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Best Taco Joint
Del Sur Tacos
It’s impossible to choose: the cochinita pibil taco, with fuchsia-pink pickled onions to cut through spice; the chile relleno–stuffed taco, swathed in guajillo-morita salsa; the tortas and burritos, too. Ismael and Olmy Sanchez had no business making such a marvelous taqueria. But they did, with sequined curtains for a festive touch.
720 E. Jefferson Blvd. 972-982-0004.
Best Brewery
Celestial Beerworks
Much like the universe for which this brewery is themed, Celestial Beerworks’ roster of brews feels ever-expanding. You may have tried many a hazy IPA or fruity gose or pale ale, but the beer coming out of this mural-bedecked brewery and taproom in the Medical District is otherworldly in the best possible way. Honorable mention: White Rock Alehouse & Brewery
2530 Butler St. 972-707-0523.
Best Seafood Boil
Krio
Asian meets Cajun at this Bishop Arts restaurant where buckets brim with crawfish, shrimp, clam, and crab, all doused in Krio’s signature Cajun spice blend. Opt for the Connie Sauce, which adds fresh garlic and coconut milk to the mix for a creamy-spicy boil broth. Honorable mention: Tasty Tails
233 W. Seventh St., Ste. 100. 214-253-9311.
Best Paletas
Encanto Pops
Anyone can freeze some juice and call it a Popsicle. These, though, are paletas of the highest caliber, with flavor combos like cucumber-lime-jalapeño, prickly pear–mango, and, simply, pico de gallo for the savory dessert lovers out there. If you miss the paleta cart rolling down the street, head to Encanto Pops. Honorable mention: Picolé
831 W. Davis St. 469-899-7434.
Best Fried Chicken Sandwich
Invasion
You could rappel into the crags of the fried chicken sandwich here. Its golden-brown bark boasts deep nooks and crannies, the mark of flavor-packed bites. Halal chicken is brined in buttermilk, fried, then accompanied by pickled jalapeño slaw for the Cardi B, or with dill mayo and pickles in its sister sandwich, known simply as Cardi.
4029 Crutcher St. 214-272-7312.
Best Late-Night Eats
Brick and Bones
After making the rounds at your usual Deep Ellum haunts, you’d better make a pit stop at Brick and Bones before hopping in an Uber. A bucket of some of the best fried chicken in town—even better at 1 in the morning, after a few too many Lone Stars—will provide necessary sustenance for your pothole–riddled ride home.
2713 Elm St. 469-914-6776.
Elizabeth Lavin
Best Paella
Sketches of Spain
Head chef Iñaki Betrán, who hails from San Sebastian, where he started cooking at the Michelin-starred Arzak, prepares the beloved Spanish rice dish of his home country in four styles: vegetable-centric; rabbit and chicken; seafood (which is a classic must-try); and “black,” so named for the squid ink in which the paella is simmered.
321 N. Zang Blvd. 214-484-6006.
Best Chocolatier
CocoAndré
Mother-and-daughter duo Andrea and Cindy Pedraza fill their adorable cottage in Bishop Arts with handmade molded chocolates, truffles, and bars like the roseberry (milk chocolate with dehydrated raspberries and rose petals). As our only female (and Latina) bean-to-bar chocolatiers, they source cacao in part from a woman-helmed cooperative in Chiapas, Mexico. Honorable mention: Dude Sweet Chocolate
508 W. Seventh St. 214-941-3030.
Best Place for Filipino Lechon
ORC Filipino Asian/American BBQ
The spit and cleaver fever is high. Friday through Sunday, down a very ordinary road in Princeton, you’ll find whole-pig lechon, the Filipino suckling pig roasted in a coal-lined pit, its burnished, crackling skin yielding meat you pre-order by the pound. Add homey Filipino dishes—pancit, lumpia, tapsilog—served from a tiny wooden shack. It’s a trip to an island beach cookout.
10424 County Road 1099, Princeton. 903-422-3071.
Best Vietnamese
Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen
From banh mi harboring smears of smooth cognac pâté to the most impressive lineup of noodle dishes—both brothy bowls and ones accompanied by a sidecar of soup for sipping—Ngon demonstrates the vastness of Vietnamese cuisine. With items like chicken wings caramelized in fish sauce and grilled duck breast curry, run, don’t walk, to Ngon. Honorable mention: LaVui
1907 Greenville Ave. 469-250-7183.
Best Korean
Joy Kitchen
As the name implies, the Korean dishes at Joy Kitchen are made with (and for) pure pleasure. The bulgogi always delivers. The seafood pancake is crispy, large, and filling. The burbling pot of kimchi jjigae and pork neck bone soup is comforting. It’s all so home-style, in fact, that you serve yourself. Honorable mention: Dansungsa Korean Restaurant and Bar
1455 Buckingham Rd., Ste. 112, Richardson. 972-479-9450.
Best Ramen
Ichigoh Ramen Lounge
Following George Itoh’s sudden death in April, his family has carried on the tradition he started, with truly exquisite ramen made with noodles sourced from Sapporo, Japan. All of the elements—soup, noodles, toppings, seasonings, oil—get due respect. Begin your pursuit with the delicate Fuji apple and burdock broth. Honorable mention: Ten Ramen
2724 Commerce St. 972-707-0732.
Kevin Marple
Best Tasting Menu
Petra and the Beast
Oh, to live inside the beautiful culinary mind of chef-owner Misti Norris. How does she dream up some 10 courses of nonstop food magic? In her hands, beef heart is paired with ash-soured sunflower seeds and peanut dukkah. She spoons brine beurre blanc over quenelles of fermented eggplant. Every meal here is elegantly executed.
601 N. Haskell Ave. 318-935-0906.
Best Bagels
Lenore’s
Tight-crumbed and blitzed with poppy seeds (our order), these hand-shaped concentric circles took the city by storm. Jessica and Seth Brammer’s bagels, made with Barton Springs Mill heirloom flour, are perfect on their own, but you might want to give them a schmear. Choose from an assortment of cream cheeses like fresh strawberry or scallion and hard-cooked egg. Honorable mention: Shug’s Bagels
lenoresbagels.com
Best Barbecue
Pecan Lodge
When it comes to barbecue, we certainly aren’t lacking places of worship. But we still get religion here, coming for the shivering beef rib, whole salt-crusted sweet potato Hot Mess, green-chile mac and cheese, and banana pudding. Diane and Justin Fourton recently lifted up the restaurant industry with their Dinner Bell Foundation. Honorable mention: Cattleack
2702 Main St. 214-748-8900.
Best Burger
Harvey B’s
For a good while, we were enamored with lofty burgers bearing all the bells and whistles. That’s not Harvey B’s. The retro-style joint does quarter- and half-pound patties the old-school way. No fuss. No frills. Just melted cheese, toasted buns, shredded iceberg lettuce for crunch not flavor, and maybe some freshly grilled jalapeños. Honorable mention: Peak Inn
4506 Columbia Ave., Ste. 100. 469-334-0980.
Best Order-Ahead Bakery
La Casita Bakeshop
La Casita, the labor of love of Maricsa Trejo and Alex Henderson, is a wonderland of sweets (and some savory, too). Place Saturday orders while hungry—how to choose between the dulce de leche cruffins and ham and Gruyère croissants?—then systematically devour in your car in a shower of crumbs. Honorable mention: Girl With Flour
580 W. Arapaho Rd., Ste. 230, Richardson. 440-462-2078.
Best Regional Mexican Food
La Resistencia at Revolver Taco Lounge
For his new concept inside Revolver Taco Lounge, Regino Rojas had us at the promise of multicourse tasting menus centered on indigenous strains of corn he sources from various regions of Mexico, nixtamalizes, and grinds in a molino. From there, among other things, you find wagyu rib-eye and carne asada on a midnight blue tortilla.
2701 Main St., Ste. 120. 214-272-7163.
Best Banh Mi
Sandwich Hag
Crackling, airy baguette (from Quoc Bao); house-pickled daikon and carrots; ginger tofu, chicken, pork, or house-steamed sausage; killer sauce; and runny egg—meet your banh mi bliss. Sandwich Hag owner Reyna Duong is a force in the community. Honorable mention: Quoc Bao Bakery
1902 Botham Jean Blvd. 214-484-5971.
Best Chinese Takeout
Little Szechuan Cuisine
Squeezed into the same strip mall as Asian supermarket Jusgo is a delightful little Szechuan kitchen that elevates simplicity and packs plenty of spice. You’ll find all your takeout classics on the menu, but here even dry-fried green beans and beef sautéed with onions and Szechuan peppers take on new dimensions of flavor.
240 Legacy Dr., Plano. 972-517-1374.
Best New York Deli
Market Local Comfort Cafe and Bakery
The bagel dough hails from Brooklyn. The classic lox platter is called the East Coaster. The owners are two hip, kosher mavens besotted with traditional Friday-only challah (with chocolate swirls or za’atar spice) and accompanying dips (try the sweet roasted onion). Our deli prayers are answered. Honorable mention: Cindi’s NY Deli
13534 Preston Rd. 469-677-5424.
Best Japanese
Tei-An
Slurping soba is a ritual that should capture one’s full attention. But it’s not just the delicate buckwheat noodles here that are special. Sashimi and both hot and cold dishes are of the utmost delicacy. And everything about Teiichi Sakurai’s tranquil oasis reads like a sanctuary.
1722 Routh St., Ste. 110. 214-220-2828.
Best Restaurant Patio
Desert Racer
With its own bar and turf, along with cactus-garden centerpieces and vintage Airstream trailer, maximalist Nick Badovinus’ largest-footprint patio is a freewheeling fantasy with excellent Hi-Balls and fire-kissed tacos. We’re happy to suspend reality awhile. What’s not to like about a Baja vacation with no extra charge?
1520 Greenville Ave. 214-827-1520.
Best Japanese Sandwich
Sandoitchi
The Japanese sando sensation arrived with Instagram-worthy fillings stacked between layers of fluffy milk bread. We went wild for matcha cream and strawberries; koji-cured chicken cutlet riffing on Nashville hot chicken; and the priciest sandwich we’d ever seen, featuring A5 wagyu flecked with black truffle and gold leaf.
sandoitchi.menu
Best Vegetarian-Friendly
Tribal All Day Cafe
It’s not just the sunny bowls with avocado and jalapeño-cashew cream cheese that the cool kids eat on the patio. Nor the walnut-mushroom faux sausage crumble tacos. It’s not merely the brilliant beet lattes and biscuits with macadamia-nut ricotta that make us feel like we’re brunching in L.A. It’s everything, really, that gives us plate envy.
263 N. Bishop Ave. 469-776-8003.
Best Vegan
TLC Vegan Kitchen
At TLC, chef Troy Gardner excels at plant-based faux meats and cheeses. He trained in Spain but looks everywhere for inspiration for seitan andouille sausage served with his arrabbiata sauce, chicken-fried steak with gravy, vegan brats, or the dollops of cashew mozzarella on a pizza.
520 Shepherd Dr., Ste. 10A, Garland. 469-562-4001.
Best Bakery
Haute Sweets Patisserie
Tida Pichakron turns out a spunky, creative, and polished lineup, from macarons to fruity mousse bars, Key lime tarts to pistachio-raspberry cakes. Her gluten-free and paleo options have earned a devoted following. As have monthly beignet pop-ups that have you showering the sidewalk in a snowfall of powdered sugar. Honorable mention: Bisous Bisous Patisserie
10230 E. Northwest Hwy. 214-856-0166.
Best Bakery for Bread
Bresnan Bread and Pastry
Matt Bresnan’s orange-cardamom morning buns and vanilla cream Danish pastries with Cara Cara orange and pistachio are unparalleled. But even more, we love his loaves. Hand-mixed, long-fermented, burnished domes include country sour, multigrain, golden raisin-fennel, and walnut-olive. Praise be, they’re opening a brick-and-mortar in McKinney.
Various pickup locations.
bresnanbreadandpastry.com
Jill Broussard
Best French Restaurant
Up on Knox
Michelin-star chef Bruno Davaillon recently joined fellow Frenchman-restaurateur Stephan Courseau to oversee this breezy neighborhood bistro. Now there’s even more reason to don your blue-and-white stripes or foulard and eat endive-Roquefort salad, trout almondine and haricots verts, and pommes frites—maybe with a Pouilly-Fuissé from Davaillon’s native Loire Valley.
3230 Knox St., Ste. 140. 469-250-4007.
Best Italian
Lucia
David and Jennifer Uygur have re-created their intimate Lucia in the former Macellaio space. It’s all the good stuff you remember, plus more. There are still pastas shaped with care and house salumi—from mortadella to ’nduja—served with griddled house focaccia. Desserts, like a fennel-pollen gelato, blew us away. Honorable mention: Nonna
287 N. Bishop Ave. 214-948-4998.
Best Tex-Mex
E Bar
The best Tex-Mex is arguably the one in your neighborhood—your staple spot where you take the family for a no-brainer solid meal. That’s E Bar, the Old East Dallas favorite for sizzling fajitas, brisket tacos, and blackened fish tacos (don’t sleep on the fish tacos!).
1901 N. Haskell Ave., Ste. 120. 214-824-3227.
Best Ice Cream
Botolino
We see you, Columbus, Ohio-based Jeni’s, we really do. But we’re suckers for this essential local gelato shop, where flavors—mascarpone fig, Piedmont hazelnut, or coconut stracciatella—are perfectly mastered. Carlo Gattini works Willy Wonka wonders with frozen gelato cakes that layer semifreddo with gelato and liquor-soaked sponge cakes in flavors like pistachio-rose.
2116 Greenville Ave. 469-776-9077; 5959 Royal Ln., Ste. 622. 214-964-0073.
Best Place for Dessert
Homewood
Pastry wizard Maggie Huff continues to impress us with the most memorable desserts we eat in town. We still remember those hearth-smoked strawberries paired with beet froyo and poppy seed cake. And the love story carries over to a devastating dark chocolate-almond tart or anything served in pressed-glass footed coupes.
4002 Oak Lawn Ave. 214-434-1244.
Best Dim Sum
Kirin Court
Brave the weekend line to the elegant upstairs dining room to do dim sum in style. Carts bear an array of beautifully executed treasures: bronzed barbecue pork buns, pan-fried radish cakes, flaky egg tarts, and even preserved egg congee. Accent with the uncannily addictive house-made chile sauce. Take a jar home, in fact.
221 W. Polk St., Ste. 200, Richardson. 214-575-8888.
Catherine Downes
Best Cheese Shop
Scardello
When you want a triple-crème, a goat’s milk Gouda, or a funky bleu, the team helps you out. Classes teach curd nerds to pair fromage with wine, charcuterie, and bubbles.
3511 Oak Lawn Ave. 214-219-1300; 920 S. Harwood St. 214-238-2312.
Best Coffeehouse
Xamán Cafe
Equally great for a caffeine-fueled laptop session as it is for a nice brunch with a friend, Xamán is undoubtedly a community cafe where you can get espresso-spiked horchata and expertly brewed single-origin coffee, which is sourced from smaller family-owned farms in Mexico. Honorable mention: Fiction Coffee
334 W. Jefferson Blvd. 469-687-0005.
Best Mod Taco
Resident Taqueria
Sometimes you want street-style protein-masa-sauce combinations (trompo, asada, lengua, cabeza). But sometimes you want to spiral off into a caramelized cauliflower, kale, and pepita taco drizzled with lemon epazote aioli. Or tacos that sport pecan-smoked chicken or scallops and crispy leeks. Andrew Savoie is happy to (deliciously) oblige.
9661 Audelia Rd., Ste. 112. 972-685-5280.
Best Hot Chicken
Ricky’s Hot Chicken
Even if you are a Nashville native and were born to the hot chicken scene, this isn’t the place to get cocky. Ask for a sample before you work your way up the Scoville scale. We’re perfectly happy with Mild and extra Comeback Sauce. If creamed corn is on the specials board, get it.
100 S. Central Expwy., Ste. 18, Richardson. 214-272-3735.
Brittany Conerly
Best Doughnuts
Detour Doughnuts and Coffee
We eagerly await creative doughnut genius Jinny Cho’s rotating monthly flavor drop like an album release: whipped cream swirls, dreamy fillings, and other tricks give you rose and Champagne with gold leaf, matcha and red bean, or an Arnold Palmer or Ferrero Rocher doppelganger. Honorable mention: Hypnotic Donuts & Chicken Biscuits
8161 FM 423, Ste. 250, Frisco. 469-535-3585.
Best Steakhouse
Knife
At steak wizard John Tesar’s den, we crave the off-cut bavette from 44 Farms as much as the behemoth rib-eye, dry-aged 240 days. We also love the story of how he sold steaks during lockdown, dropping marbled flesh into waiting car trunks. Honorable mention: Town Hearth
5300 E. Mockingbird Ln. 214-443-9339; 6121 W. Park Blvd., Plano. 214-299-5943.
Best Lobster Roll
Yo! Lobster
We long waited for the perfect lobster roll, and then Nick Badovinus delivered it: freckled, rosy hunks slathered in butter, cradled in a warm, griddled, split-top brioche bun. Get it Maine-style if you wish, chilled and daintily dressed in ultra-creamy, tarragon-flecked mayo. We’re not choosing sides in the chilled-versus-warm debate.
33B Highland Park Village. 214-559-4245.
Best Pizza
Pizza Leila
In this year when the right angles of Detroit-style pizza dominated, Leila’s similarly square Sicilian pies woke us from our blister-crusted Neapolitan reverie and split the difference. We swoon over the spinach-artichoke situation that oozes and bubbles and the porchetta-laced meat-lovers’ hit, The Butcher. Honorable mention: Pizzeria Testa
2001 Ross Ave. 214-484-1395.
Best Vegetarian Sandwich
Patina Green Home and Market
Patina Green makes a beautiful and (we’ll say it) poetic vegetable sandwich: roasted cauliflower—meltingly tender and still warm—meets arugula, firm raw cheddar, and a smear of green-tomato relish in a tryst with Hippie Health bread. Perch outside the shop on McKinney’s historic square, and you’ve got a brilliant picnic. Honorable mention: Brown Bag Provisions
116 N. Tennessee St., Ste. 102, McKinney. 972-548-9141.
David Loi
Best Laotian
Khao Noodle Shop
We’ve slurped many a boat noodle broth at this much-acclaimed, soulful gem. This year, Donny Sirisavath debuted a whole new Laotian repertoire, including a spring roll wrapped in vermicelli noodles and even a soothing, hearty curry, heady with makrut lime and served over a mound of purple rice.
4812 Bryan St., Ste. 101. 972-803-3373.
Best Reason to Spoil your Appetite
Bread course at Meridian
Sure, we’ve gorged on pre-dinner bread and butter. Junior Borges and David Madrid elevate the trope to artistry. Don’t miss ordering the tableaux of Madrid’s buttery brioche or individual miche with its flanking attendants: house ricotta with charred alliums, fiery ’nduja, or cultured butter marbled with blueberry powder or green garlic.
5650 Village Glen Dr. 469-659-6382.
Best Fried Chicken
Roots Chicken Shak
Fancy fried chicken naysayers, recant! Former Top Chef contestant Tiffany Derry debuted her mahogany bird at the tony Private Social 10 years ago, applying the notion of crackling duck-fat fries. Now, get it piled onto a sweet-potato bun with West Indies hot sauce, too. This is her speaking in her own voice. Honorable mention: Mike’s Chicken
7800 Windrose Ave., Plano. 469-546-5961.
Best Custom Vegan Baked Goods
Moon Child Vegan Cakes
Amaris Riddle grew up with a cake decorator mother. But now she uses vegan ingredients to make spectacular cakes, raspberry jam- or cream-filled doughnuts, nostalgia-tinged pop tarts, seasonal scones, and luster-dusted cupcakes with fillings like sultry vegan butterscotch. We really wouldn’t know the difference. Honorable mention: Sweet Gilly’s Vegan
Best Thai
Ka-Tip Thai Street Food
The husband-and-wife team of George Kaiho (from Japan) and Yuyee Sakpanichkul Kaiho (from Bangkok) creates a unique blend of street food at this casual Thai counter-order spot near the Dallas Farmers Market. We tantalize our taste buds with the fiery nam tok moo, then soothe them with the sweet pandan custard with sticky rice.
1011 S. Pearl Expwy., Ste. 190. 214-238-2232.
Best Caribbean
The Island Spot
No matter the weather, no matter the season, The Island Spot is a bright tropical paradise on Jefferson Boulevard, where quintessential jerk spices grace everything from luscious chicken to ribs to nachos. Whether it’s simmered oxtails or curried goat that lands on your table, do wash it all down with a sunset-hued rum cocktail from the full bar. Honorable mention: The Caribbean Cabana
309 W. Jefferson Blvd., 972-913-4919; 2661 Midway Rd., Ste. 105, Carrollton.
Best Place to Buy Booze
Pogo’s Wine & Spirits
That bottle of reserve chardonnay from Mexico’s oldest vineyard that you had on the Riviera Maya? Check. Your favorite Japanese gin and whiskey? Double check. Dom Perignon rosé, Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam, and Swiss truffles? Triple check. Doorstep delivery with optional gift wrap? Hallelujah. Honorable mention: Bar & Garden Dallas
5360 W. Lovers Ln. 214-350-8989.
Red chard and other produce in the ventilated greenhouses at Profound Farms.
Elizabeth Lavin
Best Gourmet Grocery Delivery
Profound Foods
Farmer Jeff Bednar had us at fresh herbs, microgreens, and edible flowers from his hydroponic farm in Lucas. Working with local growers, he added to his roster heirloom veggies, grass-fed meats, farm-fresh eggs, whole grains—even handmade pasta, bagels, and tamales. The inside of our fridge has never been so lovely.
Best Drag Brunch
Booty’s Street Food
What do you get when you cross a pirate-inspired restaurant concept with an elevated yet affordable globally inspired menu, attach it to a Deep Ellum hostel, throw in MC Barbie Davenport Dupree and DJ Dezi, and give it a good stir? The liveliest drag brunch, every Sunday. Eye patch optional.
2801 Elm St. 214-712-8118.
Best Frozen Margs
José
Crystalline and slushy, tangy and filled with top-notch tequila, the frozen margarita at José (dubbed The Squozen) is extraordinary. Yes, it’s bright with lime juice and a hint of agave. Yes, the tile bar takes you straight to Guadalajara. It’s truly a frosty concoction worthy of the city that invented it.
931 W. Lovers Ln. 214-891-5673.
Natalie Goff
Best Breakfast Taco
La Nueva Fresh & Hot
La Nueva does most of its own work. The chorizo is seasoned in-house. The tortillas come from here, too, sturdy corn and pillowy flour in which you can fold a mix of scrambled egg and guisado rojo or bean and cheese. Just make sure you don’t leave without a tub of bright, rich salsa guacamole.
9625 Webb Chapel Rd. 214-358-7261.
Best Sushi
Uchi
Uchi was always a go-to for special celebrations, but this year it became a takeout revelation. “Cool tastings” of flounder and candied quinoa or bigeye tuna, Fuji apple, and goat cheese lost nothing in translation on the journey home. But we’re back to dining in for the wagyu tataki with miso foam.
2817 Maple Ave. 214-855-5454.
Best Dumplings
Fortune House
We are fools for the steamed soup dumplings, which take us back to lazy mornings in Shanghai. Our biggest mistake is never ordering enough of the pan-fried pork buns dusted with black sesame seeds, the yin of the pillowy soft top meeting the yang of the crisp golden underbelly. Honorable mention: Momo Shack
8150 N. MacArthur Blvd., Ste. 190, Irving. 972-831-9888.
Best Family-Friendly
CiboDivino
The best way to describe this Sylvan Thirty staple is controlled chaos. On weekends, expect a dozen or so kids darting across the open manicured lawn outside this Italian market. Parents sip wine and eat pizza on the sprawling patio while their kids tire themselves out. For families, it’s the best of both worlds.
1868 Sylvan Ave. 214-653-2426.
Kevin Marple
Best Place to Celebrate an Anniversary
Georgie by Curtis Stone
The luxurious dining room is the perfect spot to mark an occasion. Sink into opulent velvet banquettes, watching servers glide by. Order foie gras poêlé, white asparagus topped with trout roe pearls, and a nose-bleed-priced, famously pedigreed Blackmore Australian wagyu matched with a rare four-figure bottle. You only live once.
4514 Travis St., Ste. 132. 469-466-8263.
Best Butcher Shop
Deep Cuts Dallas
Snout-to-tail butcher Nathan Abeyta and his team continue to innovate and grow. In June, their small North Dallas shop expanded into the space next door, allowing them to dry age more Texas beef, cure more heritage Red Wattle pork guanciale, brine more Black Angus beef pastrami, and smoke more Cajun boudin. Honorable mention: American Butchers
7989 Belt Line Rd., Ste. 146. 469-906-6420.
Best Brunch
Encina
In the former Bolsa space, chef Matt Balke and partner Corey McCombs’ take on New American/Modern Southern means sitting on the covered patio amid reclaimed wood and butterscotch-colored leather seats and diving headlong into feather-light blue cornmeal pancakes slathered in satiny cajeta, kale biscuits with rivulets of chorizo gravy, and mimosas.
614 W. Davis St., Ste. 100. 469-620-3644.
Natalie Goff
Best Breakfast
Goodfriend Package
The menu here is largely based on various breakfast sandwiches, most served on house beer biscuits, and everything you order delivers a perfect good-morning bite. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the Duder: house-made chorizo on a biscuit with peanut butter and jelly. As the menu says, trust us.
1155 Peavy Rd. 972-807-2899.
Best Detriot-Style Pizza
Thunderbird Pies
This year, many tried to take on the Motor City trend of thick-crust pizzas covered edge-to-edge with Wisconsin brick cheese, but the pie pros behind Cane Rosso and Zoli’s truly made it their own. The Luka Brasi is a slam dunk, with dollops of ricotta, meatballs, fresh basil, and the requisite red sauce on top.
3501 Hulen St., Fort Worth. 817-402-0050; 14910 Midway Rd., Addison. 469-754-9654.
Best Indian
Âme
OK, it’s upscale Indian-French, but we’re whisked away by the respectful flavors Afifa Nayeb conjures in the restaurant she co-owns with her daughter, Sabrina. Don’t miss the dinner menu’s lamb vindaloo and naan puffs. Brunch boasts a rich tikka Benedict. And in the moody Elephant Bar, settle in with a Purple Cloud, with coconut milk and egg white foam.
418 N. Bishop Ave. 214-782-9696.