{"id":419981,"date":"2026-08-29T06:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T06:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/419981\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T06:37:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T06:37:07","slug":"bon-appetit-names-2-texas-spots-best-new-restaurants-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/419981\/","title":{"rendered":"Bon Appetit names 2 Texas spots best new restaurants of 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a novel concept open in the Dallas Farmers Market district: Called Sor Juana<\/a>, it’s a botaner\u00eda inspired by traditional Mexican establishments where drinks are served alongside complimentary snacks and bar bites.<\/p>\n

Located at 1908 Canton St., the space provides an immersion into Mexican culture through its food, beverages, decor, and overall atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Sor Juana comes from Alexandra Hern\u00e1ndez and Karla Soria Palomino. Hern\u00e1ndez brings a background in front-of-house hospitality, theatre, and events while Soria Palomino contributes extensive kitchen experience from restaurants across Mexico and Dallas.<\/p>\n

The inspiration behind the name and concept comes from 17th-century nun and scholar Sor Juana In\u00e9s de la Cruz. Recognized as the “First Feminist of the Americas,” she was a literary trailblazer who learned to read and write during an era when women were denied an education. Considered one of the greatest poets of the Baroque period in what is now Mexico, Sor Juana defied societal norms, stood up to the male-dominated clergy, and excelled in science, mathematics, music, and culinary arts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to pick a strong woman from Mexico as the emblematic figure of our botaner\u00eda \u2014 traditionally run and frequented only by men,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez says. \u201cWith our women-run botaner\u00eda, which is a unique concept for Dallas, we are creating a space for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The frame for their idea is a landmark Dallas building originally constructed over a century ago for the Desco Tile Company. Designed in a Venetian Gothic style with exterior arches and columns, the interior features original chandeliers alongside decorative, colorful tilework \u2014 including a wall fountain, a fireplace, and terrazzo floors \u2014 all preserved intact for Sor Juana, with a few new tile accents added to the bathrooms and bar backdrop.<\/p>\n

\"Sor Historic Dallas architecture meets traditional Mexican hospitality at Sor Juana.Photo credit: Paul Torres<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried to respect the architecture of the building by adjusting our concept to the space, rather than forcing the space to adjust to us,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez says. <\/p>\n

The duo worked with interior designer Callie Windle on the details, sourcing decorative pieces from artists both in Mexico and locally (many of which are available for purchase).<\/p>\n

The 90-seat venue features comfortable seating centered around a dynamic bar program managed by Sa\u00fal Hern\u00e1ndez (previously of Midnight Rambler, La Viuda Negra, and Las Almas Rotas).<\/p>\n

True to the hospitality spirit of a traditional botaner\u00eda, patrons receive a complimentary botana (bar bite) with every drink purchase. While the offerings rotate regularly to maintain an element of surprise, options range from spiced nuts, fresh fruit, and popcorn to more substantial plates like tacos and caldo de camar\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

The creative cocktail menu ranges from $12 to $16, anchored by their signature \u201cLa Nueva Sangre\u201d \u2014 an orange blossom gin cocktail balanced with beet juice, lemon, passion fruit, and lavender bitters. Hern\u00e1ndez notes the drink is \u201cas complex and interesting, with a little bit of everything, just as Sor Juana was.\u201d <\/p>\n

The bar also pours Mexican imports alongside local favorites Shiner and Michelob for $7, wines, and zero-proof options including non-alcoholic champagne.<\/p>\n

Happy hour runs Wednesday through Friday from 5:30-7:30 pm, featuring $6 beers, $8 wines, and $8 cocktails infused with house-made Mexican chili oil macha sauce.<\/p>\n

Beyond the complimentary botanas, the venue offers a full food menu<\/a> designed by Chef Soria Palomino. It comes with a playful warning: \u201cExpect bold flavors and a little heat \u2014 that\u2019s what the cerveza is for.\u201d Signature items include ceviche, mezcal-glazed wings, tacos, and tostadas, all centered on authentic Mexican flavor profiles. <\/p>\n

For dessert, they feature a ganzote crafted by Diana Zamora of Nena Postrer\u00eda, inspired by the classic packaged Gansito sponge cake.<\/p>\n

Community events play a major role in the space, including loter\u00eda nights, “Bring Your Own Vinyl” Sundays, and rotating local DJs every other Friday. The team is actively taking community feedback to build out future programming, including upcoming collaborative dinner series.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvents are a way to build community and bring people together,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez says. \u201cWhen we started crafting this concept, we looked at every detail \u2014 from the playlist to the food and cocktails, as we wanted a total experience where every element comes together and complements the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sor Juana is open 2-10 pm Wednesday-Thursday 12 pm-12 pm Friday-Saturday, 12-10 pm Sunday. Metered street parking is enforced until 6 pm, with free parking available afterward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is a novel concept open in the Dallas Farmers Market district: Called Sor Juana, it’s a botaner\u00eda…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":419982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[150,152,151,7082,144753,3291,1526,2809],"class_list":["post-419981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arlington","tag-arlington","tag-arlington-headlines","tag-arlington-news","tag-awards","tag-bon-appetit","tag-lists","tag-media","tag-news-you-can-eat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}