Our 4 Favorite Dallas Restaurants Right Now — What to Order at Trattoria Bugatti, Neighborhood Sushi, Sueño, and More

From the Bugatti family and Odeh Restaurant Group, Trattoria Bugatti is a new Italian restaurant in Dallas’ Midway Hollow — steps away from the owner’s original outpost of Bugatti Ristorante (now in Farmers Branch). Led by Executive Chef Erin Willis (former owner of RM 12:20 Bistro and James Beard Award nominee), the new spot offers a “modern interpretation of Italian dining while honoring the culinary traditions that built the Bugatti name.”

After she was approached by the Bugatti team, Chef Willis tells us that she literally dusted off her journal from 20 years ago, from her time studying cooking and food culture in Italy. Most of the recipes on Trattoria Bugatti’s menu are things she made during that period, including the “True” Italian Alfredo (made without cream) and Testaroli — a semolina pancake dish not often found at “Americanized” Italian restaurants. She told us that if she was going to do an Italian restaurant, she wanted to do it as authentically as possible.

Chef Willis is also using several local partnerships for ingredients, including sourdough pizza and focaccia dough from Lubbies Bagels, gelato from Botolino, and fresh pasta from Fresh Pasta Delights. After a recent visit for dinner (they are also open for lunch as well), we could immediately taste the freshness in every bite.

What To Order:

• Start with the crab cakes. Two crab-heavy (this is a good thing) cakes come filled with Fresno peppers and topped with a delicious lemon aioli.
• As mentioned above, the testaroli is an authentic Italian dish you must try when dining at Trattoria Bugatti. The almost crepe-like, rolled pancakes come topped with basil pesto and pecorino.
• For pastas, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the choices, but we loved the “True” Italian Alfredo with only fettuccini, butter, garlic, and Parmesan, as well as the Lasagna “Rotta” — Chef Willis’ modern take on lasagna with housemade meatballs, ricotta, pecorino, and broken sheet noodles. You also get to choose between tomato sauce and arrabbiata sauce for this one.
• The stunner of the evening was the pork Milanese. Besides being plated beautifully, it’s a perfectly breaded and cooked bone-in Duroc pork chop with garlic, tomato-herb chutney, and aged balsamic. Even after we ate all the protein, I was still scooping up the side of arugula with all the different flavors.
• For dessert, the limoncello tiramisu with pistachio biscuits is a stand-out. We also added on a scoop of pistachio gelato because I can never pass up Botolino.

This Austin-based Japanese-inspired restaurant debuted its second location ever at Dallas’ The Shops of Highland Park. Neighborhood Sushi is now serving its beloved Austin menu of nigiri, sashimi, and rolls in the Park Cities. There is more to try here than one visit can accomplish, but we found some top picks during our dinner.

What To Order: 

• To start, we loved the Mishimi Reserve Wagyu and Miso Bass yaki. The former came with a delicious kizami chimichurri, while the latter delighted us with yuzu and black pepper.
• There is a lot of nigiri on Neighborhood Sushi’s menu, and we made sure to try plenty. Surprisingly, our favorites were the vegetable options: Sweet & Sour Eggplant and Sweet Corn — something we’ve never tried before at a sushi restaurant.
• For fish nigiri, our best bites were the fluke, amberjack, Tasmanian trout, Barnegat Light scallop, and King Crab.
• Handrolls are also a popular choice here — the Tuna Wasabi and Salmon Avocado Crunch in particular are filled with solid portions of fish and lots of flavor.
• Don’t miss dessert at Neighborhood Sushi. We enjoyed the dark chocolate namelaka with sesame chantilly, miso, and almond tuile, as well as the showstopping Kakigori.

This Richardson-based Mexican restaurant opened its second outpost in Dallas’ Snider Plaza this summer. In addition to its popular menu, the Dallas spot includes a tequila lounge called Alma Agave. The new space also features a stunning covered patio, as well as commissioned artworks sprinkled throughout the dining room. Led by Executive Chef Cristos Andrade, the Dallas menu boasts tacos, enchiladas, larger plates, and more.

What To Order: 

• Begin with an order of the bone marrow pork belly. It’s a pan-seared pork belly with salsa tatemada, avocado puree, and bone marrow-infused crema Oaxaqueńa.
• The Tiradito de Camarón is another favorite for its gulf Pacific shrimp and kick of spice from serrano cucumber
• We were feeling tacos during our dinner at Sueño, so we ordered the Jalisco birria tacos — a popular pick at the Richardson location. These were delicious with oven-braised lamb, melted cheese, and red onion, with Jalisco consommé for dipping.
• A surprising best bite of the evening for me was the cilantro pesto salad. It’s a light and tasty mixed greens salad with jicama, green apple, chayote, grapes, and avocado. You can also add on protein if you want to order it as your entrée.

Bob’s Steak & Chop House is a Dallas classic for a reason. Since 1993, the steakhouse has been serving prime steaks, chops, and seafood alongside some famous glazed carrots. We recently visited the restaurant and indulged in some of the dishes that have made Bob’s a staple for 33 years.

What To Order: 

• Shrimp Platter with shrimp cocktail, shrimp remoulade, and fried shrimp — the favorite was the fried, of course.
• Roasted Neuske’s Bacon — I’m not a big bacon person, but this iteration was worth it.
• Prime Bone-In Kansas City Strip and Prime Filet Mignon — both come with the giant carrot (inspired by founder Bob Sambol‘s mother’s recipe) and a choice of baked potato, smashed potatoes, or skillet fried potatoes with sautéed onions and peppercorn gravy
• Lobster macaroni & cheese served in a lobster tail!
• The MASSIVE Carrot Cake. It’s basically an entire cake.