Living in Dallas for 3 years was one of the coolest experiences I could’ve had. I miss it every day, and even though I didn’t love what I was doing for work, the fun part of living there was very fun indeed. And a big part of the fun included great food + great drinks, of course.
My friends and I would always say that there’s nothing to do in Dallas but eat… and we where okay with that. And as I wouldn’t consider myself a foodie since I don’t like to be very adventurous with what I eat (I’m working on that), a lot of this places have a bold twist here and there that will definitely surprise you. I am going to share some of my favorite places, and hope you get to check them out the next time you are there. I ended up dividing the post because there are just so many places that would’ve made the post way too long.
THE PORCH
This is one of my favorite restaurants all in all, it has absolutely delicious food, a great atmosphere, great design, and the staff is always so nice and helpful. My preferred dish was the House Ground Salmon Burger (and I don’t usually like salmon), but I have tried their salads, soups and some of the appetizers and they are all really good, very flavorful and the portions are perfect size. It is a great place to go for late dinner and drinks.
They have some vegetarian and vegan options I believe but not that many. The drinks are very good too, nothing out of the extraordinary, but again, great flavors and presentation. I recommend their strawberry crush. This restaurant is in the Knox-Henderson area, where it is very difficult to find parking but has valet available. www.theporchrestaurant.com
THE RUSTIC
This is a great place, very cowboy style, which reminded me every time I came in that I was in the land of cowboys after all, (even thought if it didn’t seem like it). You could be here on a Sunday afternoon and it would be filled with kids running around on the huge patio area, or you could go on a Thursday night and it would look like a massive happy hour. It is a pretty fun place overall.
All of their food is from local farmers and ranchers, and some of their alcoholic beverages are also local. I used to go here after work with my friends, eat a veggie burger and then just got some drinks and stay there until late. It is a great spot to hang out and watch the crowd grow. They also have a pretty big stage where they play live music every night, mostly country, which I am not a fan off, but it was fun to be there anyways. The Rustic is located in Uptown, right next to highway 75. www.therustic.com
BREADWINNERS
This place. OMG this place. It is the best. I have no idea what they do to their food but everything is finger licking good. Every single thing on their menu sounds good it is so hard to pick just one dish. I’ve been there for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and it all of what I have eaten is sooo good it is tattooed in my mind forever.
They have several locations now around Dallas, but my favorite one is the one in Uptown, which is in what looks to be a refurbished old house. It is so charming, it has an interior courtyard and also some outdoor seating on the second floor facing McKinney street. I love their migas for breakfast/brunch and their fish tacos or pear and gorgonzola salad for lunch/dinner, but really, it is pointless to recommend any one dish because anything you order here is good. That simple. www.breadwinnerscafe.com
SNAPPY SALADS
You might think of Snappy salads as the typical salad joint. It might be, but their signature salads make me want to eat salad all day every day, and I don’t even like salads. Their best selling salad -The grilled avocado- is a dream come true. It is served with a chipotle-lime vinaigrette and Mexican crema that make my mouth water just thinking about it. If only I could have one shipped to Portland! (sigh)And although they can get a little expensive, they are worth it.
They do their dressings on site, and all of their cups and to-go containers are compostable and their tables are made from salvaged wood. Pretty cool huh? There are several locations around Dallas now, but I used to go the one on Greenville, which was 3 minutes away from my apartment. It was dangerously close… www.snappysalads.com
STEEL CITY POPS
Even though I didn’t go to this place that often (there was always a line) I love their pops. My favorite is their Pineapple Jalapeño, which was very refreshing and spicy at the same time, perfect for the Texas summer heat. They have a other flavors like Sweet Tea, Chai Latte, Buttermilk, Coffee which I am sure are all delicious since there is always a line outside. I heard that during the winter they sell churros but I can’t confirm that fact. Although Steel City Pops is not originally from Dallas, they try to get local and organic ingredients when possible, which is always a plus. www.steelcitypops.com
LUCK
This really hip place is on Trinity Groves, which is a really cool area full of restaurants. They like to promote local breweries and their food is intended to pair well with beer, and sometimes they use beer on their dishes. I went there several times for brunch and I can say that the Chilaquiles with shrimp, where an unexpected but very much appreciated twist on a dish I know too well. Another cool thing is that they have Kombucha on tap, which is not usual to find. As I said before the area is full of restaurants, meaning right next to each other, which gets pretty packed on weekends and specially the outdoor seating area when the suns out. www.luckdallas.com
VELVET TACO
This restaurant is a constant victim of debates between real taco lovers. Some claim that they are not real tacos and I understand where they are coming from (you know, being Mexican and all), but the way I see it is that they are not trying to compete with regular Mexican tacos, they are in totally different categories. Never am I going to find on a regular taco stand a tofu taco with pickles and crema, or a shrimp & grits taco, that just won’t happen.
That’s why you go here, to eat the real funky and different tacos that they have. It was always an adventure coming here because the mix of ingredients are so unexpected…and in a taco version, makes it even better! I would say there is at least one kind that you will love, but if you find more than one the good part of this is that you can mix your order and try several kinds on one trip. I used to go to the one on Knox-Henderson area, which is pretty tight but I never had any problems finding a place to sit, either inside or outside. www.velvettaco.com
