Dallas Dining Gets a National Spotlight — The Local Restaurant News You Need to Know Now

Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all of the restaurant news and changes happening in Dallas. It seems like every week a new restaurant is opening, or unfortunately, a favorite closes every now and then. We’ve rounded up the top restaurant news that’s occurred over the past week or so, so you don’t fall behind.

Texas Monthly Lists Spotlights Four Dallas BBQ Spots in Their Top 50

Every four years, Austin-based national publication Texas Monthly magazine releases their Top 50 Barbecue Joints List. This year, several Dallas spots made the list, including Cattleack Barbecue at number six. A few others land in the top 50, like Slow Bone, Smokey Joe’s BBQ, and Terry Black’s. Surprisingly, Deep Ellum staple Pecan Lodge didn’t make the cut (just honorable mention.) Also, Fort Worth’s Goldee’s earned the number one spot (we called it) and Panther City landed at number 10.

Cosmic Cafe Closes, But the Good Vibes Live On

26-year-old restaurant Cosmic Cafe (the colorful Oak Lawn spot that catered to vegetarians way before it was cool) shuttered on Sunday, but the good vibes will live on. First reported by CultureMap, the iconic Dallas restaurant is being transformed into a meditation and yoga studio by owner Praveen Sachdev, who brought on friend and Sun Yoga owner Jim Hunt to help him organize the new donation-based space.

The New York Times names Roots Southern Table a Top 50 Restaurant in the U.S.

The New York Times’ “The Restaurant List” names the top 50 spots the paper is most excited about right now. Only one Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant made the cut: chef Tiffany Derry’s Roots Southern Table. In June, we sat down with Derry and got a taste of the fantastic Southern menu she’s crafted in Farmers Branch. Derry told us that a huge part of Roots is to educate diners on how versatile the region’s cuisine can be, and she definitely achieves it with her dishes. If you go — which you must — make sure to try the fried shrimp and grits, gumbo, and black-eyed pea hummus.

Elephant East Sets an Opening Date

New Asian-inspired restaurant Elephant East announces it will open this Thursday, October 21, in the Harwood District. The new spot will be the neighborhood’s tenth dining concept and offers a Pan Asian-inspired menu crafted by chef Tom Griffin. Dishes include house-made pork baos, Singapore noodles, and a mochi-style donut called Goma Dango.