Exploring the Historic Restaurants of Frisco and McKinney

Way up in the suburbs north of Dallas, historic buildings house four beloved culinary establishments where, over a juicy ribeye or a basket of wings, you might sense the ghosts of a former McKinney mayor, secret society members, and pioneers. The ever-evolving restaurant scene in Frisco and McKinney offers dinner with a side of rich history and a helping of nostalgia. 

The Heritage Table

7110 Main St, Frisco, TX 75033

In light of Frisco’s current housing market, it’s humbling (depressing?) to imagine 1911, when some guy bought the lot at 7110 Main Street for $150. Today, Zillow values the house built there six years later at $407,600. Not that it’s for sale—since 2017, exactly a century since its construction, it’s been Frisco’s gastronomic crown jewel, a hyper-local farm-to-table restaurant helmed by Chef Rich Vana. Dining at The Heritage Table, especially on the screened-in porch, feels like relaxing in the home of a friend — a really cool friend who caught red snapper that day on the Gulf and whipped up some basil-almond pesto to drizzle on top. Vana keeps a garden out back and sources meat from nearby ethical, sustainable farms and fisheries. The menu is constantly changing, but this is one of those restaurants where anything you order will be good.

Harvest at the Masonic

215 N Kentucky St, McKinney, TX 75069

In late 2023, Rick Wells relocated his organic restaurant Harvest five blocks away in Downtown McKinney into a Masonic lodge that dates back to 1899. Ever since, Executive Chef Andrea Shackelford has been serving up organic fare and over 200 wines in this three-story, 10,400-square-foot space. Wells partnered with Harvest’s longtime designer Greg O’Neil for the ambitious restoration, which included creating a variety of communal spaces within the sprawling restaurant. The result is a feast for the eyes to match the fresh farm-to-table fare. 

Masonic lodges are the meeting places of the Freemasons, a secret society that grew out of stonemason guilds in the Middle Ages in Europe. Stonemasonry, the cutting of stones for architecture, was a prestigious profession, and many powerful people through the centuries joined the society. For example, it was Stephen F. Austin who first tried (and failed) to establish Freemasonry in Texas. Thirteen years later, in 1836, the first Texas Masonic lodge opened south of Houston, and over the next half-century, more than 500 lodges opened throughout the state. 

Randy’s Steakhouse

7026 Main St, Frisco, TX 75033

 In 1869, pioneer T.J. Campbell built this Victorian home in Lebanon (Texas, not the Republic of), and in 1902, had it transported by steam engine to Frisco. Today it’s a state historical marker known, somewhat unimaginatively, as the T.J. Campbell Home. Randy Burks, who cut his teeth at Del Frisco’s in the ‘80s, turned the house into a traditional steakhouse that has remained a Frisco staple since 1995.

The history might be its claim to fame, but so are its Wine Dinners. On the last Thursday of each month, diners get a pre-fixe five-course menu with pairings and, it’s rumored, the pours don’t stop there. At $75 a person, this is one of the best steakhouse deals around.

The Yard

107 S Church St, McKinney, TX 75069

If the name of this restaurant doesn’t sound like it corresponds to a building, that’s fair, and its draw is indeed the acre of outdoor space, complete with three firepits, shaded tables, and string lights spanning the trees. Dallas weather isn’t always dining-al-fresco-friendly, so it’s a good thing the seating in the little house is charming, too. The family that built it in 1855 included the local doctor who had a nearby drugstore. The next owner was McKinney’s mayor from 1893 to 1903. The Yard opened in 2016 and quickly became a gathering place for anyone looking to hang out, eat a burger, and drink a few beers from Union Bear, the restaurant’s sister concept. It’s both family-friendly and dog-friendly, with lots of shade, fans, and misters to combat the summer heat.