Our 5 Favorite Dallas Restaurants Right Now — What To Order at ELLA, Frenchie, The PoBoy Shop, and More

This new intimate American bistro with modern comfort food just took over Chido Taco Lounge in Preston Hollow Village. It comes from the same owner, Blaine McGowan, along with former Rye bar manager Julian Shaffer (we won the 2024 MICHELIN Guide Texas Exceptional Cocktails Award) as General Manager and Beverage Director. The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Kyle Farr, formerly of Sachet and Boulevardier.

Recommendations: Start with the Libertad cocktail at ELLA. It’s a pleasantly surprising, clear drink with clarified watermelon, salted sakura blossom, and Mexican rum, along with green chive oil droplets floating on top. We have also already planned our return to try the Poached Pear with Calvados, Saint Louis brandy, summer pears, riesling, and baking spices — which Shaffer tells us he is still perfecting.

For food, the steak tartare was the stand-out appetizer during our recent dinner at the new spot. It’s made the classic way, but elevated with black garlic yogurt, Dijon, egg yolk jam, and fingerling potato chips. The mussels were also a favorite with Casino butter, champagne, pickled red onion, and pickled celery. Another highlight was the corn soup made with smoked avocado, corn relish, and corn stock. Absolutely delightful for summertime.

Our short rib entree was perfectly cooked, falling apart as the fork hit the slow-braised meat, and was served with a delicious smoked sweet potato and charred broccolini. Make sure to also add a side of the Rye milk buns with whipped brown butter and apricot jam.

For dessert, you can’t go wrong with the purple velvet cake. It’s made with ube and blueberries and is visually stunning.

From the owners of Le PasSage and Georgie comes a new all-day French café at The Plaza at Preston Center. Led by Culinary Director Bruno Davaillon, the restaurant is more casual than the other Travis Street Hospitality concepts but still offers the French flair that the group is known for in Knox-Henderson. The former Corner Bakery space features a dining room, bar, and covered patio with an indoor-outdoor bar.

Recommendations: Make sure to order lots of apps, there are so many to choose from. We loved the Provençale tomato tart, salmon carpaccio, and escargots, but the perfectly flaky tomato tart with goat cheese and basil was the highlight. The lemony salmon carpaccio was also surprising, topped with crispy quinoa — something I had never seen before. And next time, I’m going to make sure to try the gougères (cheese puffs) and chickpea fritters. Also, maybe a shareable cheese soufflé…

For mains, there are burgers, sandwiches, salads, grilled fish & chicken, and so much more. On our visit, we were happy with our orrechiette pasta with grilled chicken, English peas, button mushrooms, and parmesan cream. More French-forward entrees include Croque Monsieur, Croque Madame, French Omelette, and Quiche Lorraine — which so many diners around us ordered, so we’ve noted to try it next time.

Besides the apps, we will undoubtedly be returning for the desserts at Frenchie. Café Liégois has quickly become a favorite at the restaurant, our waiter tells us, and we had to agree. It was delicious with espresso ice cream, chocolate crumble, chantilly, and candied almonds. The nougat glace was a close second for us with honey & citrus semifreddo, pecan praline, and chocolate sauce. And if you prefer fruity over chocolatey, the pavlova is a great choice with strawberries and blueberries.

This sky-high steakhouse on the 27th floor of Hilton Anatole has been open for a while now, but it just had a chef (Aubrey Murphy is Executive Chef) switch-up a couple of years ago. With that change, new menu items were added, such as HeartBrand Beef. Executive Sous Chef Mike Jackson tells us that SER is currently the only steakhouse in Dallas to use it.

Recommendations: Start with the caviar churro. A fourth of an ounce of Osetra caviar tops four golden churros and is served with a green onion crema — perfect for sharing. Pair with the favorite beef tartare, which is made traditional with a twist using Texas wagyu, caper powder, and garlic-Dijon aioli. It comes with several pieces of puffed tendon instead of the classic bread.

For mains, both my fiancé and I got steak; I had the petite filet mignon, and he had the massive 18-ounce New York Strip (HeartBrand Reserve Certified, Akaushi). We suggest enhancing your meat with the bleu cheese crust and adding on a sauce flight — house steak sauce, red chimichurri, au poivre, and béarnaise — and truffle butter.

We loved the local carrots, potato purée, and the mac and cheese side has been upgraded with crispy chicken skin instead of bacon. The elote-style creamed corn is also a must-order with Tajin kettle corn on top.

You also can’t miss dessert at SER. The Texas Honey Cheesecake is a stunner with an adorable bumblebee design and a mixed berry mascarpone I couldn’t get enough of.

A new fast-casual restaurant from local butcher shop owner Evan Meagher, The PoBoy Shop, recently opened at Dallas’ Preston Center. It serves cold and hot po’boys with house-prepared meats, Cajun sides, and salads. Bread is sourced directly from Langlinais Baking Company in Lafayette, the same bakery where Meagher held his first job. The new spot also offers small-batch sodas (made with real Louisiana sugarcane) from Dallas-based Oak Cliff Beverage Works and a few house-made beverages.

The 1,200-square-foot space was designed by Wallace Johnson Studio with Louisiana-inspired décor like vibrant green tile and whimsical Louisiana-inspired wallpaper. It’s a great spot to grab-and-go or enjoy a quick lunch on the patio or one of the few tables inside.

Recommendations: Order the Swamp Water. I was skeptical of it being sugary, but it’s light and refreshing with cucumber, mint, and the smallest amount (seemingly) of simple syrup. All of the hot sandwich options on the menu sounded good (the cold ones you build yourself), so it was tough to narrow down to just a few to try. The Muffaletta was by far the winner, though. Made with house-made ham, salami, bologna, giardiniera, pickled carrots, cauliflower, onion, celery, and olives, this is the sandwich I will be returning for.

Other favorites include the Fried Bologna, not at all like what you remember as a kid, with melted cheddar cheese and yellow mustard, the Cajun seasoned curly fries fried in beef tallow, and potato salad with yellow mustard, mayo, and scallions.

A Nashville favorite, this Chicago-based restaurant recently opened its first Texas outpost in Downtown Dallas — in the former Iron Cactus space. The four-story location offers expansive indoor, outdoor, and rooftop dining areas, featuring a 360-degree bar and The Hampton Social’s signature “Rosé All Day” neon sign. This is also the first location to offer a members-only club called the Hampton House.

Recommendations: Start with the tuna tartare and make sure to get a hefty bite of tuna, avocado, and honey chili vinaigrette on each taro chip. The lobster roll is also a must-try at The Hampton Social. You can opt for it Manhattan style, warm and buttery, or Maine style, chilled and creamy. Both are delicious. Swap the housemade chips for the roasted heirloom carrots side for a healthier option. But also, don’t forget to order the banana cream pie for dessert because it’s incredible. It’s bananas, chocolate shavings, and whipped cream atop a toasted waffle. What more do you want?