When it comes to finding all of the best restaurants in Dallas, we’re seasoned vets. While we love to cook at home, we love going out even more. After almost 7 years together, we’ve gone on more than our fare share of breakfast taco runs, dinner dates and everything in between. There are new restaurants in Dallas opening every week, thankfully, there are some tried and true ones we can proudly call our favorites.

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Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse

With so many great options for steak in Dallas, Nick & Sam’s is definitely on top for us.  From their amazing tuna tartare with cotton candy on it (just trust us on that one), to the damn good fries, which is what they’re actually called, to their deliciously huge desserts for that special occasion. This clubby-steakhouse is exactly what we’re looking for when we want a special meal or just an all around great steak.

One of our favorite features Nick & Sam’s offers is being able to order a half order of all the sides and most appetizers. More room to order more! The ability to see their great selection of steaks before you decide, and their staff’s extensive knowledge of the menu gives us that welcoming feeling that you look for when looking for the best steak in Dallas. The cherry on top has to be the chance to see a few of Dallas’ top celebrities anytime you eat here. You never know when you’re going to walk right past Jason Witten (your favorite former Cowboys player) and you completely miss it!

Zio Cecio

We visited Zio Cecio a few months back for a birthday celebration and have been kicking ourselves for not visiting sooner!

We had one of the most delicious pork chop that was almost too big to finish! Paired with their amazing brussel sprouts, this dish can’t be beat. We also tried the bolognese which was packed with flavor. Chef Francesco went above and beyond for the birthday girl and made every dessert they offer for our table. Our favorites were the lemonchello cake, the raspberry sorbet, and the incredible tiramisu! What a special treat to have made all of these desserts himself for us all to try. The best service we’ve had at a Dallas restaurant, by far.

Neighborhood Services

The jack of all trades. Neighborhood Services has been our favorite restaurant in Dallas for as long as we can remember. This spot is perfect for anything from a date night in Dallas  to a dinner with your girlfriends. There are now a few different locations of Neighborhood Services in Dallas, but we highly recommend NHS on Lovers. With locations sprinkled all across DFW, we still put the original location on Lovers and Inwood at the top, by a fairly large margin!

Start off with their meatballs dipped in their special voodoo sauce and some of the crispy asparagus. Two of the best appetizers we’ve ever had. If you’re extra lucky, they might have lobster nachos, in this case, order 5 plates, they’re freaking amazing.

If you’re like us and you love a wedge salad then you’re in for a treat! NHS’ is so good that we’ve been known to order one after we have already had dessert… they are that good.

From the entrees list we love the chicken fried steak or steak frites that come with that amazing voodoo sauce again. The nightly fish and pastas are always delicious but if you’re really hungry order the prime Delmonico which can easily compete as one of the best steaks in Dallas!

The sides might be the real show stopper, Brussels, fries and Mac cheese are always our go-tos and are perfect to share with the table. But we’re warning you, don’t fill up too fast. You absolutely HAVE to save room for dessert. NHS does a nightly fried pie with Henry’s vanilla ice cream and we have yet to have one that we weren’t in love with. If you’re not a pie person then we recommend the amazing butterscotch pot de crème, it’s always perfect.  Make a reservation ASAP and go try our favorite Dallas restaurant!

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Sushi Rock

This little spot in Richardson is the perfect place to go for affordable yet high-end sushi. We stumbled upon this place a few years ago and we can’t get enough. Everything we order here blows our mind with flavors and ingredients we had no idea went so well together. Our favorites have to be the home smoked salmon that Chef Mark cold smokes himself or the ottoro blue fin tuna that literally melts in your mouth.  Grab a glass (or bottle) of plum wine or sake, sit at the sushi bar and let Chef Mark and his family serve you some of the best sushi you’ll find anywhere in Dallas. There a reason we labeled it the neighborhood version of Uchi on our Yelp review.

E Bar Tex Mex

A few years ago we were looking for a place to go for lunch on Cinco De Mayo and we found E Bar! A quiet little spot on Haskell that you wouldn’t think much of from the outside. We tried it and we have been back many times since. We are big fans of the food and the happy hour drinks here, but we both agree the service could be better at times. Some of our favorites include the tortilla soup, taco salad, sour cream enchiladas and the chicken fajita nachos. E Bar has been so good every time we go, we can easily say it’s the best Tex Mex in Dallas. When you’re done devouring a delicious meal at E Bar, head down to Deep Ellum and check out some of the best Dallas murals!

Jeng Chi

2018 was definitely the year of the dumpling for us! Jeng Chi is easily our favorite dim sum spot in the DFW area. Nestled in Richardson’s Chinatown community, Jeng Chi has a huge assortment of dumpling options to choose from. Our go-to’s are the beef juicy steamed dumplings, pork and Napa boiled dumplings and chicken steamed dumplings. All the dumplings come made to order and are piping hot and ready for you to devour. Is there a better combination then a glass of sangria, dim sum, and dessert from their bakery? We don’t think so!

Mai’s Vietnamese

If you’ve lived in Dallas for a number of years, chances are, unless you’re “in” with the locals, there’s a good chance you still haven’t heard about Mai’s. Lucky for you, your girl here was born and raised in East Dallas and is about to be your “in.” If you are in search of the best Vietnamese food in Dallas, look no further. I’ve been coming here since I was in the womb. I grew up going to church with the owners and their sons. You could say I’ve been coming here since before I knew how to properly devour thier delicious chicken clay pot or shrimp spring rolls (don’t worry y’all, my mom taught me how real quick!). They recently reduced their restaurant size to about half of what it once was, due to the boom of East Dallas. But fear not, the food and service are just as good as they’ve always been!

Cris & John

My oh my. This little spot became an instant favorite from (literally) the day they opened. I stumbled into Cris and John with my two favorite mini-foodies when we were on the hunt for Asian one night. Little did we know, it was the first day they were open and we were about to get a glimpse of a spot that would take Dallas by storm. The ramenrito was what initially blew our minds, but as we evolved we’ve grown to love the dumpling noodles and the phoritos. And if you’ve managed to save room for dessert, and they aren’t sold out, the café churros will be the cherry on top of your perfect meal. Cris & John easily have the best Vietnamese street food in Dallas.

 

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Carmine’s Pizza

Ever since Tiffani and I were kids we’ve been coming to Carmine’s Pizza Spring Valley Rd in Dallas. We didn’t even know each other until we were in college but both of our families, from different areas of Dallas, somehow found this place and loved it. A no frills NY style pizza shop that’s been slinging pizza for over 30+ years. We love to come here for lunch and get the lunch pizza special with a large slice of pizza, dinner salad and drink. The pizza tastes like you’re deep in NYC. We hope this place never closes and we’ll be able to bring our kids here someday.

Keller’s Drive-In

In the day and age that prices continue to go up, Keller’s continue to stay the same with cheap burgers and fries. With old-school carhops that still bring your order out to your car and cheap eats, it’s no wonder this is and always will be a must on our list of the best restaurants in Dallas. Our favorite is the classic, number 5 special with double meat and cheese, lettuce, tomato and special dressing on a poppy seed bun for $2.85. Add fries and a drink and you’re still under $6!! Good luck finding anywhere this good for this cheap. Keller’s has been bringing food to people at their cars since around 1950 and we hope they continue to, forever! You can find more burgers in Dallas on our list of The Best Burgers in Dallas!

Chiloso 

It almost wouldn’t be fair to mention this place and leave out the little detail that we had our first date here! Two, cute little 18 year olds, eating tacos. Coincidentally, we also came here the morning Thomas asked me to be his girlfriend because he about lost his marbles when he found out I’d never tried their breakfast tacos. We’d easily say they have the best breakfast tacos in Dallas. With a set up similar to Chipotle or other fast-casual dining spots, where you can pick all the toppings your heart desires. Their breakfast tacos are heavenly, but their lunch and dinner offerings are just as good. We usually aim for a taco and a bowl of their chicken tortilla soup. They might have one of the best chicken tortilla soup in Dallas.

Whether you’re on the hunt for the best steakhouse in Dallas or just a spot to grab a quick breakfast, this list has a little bit of everything for everyone!