The Hottest New Dallas Restaurants Right Now — And What To Order At Each Spot

Recently opened at The Union, this new Asian restaurant and sushi bar comes from restaurateurs and business partners, John (“JT”) Reed and Leslie Nguyen of Daily Dose Hospitality. It’s the second Texas location of the upscale spot (which began in Irvine and has a location in Houston). The 4,295-square-foot space was designed by DABEL Design Group. Guests will find large floor-to-ceiling murals by artist Jason Roose, bamboo flooring, Chinese lanterns, cherry blossoms, and pinks and purples that will pop against a largely black matte space.

Best Bites: Start with the chili garlic edamame and crispy rice sushi. Both have the perfect amount of spice, especially the crispy rice with spicy tuna, sriracha mayonnaise, sweet soy, and jalapeño. The sushi rolls are the star of the show here. We recommend the Forbidden Roll with black rice, seared ahi, albacore, crab, spicy tuna, avocado, sweet soy, and jalapeño sauce, the shrimp tempura-based Spicy Domo, and the Dai-Ichi with chutoro, spicy tuna, wasabi, tabiko, scallions, and ponzu. All are photoworthy. In addition, TEN offers several entrees like General Ten’s Chicken, pad Thai, Korean style chicken, and Mongolian beef.

You also can’t miss dessert. The chocolate ganache cake is a stunner served with vanilla ice cream, as well as the miso cheesecake with salted caramel.

From Fox Restaurant Concepts (The Henry, Culinary Dropout), this new American spot at Inwood Village is a must-visit for a family-friendly meal. The 5,258-square-foot space features a refurbished parachute art piece that is special to the Dallas location, and a modern design. There is also an outdoor patio for al fresco dining.

Best Sips: There are 12 signature cocktails on the menu (including a few frozen options), plus a seasonal sangria. A must-try is the Bourbon & Bells. It’s a balanced mix of bourbon, lemon, bell pepper, honey, and poblano. There is only a slight kick. Another popular pick is The Local — made with strawberry infused vodka, French grapefruit liqueur, lemon, and sparkling wine. Doughbird also has wine and a selection of local draft beers.

Best Bites: Start with the Lebanese hummus. It’s worth adding on vegetables, but it comes with a side of hearth bread — made in-house. The gluten-free Spicy Tuna Tostadas also sounded intriguing, but they were out of tuna for the day. Next time.

For mains, the chicken tenders are highlighted on the menu for a reason. Served with a choice of sauce (we got chipotle bbq and spicy buffalo), the crunchiness of the breading mixed with the tender protein is the perfect combo. Pizza is also a big deal at Doughbird. You can choose from nine options or build your own. You also pick if you want it hand-stretched or Detroit-style. The Copper Hat is a favorite with proscuitto, goat cheese, date, pistachio, and arugala. Also, don’t miss the warm butterscotch cake for a dessert. It comes topped with a scoop of vanilla gelato.

From the owner of Istanbul Grill (Sedar Sensel) comes a new, upscale Turkish restaurant in Preston Hollow Village. Chefika boasts a light and airy modern design in the former Tricky Fish space. There’s a centerpiece bar when you walk in available for sipping on Turkish wine or a cocktail or grabbing a small bite.

Best Bites: Make sure to start with one of the dips. During a dinnertime visit, we enjoyed the charred eggplant (babaganoush), but the beet carpaccio also looked amazing. The halloumi and spiced lamb meatballs are great apps as well. For mains, the Chefika burger is a popular pick (made with ground lamb and feta), but the braised lamb shank looked too good not to try. It’s slow-cooked, tender and served with a creamy eggplant puree.

Before you go, order a slice of cake or Turkish pastry like baklava made in house.