The Blue Room at ShyBoy
Steven Lindsey | Contributing writer
stevencraiglindsey@gmail.com
Keeping up with North Texas restaurant and bar openings can be a lot of work, even for those of us who cover the Dallas-Fort Worth dining scene regularly. So, it’s easy for new spots to fall off the radar quickly — if they ever made an appearance in the first place.
The past six months have been busy with dining debuts, so we’ve gathered a few can’t-miss options, including their opening dates, and organized them by neighborhood. That way, next time you can’t decide where to go that isn’t the same-old-same-old, you can refer to this list and embark on your own culinary adventure.
Downtown Dallas
Tucked away on side streets or inside towering skyscrapers in the heart of the central business district, several new downtown restaurants have made their debuts. For Mexican fare and an immersive “TacoKase experience” coming this summer, try Luna Roja (April 2; LunaRojaDallas.com).
Shyboy Hi-Fi (March 4; ShyboyHifi.com), Dallas’ first high-fidelity listening bar, has a single food offering (soft serve), but plenty of music and cocktails to keep your tummy distracted.
Design District
(Photo by Robert Tsai)
What was once not much more than block after block of high-end furniture showrooms and interior design offices has blossomed into one of the city’s hottest restaurant districts. New to the Design District by way of Miami, Vegas and Los Angeles, the super-buzzy Delilah Dallas (Feb. 3; DelilahRestaurants.com) offers a modern supper club experience with live music and 1920s glam.
For delightful Asian food from celebrity chef Shirley Chung, check out Night Rooster (Jan. 31, NightRoosterdallas.com), which shares a building with The Saint on Riverfront Boulevard.
Fort Worth
Fort Worth’s Cultural District now has its own refined dining destination inside luxury retailer Forty Five Ten. Café Mirador (March 21; Mirador-Dallas.com) is a worthy spin-off of Mirador, offering some of downtown Fort Worth’s most coveted tables in the Forty Five Ten penthouse.
North Dallas/Addison
Before you ever reach the northern burbs, you’ll find plenty of worthy restaurant destinations, including Zon Zon (Dec. 18; ZonZonDallas.com), a contemporary Mediterranean spot focusing on grilled fare and seasonal ingredients.
La Stella Italian Steakhouse & Music Lounge (Nov. 28; LaStellaItalianSteakhouse.com) took over the longtime Lawry’s Prime Rib, elevating the space and the menu considerably and adding live music.
And over at the brand-spankin’ new Hotel Dax (April 10; HotelDaxAddison.com), multiple venues have debuted, including the American bistro Top Brass; craft cocktail spot Bar Dax; swimming-and-drinks spot Waterloom Pool Lounge and coffee shop Brewed at Hotel Dax.
Plano
For several years, Plano has been attracting well-known concepts from other states, and Nashville-based J. Alexander’s (Jan. 26; JAlexanders.com) represents the latest for upscale casual dining featuring wood-fired options and hand-cut steaks.
Irving/Las Colinas
You’ll find some of the best Southeast Asian food in restaurants across Irving and Las Colinas, so it’s wonderful to have a new option with InSo (March 31; InSoUSA.com ). The name’s short for Indus Social, and the venue transitions from upscale dining room to late-night lounge with live music and theme nights.
West Village
The iconic Uptown shopping center is finding its groove again with a duo of new locations of popular restaurants from elsewhere in the city. Both Hudson House (Feb. 4; HudsonHouse.com) and D.L. Mack’s (March 4; DLMacks.com) bring upscale-but-approachable food and drink with neighborhood vibes, including Hudson House’s famous “World’s Coldest Martini.”
Victory Park
Victory Park restaurants always make great pre- or post-concert/game destinations because of the proximity to American Airlines Center. The latest, Urban Italia (Jan. 9; TheUrbanItalia.com), offers modern Italian-American classics, from pastas to wood-fired pizzas.
Uptown
Blocks from the Oak Lawn Gayborhood, Uptown has always had tremendous appeal, both to diners and restaurateurs looking for hot areas to open restaurants. Direct from NYC, Little Ruby’s (Feb. 2; RubysCafe.com) finds inspiration in Australian cafes with an all-day menu and excellent patio.
A few blocks over at the Quad, The Bread Club (March 9; TheBreadClub.com) aims to satisfy every carb craving with scratch-made breads, pastries and sandwiches.