5 New Dallas Restaurants We’re Loving Now — And What To Order at Each Hot Spot

Michelin-starred chef Akira Back debuted his namesake Japanese restaurant at The Colony’s Grandscape this summer. Born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Aspen, Colorado, Back went from professional snowboarder to culinary school, appearing on Iron Chef America while earning celebrity fans and a Michelin star at DOSA. Now, he’s brought his restaurant empire to Dallas.

Best Sips: For a surprising twist on a tequila classic, make sure to try the Ryūkyú Margarita — a creamy green mixture of Mi Campo silver, triple sec, elderflower, lime, matcha, coconut, and firewater. The Purple Rain gin-based cocktail is also a refreshing drink with Roku gin, crème de violette, Calpico, nigori sake, and Prosecco.

Best Bites: Chef Back is known for his AB Tuna Pizza. It’s a flavorful and crispy thin tortilla topped with tuna, umami aioli, and white truffle oil. The Yellowtail Serrano is also a must-try with tomato salsa, garlic, and citrus soy. For warm dishes, you can’t go wrong with the AB Tacos — tiny, crunchy shells filled with short rib, Thai cucumber relish, miso, and aioli. The Miso Black Cod is also a hot favorite with sake foam and shishito pepper.

This Mexico City-based restaurant just debuted its first U.S. location at The Union in Dallas’ Victory Park. Meaning “atypical,” Atipico boasts a menu of creative, everchanging dishes to suit traditional, keto, vegan, and gluten-free diets.

Best Sips: From the Black Soul (with activated charcoal and bourbon) to the Mr. Miygai (sake, gin, thyme, and ginger served in sake cups), every drink we tried was unique and tasty. But the stand-out of the evening was the Chapultepec — a mezcal, chamomile, basil, and pineapple concoction with a grasshopper garnish.

Best Bites: There are a ton of internationally-inspired dishes on the menu, but some favorites include the falafel rojo, sesame tuna tacos, and oxfilé prime smothered in mustard sauce. If you’re really hungry (and are down with dairy), the Dr. Burger is a massive cream cheese-filled sirloin patty topped with cheese fondue, arugula, and dried tomato.

Just opened at Preston Center, this stylish bistro (au troisieme is French for “the third place”) comes from private chef and caterer Bobby Pollette. Serving New American food with a global influence, Au Troisieme was designed to be a welcoming neighborhood hangout.

Best Sips: For this summer, definitely treat yourself to the Watermelon Splash. It’s a refreshing twist on a margarita with tequila, watermelon juice, mint, ginger cordial, and lime. The Au Cuban is also a favorite with rum, lime juice, house agave, and angostura.

Best Bites: Guests receive a complimentary bowl of popcorn to munch on while deciding on dishes. This season, a must-order is the peach and heirloom tomato salad. Also, don’t miss the pork sugo ragu. It’s cavatelli pasta topped with braised pork, pomodoro, and lemon ricotta — and it’s incredible.

This month, we finally got the chance to visit Frisco and try the new upscale Italian restaurant from Lombardi Family Concepts (Taverna, Toulouse). After 45 years in the industry, restauranteur Alberto Lombardi has reintroduced his namesake restaurant at The Star in Frisco. The new spot is decked out in Italian marble, Venetian chandeliers, and olive trees creating a “special occasion” atmosphere.

Best Sips: The cocktail menu offers several signature cocktails, including the popular prosciutto Old Fashioned. I usually opt for a lighter liquor, so I went with the Sangria Bianca — a refreshing, not-too-sweet lemon and basil vodka creation with Sauvignon blanc, and fresh citrus.

Best Bites: Make sure to start with the Prime Beef Carpaccio Di Manzo. It’s a delicate cut topped with black truffle and horseradish cream that gives it a sour contrast. As for entrees, you can’t go wrong with the veal parmesan. Be aware — it’s massive. But if you’re sharing, you can easily finish the delicious pomodoro curdo sauce-covered meat with a side of spaghetti. If you’re looking for something a bit less intense, the Ravioli Burro & Salvia is a creamy milk ricotta- and spinach-filled pasta covered in butter sage. And for dessert, it’s worth the short wait to order the passion fruit soufflé with a scoop of banana gelato.

A new Japanese eatery from Armando Rameriz (Deep Ellum’s Deep Sushi), this new spot is located at Mockingbird Station. The menu features sushi rolls, soups, salads, ahi tuna towers, fried rice, and specialty options like the SMU Roll (the campus is within walking distance) and the riceless Armando Roll.

Best Bites: It can be a bit overwhelming to narrow this massive menu down. We opted to try a couple of starters and a sushi roll. The Ahi Tower was a favorite, along with a small seaweed salad. Make sure to try the shrimp Panko with Remoulade dipping sauce — it’s addictive. The Rainbow Roll was also a must-try, but there are so many more adventurous rolls to check out as well. The Uptown Roll, featuring a mixture of peppered tuna, crawfish, and jalapeños, sounded particularly tempting.