Are we in Dallas-Fort Worth or on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea? Chef Tim Love’s new restaurant is a breath of fresh air.
Angela Piazza/Staff Photographer
If you’re looking for a great restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth to book breakfast, coffee, lunch or dinner with friends, this list of 16 spots can do all of that and more.
I’ll issue you a challenge: In May 2026, try to eat …
Article continues below this ad
At someplace old
Someplace new
Add in Mexican and Mediterranean
And a bakery, too.
Restaurants listed in alphabetical order.
Alára in the Dallas Design District
In a sea of Mediterranean restaurants now open in Dallas-Fort Worth, Alára seems different. First of all, it’s smaller than most of the flashy, new restaurants serving hummus and salt-crusted fish. Second, its chef-owner grew up in Turkey, in a city on the Mediterranean coast, and his menu is a combination of the ingredients and techniques from back home through the lens of his life in the United States today. Consider Alára for your next business lunch: The food is healthful, and nearly every dish can be modified to be gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and more.
Article continues below this ad
Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.
Add Preferred Source
Alára Modern Mediterranean is at 1628 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas. Open for lunch and dinner. Closed Sundays.
Mezze dips at Alara are a great way to graze at the beginning of lunch and dinner at this new Mediterranean restaurant.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
Chili’s (multiple locations)
We kicked up some dust recently when we announced that Chili’s no longer serves chili. The original recipe dates to 1975, when co-founder Larry Lavine mixed up a batch of red at the first Chili’s on Greenville Avenue in Dallas. History buffs, brush up on your food knowledge on the Eat Drink D-FW podcast, where we explore the humble beginnings of one of Dallas’ biggest chain restaurants.
Article continues below this ad
Chili’s has many locations in Dallas-Fort Worth. Find one near you here.
If we’ve made you hungry for chili, sorry. Try Tolbert’s in Grapevine or Angry Dog in Deep Ellum instead.
Craft Beer Market in Dallas
Patio season is calling! Topping my list of new spots is Craft Beer Market in Dallas’ Preston Center. Upstairs, servers sling snacks and beers while customers play bocce ball on the open-air court. Founder PJ L’Heureux said Craft — which started in Canada — is known for serving after-work drinks to big groups. Call ahead and you could be the office hero.
Article continues below this ad
Craft Restaurant and Beer Market is at 5974 W. Northwest Highway (at Preston Road), Dallas. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
Craft Beer Market in Dallas has room for groups downstairs (pictured) as well as on the spacious rooftop patio.
Shafkat Anowar/Staff Photographer
Delilah in the Dallas Design District
New 1920s-themed supper club Delilah, open since early 2026, remains one of the most alluring restaurants for a flashy dinner in Dallas. But let’s say you’re not up for shelling out a few hundred bucks on date night. Delilah just launched Golden Hour, a happy hour from 5-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Cocktails, wine and beer are half off and food costs $14. Here’s the order: a Spicy Siena and a Dirty Designer — that’s Delilah’s margarita and its martini — with a plate of tuna tartare, crispy cauliflower and, if you’re hungry, Wagyu tartine. Add all five up and you’re paying $62 without tax or tip, a low price for a place this nice.
Article continues below this ad
Delilah is at 1616 Hi Line Drive, Dallas. Evenings only. Closed Mondays. Reservations recommended.
The Spicy Siena cocktail at Delilah is made with Don Julio Blanco Tequila, cointreau, lime, fresno, agave. It’s shaken and served on the rocks with Tajín.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
Desperados Mexican Restaurant in Plano
Fifty years in, Desperados is trying something new. The team behind this Tex-Mex spot opened its first restaurant in Collin County last month, reports our Imelda Garcia. The company is now owned by Iron Table Hospitality; the founding family, the Levys, retired. The menu in Plano includes Desperados classics like nachos, chile con queso, enchiladas and chile relleno.
Article continues below this ad
Desperados Mexican Restaurant is at 5960 W. Parker Road, Plano. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
Flock and Fresh in Dallas
Dallas restaurateur Wan Kim believes chicken is “the most important ingredient in 2026.” That’s why he opened quick-service chicken restaurant Flock and Fresh on Dallas’ Greenville Avenue. For now, there’s one location, but Kim has plans to expand this concept in Dallas. He’s the CEO of Smoothie King, and he’s hopeful Flock and Fresh could someday compete with Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane’s. Go sample its grilled or fried chicken so you can say you tried it from the beginning.
Flock and Fresh is at 5500 Greenville Ave., Suite 205 (near Lovers Lane, in the Old Town Shopping Center), Dallas.
Article continues below this ad
Sauce is important at Flock and Fresh, said founder Wan Kim. Options include barbecue, honey mustard, Japanese ranch, curry ranch, Cajun Buffalo and sweet Korean.
White Unicorn Agency
Little Heron in downtown Dallas
Little Heron, a new bakery and coffee shop in downtown’s Fountain Place, sells one of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve eaten in Dallas. You’ll have to wait until May 20, 2026, when the shop opens, but it’ll be worth it. Bring a friend for a coffee or lunch date so you can sample more of head pastry chef Daniel Rosales’ treats. I’ll go back for the turkey and triple-cream brie baguette, Rosales’ chocolate chip “crookie” (cookie croissant) and an artful lavender croissant sphere that would make for a beautiful gift.
Little Heron is at 1800 Freeman St. (at Fountain Place), Dallas. Expected to open May 20, 2026.
Article continues below this ad
Little Heron is a coffee shop and bakery that has lunch sandwiches. The pastries are particularly pretty.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Loma TXMX in Arlington
Make a note to visit Loma TXMX next time you’re in Arlington for a Texas Rangers game or World Cup match. Brandon Hurtado, owner of Hurtado Barbecue, opened his first Tex-Mex restaurant across the street from the ballpark. (And just in time: It debuted one day before the Rangers’ home opener.) Go for the margaritas and Wagyu skirt steak fajitas.
Loma is at 1011 Nolan Ryan Expressway, Arlington. Open for lunch and dinner five days a week. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, for now.
Article continues below this ad
Loma TXMX’s tortilla soup is made with guajillo-tomato broth, then topped with shredded chicken, avocado and tortilla strips. The restaurant opened April 2, 2026.
Sarah Blaskovich/Staff
Luna Roja in downtown Dallas
I haven’t been to Luna Roja just yet, but it’s on my must-visit list. The downtown Dallas restaurant sells shrimp and crab enchiladas, carne asada tacos, ancho-glazed short ribs and fajitas. Go after work at happy hour from 4-6 p.m. on weekdays, and palomas and mojitos cost just $9. Happy hour bites like guac, nachos and a smashburger range from $6 to $9. (A $9 burger? Yes, please.)
Luna Roja is at 1525 Elm St., Dallas. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.
Article continues below this ad
The Magnolia in Fort Worth
Sad news for wine drinkers in Fort Worth: The Magnolia closes May 16, 2026. I stopped in for one last glass of cab recently, and you should, too. For years, The Magnolia has been a reliable place on Fort Worth’s Magnolia Avenue for oenophiles to drink good wine without exorbitant upcharges. It’s a sunny spot for patio sipping (and pups are welcome!) as much as it is a chill place for a game of mahjong. I’m sorry to see it go.
The Magnolia is at 1101 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth. Opens at 3 p.m. six days a week. Closed Sundays.
Get to The Magnolia in Fort Worth before mid-May 2026, when it closes.
Sarah Blaskovich/Staff
Maman in East Dallas
Maman means “mom” in French, and the moms in East Dallas already know about this new hot spot at Mockingbird Lane and Abrams Road. Since opening in late April 2026, Maman has seen steady traffic from Lakewood-area neighbors ordering croissants, cookies, cortados and quiche. Maman hails from New York City and is now focused on Dallas, with as many as 10 restaurants coming to North Texas within a few years.
Article continues below this ad
Maman is at 6465 E. Mockingbird Lane, Dallas. Dallas’ first Maman opened at 4004 Villanova St., Dallas.
It’s tough to pick a pastry when standing in front of the spread at Maman. Better think ahead.
Christine Vo/Staff Photographer
Maroma in the Dallas Design District
We’re seeing an increase in contemporary Mexican restaurants opening in Dallas. The latest example is Maroma, chef Omar Flores’ new restaurant in the Design District. The menu includes a seafood tower, tuna tostadas, fish tacos and grilled Spanish octopus. If you’re in the mood to dine on the covered patio, Maroma’s is lovely. And air-conditioned.
Article continues below this ad
Maroma is at 1333 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas. Expected to open May 4, 2026.
Get out your phones! A $76 cocktail that can be shared between four people will be a talker at Maroma in the Dallas Design District.
Samantha Marie
Meraki in Fort Worth
If you’re looking for fun in Fort Worth, stop at Meraki, chef Tim Love’s Mediterranean restaurant, for drinks and food. Tasting menus at lunch and dinner let diners try Love’s food without thinking too much about what to order. Or, sit down with a friend or business colleague and get snacks like spanikopita, black garlic hummus, falafel and quail kebabs. We said Meraki is Love’s “freshest idea yet.”
Article continues below this ad
Meraki is at 1615 Rogers Road, Fort Worth. Open six days a week for lunch and dinner. On Sundays, hours are 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations recommended.
Tim Love, chef-owner of Meraki in Fort Worth, prepares salt baked halibut in a citrus beurre blanc.
Angela Piazza/Staff Photographer
Ospi in the Dallas Design District
Los Angeles native Jackson Kalb is new to Dallas. But many Texans know Kalb already, because he competed on Top Chef Season 19. Texans know Kalb’s Dallas restaurant space, too; Ospi opens almost exactly a year after Meddlesome Moth closed at this location. Kalb has a history in serious restaurants (including Alinea in Chicago and Mélisse in Santa Monica, Calif.), but his Italian spot Ospi is a casual pizza and pasta restaurant open at lunch and dinnertime. Go for the kale salad and spicy rigatoni alla vodka.
Article continues below this ad
Ospi is at 1621 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas. Expected to open May 1, 2026.
Chef Jackson Kalb opened his first Texas restaurant, Ospi, on May 1, 2026.
Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning News
PopUp Bagels in Dallas’ Inwood Village
Do you like to stand in line for food? No? Move on to the next paragraph. (I’m kidding, but only kind of.) PopUp Bagels is so hot right now, Dallasites are waiting before dawn outside its doors at West Lovers Lane and Inwood Road. The line moves quickly and I loved the three bagels and schmears I tried on opening day. The company hails from the East Coast and is making significant strides to capture a young audience in Dallas. Tell us on Instagram if you think PopUp is — or is not — worth the hype.
Article continues below this ad
Texas’ first PopUp Bagels is at 5450 W. Lovers Lane, Dallas. Open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. A second PopUp is expected to open on Henderson Avenue in East Dallas.
Bring friends to PopUp Bagels; it’s a good place to share.
Alex Stein
Trattoria Bugatti in Dallas
Dallas’ Bugatti restaurant family, which has been making Italian food in Dallas for nearly 50 years, has opened a new restaurant, Trattoria Bugatti. The restaurant sells Italian-American staples like eggplant Parm and mushroom risotto, as expected. But we’re intrigued by the unexpected dishes like cacio e pepe chicken wings and a burger with caramelized onions.
Article continues below this ad
By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy.
Trattoria Bugatti is at 3850 W. Northwest Highway, Dallas. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
Gnocchi Bolognese is on the menu at Trattoria Bugatti in Dallas.
Samantha Marie
Article continues below this ad
Dining and Cooking