Restaurant Recommendations in Dallas, TX
 

We are going to be in Dallas for a soccer tournament. Was wondering if you can provide some restaurant recommendations. What is not to be missed?

Also...what's there to do in Dallas? We may also take a day trip to Austin. Any sights/activities that is a must?

Where are the good shopping areas in Dallas?

Thanks!

Where will you be staying in Dallas? It's a very spread out city.

Also, Austin is about 200 miles from Dallas, just FYI.

Are you looking for shopping malls?? If so, there are big malls, small malls, mini-malls, strip malls, etc. all over Dallas and the surrounding communities.

As for restaurants, there are over 3,000 just in Dallas "proper" and perhaps twice that many within a 10 to 20 minute drive of the city center. What type of food and price range are you seeking.

Yeah . . . you have to do better than this.

First, what types of food and what budget?

Dallas has more restaurants per capita than NYC. It has Tex-Mex, Mexican, Thai, Southwest, BBQ, steaks, Korean, some Cajun, Southern, Brazilian style meat bombs and others that are good or better.

Second, where will you be? If you're staying near the tournament, where's the tournament being held? Physically, Dallas is larger than NYC. Dallas County alone is 900+ square miles. Dallas and Tarrant Counties (Ft Worth is the Tarrant County seat) are 50% larger than Rhode Island.

Third, what kind of shopping? Neiman Marcus has its flagship in downtown Dallas and a store at Northpark Mall (google it). Nordstrom has stores at Northpark and the Galleria (google it). There are at least 3 outlet malls within 35 minutes of downtown Dallas - Grapevine Mills, Grand Prairie Premium Outlets, and Allen Premium Outlets.

Fourth, what do you like to do? There are museums in downtown Dallas' Arts District, the Perot Museum near the West End, the Dallas Arboretum, the semi-obligatory for visitors Book Depository, the Dallas World Aquarium, the Dallas Zoo, and museums in FW's arts district, an arboretum in FW, the FW Zoo.

Look: your question of "what is there to do" is too broad and a bit condescending. This isn't the boonies, it's the fourth largest market in the United States. Every major sport and wannabe major sport has a team here and it's the only part of Texas that can say that. Every major concert series comes through here if the tour is going to hit Texas. There are plays, comedy clubs, musicals, opera, and pick-a-music-style club in Dallas. Do some homework and we're more than happy to help.

Thanks for the info. Yes...sorry this is a last minute trip and haven't had a chance to do a lot of research since we are leaving soon. We want to do more than just soccer stuff since we will be in Dallas for 5 days. Games are at MoneyGram Park, we are staying in north Dallas near I635 and North Central Expwy.

As far as food goes, we wanted to try a good BBQ place, have a terrific steak (doesn't have to be fancy) and good Mexican and Tex Mex. This is our first trip to Texas!

Good to know that the flagship Neimans is in Downtown. I will definitely be going there. I will hit up the Nordstrom too...curious to see the different merchandised carried in different regions.

Will not do any museums this trip as we will be going to a lot of museums in a few months in the east coast. We probably only have a couple days free to explore.

Thanks in advance!

The Galleria Shopping Mall is not far from the intersection of I-635 and North Central Expressway - it has a Nordstrom's along with a hundred or so other upscale stores.

Thank you. Will check out Galleria!
Is Salt Lick worth driving to?

If you want the classic grand lady of Dallas malls, check out Northpark, which is south on Central Expressway (75) from where are staying. www.northparkcenter.com.

Are you asking about Salt Lick BBQ Restaurant in Driftwood, TX? If so, that's about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Dallas - a bit far to go for something to eat. There are dozens of places in and around Dallas that are as good or better. Same with Steak Houses - plenty to choose from in Dallas.

Google "Best BBQ in Dallas" & "Best Steak Houses in Dallas" you'll find numerous lists and reviews. Everybody has their favorites.

I think the Sixth Floor Museum is not to be missed in Dallas. I know you. Said you didn't want museums but it's very well done and so (unfortunately) unique to Dallas.

Will you be at the soccer tournament for all 5 days?

<<If you want the classic grand lady of Dallas malls, check out Northpark, which is south on Central Expressway (75) from where are staying.>>

Today, Northpark is more updated and modernized than the Galleria (although neither is particularly aged). Northpark revamped and expanded a half-dozen years ago or so, and there is a sizable shopping area (The Shops @ Park Lane) on the east side of 75.

Note that no one calls it "north central expressway" - it's "Central" or "75" (because it's U.S. Highway 75 - it goes into Oklahoma and beyond). Northpark is on the west side of the highway at Northwest Highway (or Park Lane).

Northpark Mall has both a Neiman's and a Nordstrom's (and a Macy's and a Dillard's).

Thanks for all the recommendations. We are in Dallas now. Yes...5 days of soccer. Tournament is actually for the entire week but we are here for part of it.

I went to Northpark Mall...and loved it! Neimans, Anthro, Free People. Beautiful artwork and sculptures throughout. Even the planters in the middle...the caretaker was being so meticulous trimming the plants. Also stopped by the Galleria (yes, I like to shop). Wasn't as impressed. Lots of stores and a big mall, kind of reminds me of what we have in CA.

So far we've eaten at Uncle Julio's (good fajitas and chips), Dylan's BBQ Saloon (This was a good find. Cute atmosphere. We had BBQ sandwiches which were delicious.) and Kenny's Woodfire Grill (great service, food very rich). Have to figure out other places for the next few days. Wanted to try Pecan Lodge...but may not be able to fit into our schedule. Isn't there a long wait?

We went to the area near the 6th Floor Museum at night just to check out the area. We were greeted by a homeless (?) man who became our personal tour guide. He was very informative! I don't think we have time to check out the museum. Can we do the museum in 2 hours?

If you get to Pecan Lodge around 1130 or 1145, your wait won't be that long.

Get the brisket or ribs because the pork is ok and the sausage is unimpressive. Lockhart's sausage is way better, same for Rudy's (which is the best of the chains).

I think you could easily do the Sixth Floor museum in two hours and feel like you did it decent justice.

Sounds like you are finding good places to eat. Yelp is wonderful and Dallas has SO many restaurants. The Pappas Brothers chain is near the soccer park, and a lot of people really like them, although I confess to being a "chain food snob" and don't go. But Pappas could be a solid choice for something near the event.

<<Pappas Brothers chain>> is inherently ambiguous. There are tons of Pappas branded restaurants. The Pappas probably own the most restaurants in Texas.

Pappadeaux, Pappasito's, Pappas Bros. steak house (and top steak house chains are inherently immune from "chain food snobs" - it's not like any Ruth's Chris or Smith & Wollensky outlets are dumps and the Pappas Bros steaks are consistently rated among the best in Dallas, which is a town that prides itself on knowing quality steer-muscle), and more.

If jayne is on about Pappas Bros. BBQ, that's just ok - better than Sonny Bryan's or Dickey's, not nearly as good as Lockhart or Pecan Lodge or even Rudy's. The fries are especially good, the desserts will keep the kids running around like . . . kids, the rest of it is ho-hum.

Hi Everyone!
Coming back to Dallas for soccer again. This time we want to have a really good steak. What do you recommend? Thinking about Pappa Bros (which we didn't get to try last time)...or III Fork? Thoughts?

And we are looking forward to going back to Pecan Lodge :)

Pappas Bros Steakhouse on Lombardy lane is amazing, I highly recommend it. Also, there's a new app called InstantLocal that is handy for finding restaurants in Dallas.

Dallas, TX is a terrific city. I was there with my husband on a business trip last summer. He and his boss came to work. I and the boss's wife did not know what to do. We came to this city for the first time and therefore did not know what to do and where to begin our journey. We wanted to have dinner in the restaurant, take a walk in the park, see the night city. My friend offered to order a limousine and make a small trip. Decided to use the already check site limoscanner. And immediately found a lot of attractive offers. If been honest, we chose cheaper, because it was the first day and did not want to spend all the money at once. Found a company Alliance Limousines & Transportation which offered $413 to buy 7 hours and get 1 hour free. A big and beautiful limousine with a polite driver arrived and our journey began. Immediately we went to Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, it was very nice. Next we went to White Rock Lake Park, then we went to the Klyde Warren Park. We were tired of walking and decided to dine at YO Ranch Steakhouse. Then we bought a few bottles of champagne and all the rest of the time we drove around the city. At the end of our walk we went to Winspear Opera House, where our husbands waited for us. The trip was a success and everyone was satisfied.

Dallas, TX is a terrific city. I was there with my husband on a business trip last summer. He and his boss came to work. I and the boss's wife did not know what to do. We came to this city for the first time and therefore did not know what to do and where to begin our journey. We wanted to have dinner in the restaurant, take a walk in the park, see the night city. My friend offered to order a limousine and make a small trip. Decided to use the already check site limoscanner. And immediately found a lot of attractive offers. If been honest, we chose cheaper, because it was the first day and did not want to spend all the money at once. Found a company Alliance Limousines & Transportation which offered $413 to buy 7 hours and get 1 hour free ( https://limoscanner.com/services/971...t-1-hour-free/ ). A big and beautiful limousine with a polite driver arrived and our journey began. Immediately we went to Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, it was very nice. Next we went to White Rock Lake Park, then we went to the Klyde Warren Park. We were tired of walking and decided to dine at YO Ranch Steakhouse. Then we bought a few bottles of champagne and all the rest of the time we drove around the city. At the end of our walk we went to Winspear Opera House, where our husbands waited for us. The trip was a success and everyone was satisfied.