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Looking for a stylish replacement for the Zodiac, Neiman Marcus’ downtown Dallas restaurant that just closed? We’d like to suggest Mirador.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
On Oct. 8, 2026, the Michelin Texas Guide will name Dallas-Fort Worth\u2019s best restaurants<\/a>, as chosen by a team of anonymous inspectors from around the world. Until then, I\u2019ve got a list. This is the Hot List, The Dallas Morning News\u2019 monthly guide to where to eat across North Texas. We try to reach all corners of Dallas-Fort Worth, and all price points, to bring you a useful look at where your next lunch or dinner should come from, no matter the occasion.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll find several excellent Mexican restaurants, a halal barbecue shop in Irving, a one-of-a-kind fast-food joint in McKinney and the place I picked to celebrate my new job as restaurant critic<\/a>.<\/p>\n I\u2019d love to hear which restaurants you want to visit most. Chat with me on Instagram<\/a> and X<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Restaurants listed in alphabetical order.<\/p>\n Almac\u00e9n El Gallo in Fort Worth<\/p>\n Fort Worth diners are buzzing about Almac\u00e9n El Gallo<\/a>, a restaurant downtown that serves contemporary Mexican food inspired by the owners\u2019 favorite fondas and cantinas. Lunch is a great option, with daily specials like barbacoa flautas and chile relleno for $19 each. From the dinner menu, you can keep costs low by ordering a la carte tacos that range from $9 to $13. I didn\u2019t take my own advice and ordered $27 ceviche and $65 short ribs. However you order, don\u2019t skip dessert. I\u2019ll go back again for the strawberry pavlova and the sweet corn flan with peanut ice cream.<\/p>\n Almac\u00e9n El Gallo is at 500 W. 7th St., Fort Worth. Open six days a week for lunch and dinner and on Saturdays from 3 to 10 p.m. Reservations recommended<\/a> at dinnertime.<\/p>\n Short rib en chile mixe is a shareable entr\u00e9e at Almac\u00e9n El Gallo in Fort Worth. The plate is accompanied by corn tortillas.<\/p>\n Sarah Blaskovich\/Staff<\/p>\n CocoAndr\u00e9 in Oak Cliff<\/p>\n It\u2019s time to get back to chocolate shop CocoAndr\u00e9, which has a new space in Oak Cliff<\/a> after two and a half years of construction. Our Imelda Garc\u00eda reports the shop is more than three times its previous size, which means more room for coffee, tea, new items like pumpkin horchata and \u2013 the reason we\u2019re here \u2014 the\u00a0chocolates. Even though CocoAndr\u00e9 is bigger, I appreciate that it will be more focused, as co-owner Andrea Pedraza\u2019s\u00a0confirmed with Garc\u00eda. \u201cIt\u2019s time to return to authentic Mexican flavors,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n CocoAndr\u00e9 is at 423 Centre St., Dallas. Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only.<\/p>\n Andrea\u00a0Pedraza stands near the chocolates at the new CocoAndr\u00e9 in Dallas.<\/p>\n Juan Figueroa\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Dos Mares in Fort Worth<\/p>\n Seafood restaurant Dos Mares has been interesting to me from the start<\/a>, as it\u2019s the sister (and neighbor) to higher-end Mexican restaurant Don Artemio<\/a>. I enjoyed a recent lunch at Dos Mares, where we dined on light, acidic bites of raw fish next to a wall of aqua tiles that tricked me into thinking the ocean is near. New at dinner, Dos Mares has a seven-course taco omakase for $99<\/a> led by culinary director Rodrigo C\u00e1rdenas. I particularly enjoyed the lobster taco with salsa matcha mayo, pineapple pico, cabbage and salmon roe.<\/p>\n Dos Mares is at 3260 W. 7th St., Fort Worth. Open for lunch and dinner six days a week. Closed Mondays.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: Dos Mares launches taco omakase with caviar, lobster and dry-aged beef<\/a><\/p>\n Housewife Rebellion in Grapevine<\/p>\n New wine tasting room Housewife Rebellion has a secret<\/a>: It\u2019s also an art gallery. It was created by a mom annoyed by the preciousness of the art and wine industries. \u201cI\u2019m a middle-aged mom who likes my wine,\u201d said owner Nicole Heere, \u201cand I don\u2019t want it to come with a lesson.\u201d Her wine bottles are designed with small replicas of her paintings of rebel women wearing 1950s outfits and breaking the rules. Visit this very pink shop in Grapevine to find wine and art without the pretense.<\/p>\n Housewife Rebellion is at 211 E. Worth St., Grapevine. Open Thursdays through Sundays only.<\/p>\n Owner Nicole Heere pours a bottle of pinot grigio at Housewife Rebellion in Grapevine.<\/p>\n Juan Figueroa\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Hugo\u2019s Seafood in Oak Cliff<\/p>\n One of my favorite dinners this year was a quick stop at Hugo\u2019s Seafood, then a small restaurant in Oak Cliff where my husband and I barely had enough elbow room to eat at the bar. Good news: Hugo\u2019s is bigger now, and it just reopened a few days ago. I haven\u2019t been back yet, but it tops my list for dinner, drinks or both.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Hugo\u2019s Seafood is at 334 W. Davis St., Dallas. Open six days a week. Closed Mondays.<\/p>\n Kafi BBQ in Irving<\/p>\n Halal barbecue shop Kafi in Irving got a jolt in September when Southern Living said it was one of the 16 best new barbecue joints in the South<\/a>. Kafi was the only North Texas barbecue restaurant on Southern Living\u2019s list, and it was lauded for its Wagyu brisket, Iraqi-spiced sausage and french fries cooked in Wagyu beef tallow. Need another place to eat protein? Try Kafi.<\/p>\n Kafi BBQ is at 8140 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving. Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only.<\/p>\n Have you been to\u00a0Kafi BBQ in Irving yet?<\/p>\n Brittany Conerly<\/p>\n Kuby\u2019s Sausage House in University Park<\/p>\n It\u2019s football season, one of my favorite times of the year. If friends are coming over and you don\u2019t want to cook, consider Kuby\u2019s for premade snacks like jalape\u00f1o pimento cheese and Bavarian chicken salad, both delicious. Grab Bratwurst, German mustard and whatever else catches your fancy at this European market open since 1961<\/a>, and you\u2019ve got yourself a meal.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Kuby\u2019s Sausage House is at 6601 Snider Plaza, Dallas. Make note, NFL fans: It\u2019s closed Sundays.<\/p>\n This DMN file photo shows Kuby’s market, which hasn’t changed much since this photo was taken in 2010.<\/p>\n Ben Torres\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Meridian in Dallas<\/p>\n The day The News announced my new role as the new restaurant critic<\/a>, I wanted to celebrate with my family at a restaurant that was comforting but classy; a place where I could drink a glass of Champagne and my 5th grader could find something she\u2019d love. Our answer was Meridian, the Modern American restaurant near Greenville Avenue in Dallas<\/a>. My favorites were executive chef Eduardo Osorio\u2019s starters: a homemade \u201cfun-ion\u201d ring filled with caramelized onion dip and a tiny Caesar salad served inside a crackly shell. How satisfying, to eat foods I already love in a new way.<\/p>\n Meridian is at 5650 Village Glen Drive (inside The Village development), Dallas. Open for dinner Wednesdays through Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Meridian’s list of “one-hitters,” or the section of appetizers that meant to be eaten in one or two bites, includes several winners. The “fun-ion ring” (pictured here) lives up to its name.<\/p>\n Sarah Blaskovich\/Staff<\/p>\n Mirador in downtown Dallas<\/p>\n Longtime Dallasites, myself included, will miss the Zodiac<\/a>, the chic restaurant open since the 1950s<\/a> inside the original Neiman Marcus. The Zodiac closed Sept. 30 in downtown Dallas. What could replace it? Not the nearby French Room<\/a>; it\u2019s closed, save for afternoon tea. Perhaps you\u2019ll consider Elm Street restaurant Mirador as the Zodiac\u2019s modernized successor. It\u2019s open for lunch only \u2014 perfect! \u2014 and offers sophisticated food, attentive service and a pretty dining room. I take colleagues there when I want to impress them.<\/p>\n Mirador is at 1608 Elm St., Dallas. Lunch or brunch only, Tuesdays through Saturdays. Closed Sundays and Mondays.<\/p>\n The main dining room at Mirador was freshened up a few years ago.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n Open House in McKinney<\/p>\n KFC \u2014 yes, the fast-food giant \u2014 has a new restaurant in McKinney that\u2019s the first of its kind in the U.S.<\/a>\u00a0It\u2019s called Open House, and it\u2019s \u201ca testing ground,\u201d our Garc\u00eda reports, where KFC can try out new dishes before execs add them to menus at the company’s 3,500 restaurants. I’m interested in trying new sauces like garlic parm and jalape\u00f1o ranch, plus their new fried green beans.<\/p>\n KFC\u2019s Open House is at 8751 Eldorado Parkway, McKinney. Open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to midnight.<\/p>\n Despite the new menu, customers at Open House will still know they’re at a KFC restaurant.<\/p>\n Steve Hamm\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Palladino\u2019s in the Preston Hollow area<\/p>\n Friends and readers in the North Dallas area keep asking me about Palladino\u2019s, the new steak and seafood shop from New York and Texas restaurateur Joseph Palladino. The menu has a confident list of crowd-pleasers, like Caesar salad, lobster bisque, spicy tuna rolls, a cheeseburger and, of course, a long list of steaks with a sizable Wagyu selection. I\u2019ll get there soon. If you\u2019ve been,\u00a0email me at sblaskovich@dallasnews.com with your thoughts.<\/p>\n Palladino\u2019s Steak and Seafood is at 5959 Royal Lane, Dallas. Open seven days a week, dinner only.<\/p>\n The main dining room at Palladino\u2019s in Dallas is handsome.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Perry\u2019s Steakhouse and Grille in Dallas, Frisco and Grapevine<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve joined the chorus of diners saying restaurant food is so dang expensive, same. Perry\u2019s Steakhouse and Grille offers a one-day answer, when it sells two items for 79-cents each on Oct. 2, 2026<\/a>. It\u2019s a celebration of the year Perry\u2019s was founded, 1979, and it\u2019s a reason to put this 47-year-old restaurant back in the news. Diners can get the deal on either the \u201cfamous pork chop\u201d or the prime rib steak sandwich, Garc\u00eda reported. Know before you go: The 79-cent lunch is available to the first 200 customers at each location. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.<\/p>\n Perry\u2019s Steakhouses are at 2100 Olive St., Dallas; 2440 Parkwood Blvd., Frisco and 2400 W. State Highway 114, Grapevine. The 79-cent deal runs Oct. 2, 2026, starting at 10:30 a.m.<\/p>\n Perry\u2019s Steakhouse & Grille will celebrate its traditional Flashback Friday on Oct. 2, 2026 with two of its lunch dishes available for just 79-cents.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Perry\u2019s Steakhouse<\/p>\n S&D Oyster Company in Uptown Dallas<\/p>\n Servers wearing crisp white shirts and bowties scuttle through S&D Oyster Company in Uptown Dallas, serving baskets of fried seafood, hushpuppies and coleslaw to diners sitting under red-and-white checkered tablecloths. It could be the 1980s, it could be the 2020s; S&D Oyster has been around for 50 years<\/a>, and it looks almost exactly the same as when former Navy fighter pilot Herb Story opened this restaurant with his wife, Mary Kay, in 1976. I asked Herb, 82 and retired, if he ever thought his little seafood restaurant would last this long. Maybe his confidence is part of the magic at S&D: \u201cI never even questioned it,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n S&D Oyster Company is at 2701 McKinney Ave., Dallas. Closed Sundays.\u00a0<\/p>\n S&D Oyster Company has been open in Dallas for 50 years, a\u00a0feat in the restaurant industry.<\/p>\n Shafkat Anowar\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n The State Fair of Texas in Dallas\u2019 Fair Park<\/p>\n Folks, it\u2019s State Fair season, and you\u2019ve got a few weeks to get out to Fair Park and treat the grounds like one massive restaurant. If you\u2019re bougie, go to the Old Mill Inn<\/a>, which has been renovated and boasts an impressive bourbon selection and a new menu with buckets of wine on ice. When it comes to the food across the fair grounds, we tasted a dozen newcomers so you don\u2019t have to<\/a>. We\u2019re saying \u201cyes\u201d to a Twinkie stuffed with brisket and \u201cno\u201d to a fried bar snack that didn\u2019t live up to its name. Find all our picks here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The State Fair of Texas runs until Oct. 18, 2026 in Dallas\u2019 Fair Park. Customers must buy coupons to pay for food at the State Fair. One exception: The Old Mill Inn takes credit cards.<\/p>\n Sushi Kozy in downtown Dallas<\/p>\n As we look to the Michelin Guide Texas announcement on Oct. 8, 2026<\/a>, turn your gaze to Sushi Kozy, the small Japanese restaurant in downtown Dallas that could be our region\u2019s next one-star winner. Sushi Kozy features chef-owner Paul Ko, a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of Texas chef Tyson Cole and his Japanese restaurant Uchi; and chef RJ Yoakum, a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of California chef Thomas Keller, founder of three-star Michelin restaurant The French Laundry. With Ko\u2019s precision with nigiri and Yoakum\u2019s inventive one-bite dishes at the beginning and end of dinner, they\u2019re a power duo with a strong opportunity to snag a star.<\/p>\n Related: Michelin\u2019s list of Texas\u2019 best restaurants to be announced with less fanfare<\/a><\/p>\n Tin Star in McKinney<\/p>\n Starting in 1999, Tin Star sold creative and inexpensive tacos across North Texas for about 20 years. Each restaurant quietly closed, one by one, but I\u2019m thrilled to report that Tin Star is back<\/a> in 2026. Restaurateur Rich Hicks, who cofounded the order-at-the-counter joint nearly 30 years ago, picked McKinney as the first new location. Frisco is next. Tin Star\u2019s popular cheeseburger taco will get the most attention, but don\u2019t miss the portabella taco with roasted corn and sweet potatoes, my fave.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tin Star is open at 8801 Eldorado Parkway, McKinney. The McKinney restaurant is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.\u00a0<\/p>\n A second Tin Star is expected in 2027 at 5408 Dallas Parkway, near Lebanon Road, Frisco.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tin Star opened recently in McKinney. Go see if your favorite from years ago is back on the menu.<\/p>\n Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Truck Yard in Richardson<\/p>\n Did we hop right over patio season, going straight from too hot to too much rain<\/a>? I hope not, because Richardson has a big new patio called Truck Yard<\/a> worth checking out. If the name\u2019s familiar, that\u2019s because Truck Yard has other locations in East Dallas, Fort Worth and The Colony. Kids, dogs, Dolly Parton devotees, Saved by the Bell geeks, beer drinkers and live music fans will all find something to like at Truck Yard, a delightfully casual bar.<\/p>\n Truck Yard is at 740 S. Central Expressway, Richardson. Open seven days a week. Evenings only, Mondays through Wednesdays.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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