One of the most accessible food cities near Dallas-Fort Worth is Austin. It’s home to seven 1-star Michelin restaurants and a host of great markets, said one Dallas chef.
Ricardo Brazziell/Ricardo B. Brazziell
It’s summertime in Dallas-Fort Worth, and a trip sounds delicious. But where to go?
On this week’s episode of the Eat Drink D-FW podcast, we asked six Dallas restaurateurs to tell us where they love to travel when they’re looking for great restaurants away from home.
Use their list of five cities as inspiration next time you’re booking a vacation focused on food.
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Mexico City
It’s an easy two-and-a-half-hour flight from Dallas to Mexico City. The founder of Dallas’ Tacos Juancho on Oak Lawn Avenue says Mexico City is a must-visit spot for travelers who love food. “Especially being in the taco industry,” said Dallas restaurateur Ever Jordan, “CDMX is the perfect city for inspiration.”
“You can eat at a small taco stand on the side of the street and still have one of the best food experiences of your life.”
Austin
Dallas chef Belal Kattan, who owns a pop-up restaurant company called Bazaar, loves a quick weekend trip to Austin. He praised the creativity of Austin’s restaurants and suggested food lovers seek out the farmers’ markets. More than a quick stop for produce, some of Austin’s markets feature breadmakers, jewelers and ceramic artists.
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Looking for a restaurant rec in Austin? Check out recent picks in the Michelin Guide Texas.
Paris
Quarter Acre chef-owner Toby Archibald picked Paris as his favorite food destination city. His “love affair” with Paris started years ago, on his first trip to France, when he arrived at the train station and found the closest patisserie. “It blew my mind,” Archibald said. “It was the best sandwich I had ever eaten in my life.” (We’ve had that experience, too.)
Archibald recommends strolling through Parisian neighborhoods in search of the little gems. They’re everywhere.
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“The food’s just amazing in France,” the chef said. “They’ve nailed life.”
New York City
Two Dallas restaurateurs, Radici owner Tiffany Derry and Mister Charles co-owner Chas Martin, said New York is the place to go.
Derry, a frequent judge on food TV shows like MasterChef who opened a new dessert shop called Syrup and Sno, sends diners to Brooklyn, specifically. “If I have business in New York City,” she said, “I usually want to stay in Brooklyn even if I have to drive 45 minutes to my meetings.”
We asked her for a short list of must-visit restaurants in Brooklyn. Don’t miss Dashi Okume, Baby Blues Luncheonette, Theodora and Okonomi, she said.
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Martin, whose team owns The Charles, El Carlos Elegante and other restaurants in Dallas, considered picking London, Miami or Mexico City as his favorite food city. But he said the clear answer is New York City.
“It’s the most dense food town from a quality perspective on the face of the planet,” he said.
Munich
Olivia Genthe, the restaurateur behind Seegars Deli in the Cedars area of Dallas, Little Blue Bistro in the Bishop Arts District and Fount Board and Table in Uptown Dallas, just returned from a trip to Munich, Germany.
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Genthe said a tavern called Haxnbauer serves excellent pork knuckle. (It comes with a potato dumpling “you could bathe in,” an unforgettable visual.) She also loves Moro Mou, which turns into a dance bar after 10 p.m.; Max Emanuel Brauerei “for the best schnitzel of your life,” Coffee Twins for espresso and Campana del Rey, a rum bar in a 16th-century cellar.
Where are you traveling for a great dinner? Tell us on X.