There’s no surprise that Austin’s food scene has come a long way in recent years! In fact, you can almost bet that a new restaurant opens nearly every day somewhere in town. This obviously isn’t a bad problem to have, however too much most of us tend to forget about our friendly neighboring cities scattered across the state. In fact, every city in Texas has something unique to offer in this increasingly competitive culinary world.
Nearly every city has an implied, preconceived stigma that defines their own character. Texans even have their own nicknames for each city we’ve all become familiar with throughout the years, but only one can be called “Big D”! If you haven’t noticed, Dallas, Texas has seen dozens of tremendous changes that have brought great economic prosperity to the city in the last several years. The culinary scene has surprisingly become the most notable change we’ve been hearing about, and some say its even better than Austin.
It’s human nature to be curious about a rumor, especially if it sounds too good to be true, so we decided to investigate. We teamed up with our fellow foodie friend Jane Ko, Editor of A Taste of Koko, and took the 3 hour drive up to Dallas for our own little food tour, just to see what all the fuss was about. After 3 days of food, fun and relaxation we came back with a belly full of happy memories and a few thousand extra calories, as our little Dallas food tour surprisingly became an adventure of delicious discovery.
See also: A Taste of Koko’s: Where to Eat, Stay & Play in Dallas
W Hotel
W Hotel Dallas – Victory is only 2 blocks from the American Airlines Arena and a short distance from the high-end Dallas shopping districts of Uptown and Highland Park. Well known for it’s world class, luxurious accommodations, W Dallas doesn’t disappoint. We spent a weekend in the incredibly spacious and stylish Marvelous Suite, featuring an iconic view of the Margaret Hill Hunt Bridge, a living room with a 55 inch LCD TV and separate bedroom with a king-size bed. For after-hours rejuvenation, the bedroom offers a second TV, while the open-concept bathroom reveals a glass-enclosed rainforest shower complete with the W’s exclusive Sinkside Six bath amenities.
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- Wet Deck
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- W Hotel Marvelous-Suite-Living-Room.
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- W Hotel LivingRoom
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- Wow-Terrace-Suite-Living-Room
When your appetite strikes, head down to Cook Hall, a gastro-pub like restaurant complete with handcrafted cocktails, craft brews small plates. Cook The restaurant features regional American fare with familiar comfort foods like deviled eggs, sliders and ribs, in an updated, modern diner’s palate.
If you’re looking for a little nightlife fun, head down to the Living Room Lounge. Mix and mingle all day and night while their full bar serves up signature cocktails and small bites while you sink into the comfort of plush couches and groove to the mix of live DJ.
If you’re like us, you’ll want to burn off all of the amazing food you devoured the previous night, so you’ll want to visit FIT, the hotel’s 3,000 square ft newly renovated fitness center. It comes with top of the line elliptical machines, free weights, high-tech machines and even a punching bag, making it easy to stay in shape after you eat, drink and party your ass off across Dallas.
2440 Victory Park Lane · Dallas, Texas, 75219
Jump Ahead To
EAT
Despite what you may think you know about the Dallas culinary culture, you’ll discover a food lover’s seventh heaven, in surprising delirium. Truth be told, Dallas has some of the finest chefs and restaurants in Texas and the United States. We visited a few of the hottest restaurants in town to feast on some of the most delicious bites and provisions you owe it to yourself to savor on your next visit.
COFFEE
Ascension Coffee
The Dallas design district shines with this incredibly stylish coffeehouse serving premium slow-roasted coffee, boutique wine, plus brunch & pastries.
1621 Oak Lawn Ave. Suite A, Dallas, TX 75207
BREAKFAST
Start | Real Food Fast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so head over to Start, created by owner and operator Erin McKool. Erin created Start to meet the growing demand for healthy and real food in a fast-food like environment offering their customers delicious foods, in healthier, smarter way. The coffee made from fair traded beans and blended with solely organic milks; salads are tossed with house-made dressings instead of squeeze pouches; wraps are made in whole wheat tortillas; wine from an organic, sustainable vineyard.
What to Order:
Cobb Fritatta made with organic eggs, all natural chicken, applewood smoked bacon, blue cheese crumbles, avocado, spinach, diced onions, red bell pepper, mushrooms and cilantro cream sauce.
Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese
Breakfast Burrito
Sunrise Smoothie made with oranges, peaches, bananas, local honey, almonds and coconut water.
4814 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206
BRUNCH
Remedy
Remedy is located on the resurging Greenville Avenue next to it’s sister eatery HG Sply Co. The moment you walk in to Remedy you’ll feel like you’ve stepped in to a modern day version of a 1950’s soda shop from the impressive decor by designer Jones Baker. Opened by restaurateur Elias Pope, Remedy boasts a fantastic brunch menu curated by Executive Chef Danyele McPherson. The retro inspired menu features beautiful but approachable classics with a gourmet flair, including dishes like fried chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and cheese burgers. But McPherson doesn’t limit herself to pure tradition alone. We kicked off with the Pork Belly Watermelon Salad…
What to Order:
Pork Belly Watermelon Salad. Yes, I said Pork Belly and Watermelon Salad! It’s absolutely glorious, with arugula, crispy cured pork belly, watermelon, lavender, pink peppercorn watermelon rind pickles, shaved baby cucumber and pachi pachi romero cheese in lemon poppy seed dressing.
Open Faced Beet Cured Salmon
The Dirty South with fried green tomatoes
Coconut Cream Pie
Fried Chicken and Waffles
Watermelon Salad with Pork Belly
House Cheese Burger
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- Coconut Cream Pie
2010 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206
LUNCH
Kitchen LTO
Kitchen LTO is an impressive concept that means “Limited Time Only”, where a new restaurant is born every six months. Twice per year, a new executive chef rotates in and introduces a brand new menu concept with their own signature spin. In addition the interior decor also transforms adjusting to the newly hosted cuisine. Chefs are screened by a selection committee and then voted on by the general public as the become the deciding factor online and through social media channels. Now in the current rotation, chef Anastacia Quinones, a Dallas native, helms the kitchen with her casual yet upscale Modern Mexican cuisine.
3011 Gulden Ln, Dallas, TX 75212
SNACK
Blind Butcher
Bind Butcher, is located in the eclectic Lower Greenville Ave. neighborhood of East Dallas, is the creation of Matt Tobin, Josh Yingling, Oliver Sitrin, Tony Bricker and Ryan Chaney. Blind Butcher is the perfect spot to experience the Dallas version of a modern gastropub with a casual atmosphere, complete with a seasonal butcher-designed menu. It’s actually hard to place this “wordly-local” restaurant in to a specific category, but you’ll totally understand once you’ve dined there.
What To Order:
The Meat and Cheese Board
Pig Ears
Select Sausages
Read our full review HERE
1919 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206
Steel City Pops
If you walk along the streets of the lower Greenville area, at some point you’ll see a long line forming along the street. What in the world could be worth lining up for on a hot day in Dallas? Try the sweet, refreshing flavor of an ice cold popsicle from Steel City Pops! The gourmet, all-natural popsicles that will make your tastebuds sing!
DINNER
GEMMA
Modern, Small, stylish, and delicious, is what you’ll come to experience at Gemma, one of Dallas’s hottest restaurants on the burgeoning Henderson Ave. Gemma is the project of owner/chef Stephen Rogers and his wife, Allison Yoder, transplants from sunny California in Napa Valley. The restaurant features Chef Rogers’ well crafted, yet fairly simple, American modern menu, highlighting scrumptious small plates and a eclectic space perfect for a small group of friends or a romantic date night. The restaurant has the appeal of a new East Austin restaurant with a hip Dallas vibe. The space is small yet modern with a diverse, eclectic crowd of diners that’s a mix of local socialites and well dress hipsters.
What To Order:
Roasted Baby Artichokes topped with a poached egg and a drizzle of vinaigrette with a provençal accent
Sliced Duck Breast and Confit Leg – lathered in green peppercorn sauce.
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- PAPPARDELLE braised rabbit, pancetta, Swiss chard, thyme – 26.75
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- Fried Castelvetrano Olives – and Texas pecans – 8.75
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- DUCK BREAST AND CONFIT LEG barley “fried rice”, scallion, pickled daikon, carrot – 33.00
2323 N Henderson Ave #109, Dallas, TX 75206
Rapscallion
Drawing inspiration from Executive Chef Nathan Tate’s upbringing on his family’s farm in Rockwall, Rapscallion’s nod to a modern southern comfort menu has quickly become an one of the most popular restaurants in the lower Greenville food movement. The menu is loaded with a mix of tradition, and Tate’s sophisticated fusion of flavors and ingredients including shareable snacks like Pork Cracklins, Southern with boiled-peanut hummus and pimento cheese, and deep fried veggies featuring pickled green beans and chayote, Dishes include the “Long Walk to Nashville” fried chicken which is brined, rotisserized and deep fried, with a generous dose of Szechuan mala sauce that literally makes it finger licking good and addictive as sin.
What to Order:
Pork Belly Cracklins
Pimento Cheese Burger
Long Walk to Nashville Fried Chicken
Cafe Momentum
Café Momentum, features a culinary training facility that transforms young people’s lives by providing a positive environment in modern american restaurant. At-risk youth who’ve spent time in juvenile facilities can receive intensive culinary, job and skills training, as well as continued mentor-ship and support, enabling them to achieve their full potential. If you’re looking for a business to rally behind for it’s great cause while still enjoying the spoils of it’s labor, one can say Cafe Momentum is specifically made that purpose. You will instantly fall in love with the outstanding cuisine and stellar service from everyone on staff. It’s a truly heartwarming experience with phenomenal cuisine.
What to Order:
Octopus Tiradito
Smoked Fried Chicken.
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- Octopus Tiradito
Dugg Burger
A casual burger shop in the Casa Linda shopping center near White Rock Lake, and it’s one separates itself from the rest. Dugg Burger’s hook is scooping out the top part of the bun to make more room for toppings,with quality ingredients and a simple menu. With 12 simple toppings on display in a design it yourself style process — crispy fried onion strings, jalapenos, caramelized mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, and a special”Dugg sauce”! The burger is made with a chuck blend, in a medium thick patty, grilled to a juicy perfection with a side of crispy shoestring fries. After a few short minutes the burger arrives with the bun and toppings, and served at your table. They also server several local beers from Revolver Brewing and Four Corners brewery as well as pure sugar fountain drinks.
9540 Garland Road #407, Dallas, TX 75218
Cook Hall | W Hotel
Located in W Hotel, Cook Hall is a unique and modern take on an American gastropub, that just happens to be stuck in a hotel. It’s a bar-centric food hall where handcrafted cocktails are stirred, brews are drawn and small plates are passed, ecouraging guests to share and engage. This one-of-a-kind Dallas restaurant features regional American fare comprised of familiar comfort foods such as deviled eggs, sliders and ribs, updated and refined for the modern diner’s palate.
Cook Hall
www.facebook.com/CookHallDallas
DRINK
HG Supply Co.
Greenville Ave. has a seriously “poppin” night life. If you’re looking for a spot to experience great drinks, food and some interesting people watching, HG. Supply Co. has all of that and much more. I feel like I’d spend a vast majority of my time if I lived in Dallas. I felt like I was on East 6th Street, without the little hellion college kids of “Dirty 6th St.” in Austin. The roof top deck is party central as you’ll find dozens of people enjoying their time with a few cold drinks and a spectacular view of the downtown Dallas skyline.
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- HG Supply Co. Cocktails
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- HG Supply Co.
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- HG Supply Co. Cocktails
2008 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
The new, world-class, adrenaline-rushing, mind-blowing, cooler-than-cool Perot Museum of Nature and Science is now open in Victory Park in Dallas. Their roots date back to 1936, with the opening of the Dallas Museum of Natural History in historic Fair Park. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science located in Victory Park, near Downtown Dallas is said to be a “world of wonder” by The Dallas Morning News. Passing the test of school children, inspiring curiosity in all ages and boasting as a living science lesson, this new Museum opened its doors to the public on December 1, 2012. Get ready to amaze your brain through hands-on learning experiences!
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- Jane points to Jupiter
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- Infrared reactive panels
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- Giant Turtles!
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- Dinosaur Fossils
2201 N Field St, Dallas, Texas 75201
WET-deck | W Hotel
Soak up the sun and the spectacular city views, as you float across the panoramic infinity pool at the WET-deck at the W Dallas hotel. Located on the 16th floor and open from dawn to dusk, WET is the place to be and be seen in downtown Dallas. You’ll have it made in the shade in the comfort of your own W lounge chair or personal day bed. Refresh with sensational snacks and colorful cocktails as you indulge in the signature beverage and food service at WET.
Wet Deck
RELAX
Bliss Spa | W Hotel
If you’re looking to relax at a wonderful spa, look no further than the Bliss Spa also at the W Hotel Dallas! In our opinion, one of the best spas in Dallas. Located on the higher hotel floors, its features over 5,000 sq. feet of blissful space with amazing city views of the downtown Dallas skyline. Choose from a variety of signature spa treatments, services and products that will help you recharge and rejuvenate. The features nine treatment rooms, movies-while-you manicure stations, city views, the legendary brownie bar and Bliss products for sale. You’ll find signature skincare and facial treatments for him and for her, along with anti-aging services, bath and body treatments, massages, manicures, pedicures, waxing and more.
Special: Hotel guests of the hotel recieve special perks like priority booking and retail Bliss product discounts.
SPA FEATURES
- 9 treatment rooms
- Bliss Spa lounge
- Complimentary brownie buffet
- Aromatic steam room
- Sauna
- Showers
- Locker rooms with great city views
- Women and men spa services and treatments
- Nail stations
- Plasma TV’s
- City views of downtown Dallas
Bliss Spa Dallas at 877 862 5477.