My Favorite Food Spots in DFW Metro Area (2024)

If you’re new to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and looking for some great spots to enjoy a variety of delicious foods, here are some of my favorites.

Contents

• Desserts
• BBQ
• Steaks
• Italian
• Tex-Mex
• Tacos
• Fancy Mexican Restaurant
• Tamales
• Cajun
• Seafood
• Burgers
• Pizza
• Fried Chicken
• Salad and Sandwiches

Desserts

• Piefalootin (Garland): A dessert lover’s paradise.

BBQ

• Hutchins BBQ (McKinney and Frisco): Fantastic meats and sides, great beef ribs, plus free desserts.
• Tender Smokehouse (Frisco): Best known for their pork ribs (not brisket).
• Linke's BBQ (Wylie): Great brisket.
• Terry Black's (Dallas): Great beef ribs.
• El Tejas Twist (Forney): Great beef ribs.
• Smoke Sessions (Royse City): Excellent brisket and amazing potato salad.

Steaks

• Eddie V’s (Dallas): High-end dining experience.
• Silver Fox (Fort Worth, Richardson): Elegant atmosphere with delicious steaks.
• Bob’s Steak & Chop House (Dallas): A well-known favorite.
• Pappa Bros. Steakhouse (Dallas): Premium steak experience.
• Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille (Dallas): Known for their pork chops as well.
• The Winewood Grill (Grapevine): A great spot for steak in Grapevine.

Italian

• Terra at Eataly (North Park, Dallas): Authentic Italian dishes. Check out the Terra restaurant within Eataly, a branch of the renowned Italian marketplace founded by Oscar Farinetti.

Tex-Mex

• El Tejas Twist (Forney): A unique blend of Tex-Mex and BBQ.
• Mena's (Flower Mound, Richardson and Carrollton): Classic Tex-Mex dishes.
• Cuquita’s (Garland, Dallas, and Farmer’s Branch): Another favorite for Tex-Mex.
• Esparza’s (Grapevine): Known for their enchiladas and more.
• Gonzales Tex-Mex (Dallas): Best homemade flour tortillas.
• Sueño (Richardson): Top-notch dining experience.

Tacos

• Tranky's Tacos (Garland): A must-try for taco lovers.

Fancy Mexican Restaurant

• The Mexican (Dallas): For a more upscale Mexican dining experience.

Tamales

• El Tejas Twist (Forney): If you need to buy them.
• Tamaleria Nuevo León (Richardson): Their spicy pork tamales are the best.
• House Tamal (Garland): Another great spot for tamales.

Cajun

• The South (Wylie): Best homemade Cajun food. (Also, the owner is one of our neighbors!)

Seafood

• Pappadeaux (Multiple Locations): Excellent seafood dishes, not just fried options. Favorites include the Mahi (or Salmon) Alexander and blackened sea bass.
• Flying Fish (Plano, Garland): Great, casual, consistent, and inexpensive seafood. The Plano location is better than the Garland location.
• Anaya’s Seafood (Richardson): Another favorite.
• Urban Seafood (Plano): Fantastic calamari steak, though it might be a special and not always on the menu.

Burgers

• Tranky's Tacos (Garland): Yes, they have great burgers too.
• Burger House (Garland): Classic burgers.
• Boots Burgers (Rockwall): A local favorite.
• Liberty Burger (Multiple Locations): Right next to Silver Fox, great burgers.

Pizza

• Urban Crust (Plano): Delicious wood-fired pizza.
• Zanata (Rockwall): Great pizza spot. Try the grilled pork chop with lobster truffle risotto and the Z salad. The shrimp and shrooms dish is popular but may be on the specials menu. It's best to arrive early (around 5pm) to avoid a long wait, especially on Wednesdays. After 8pm, it’s easier to get a table.
• Venezia Cafe (Richardson/Murphy): Fantastic Italian-style pizza.
• Zalat (CityLine, Richardson): Great for a quick pizza fix.

Fried Chicken

• Babe’s Chicken (Multiple Locations): All locations are fantastic for fried chicken.
• Ricky’s Hot Chicken (Richardson): Best for chicken tenders and fries. Note that everything is spicy, even the "mild," so it’s not for everyone.

Salad and Sandwiches

• Eatzi’s (Plano): Great selection of salads and sandwiches.

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All these spots are within a 30-minute drive and are definitely worth the trip. Enjoy exploring the culinary delights of the DFW Metroplex!