The Hottest New Dallas Restaurants — And What To Order At Each Hot Spot

Chef Tiffany Derry’s newest concept is worth the drive over to Farmers Branch for the Top Chef alum’s stunning Italian cuisine. Located near her lauded first restaurant, Roots Southern Table, at Mustang Station, Radici translates to “roots” in Italian. The centerpiece of the contemporary dining room is a wood-fired grill inspired by the chef’s tenure in Tuscany.

Best Sips: At Radici, we enjoyed one of the best Negronis we’ve ever had. It’s a classic mixture of Campari, Engine gin, and Dolin Rouge — a refreshing aperitivo to start the meal. Later on, we opted for one of the cocktails, Spezia, which is spicy twist on a Paloma. It has the perfect kick with chili infused Aperol.

Best Bites: A must-try antipasti when dining at Radici is the rosemary and garlic confit focaccia. It’s warm and served with an olive oil, balsamic mix. The polpette (meatballs made with pork, beef, and veal) is also a stunner with pomodoro sauce. And for salads, you don’t want to miss the prosciutto e melone. Texas melon is served with Culatello, basil, candied hazelnuts, and rose balsamic.

For our second course, we couldn’t get enough of the lasagna Bianca with white bolognese, sage, spinach pasta, parmesan, and nutmeg. If you’re going to get one thing at Radici, it should be this creative spin on a classic. The 10-ounce bistro filet is also an expertly cooked third course choice (we ordered it medium rare). Dessert is a must-order here. Only two are on the menu — tiramisu and pistachio olive oil cake — and both are incredible. Top it off with a dessert digestif of housemade limoncello for the perfect Italian meal.

Phoenix-based Fox Restaurant Concepts — the group behind The Henry, North Italia, and Flower Child — just debuted this massive 22,000-square-foot concept in the Dallas Design District with a rooftop bar, a DJ booth, private rooms, and a stage for live music. An Austin hit since it opened in Domain Northside in 2016, Culinary Dropout’s Dallas vibe is cool and casual, with a staggeringly diverse menu of sushi, fondue, sandwiches, pasta, and Detroit-style pizza.

Best Sips: The Giddy Up Espresso Martini is a delicious mixture of vodka, Caffe Borghetti Espresso Liqueur, Spanish vanilla, and cinnamon-spiced cold brew. The Endless Summer Margarita (made with smashed watermelon) is another favorite on the cocktail menu.

Best Bites: There’s an almost overwhelming amount of food to choose from at Culinary Dropout, but our initial favorites included the BBQ pork belly nachos (they are massive), the addictive spicy tuna crispy rice, the perfectly-cooked crispy chicken katsu sandwich (we’ve already been back for a second one), the Asian crunch salad, and savory chicken cacio e pepe. And for dessert, if you love coffee as much as we do, you can’t miss the Mississippi Mud Pie. The espresso fudge and toffee crunch make it hard to put your fork down.

Reservations are still scarce since Goodwin’s took over the former Blue Goose Cantina space on Greenville Avenue. A new concept from East Dallas restaurant vets Jeff Bekavac (Cane Rosso, Zoli’s) and Austin Rodgers (Alamo Club), the buzzy neighborhood restaurant serves ice-cold martinis, oysters, hearty salads, and steaks in a posh setting. For more killer cocktails, search for a secret door in the dining room for the cool, covert Goose Bar.

Best Sips: The espresso martini is a must-order here. It’s made with local coffee shop LDU‘s Magic Bean Juice, Socorro Blanco (or Absolut Vanilla), and Luxardo espresso. You can also opt for the Carajillo — also made with LDU espresso. Other popular picks are the classic Goodwin Martini or Frozen Cosmo.

Best Bites: Start with the warm rosemary focaccia. It comes out warm and served with cracked pepper butter. The spicy tuna cones are another delicious, lighter option with smashed avocado, kewpie, Chile crisp, ginger, lime, and wasabi tobiko. And if you’re looking for something a bit meatier, the chicken “kofta” meatballs are a nice choice. They are served with harissa glaze and cucumber tzatziki for a spicy Mediterranean twist.

For entrees, we were told you can’t go wrong with The Underhill sandwich, which often gets sold out at some point during dinner. It’s made with bistro steak, provolone, caramelized onion, and black garlic aioli. We noted this for next time, as it did look mouthwatering, but we went with one of the bistro steaks by itself. The strip was cooked expertly and accompanied by potato pave and a choice of sauce. Paired with the Carolina gold Brussels sprouts (topped with barbecue pecans, smoked bacon, and parmesan), it was a solid meal.