The Best Dallas Restaurants You Won’t Find on Every List

Every detail of chef-owner Leigh Hutchinson’s Italian restaurant on Lower Greenville is meticulously considered, from the checkerboard flooring to the ceiling tiles to the stylish archways behind the bar and the Florentine table vases. Hutchinson grew up eating her Sicilian grandmother’s cooking and later studied in Florence, and she brings both tradition and craft to dishes like whipped ricotta with crushed pistachios, Wagyu meatballs, fresh pastas, and cannoli. The plush furniture and city views on the temperature-controlled rooftop terrace give the space the feel of a chic Milanese patio.

This traditional Japanese izakaya, a casual beer-and-snacks kind of spot similar to a tapas bar or gastropub, recently opened an outpost in Richardson, but it’s the old-guard original in Irving that devotees seek out. The ambiance evokes a Tokyo izakaya with its low polished-wood tables, tatami mats, and minimalist Japanese wall art. The menu is reasonably priced, distinctive, and consistently tasty. Go with a group, order sake, and share dishes you won’t find anywhere else in Dallas: steamed monkfish liver, spicy cod-roe-and-omelet rice sandwiches, and salted squid in guts. The bar offers a solid sushi selection, and noodle lovers will appreciate the udon and ramen menus.

From 2012 to 2019, Jennie Kelley and two other chefs she met while competing on Master Chef hosted elaborate dinner parties at the supper club frank., where “suggested donations” replaced menu prices. Kelley and her husband, Brandon Moore, next ran the pop-up French restaurant Better Half Bistro. Both concepts stood apart from anything else in the Dallas dining scene.

In 2023, Kelley and Moore opened Fond, an upscale spot for lunch and pre-dinner bites. The menu reads simply, but Kelley’s skill and the quality of the ingredients elevate even the most basic dishes. Bread and butter means exceptional sourdough and cultured butter, and the cocktail program and tightly curated natural wine list are also standouts.

Once a pop-up stand, Ka-Tip eventually grew into a fast-casual brick-and-mortar in the Dallas Farmers Market, showcasing owner Yuyee Sakpanichkul Kaiho’s family recipes. She and her husband, George Kaiho, serve dishes rooted in the flavors of Bangkok street food. There is no Pad Thai sweetened for the American palate here. The noodle dishes are spicy and savory, the ingredients come straight from the farm stands just outside the door, and the menu includes options you will not find in most Thai restaurants in the United States, including grilled pork shoulder, crispy pancakes fried with assorted seafood, and fresh fruit smoothies to tame the heat.

After 17 years, the Michelin Guide granted Nonna a Bib Gourmand, but tucked into a strip mall with minimalist signage, it still feels like an immaculately kept secret. Tastefully dim lighting and the aroma from the wood-fire oven set the tone for this upscale neighborhood Italian restaurant. The menu changes with the seasons, but two signature dishes remain: the Ravioli of Maine Lobster and the White Clam Pie. Set on a crust marked with perfectly blistered air bubbles, the White Clam Pie is topped with a creamy olive oil–based sauce, fresh clams, and grated pecorino.