Harvest has long been a favorite on the Square in McKinney, and it is a leader in the Metroplex for serving hyper local food from North Texas farmers. In late 2023, owner Rick Wells oversaw the relocation of the restaurant into a former Masonic Lodge and created a three-floor experience that includes a top floor bar with live music that serves the full menu, a second floor designed by the chef, and a first floor where diners are most likely to end up with a cute, pink bar tucked in the back. The menu changes frequently and seasonally, but a few things, including the duroc pork chop and the chicken fried steak, are evergreen

If sustainability in food is important to you, then owner and chef Rich Vana’s menu is a must. Order the Whole Beast, a dish he created to move towards a minimal waste kitchen. It incorporates leftover pieces of proteins, noodles, and produce to make sure every part of the animal gets used, along with as much of everything else that works. The restaurant is located inside a historic house on Main Street, with window-lined walls and the bulk of the dining room feels like a closed-in porch. It gives off a homey feel that matches the food.

The fun of Korean barbecue is all in cooking it yourself. However, the craft of it is in the meat the restaurant uses. Ari Korean BBQ has locations in Carrollton and Plano, both worth traveling to eat at, and it has some of the best cuts around. Try the bulgogi, marinated short rib, and thin-sliced prime brisket. And in Carrollton, there’s a new upstairs lounge with cocktails and DJs.

Looking for Neapolitan-style pizza in Dallas? Partenope Ristorante is the best option for  pizza that’s hearty, that folds, and that’s topped with high quality Italian ingredients. It’s also an excellent spot for Italian dishes, from amazing meatballs to fettuccine alla bolognese that will spoil you for other bolognese sauces. Try either the new location in Richardson or the original Downtown. Everywhere in the Downtown  location, which is in a historic building, offers a great view of the big pizza oven and all the action in the kitchen.

Prepare to be tempted by the cast iron cornbread and fried green tomatoes, staples in any Southern kitchen. Then, dive into some inventive main courses that take the spices and cooking methods of Southern fare and elevate them using modern methods. The duck fat fried chicken and gumbo are longtime signature dishes that are great orders. One of the highlights here is that diners can see right into the busy kitchen and watch the staff prepare everything with what seems to be choreographed precision. It’s a hallmark of chef Tiffany Derry’s restaurants.

Dumplings, egg foo young, dry stirred beef, and a host of Chinese-American favorites are on offer at this north Dallas restaurant, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Owners George and April Kao are the second generation to run it, and the bright red dining room full of Chinese-style decor it remains a welcoming local favorite — even after all these years.

Looking for somewhere with a strong Texas vibe? Try the Ranch at Las Colinas in the northern ‘burbs. The interiors evoke that Yellowstone vibe, while the large enclosed porch gives diners a spot in the AC that lets them feel like they’re outdoors. Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, this joint is packed at all times, and the menu has a whole lot of everything. Don’t miss the Gulf Coast ceviche, chicken fried steak, or its signature dish, the  double cut pork chop.

There are few dining experiences in Dallas as beautiful as the one at Jose. The unique facade, the indoor/outdoor patio, and the light in the dining room paired with the rich color palette of Mexican-style decor are all eye-catching. And the menu rivals the setting. Featuring Jalisco-style cuisine, diners can enjoy an array of tacos, seafood dishes, and enchiladas with a stellar cocktail menu.

This restaurant’s menu has transitioned from steakhouse classics to what is best described as chefy American cuisine. Georgie’s chef, RJ Yoakum, came to Dallas from a position at the French Laundry under Thomas Keller. Of late, Yoakum’s style veers towards taking the idea of a dish, deconstructing it, and creating all the elements in a new style that is evocative of the flavors while  employing unusual textures and construction. Want to know what that means? Go in and order the French onion soup. The elegant interiors remain the same, although Yoakum aims to create an atmosphere that’s less stuffy and welcomes folks with a neighborhood feel.

Gemma’s dining room has gotten a style overhaul, turning it into a dark and sexy neighborhood bistro with European vibes. The menu has changed too, and it now touts a section devoted to proteins paired with frites, an incredibly juicy chicken breast, a butcher’s corner of huge cuts of beef and pork, and an assortment of remarkable pasta dishes.

Soups with rich broth and delicious noodles. Shaking tofu rice. Rice paper rolls. Vietnamese coffee. Sangria with a kick of Hennessy. These are a few delights waiting in Nong Vietnamese Kitchen on Lowest Greenville. Owner Carol Nguyen named the place for her mother and intends to introduce Dallasites to the best of Vietnam in a no-frills but great food in a dining room with just a bit of an industrial vibe.

When it opened last year, Via Triozzi quickly became arguably the best Italian restaurant in Dallas. The must-try menu item is the lasagne al forno, with layers on layers on layers of noodles, bolognese, and cheese. If it’s a splurge-y moment, order the bistecca alla Fiorentina — a Florentine-breed of cow served in traditional style with a stick of rosemary, olive oil, and salt — and that’s it.

Chef Peja Krstic has one of the most interesting culinary minds in Dallas. His Lakewood restaurant serves French-Vietnamese fusion, with some dishes that are more obviously one than the other, but calling it “fusion” feels like a limited description. The menu also features a heavy Texas influence and features a good amount of seafood from the Northeast. The dining room is something between an intimate French bistro by way of New Orleans and a homey, family-owned restaurant.

Namo in the West Village sources most of its products from Japan, encompassing sushi, sake, and whiskies. However, the warm vibes in the tiny sushi bar are what make it memorable. It feels unpretentious and cozy, and is built in a way that guarantees the crowds are small (it holds 12) and that eating is a shared experience. Drop by for its special events, including a monthly omakase service.

Smoked turkey has become a thing in barbecue, and this spot serves some of the best in town. No need to stop there, though. It has top notch brisket, sausages, and pork ribs. The food is serve cafeteria-style, and the interiors are loaded with photos and Texas-style decor. This isn’t a spot that gets overhyped, and you might not even have to wait in line to get a plate. It’s for the real ones who know.

This spot is the longest-running vegetarian restaurant in Dallas, going strong since 1982, and serves some of the best Indian food in the city. Food is served buffet-style, and the prices are very reasonable, at just shy of $15 for lunch and $18 for dinner. Feast on black-eyed pea curry, mixed vegetable sabzi in a gravy loaded with spices, or pakora (fried vegetable fritters). This restaurant is grand in design, decorated with Indian artifacts and art — make time to explore it.

If you’re looking for a taste of Dallas, it’s hard to hit the mark harder than at this Victory Park spot. It’s fine dining in a saloon environment and a menu loaded with wild game. The menu will be packed with seasonal dishes that start with the idea of a traditional Southern dish but have the flair of culinary brilliance. The assorted deviled eggs, a half dozen in different styles, and Texas venison tartare are must-orders — and that’s just from the appetizers menu. It only gets better from there.

Chef Tatsu is a master of simple treatments of nigiri that highlight both the quality of the fish (almost everything he serves is flown in from Japan) and his culinary skill as a sushi chef. The small dining room at this restaurant makes it challenging to land a reservation, but it’s worth the effort. And worth the price tag to enjoy an omakase service here.

This restaurant went from not on our radar at all to the spot we love to regularly go to for oyster happy hour (daily from 5 to 6 p.m. with $1.50 Murder Point oysters and $10 cocktails). It’s a fun hang. It’s also a solid menu — order the gorgonzola tortellini, confit duck leg piccata, or the Texas redfish, or go for any of the numerous steaks. Make sure to take a minute to walk around and enjoy the art — the portraits enhanced with graffiti and photos of famous folk that are drawn over are a trip.

When looking for lunch near Downtown, it’s hard to beat Fond. Its Tower Club is a five star sandwich, and if you can indulge in a glass of $7 lunch wine, you can choose from a few options from the restaurant’s natural wine selection. It also does a mean aperitivo service (a twist on happy hour) from 4 to 8 p.m. during the week and 9 on Fridays.

Ladies who lunch and the sorts who go for tea service, Mirador is a must-try spot. This elegant, pastels filled restaurant in Downtown gives off the vibes of tastefulness, but that doesn’t mean boring. Chef Travis Wyatt takes the idea of classic dishes and breaks them down into forms that tea aficionados have never seen before. It’s whimsical, clever, and scrumptious.

The lines are often long for the bagels here, but the wait outside its little boxy storefront is worth it. A morning (or mid-morning or lunch) bagel from the Starship stand downtown will perk up any day. Don’t expect to get eggs and bacon or any other breakfast style bagel, however — it’s strictly lox, veggies, and schmear for these purists. With the wide array of flavors, of both bagels and schmear, it’ll take ages before any bagel lover worth their salt (bagel) will even miss ‘em.

Eater Dallas’s best restaurant for 2022 was also one of the best new restaurant finalists in the James Beard Awards for 2023. Go there for Louisiana-style food, encompassing Cajun and Creole dishes, although the menu might look a bit different starting this summer thanks to the addition of chef de cuisine Colin Younce and a stepping up of the Carpenter family legacy by executive chef and owner Michelle Carpenter. Expect more experimental dishes that rely on whole-animal and produce use, and that tell the story of Beatrice, Carpenter’s grandmother. It’s wine program has also gotten an upgrade, with a curated selection of new bottles.

On the outskirts of Bishop Arts lies Taco Y Vino, a spot for clever tacos, Mexican-inspired dishes, and a great deal. The chile relleno taco and the tuna crudo tostada will impress, but it’s hard to do better than the deal of the century: six tacos with proteins or veggies of the diner’s choice and a bottle of wine for $45.

Lucia consistently garners raves, and this year the James Beard Awards took notice once again and named its chef, David Uygur, a finalist in the Outstanding Chef category. The cozy atmosphere, the personable staff, and most significantly, the inventive twists on Italian food, which are not too far from the classics but just different enough to make eating them an experience, are worth putting your name on the reservations waitlist at this nine-table restaurant.

Come to Walloon’s for what it advertises as the coldest martinis in Fort Worth (we tested them and we can confirm: very cold) and stay for the outstanding seafood. Order oysters on the half shell and crudo from the raw bar, or the excellent beer battered redfish beignets (it eats like fish and chips). The lobster roll is also a solid pick, as is the decadent seafood mac and cheese.

At its locations in Fort Worth and Las Colinas, this Far Out Hospitality Group spot serves up excellent seafood. Classic dishes, such as trout almondine and miso salmon sit next to an array of sushi rolls and American plates including roast chicken and braised short ribs. It’s all fresh, good, and such a treat.

This Ethiopian smokehouse has been racking up accolades, from publications including Texas Monthly and the New York Times, as a great fusion option. Since it opened in 2018, owners Patrick and Fasicka Hicks have really hit a groove by incorporating traditional Ethiopian flavors into traditional Texas barbecue. The Tex-Ethiopian options include a huge platter with injera, injera nachos, awaze meats, and firfir migas.