Grab a tissue, because this month’s Hot List leans on nostalgia in Dallas-Fort Worth. After you read about all the shiny, new restaurants, we send you back to Ranchman’s, which has been around for nearly 80 years, and Smokey John’s, which just hit 50. Then let’s hop over to Truck Yard in Richardson, which isn’t old but does a good job of pretending.
And of course, it’s the last month to dine at Dallas’ historic Zodiac at Neiman Marcus downtown. I’ve been talking to restaurateurs about this closure for over a year, when we thought Neimans and the Zodiac would close in 2025, then didn’t.
“There’s just a million memories,” Susan Marcus told me last year. Her husband’s grandfather, Herbert Marcus, co-founded Dallas’ most luxurious department store in 1907. We all got an extra year to enjoy the Zodiac, but the restaurant downtown closes for good Sept. 30, 2026. Read this story for a teary goodbye.
Restaurants listed in alphabetical order.
Coco Shrimp in Dallas’ Oak Lawn area
Fort Worth-founded restaurant Coco Shrimp has expanded to about 10 locations across D-FW, but it hadn’t opened in Dallas until a few weeks ago. We like it for its affordable, healthful boxes of sautéed shrimp and salad for about $12.
Coco Shrimp is at 2525 Wycliff Ave., Dallas. Other Coco Shrimps in D-FW are in Denton, Fort Worth, Keller, Mansfield, Plano, Richardson, Watauga and Wylie.
Élephante in Uptown Dallas
Influencers are hot on Élephante, especially after its splashy opening party last week featuring a high-profile surprise artist, Fort Worth’s Leon Bridges. Élephante comes to Dallas from Los Angeles and its menu is southern Italian. Don’t get hung up on the geography, y’all, spend that time on your outfit! In Élephante’s first few months, it’ll be a place to see and be seen while you nibble on Caesar salads and truffle pasta, looking chic. Most diners are finishing with an espresso martini, and Élephante offers at least five varieties.
Élephante is at 2701 Maple Ave., Dallas.
Élephante awaits. (Élephante)
Frita Batidos in Dallas
Quick-service Cuban restaurant Frita Batidos is named for two menu items. Fritas are Cuban hamburgers, and customers can build their own. Batidos are milkshakes in flavors like coconut cream, lime and hibiscus, with the option to make ’em boozy. The New York Times recently wrote that Frita Batidos served one of NYC’s best burgers, so I’m putting it at the top of my list to try this month.
Frita Batidos is at 4620 McKinney Ave. (near Knox Street), Dallas.
Jackie’s Ham and Eggs in Lewisville
Sure, you could go for breakfast at quaint Lewisville diner Jackie’s Ham and Eggs and order, I dunno, ham and eggs. But after reading Imelda Garcia’s story about the shop’s Big Dawg Pancake Challenge, a stack of five massive pancakes, can you resist getting a pile of flapjacks? Take the high school football team. Or the neighbor kids who can’t stop eating your snacks. It sounds like good, (un)clean fun.
Jackie’s Ham & Eggs is at 297 W. Round Grove Road, Lewisville.
Jackie’s Ham & Eggs owner Tom Gauna poses with a stack of giant pancakes. Yeah: They’re big. (Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News)
Mariano’s in Arlington, Colleyville, Dallas and Frisco
Twice last month, Tex-Mex restaurant Mariano’s made headlines. First, it was named the best place to buy a margarita in Texas, then it was featured on a new TV show called NFL Hometown Eats as one of the most appealing spots before a Dallas Cowboys game. I didn’t need reminders; Mariano’s is one of my family’s go-tos when out-of-town friends want Tex-Mex.
Mariano’s has restaurants in Arlington, Colleyville, Frisco and two in Dallas: in northeast Dallas and Far North Dallas.
Actress Eva Longoria and Super Bowl Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware visited Mariano’s in Arlington during new TV show “NFL Hometown Eats.” After eating sandwiches, barbecue and Tex-Mex in D-FW on the show, Longoria said, “I think that’s the best day I’ve ever had in Dallas.” (Jake Giles Netter/Courtesy of Roku)
Molly Tea in Carrollton
Fast-growing company Molly Tea has opened 2,000 locations across the globe in five years and is now in Dallas-Fort Worth. Molly Tea opened last month in Carrollton, with others in Plano and Frisco expected in 2027, reported Kathy Wang. These shops are right on time, as milk tea is booming in D-FW. I’m ordering the Pistachio Jasmine Coconut.
Molly Tea is at 2540 Old Denton Road, Carrollton.
Employees garnish a drink during the opening of the first North Texas store in August 2026. (Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News)
Olōyō in East Dallas
Michelin inspectors should be paying attention to Olōyō, a contemporary Mexican restaurant from exacting chef Olivia López. A recent menu featured scallop tostadas with salsa macha and avocado puree, brisket sopes and dry-aged duck with mole. The menu is confident with prices to match: I spent $400 on a two-person dinner and still want to go back.
Olōyō is at 4422 Gaston Ave., Dallas.
Ranchman’s by Marty B in Ponder
Next time you’re in Pond— no, let’s take that again: Make your way to Ponder, a small-town destination north of Fort Worth where one of the region’s most iconic old spots, Ranchman’s, has been reborn. The new owner added a saloon and an outdoor music venue. When the weather cools down, it would be a great place to get a slice of bourbon pecan pie, then listen to music under the stars.
Ranchman’s by Marty B is at 110 W. Bailey St., Ponder.
Denton County restaurateur Marty Bryan purchased Ranchman’s by Marty B and has made the quaint country restaurant into a sprawling complex in downtown Ponder. (Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News)
Rodeo Bar in downtown Dallas
We broke the news yesterday that the French Room will reopen in Dallas. It’ll be a few years, and patience is not my virtue, so I’m stopping into the French Room’s hot cowboy cousin, Rodeo Bar. It’s on the Adolphus property, yet it couldn’t be more different than the French Room: Rodeo Bar serves burgers and beers in a room with neon signs, whereas its cousin was once the fanciest restaurant in Dallas.
Rodeo Bar’s Big Tex recently made our list of best burgers, just in time for the State Fair to return at the end of September. It’s a great stop if you’re entertaining visitors.
Rodeo Bar is at 1321 Commerce St., Dallas.
Salisbury’s Pizza in East Dallas
Dallas isn’t bursting with New York-style pizza joints, and the family-owned, low-budget restaurant Salisbury’s Pizza is a refreshing newcomer. We like it so much, we put Salisbury’s on the cover of our weekly Guide section. Find it in Casa Linda, down the street from the Dallas Arboretum.
Salisbury’s Pizza is at 9540 Garland Road, Dallas.
Scilla in North Dallas
I’m hot on Scilla, a beautiful new restaurant tucked behind Preston Center in Dallas. I’m ordering the caviar toast, tuna crudo, paella and spumoni tart at a minimum, with drinks all the way around. Actually, forget about “minimum,” a place this fabulous is all about maximalism. It would be best if someone else pays.
Scilla is at 8111 Douglas Ave., Dallas.
The Sicilian Shaved Ice, a cocktail at Scilla, is served with style. (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News)
SCND Coffee in McKinney
We have two kinds of people in this world: Those whose mouths water at the idea of a four-hour coffee tasting, and those who immediately start complaining they’d never sleep on that much caffeine. If you’re in the second camp, move onto the next paragraph. For those in the first, how cool is a coffee omakase? Be prepared to put your money where your mouth is, because tickets cost $85. SCND Coffee founder Michael Tam is obsessed with specialty coffee, and if you are, too, follow along here to sign up for the next tasting.
SCND Coffee is a pop-up. Events previously have been at Collective Coffee at 301 W. Louisiana St., McKinney.
Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que in the Love Field area
Most humans live at least 50 years, but most restaurants are lucky to make it five. Smokey John’s just celebrated 50 years of serving barbecue all over Dallas. We know it for its restaurant on West Mockingbird Lane near Dallas Love Field, but did you know Smokey John’s started closer to the Park Cities, and that some of its earliest investors were Dallas Cowboys who helped turn the barbecue joint into a bar at night? The odds were not in Smokey John’s favor a few weeks into its existence when it suffered a fire — the first of three. Go grab a bite at this lovable place that defied the odds.
Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que is at 1820 W. Mockingbird Lane, Dallas.
Brothers Brent Reaves (left) and Juan Reaves own Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que, a 50-year-old restaurant their dad started in 1976 in Dallas. (Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News)
Truck Yard in Richardson
Richardson’s newest beer garden is “built on nostalgia,” said owner Jason Boso. You might feel like you’ve been here, and maybe you have: He built Truck Yards in East Dallas, Fort Worth and The Colony before expanding to Richardson. This 600-person place is stocked with familiar replicas, like the colorful striped lawn chairs your grandma had in the backyard and the funky ’50s and ’60s styles from diners on TV. My greatest delight was peeking inside Truck Yard’s bathrooms, each with decor that covers every inch and with its own playlist. I won’t spoil it, but there’s a room for Dolly Parton fans.
Truck Yard is at 740 S. Central Expressway, Richardson.
We’re tickled by the lawn chair loveseat, a romantic touch at Truck Yard in Richardson. (Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News)
Walkers’ in East Dallas
New East Dallas restaurant Walkers’ is just the right amount of intimate: too small for everybody to come at once, but big enough that most neighbors have wandered in for sandwiches, coffee, wine or dinner. Keep an eye on Walkers’ special events; a recent wine tasting on a Sunday at 3 p.m. was particularly small and wonderful.
Walkers’ is at 3016 Greenville Ave., Dallas.
Related: Why Walkers’ could be the next restaurant and bar Dallas needs
The Zodiac in downtown Dallas
The Zodiac has been Neiman Marcus’ crown jewel since the 1950s. “Pick a designer who was famous at the time, and that’s who was eating in the restaurant,” said Kevin Garvin, Neiman Marcus’ former vice president of corporate food services. We talked to Garvin in spring 2025 because the Zodiac was almost closing and we wanted to commemorate its history, which featured the culinary prowess of chef Helen Corbitt, a legend. We could go through the dishes that made lunch special at the Zodiac, but Garvin said it well: “The strawberry butter has to be soft and the consommé has to be hot.”
The Zodiac didn’t close in spring 2025; it was saved, short-term. A new end date was set, and we say goodbye on Sept. 30, 2026 — for real this time. You’re lucky if you snagged a reservation for popovers with soft strawberry butter and, sniff, a cup of hot consommé.
The Zodiac is at 1618 Main St., level six, in Neiman Marcus, Dallas.
The popovers with strawberry butter will forever be an iconic Dallas dish, thanks to the Zodiac inside Neiman Marcus. (Brandon Wade/Special Contributor)
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This article originally published at Hot List: 16 great restaurants to visit right now in Dallas-Fort Worth.