Our Favorite Dallas Restaurants Right Now — What To Order at A New Orleans-Inspired Bar, Greek Oasis in Bishop Arts, and More

The owners of Uptown’s S&D Oyster Company, a Dallas classic, just debuted a “hidden” New Orleans-inspired cocktail lounge above the seafood restaurant. The cozy, intimate space boasts vaulted ceilings, original red brick, plank wood paneling, a crystal chandelier, velvet drapery, an antique-mirrored wood-burning fireplace, and a balcony overlooking S&D’s courtyard.

Recommendations: Led by Shane Scully, this new spot is mixing some of the best cocktails in the city. For spice lovers, the Holy Trinity is a must-try with mezcal, poblano liqueur, and bell pepper Oleo, while the Café Brûlée is a delicious take on an espresso martini. It includes brandy, café Amaro, chicory coffee, cinnamon & clove demerara, and egg. The top is lightly burnt, similar to a crème brûlée. And for something a bit fruitier, the Maison Verte has a nice balance of floral and sweet with tequila, house chartreuse, basil eau de vie, and pineapple cordial.

The food menu only offers five options. During our visit, we particularly enjoyed the deviled eggs with Creole yolk mousse, panko crisp, onion jam, and truffle pearls, as well as the charcuterie & cheese, which featured a lovely assortment of cheeses, meats, house cornbread, candied pecans, and more. We’ll definitely be back to try the black-eyed pea hummus and steak tartare, along with several more of the intriguing cocktails on the menu, like the Oyster Co. Martini with a roasted oyster shell vodka.

Since its opening in 2023, this upscale steak and seafood concept at the top of Reunion Tower has been popular for its 360-degree views of the city and locally-sourced steaks. But we’ve always loved the sushi portion of the menu, and now it’s gotten an upgrade with the new Head Sushi Chef at Crown Block, Kesao Otake. He formerly served as lead sushi chef at Vandelay Hospitality’s Anchor Sushi Bar and has “enhanced Crown Block’s sushi program by blending traditional techniques with modern influences from French and Italian cuisine.”

New sushi recommendations: Chef Otake has brought several new sushi dishes to the menu, but we especially enjoyed the Hokkaido Scallop crudo with honey yuzu sauce, Ossetra caviar, yuzu kosho, and lime zest. The Summer Roll is another stunner with seared salmon, asparagus, avocado salad, and more. We also loved the new handrolls ($16 each) — available in salmon, yellowtail, spicy tuna, snow crab, and scallop.

And you can’t leave Crown Block without an order of the Society Party Cake. The massive slice of layered chocolate cake with caramelized banana, milk chocolate mousse, dark chocolate glaze, gold leaf, and pink peppercorn dust is one of our favorite desserts in Dallas.

In 2023, the owners of Selda Mediterranean opened a new outpost under their restaurant brand in the historic former home of George Sergeant (who served as the mayor of Oak Cliff in the 1930s) in Bishop Arts. The Mayor’s House by Selda quickly became a popular spot in the neighborhood for Turkish cuisine. Now, the group has expanded several streets over with a Greek-focused concept in the former Nora space on Bishop Avenue.

Recommendations: Start with the spicy hummus. It’s really not that spicy, but flavorful with garlic, olive oil, lemon, and Turkish chili. Another favorite cold starter is the Pink Sultan — a roasted beet purée with labneh, basil, olive oil, and walnuts. Both are served with pita. For hot starters, the Saganaki is a nice pan-fried Greek cheese. Besides a few choices of meat skewers, the menu at Elia is seafood-focused. We highly recommend the salmon souvlaki served with a lemon-herb marinade that is absolutely delicious. And for some reason, they were out of all the desserts on the regular menu (only offering a special Greek flan that evening), but we want to return to try the baklava.