5 New Dallas Restaurants We’re Loving Now — And What To Order at Each Hot Spot

Opened by first-time restaurateur Leigh Hutchinson, this new Italian restaurant serves a fresh, seasonal menu of handmade pasta, antipasti, and steak on Lower Greenville. The setting is homey, while still making you feel like you’ve traveled somewhere else. You’ll find a glass-encased pasta-making station (viewable through the window on Greenville Avenue) as soon as you walk into the space. Hutchinson also stocked the interior with her own knickknacks and family heirlooms such as photos of her Sicilian-American grandmother and other relatives.

To Sip: If you love espresso martinis, you must try the Damiano. The restaurant makes its espresso in-house and mixes it with vodka, Borghetti coffee liqueur, lazzaroni amaro, and demerara for the perfect martini. The Alitalia is another refreshing and delicious cocktail made with tequila, Aperol, amaro Nino, Cocchi americano, tamarind, and lemon. Next time, we’ll be trying the Signora Farfalla — a butterfly pea gin-based drink.

To Savor: Start with the Ricotta Montata. It’s a delicious whipped house ricotta accompanied by grilled zucchini, herb oil, and lemon. Served with Hutchinson’s grandmother’s pane bianco, it’s a delightful appetizer. The Coccoli is another popular choice with its crispy dough balls served with stracchino cheese and proscuitto. For pasta, order the tagliatelle with ragù bolognese. We scraped up every last bite of this warm and comforting dish. The New York Strip alla Fiorentina was another stunner. The rosemary and other herbs used really made the 16-ounce Rosewood Ranches steak sing.

Dessert cannot be missed at Via Triozzi. The Cannolo Sbagliato was a favorite — pizzelle filled with spoons of cannoli filling, chocolate, candied orange peel, and pistachios. The tiramisu is also popular and enough for two people to share.

Opened in the former Primo’s space in Uptown, this new coastal Italian-inspired eatery was founded by Dallas hospitality group, GAP Concepts. The revamped space features a breezy outdoor patio, cozy lounge, and 3,000-square-foot dining room. Led by Chef Cristofer Sanchez, the menu offers fresh salads, handmade pizza, pasta, wood-fired fish, steak, and more.

To Sip: If you’re adventurous and love pistachio, you must try The Olive Branch. It’s a delightful (and flavorful) mix of vodka, olive oil, pistachio, and basil. For something more refreshing, opt for the Santorini Sunset — a vodka, St-Germain, and passionfruit concoction.

To Savor: Start with the Whipped Eggplant. It includes a light and airy puccia bread for dipping. Another favorite starter is the Crispy Rice Tuna which comes with four bites, perfect for sharing. Most items are meant to be served family style so one pizza and one pasta was the way to go for two people. The Fig Arugula Pizza was a standout topped with habanero honey. For pasta, don’t miss the Spicy Orecchiette with Calabrian vodka sauce. We also added lobster for our protein.

Save room at the end of your meal for Lyla’s Hazelnut Cake. It’s two donut-like pieces of chocolate cake covered in hazelnut praline and topped with brown butter ice cream.

A new contemporary Chinese concept from Lombardi Family Concepts (Taverna, Toulouse, Bistro 31), Maison Chinoise serves a mix of modern and traditional Chinese cuisine on Cole Avenue.

To Sip: Start with the Aloe Can You Go cocktail. It’s a flavorful mix of mezcal, aloe liqueur, passionfruit, lime, mint, and vanilla pepper. For something lighter, the Zen Moment is a great choice with gin, St. Germain elderflower, jasmine tea, hone, and citric acid. There are so many more intriguing cocktails like the taro cream-topped Chino’s Punch for next time.

To Savor: A favorite starter is the Tempura Green Beans with Sichuan aoili for dipping. We also enjoyed the Shrimp Chips — a lighter option with jalapeño basil aioli. The menu offers several premium housemade dim sum and dumplings, but a must-try is the King Prawn Dumplings. They are bright red and served with black caviar and gold leaf. Another can’t-miss is the Xiao Long Bao Pork Soup Dumplings. For mains, you can’t go wrong with the MC Imperial Peking Duck. It serves two to four people and comes with mandarin crepes, cucumber, scallion, and more accouterments.

And for dessert, the show-stopping Mandarin Fields was our favorite part of the meal. It’s a beautiful white chocolate ganache, Grand Marnier cake, and orange compote creation. The cake is surrounded by chocolate green tea soil, green tea sponge, and marinated orange in plum wine.

Named after the late philanthropist Margaret McDermott, this new ranch-to-table concept is found on the 11th-floor lobby of the recently opened JW Marriott Dallas Arts District and led by Executive Chef Jonah Friedmann. Owned by Plano-based Sam Moon Group (who also own Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel), the Modern Texas restaurant shares the hotel brand’s focus on sustainability and zero-waste. One of the new spot’s showpieces is a hydroponic farm shelf located in the dining room, featuring herbs used in dishes and cocktails.

To Sip: If you’re looking for something light and refreshing, but different, the Cut Grass cocktail is a favorite with Grey Goose peach, rosemary vodka, cucumber juice, ginger honey, lemon sea salt, and Fever-Tree soda. Another popular choice for the bourbon drinker is the Sippin’ Fireside, which is cedar-smoked tableside.

To Savor: There are so many great starters at Margaret’s, it’s too hard to narrow them down. You should just order all of them. The Acknowledge the Corn jalapeño cornbread with various butters, compote, and pimento cheese is a stunner — served in a bird cage for a jaw-dropping effect. The charcuterie is also stunning and sets a romantic ambiance with its bacon fat candle in the center of an elaborate board filled with local cheeses, meats, and more. You can dip charred sourdough into the candle as it melts. Do not miss the Crispy Octopus. It’s absolutely delightful.

For mains, you can’t go wrong with the NY Strip Steak from 44 Farms. Paired with sides of brussels and smoked gouda grits, it’s perfection. The Colossal Crab Cake was another favorite of the evening with braised red eye peas and jalapeño elote. The s’mores dessert is a showpiece as well as it comes out encased in a glass filled with hickory smoke. The miso chocolate mousse, charred marshmallow, chocolate brownie, graham, and salted caramel gelato creation is a delicious take on the fireside classic.

Urby, the luxe, newly opened high-rise apartment complex in the Design District, brought in this Austin-based concept as its restaurant partner. The new all-day cafe and natural wine shop offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a full coffee bar featuring Intelligentsia beans.

To Sip: The new, mid-century-styled spot is already popular for its selection of natural, orange wines, so a friend and I had to split a bottle. We enjoyed the A Gluggable Skin Contact-y White from Drink This Wine. You’ll also find a small selection available by the glass and a few beers and ciders.

To Savor: Start with the Caesar salad with grilled chicken. Paired with The Meatier pizza (made with sausage, pepperoni, and bacon) and a Fun Guy mushroom and garlic pie, it was the perfect meal for two. The pizzas are made with sourdough, which is made in-house, as are the buns for the Meteor Burger and Chicken Sando.