Mike Gemini Twin serves up the best dirty martini in Dallas.
Lauren Drewes Daniels
It’s safe to say we spend all year working on our Best of Dallas selections. From editors to staff writers to a crucial team of freelancers, we scour the city every day for what makes us tick. We spend about a month writing these winners, another month editing them and getting each blurb polished and ready for digital and print release.
This year’s issue has 100 food and drink blurbs. Catch the whole list here.
This is the fifth season for me as the food editor, and here are some of my favorites this year:
Best Dirty Martini
Mike’s Gemini Twin
Mike’s Gemini Twin Lounge is a Cedars enclave filled with the life’s finer things: an inoperable stripper pole and one of the filthiest martinis in Dallas. Mike’s Dirty Martini is built for the posh, and anyone who needs a little vodka to put some hair on their chest. It’s one of a kind, made with a house-made olive brine, fresh-pressed olive juice and choice of gin or vodka. Umami bitters keep it classy; a cheeky sword with olives keeps it humble.
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Best Tex-Mex
Las Palmas
Las Palmas Tex-Mex is the undisputed heavyweight champion of Dallas’ Tex-Mex class. Beloved by practically everyone, the Uptown restaurant transformed the former Baby Routh into a mecca for crispy tacos, rich sour cream enchiladas and spicy margaritas that celebrate the best of both sides of the border. The queso flameado is a flambéed tableside artistry wrapped in a buttery flour tortilla, while the Maine lobster and Akaushi wagyu fajitas flaunt Dallas’ flair for excess in the most delicious way: sizzling beneath a drizzle of luxurious bone marrow butter.
Best Steakhouse
Tango Room
LDD: This is where I go for a special occasion.
Tango Room is one of Dallas’ best-kept not-so-secret secrets. The Design District steakhouse is understated on the outside, but step through its heavy burgundy drapes and you’re transported into a lavish world of its own. Tango Room’s magic lies in its ability to deliver all the bells and whistles without the steakhouse snobbery. Jackets may not be required, but the beef doesn’t cut corners. Executive chef David Gomez sears prime cuts from Allen Brothers, Westholme Australian Wagyu, and an A5 Wagyu from Hokkaido, Japan. Start with seared foie gras, and dive into one of Dallas’ most meticulously curated wine lists from Graileys Fine Wines’ Simon Roberts, who also co-owns the restaurant.
Best Cafe Inside a Store
Good Boy Cafe
LDD: This is a great space to read a book, sip a coffee and do a little shopping.
Dallas has developed an affinity for hybrid spaces. Call it a sign of the times or an excuse to indulge in all the finer things at once. Hey Koneko delivers with cases of vintage finds, sun-soaked plants and Good Boy Café tucked in the back. The retro-emo, cowboy-inspired coffee shop is a nod to owner and tattoo artist Linda Bishop’s love of animals. It serves one of Dallas’ best – and priciest – lattes: the Spanish Cowboy. Best enjoyed iced, the quad-shot pick-me-up is sweetened with condensed milk and doused in cinnamon. One sip, and the double-digit receipt suddenly makes sense.
Best Happy Hour
Clifton Club
LDD: One ciggie.
There aren’t many things I’ll fight about, but this is one. When you can buy a small smash burger, fries, a nice cocktail and get one single ciggie for 20 bucks, you can have my money any day of the week. These happy hour meals come in a glossed-up red box just like the original Happy Meal, but for adults. The Clifton Club can feel bougie, but not with these boxes dotting every table. Valet park and don’t think twice about any of it. Happy hour runs Tuesday-Sunday, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Not a typo; yes, even on the weekend. Clifton for president!
Best Naan
Cloud Naan
LDD: One of my favorite hidden gem finds of the year.
Ever seen naan drunk? Not Nana. Naaaaaan. Cloud Naan is the classic freshly baked leavened flatbread juiced up like it’s had a few too many vodka Red Bulls. And we love it. It’s like they’ve taken a cornerstone of Middle Eastern cuisine and run it through an American fast food filter. And it’s amazing. This fast-casual spot in the Arabian Village in Richardson, with a large cowboy mural on the wall, offers up savory stuffed naan (chicken, beef or vegetarian) or a sweet stuffed naan (think Nutella Oreo, banana caramel). These come out hot and buttery, ready to ruin your day. Or save it.
Best Indian Restaurant
Elephant Indian Grill
LDD: One of my favorite new restaurants of the year.
When Elephant Indian Grill came onto the Oak Cliff landscape at the end of 2025, it was a wide-open market. For all that OC has, a diverse Indian food spot is not among the treasures. But what could have been a low-bar standard was easily surpassed by this ambitious eatery. Among the Observer staff, we have tried, and are willing to sign off on, the tikka masala, the lamb curry, the stuffed naan and the array of delectable spiced meats and sauces and veggies (oh my!) that come on the Elephant Grill platter. (If you’re looking for an accessible way to move on from your ‘mild chicken tikka masala with garlic naan, please’ order, the platter is a good place to start.) Still, that’s only about a fifth of the menu, so we’ll be going back again and again. For research purposes.
Best Spot for a Girl Dinner
Bar Sardine
LDD: The burger and fries mixed with dark and cozy setting is perfect.
There was a surge of restaurants across Dallas offering renditions of a “girl dinner” this year, but Bar Sardine’s menu did one thing the rest didn’t: build an entire menu to support your next GNO. The little French bistro doesn’t advertise a girl dinner, but half a menu of aperitifs, garnitures and hors d’oeuvres will do it for them. When the girls are getting together, they’re coming here and starting with cocktails and bread-and-butter service, then diving into the trio of aioli dips with frites, ahi tuna and melon, crispy artichokes, oysters and the white cheddar cheeseburger if they need a little bit more heavy lifting. Salty. Sweet. Crunchy. Crispy. And a silky chocolate mousse to top it all off.
Best Restaurant Instagram
Smokey John’s
LDD: It’s just so funny.
You guys. Cut it out. Juan and Brent Reaves, along with their willing crew at this staple barbecue and home-cooking restaurant, have been one of the most adorable things on social media recently. Their father founded this spot about the year “Jaws” was born and the kids probably have more fun than they should — based on their reels and videos anyway. All of that aside, the burger is one of the best-kept secrets in Dallas and the barbecue program, which recently got a reboot, is worth your time and money.
Bes Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurant
Record Grill
LDD: It looks like a lean-to. It looks questionable. But it’s actually perfect.
Legit, you might experience a bit of trepidation parking and walking in, pero no te preocupes. This is the spot. This tiny, almost-lean-to restaurant on the border of the West End and downtown is an old-school diner with a simple row of stools at the counter and a few seats along the wall. Record Grill only serves breakfast and lunch, the latter of which they have daily specials including enchiladas and grilled chicken and vegetables. The food is well done but basic in a gratifying way; all cooked on a griddle right in front of you. Come hungry and broke, if that’s the case. They have a spot for you.