The 10 Best Restaurants In Dallas

It is a hard job picking the top nine restaurants in any city, and Dallas is no exception. We made sure to look outside the euro-centric bubble that tends to limit such lists and searched for establishments that seem to reach beyond the city's borders even if it is in a technically simple genre (e.g. barbecue). It is sufficient that it stunned us. So read on to find out the best restaurants in Dallas.

Should a barbecue joint be in a city's top 10? If it is also one of the acknowledged best in a state where "best barbecue" is a religious issue, then yes. Definitely try both kinds of ribs — the Pecan Lodge offers both beef and pork ribs on its menu, but we hear you need to arrive early to get your hands on the beef kind, which is always a good sign.

Mesa is a charming, small, family-owned and run piece of Veracruz in Dallas that serves stellar guacamole, enchiladas and more — you can read the whole review here.

Prime steak, wagyu beef, and over 2,300 wine selections make Pappas the top of the pyramid in a city of many steakhouses. They own and operate almost every aspect of the business as well to ensure the consistent top-quality food and service they've come to be known for.

Tei-Ani boasts a sleek interior, handmade noodles, and truly excellent sushi. Go for the omakase menu but specify that you want something adventurous.

Though it's been open for five years, Lucia is still one of if not the hardest reservation to score in the city. David Uygur's take on Italian is modern and not tied to tradition. His wife, Jennifer, is the keeper of the intriguing and unusual Italian wine list.

Husband and wife team Stephen Rogers (chef) and Allison Yoder (general manager) earned high praise at PRESS in Napa, but found the cost of living too high to raise a family. So they moved back to where Rogers grew up, Dallas. At Gemma, they make elegant, sophisticated, New American food and offer a well-chosen wine list.

Lavendou serves provincial favorites prepared with Gallic flair, like grain-fed veal medallions sautéed with wild mushrooms in port sauce with roasted potatoes and fillet of grilled salmon with basil white wine sauce with eggplant caviar, alongside an authentic wine list. The choucroute and cassoulet seasons are a special treat. 

Chef Richard Blankenship took over CBD in 2014 and has maintained the high standards while improving the vegetable sides selection (recommended). Opening chef, the underrated Michael Sindoni, and Blankenship have been a serial tag-team powering the Joule Hotel's flagship restaurant to the top of the Dallas restaurant standings in short order. Standouts are the Berkshire pig head carnitas. Reserve one when you make your reservation.

Dean Fearing was a pioneer in the 1980s as one of the "quadrumvirate" that created New Southwestern Cuisine. Now his spectacular, eponymous restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel offers five "halles" depending on what environment you want to eat in. He still turns out great food and is one of the best in town for game meat.

Another trailblazer of New Southwestern cuisine in the 1980s, celebrity chef and James Beard Award winner Stephan Pyles is still close to the stoves at his flagship restaurant. You'll find sophisticated New American here with a pronounced Southwestern accent, and most likely the best restaurant meal to be had in Dallas.