Our 4 Favorite Dallas Restaurants Right Now — What to Order at Mamani Owners’ New Bakery, Apothecary 2.0, and More

After Michelin-recognized Rye closed on Lower Greenville almost a month ago, its sister concept (and next-door neighbor), Apothecary, underwent a remodel, expanding across both spaces. Now, the favorite Dallas cocktail bar has reopened as a two-room experience. Archive and Alchemy are two different rooms with different cocktail menus that Apothecary, though both spaces share the same full dinner menu (also a new offering for the bar).

The former Rye space is now Archive, featuring a “more approachable menu” including drinks from Apothecary’s original “Over the Counter” section and other classic cocktail options. The original Apothecary space is now the Alchemy room, which offers more adventurous options.

What to Order:

• Cocktails are necessary at Apothecary. There’s always something new and creative to try. During our recent dinner, we enjoyed one of the more “adventurous” options — the Opium Den with rum, poppy seed clarified milk syrup, chocolate mole bitters, and more. It’s also smoked at the table.
• A Rye favorite — the Icelandic Hot Dog bite is still a must-order with its TX wagyu dog and rudbrod bun
• The steak tartare made with TX wagyu and served with bread
• Japanese elotes with miso butter, Kewpie mayo, togarashi, katsuobushi, sesame seeds, and micro cilantro
• Another popular dish from the Rye menu, the beef cheek tacos, was our favorite bite of the evening
• The roasted local vegetables are a delicious “side” dish consisting of rainbow carrots, rainbow chard, burnt miso glaze, spiced honey butter, goat cheese, and blackened pepitas
• For dessert, you can’t miss the S’mores. It comes out with its own little fire, so you can roast your own marshmallow before topping it onto a graham cake with chocolate namelaka and graham cracker & cocoa nib crumble. It’s one of the most indulgent versions of the classic campfire treat you’ll ever try.
• We also can’t forget about the Softserve Margarita that the bar is quickly become a hot spot for. It’s a grilled pineapple soft serve with tequila, lime, and chili salt. You have to be careful with this one.

The most recent addition to Dallas’ bakery scene, The Bread Club, comes from the owners of Michelin-starred Mamani. It’s located right next door to the modern European restaurant at Uptown’s The Quad. Led by baking director Peter Edris (formerly of Frenchette Bakery in New York City), the new bakery mills Texas-grown grains in-house to produce handcrafted breads, laminated pastries, made-to-order sandwiches, grab-and-go salads, sweets, signature matcha drinks, and coffee.

What to Order:

• For breakfast, don’t miss The Breakfast Sandwich. My favorite during a recent brunchtime visit, the sammie features spinach & chive egg, chipotle aioli, cheddar cheese, avocado, and bacon on a torta bun.
• The Turkey Brie sandwich is also a delicious option with turkey breast, cranberry mustard, spinach, and brie
• We obviously haven’t had a chance to try all the pastries on the menu yet (there are 18 including cookies, muffins, and tarts), but some favorites so far include the seasonal danish (it was strawberries & cream when we visited), The Sausage Roll, the Chocolate “B” Croissant, and Ensaymada.
• For coffee and matcha, make sure to try the Einspanner Latte and Berry Matcha — both are topped with vanilla bean cold foam

The first restaurant from Dallas-based Duro Hospitality recently unveiled its transformed interiors, which are “richer, sexier, moodier, and more magnetic than ever.” The Charles also debuted a new menu that focuses on dishes prepared on their wood-fired grill, like the rustic and smoky BBQ Pork Jowl with cavolo nero, charred lemon, and black garlic. We revisited the restaurant to taste the newest menu options. Here are our favorite new dishes at The Charles.

What to Order:

• Focaccia di Charles — the prosciutto and black truffle honey version ($59)
• Bluefin Tuna Carpaccio with green tomato vinaigrette and crispy quinoa
• Snow Crab Six Pack — ravioli with Vadouvan cream, pickled shallot, and chive
• The gorgonzola-crusted grilled waygu NY strip
• A side of crispy sunchokes with truffled aioli and parmesan
• Affogato Semifreddo for dessert, lit on fire tableside

From the owners of The Old Monk, this new cocktail bar recently debuted right next door to the new Oak Cliff location of the beloved Dallas Irish bar. The menu features 14 signature cocktails, beer (only Guinness on draft), wine, and seltzer, as well as a couple of snacks and a dozen kinds of 12-inch New York-inspired pizzas from consultant Lee Hunzinger.

What to Order:

• Santa Muerte — a mezcal-based cocktail with Montenegro, peach, lemon, and serrano hot honey
• Smoked Guinness Old Fashioned
• Charcuterie board with prosciutto, Saint-André cheese, fig jam, olives, pickles, and more
• If you like spicy, the Piccante pizza is a delicious combination of soppressata piccante, Calabrian chiles, whipped ricotta, and hot honey.

We can’t wait to go back and try much more.