October 29 Food Truck Schedule and News for Dallas/Ft. Worth

Lucia has settled so comfortably into the former Macellaio space, it’s hard to remember that it ever moved. Order pastas shaped with care and house salumi—from mortadella to ’nduja—served with griddled focaccia. With fabulous seasonal veggies, spectacular mains, and carefully selected wines, the relocated Lucia is as good as it ever was. In fact, it might be even better, thanks to the arrival of top pastry chef Maggie Huff, formerly of Homewood and FT33.

Why is it our top choice? Lucia is one of the hardest reservations to score in Dallas not because it is trendy, flashy, or exclusive, but because its hospitality, seasonality, and consistent excellence keep loyal regulars coming back.

Trendline: Rising. Along with Gemma, one of the most consistent restaurants in Dallas.

Tucked away in the quietest end of Deep Ellum, Tatsu is a portal into an experience that is hard to find, especially at this level of quality, outside Japan or New York. Although chef Tatsuya Sekiguchi takes every aspect of his craft seriously, an omakase dinner here is a fun time. Over 18 or more courses, you’ll sample some of the world’s best seafood, gently cured or preserved to deepen the flavors. You’ll also see a happy combination of playful service and traditional craft.

Why is it our top choice? It holds itself to the highest service and hospitality standard in Dallas.

Trendline: Steady. 2023 brought a new cocktail bar, Kirameki, next to the tasting room.

A rough pandemic—which included the opening and closing of a second location—felt painful at the time, but it seems to have propelled Mot Hai Ba to its best work in years. The original East Dallas dining room is tastefully updated with comfier chairs, and the menu showcases chef-owner Peja Krstic’s global range. You’ll now find sophisticated takes on classic Serbian cooking, fresh-made pasta dishes like bucatini with clams, and seafood cuts grilled over Japanese binchotan charcoal. This is not really a Vietnamese restaurant anymore, but it’s all the better for that.

Why is it our top choice? When one of Dallas’ most creative chefs gets on a winning streak, we take notice.

Trendline: Rising

Chef-owner Teiichi “Teach” Sakurai’s flagship dining room in One Arts Plaza specializes in Japanese soba noodles made by hand from nutty-tasting, nutritious buckwheat flour. Other must-tries seaweed salad, okonomiyaki, daily seafood specials, and the black sesame mousse. The calm dining room is an oasis in downtown’s bustle, even when lunch guests crowd in.

Why is it our top choice? The strength of Dallas’ Japanese scene in general is largely due to Sakurai’s legacy. Tei-An is practically a landmark.

Trendline: Steady, but we have lately heard reports of eccentric or out-of-character service from the waitstaff.

The walls are decked in mismatched framed mirrors and the long wood bar boasts an impressive array of brown spirits. After starting with an adventurous cocktail, you can assemble a meal from some of Dallas’ most creative cooking a savory corn dish topped with corn ice cream, steak wrapped in charred eggplant “paper,” vegan queso, Icelandic hot dogs, and our favorite dessert of 2023 sauerkraut cake. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s a stroke of genius (with a whole lot of chocolate, too).

Trendline: Steady. Rye’s culinary team keeps getting more creative.

After a decade of service, Gemma made big changes this fall, completing a full remodel of the dining room and transforming the menu. Now it’s a slightly more casual neighborhood bistro, with a French accent and darker, more romantic look. Choose steak, mussels, or duck to go with your frites. “Butcher’s Corner” steaks and veal chops are grilled to perfection and served with a light salad.

Trendline: Steady

You might remember it as a raucous Deep Ellum bar and music venue with the look of an abandoned Mayan temple. You might even remember it as the former Luscher’s Red Hots. But in addition to its bold drinks and backroom shows, Ruins is now one of the most exciting Mexican food destinations in the city. Grab the oxtail mole manchamanteles, crispy enchiladas potosinas, aguachiles, and indulgent brunch dishes like a chorizo, potato, and egg chimichanga. Cocktails are off-the-charts good and many dishes have pun names as a reward for Spanish speakers.

Trendline: Rising

In an old house north of the Bishop Arts District, this neighborhood restaurant serves up some of the region’s best Cajun fare, ranging from high-end dinners with terrific cocktail pairings to seafood boils out on the patio. Beatrice works for every occasion a meal with family, a classy date night, or a crawfish party with friends. The restaurant prioritizes good works for the community, including employing Oak Cliff locals and sourcing produce from South Dallas urban farms. Many spirits and wines are from Black-owned or woman-owned businesses, too.

Trendline: Steady

Built like a luxury hacienda, El Carlos lives up to the adjective in its name. Its Mexican food is some of Dallas’ most sophisticated, with sophisticated moles and in-house masa used for tetelas, machetes, and tortillas. Don’t miss the one-bite appetizers, and place your trust in the servers, who know the menu and know their favorites. We do wish there was more seasonal variation, although we’re glad to have the divine pairing of okra, shishitos, and salsa macha year-round.

Trendline: Steady

Chef Toby Archibald’s eclectic neighborhood bistro reflects his own journey, from his home country of New Zealand through a European training and, at last, to Texas. You’ll sip on New Zealand wines, enjoy a snack course of affordable one-bite treats, and see how Texan and French flavors converge on a smoked beef tartare. Any seafood dish is sure to be memorable. We’re impressed by how quickly Quarter Acre established its identity and its consistency.

Trendline: Steady

If Partenope (which, spoiler, is No. 29 on this list) represents the best traditional Italian-style pizza in the area, Zoli’s is our best hope of creating an only-in-Dallas pizza experience. The menu is an inspired mashup of brisket pies, everything bagel seasoning crusts, ranch dressing drizzles, monthly specials, and, just to make your ordering choice even harder, a burger topped with a fried mozzarella patty.

Trendline: Steady. And now you can visit easily again, because the construction on the street in front is over.

At this airy, welcoming Lowest Greenville spot, it’s not just the city’s best spring roll selection or the sweetened egg coffee with a soft layer of whipped foam that steals our hearts. There are also terrific versions of regional dishes like lemongrass-fragrant bún bò Huê´ or the chilled vermicelli bowl bun cha Hanoi. The patio is one of Greenville’s most comfortable.

Trendline: Steady, although bánh mì recently departed the menu.

Knife has something good for every price point. The menu includes many of Dallas’ best burgers, “new school” (sous vide) steaks under $30, and exotic beef dry-aged on-site that can run to a dollar a day (240 days, $240). John Tesar was one of the pioneers of the dry-aging movement, and Knife sparked a revolution in the Dallas steakhouse business. Most of its competitors’ styles can be assessed simply, as either Before Knife or After Knife. On the other hand, the wine list isn’t cutting-edge, and it’s probably good that Tesar spends most of his time traveling the country, given his ongoing habit of behaving foolishly in public.

Trendline: Steady

The finer dining follow-up to Roots Chicken Shak is Tiffany Derry’s love letter to the South. Dishes strike a nostalgic chord through honed culinary technique, from her family’s top-notch gumbo to a more modern plate celebrating black-eyed peas three ways as hummus, as chilled salad, and as fritters. Seasonal salads and seafood mains are always stars. The food is as comforting as a bear hug, but it can be very rich and very filling, so wear your stretchiest pants and stay hydrated.

Trendline: Rising. On a recent visit we observed more care going into drinks, including a wine list with affordable options that won't be blown out by the often-peppery food.

This Richardson institution stands out from other suburban Vietnamese spots because of its celebratory banquet-style meals, including whole roasted catfish with an array of sides. Don’t miss the Seven Courses of Beef, which is even more delightful and varied than it sounds. The usual more casual meals are well-done, too; if you don’t want to commit to a banquet, try a combination vermicelli bowl.

Trendline: Steady

At Greg Katz’s update on the classic bistro, you can get oysters, but also tuna tartare with seeded lavash and caviar and latkes served like hors d’oeuvres. We’re hung up on those seafood appetizers and raw items, but the burger is also one of the heftiest and best in town. Cocktails, including the gin and tonic, are top quality, and service is exceedingly friendly and welcoming. In good weather, seek out the side patio.

Trendline: Steady. We're also appreciative that Beverly's took successful measures to tamp down the excessive loudness of its original design.

A vibrant, splashy modern Mexican spot that channels the food and atmosphere of Guadalajara. The plates are as pretty as the decor, full of painted tiles and a wraparound bar. Direct your attention to the menu sections showcasing in-house masa, seafood crudos, and the ever-changing “tacos de Tacha,” a special bearing the childhood nickname of chef Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman (“AQ”). Other dishes can be simplified for the Park Cities clientele, and the cocktail program softens tequila or mezcal with added sweetness.

Trendline: Steady. José seems to have settled into a balance between populist hits and the chef's passion projects.

The best Tijuana-style seafood tacos can be found here, including shrimp gobernador, octopus, and a fish taco that for once isn’t buried in an ocean of cabbage. We can’t say enough good things about the taco that wraps smoked salmon in gooey cheese. Don’t believe us? Just try it. (This fall, owner Jesús Carmona served the smoked salmon taco on Good Morning America.)

Trendline: Steady

There’s a South Texas accent to this Grand Prairie pit, where brisket is served with tortillas instead of white bread and the condiment of choice is pico de gallo. While Zavala’s treats its meats with care, it also has a lively sense of humor. Check out the Sloppy Juan (a sloppy Joe in taco form) or grab a link of “pizza pepper sausage,” named by an employee who didn’t know what red pepper flakes were called. Locals love Zavala’s so much, they named its alley Brisket Lane.

Trendline: Rising. 2023 saw two new additions a Zavala’s stand at American Airlines Center during Mavs and Stars games, and a distribution company that lets you shop spice rubs, sauces, and gear from most of Texas’ other best BBQ spots. Craving that sauce you tried in Houston? Come here.

It’s been a season of change at this nearly 40-year-old Oak Lawn bistro. Joel Orsini joined as executive chef after stints at tapas bar Izkina and Profound Microfarms. The result is a menu that preserves many of Parigi’s classics, but delves deeper into local produce, pickling, and preserving methods meant to reduce food waste, and the occasional bit of Spanish flair. Given that Parigi is building even more interesting food on an already justified reputation for consistency and comfort, this ranking could look stupidly low in a few months.

Trendline: Rising

Only in Dallas can you go to a dive bar, watch RoboCop on VHS, drink cruddy beer, and get a bowl of pho so dazzlingly flavorful that even other Vietnamese restaurateurs in town are in awe of it. Jackson Tran also serves pizzas from the Cosmo’s kitchen, but the bar food of choice is kimchi tots.

Trendline: Steady

From this small 1964 building, chef Reyna Duong and her team serve the city’s best bánh mì, filled with excellent house-made Vietnamese pork sausage, grilled pork, ginger tofu, or chicken; salads and spring rolls; curries; and boba fruit teas made with real fruit. Don’t violate the “No Assholes” policy.

Trendline: Steady

Our favorite trompo tacos have returned to Oak Cliff, where the go-to order is still the gringa, a trompo taco on flour with a layer of gooey molten cheese. But the Jefferson location has plenty of new temptations, including burritos and a Mexican hot dog topped with crumbled chips. We’re also taken by the new mural in the dining room, which is a good reason not to dash out too quickly with your takeout order. Plus, there’s now a full bar offering a small, smart selection of Mexican spirits.

Trendline: Rising

This Carrollton spot stands out for its fabulously spiced and grilled meat kebabs, but it also has the best parathas in town, as promised by a sign in the window. Go ahead, find a more satisfying lunch anywhere than Beba’s crispy paratha with a spiced omelet rolled up inside. 2023 saw Beba’s opening hours expand to include more lunchtimes.

Trendline: Steady

Perhaps the most underrated restaurant in Deep Ellum, and certainly the best ramen in Dallas. Ichigoh prides itself on well-balanced, flavorful broths that won’t leave you parched from salt. Options will include rotating specials and a vegetarian-friendly bowl. Founder George Itoh died in 2021, but his family proudly carries on the same legacy of excellence.

Trendline: Steady