensure Dallas continues to be a vibrant place to live and thrive is to get out there and eat.

Our work never ends: we’ll continue to share our experiences at restaurants across the city because where we eat is a reflection of our city, its residents and its values. Challenging times only make local journalism more important, and we’ll continue to highlight the very best that Dallas has to offer.

100 Best Restaurants in Dallas

Best New Dallas Restaurants and Noteworthy Additions

These restaurants opened in 2024 or perhaps underwent a noteworthy change, like The Heritage Table, which (finally) reopened after closing during the pandemic.

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A spread at Kendall Karsen's Upscale Soul Food
Alison McLean

Upscale Dallas Hidden Gems

From dry-aged steaks in a posh setting to moody speakeasies with pre-Hispanic dishes, these spots make the Dallas dining scene special.

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The mini-Reuben fries at Harwood Arms are only $6 during happy hour.
Alison McLean

Top Local Neighborhood Favorites in Dallas

These restaurants foster a sense of community and familiarity. By locals for locals; needs not wants. Like the salmon tacos from Milagro Taco Cantina in West Dallas. 

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Kris Manning checks his brisket in the smoker at Smokey Joe's BBQ.
Kathy Tran

Barbecue Restaurants in Dallas

Smoke rings are taken seriously around here. Here are the Dallas spots that know how to meld a soft pink hue into a crunchy bark.
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Limon's is a Veracruzen institution in Oak Cliff.
Kathy Tran

Hispanic Restaurants in Dallas

From comforting plates of Tex-Mex to plantains and fried chicken at a Honduran spot. Be sure not to miss the Oak Cliff institution, Limon's.

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Bun Cha Hanoi from Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen, which was recognized with a Bib Gourmand Award by the Michelin Guide.
Alison McLean

Pan Asian Restaurants in Dallas

North Texas is rife with dumplings, yakitoris and bowls of ramen. Here are our favorites. 

Closings

Unfortunately, we've already lost a few good ones this year. With the cost of everything, it's honestly no surprise. Many of these places have plans to live on in different forms, and we'll be sure to keep you posted on those developments.