Our 4 Favorite Dallas Restaurants Right Now — What to Order at Chef Omar Flores’ New Coastal Mexican Spot, Seegars Deli, and More
Brand New Spots and a Local Staple That Wowed Us This Spring
By Megan Ziots //
The Dallas restaurant openings don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. There are several brand-new spots to check out, as well as old favorites revamping their spaces and menus. In our What to Order series, we do the work for you by visiting the latest hot spots and narrowing down the best (in our opinion) bites at each.
For this month’s round-up, we dined at Chef Omar Flores’ new coastal Mexican restaurant, a new retro deli in The Cedars, and Texas’ first outpost of Italian spot Ospi. We also visited St. Martin’s Wine Bistro’s new East Dallas location for the first time and enjoyed their signature dishes and bites from their latest spring menu.
These are our 4 favorite Dallas restaurants right now, and what to order at each spot.
Maroma’s atmosphere evolves throughout the day, embodying its “Daylight to Dusk” philosophy. (Photo by Samantha Marie Photography)
From Chef Omar Flores, whose Big Dill Hospitality group owns Casa Brasa, Muchacho, and Even Coast, has finally debuted his new coastal Mexican restaurant in Dallas’ Design District. Maroma is located on the ground floor of the newly built Thirteen Thirty Three Building, bringing ceviches, aguachiles, seafood, and mesquite wood-grilled meats to the neighborhood. We did a full first taste review of the new restaurant here, but these are the highlights:
What to Order:
- Yellowtail aguachile negro
- Bluefin tuna tostada
- Smoked beef cheek barbacoa sopes
- Baja fish tacos
- Spanish octopus “A La Brava”
- Strawberry cuatro leches
The roasted beet tartare is a favorite on St. Martin's spring menu. (Courtesy)
A couple of years ago, this 46-year-old French spot (and one of Dallas’ most romantic restaurants) relocated from Greenville Avenue to Old East Dallas. The new space features black and white checkerboard floors, chandeliers, and a piano — retaining the classic charm of the original with a refreshed feel. It remains a perfect setting for a quiet, cozy evening.
This spring, St. Martin’s launched some new menu items. We tried a few of them, as well as some of their staples. Here’s what we loved the most:
What to Order:
- Seared Crab Cake with sauce remoulade
- Lobster Terrine with sauce champagne, dill, and smoked trout roe
- Roasted Beet Tartare with cashew cream, white balsamic, and cider reduction
- Champagne Brie Soup — a house signature
- Sea Scallops & Pork Belly with morels, artichoke, carrots, and peas
- Filet au poivre with pommes frites
- And, of course, you can’t leave without trying the classic soufflé
Seegars Deli is a sandwich shop with cocktails, coffee, and more in Dallas' The Cedars. (Courtesy)
Opened by Olivia Genthe (Fount Board and Table, Little Blue Bistro), this new deli is a must-visit for great sandwiches in Dallas’ The Cedars. Seegars offers around 15 options of sandwiches, as well as house chips and French fries as sides. The spot also doubles as a coffee shop offering cappuccinos, lattes, and espresso. You’ll find a cocktail menu as well with selections like boilermakers, highballs, and a few signature drinks.
What to Order:
- I started with the Outrageous Women cocktail, which is Seegars’ take on a Trinidad Sour, but there are also a few others, such as the 1910 S Harwood and Super Big Gulp, to check out.
- If you’re a turkey lover, definitely try the Dill Turkey. It comes topped with Havarti, pickle relish, garlic mayo, and lettuce.
- The pastrami is another must-order served on marble rye with mustard. Make it Ruben style with kraut and Thousand Island dressing.
- The Italian is a favorite for its prosciutto, Capicola, salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, and Seegars’ sauce.
- The house chips also deserve a shoutout. Order them.
California-based Ospi is known for its spicy rigatoni. (Courtesy)
This California-based Southern Italian restaurant comes from Top Chef alumnus Jackson Kalb. A part of Mememto Mori Hospitality, the new Design District spot took over the former Meddlesome Moth space and is offering house-made pastas and pizzas. It’s open for lunch as well, and there’s lots more on the menu, but this is what we enjoyed at a recent dinner.
What to Order:
- Beef tartare with focaccia – Akuashi wagyu with tonnato, crispy potato, and parmesan
- Whipped ricotta with focaccia
- Cauliflower with Calabrian chili tahini, medjool date, pepita, and herbs — the favorite dish of the night
- Mandilli pasta – made with a silky almond-pine nut pesto
- Chicken parmesan – a massive portion made with cultured brown butter, mozzarella, vodka sauce, and basil. Add a side of capellini pasta.
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