3 Must-Visits, 1 So-So, and 1 to Avoid: Review of Restaurants in Dallas, Texas
While it has name recognition and positive reviews, I was lukewarm on Lockhart Smokehouse. Photo by: Evan Berman
I like to eat quality food. No matter whether travelling to the ends of the earth or staying near home, I’m always looking for delicious meals– preferably local cuisine or food that you cannot get where I live. While there were a couple of lackluster restaurants, the majority of meals on my trip to Dallas met that criteria.
The review of restaurants in Dallas is part of the February in Dallas trip. For more on this trip, follow these links:
Flight: American Economy, CHS-DFW
Food and Drinks in Dallas (This Article)
Flight: American Economy DFW-CHS
Jimmy’s Food Store
I’m elated to share the exhilarating experience I had while exploring Dallas, where I stumbled upon the marvelous Jimmy’s Food Store. When you find yourself in the splendid city of DFW, I implore you to make it a priority to pay a visit to this extraordinary establishment. Whether you possess an unwavering passion for Italian cuisine or simply enjoy procuring the finest and freshest ingredients, Jimmy’s Food Store will exceed your expectations on every level. Since its inception in 1966, Jimmy’s Food Store has remained a cherished family-owned business, and now, its legacy is being carried forward by its third generation.
During our visit, I enjoyed their scrumptious sandwich: the Calabrese Panino. Described as a 6″ bun with Prosciutto Cotto, Fontina, and Marinated Peppers, I’d call it heaven in a sandwich! Had we decided to cook while in Dallas, we would certainly have taken advantage of the opportunity to acquire authentic Italian products and ingredients for our own culinary escapades. Let me assure you, Jimmy’s Food Store is the epitome of culinary bliss and a haven for all foodies!
It’s always a pleasure to find an old-fashioned restaurant in a town as bustling as Dallas. This is a true experience– there’s no seating inside or out! As you can imagine, it was agony waiting until we got home to take a bite of the delicious sandwich I was holding!
Pho Bowl
For our dinner on the first night, we had the pleasure of dining at Pho Bowl. With a craving for Asian cuisine, we agreed that pho would be the perfect choice. Despite having two locations in DFW, we were delighted to discover that Pho Bowl provided an authentic experience. Placing our orders and settling the bill at the counter, we were informed that our food would be ready in approximately 25 minutes.
Our meals arrived just 30 minutes later. The flavors were exquisite, but the temperature of the dish required some patience before I could fully relish its deliciousness! I was thoroughly impressed by its excellence of the Rare Beef Pho Bowl. My friend went for a personalized bowl with vermicelli noodles and chicken, and found it equally enjoyable. As an avid lover of authentic Asian cuisine, one of the highlights of being in a bustling city is discovering gems like this. Needlessly to say, I savored every last drop in my bowl and left feeling immensely satisfied with the overall experience!
Revolver Taco
Are you familiar with Netflix’s Taco Chronicles? I wasn’t either before finding this spot. Now in its 4th season, the show seeks to showcase the very best taquerias and Revolver Taco was one of them. It’s easy to see why! I had the best taco I can ever remember tasting: Duck Breast. And that’s not all– we had the typical lengua, al pastor, and pulpo as well as a birria taco. While not quite as impressive as the duck breast, they were all quite tasty in their own way.
This is not just any ordinary taco truck; in fact, it’s a sophisticated restaurant that boasts an impressive selection of cocktails. I ordered the Mezcal Negroni, while Assael enjoyed the Oaxaca Old Fashioned. Both drinks were absolutely delightful! Although we may have spent more than in your typical taco joint, I can guarantee you that it was worth every penny!
AllGood Cafe
For lunch on Friday, we picked up food from AllGood Cafe. As mentioned in the summary article, I had intended to order the chicken fried steak, regarded as one of the best in DFW. Unfortunately, with multiple menus, I didn’t see that option when we ordered via phone and “suffered” with a cheeseburger and bowl of their famous chili. Obviously, “suffering” is in jest as the food was delicious, particularly the chili. Definitely grab a cup if you visit in the wintertime!
My friend also had the burger and agreed it was excellent. Sometimes you want comfort food and this meal certainly hit the spot! Now if I could just have their chicken fried steak… 🙂
Meddlesome Moth
This meal was underwhelming. Despite its popularity among some members of the friend group, I must say, I was unimpressed. We decided to go for brunch on Sunday, which also happened to be Super Bowl Sunday and had fantastic weather, so naturally, the place was jam-packed. The waiter was pleasant enough, but the overall service and experience fell short in my opinion.
We all opted for the Mother and Child Reunion, a well-known dish on their menu consisting of fried chicken with grits, jalapeño gravy, and eggs. Initially, the menu listed it as an over easy egg, but the waiter suggested scrambled eggs instead. I regretted taking his advice once our plates arrived. Despite being advertised as jalapeño gravy, there was hardly any spice (or flavor) until we were finally offered some hot sauce, well into our meal. To top it off, the house-made Sangria I ordered lacked any taste whatsoever. Thankfully, I decided to switch to a local beer and found much more satisfaction in my choice.
The waiter also disappeared completely from the time our meal arrived until bringing out the aforementioned hot sauce, then arrived in time to hand us the bill. In all, it was not one of the highlights of the trip!
Lockhart Smokehouse
This one is somewhere in the middle. I love brisket and one of my favorite restaurants in Charleston is Lewis Barbecue, run by the legend John Lewis. As such, I’m a bit spoiled by his delicious and juicy brisket and delectable mac-and-cheese. Lockhart Smokehouse is constantly regarded as one of the best brisket places in DFW and I have mixed feelings.
On the one hand, they have a delicious peach cobbler and the seasoning for the brisket is an intricate mix of spicy and sweet that pairs extremely well. However, I was unimpressed by the brisket– I found it to be dry and in need of sauce, for me a big no-no– and the mac-and-cheese was nothing special. I did enjoy the burnt ends which were coated in a brown sugar sauce that was quite tasty. The collard greens (not pictured here) were great as usual, though that’s not enough to outweigh the star of the show being average. While the meal was tasty (and provided a nice kick), I’m looking forward to sampling brisket from somewhere else the next time I’m in DFW.
Recap
As we were in Dallas for 5 days, we had quite a few meals (including some that did not make this list). While Revolver Taco, Pho Bowl, and AllGood Cafe were home runs, Lockhart Smokehouse was an infield single and Meddlesome Moth was a strikeout. Of course Jimmy’s Food Store was a walk-off grand slam! If you’re in DFW, you definitely need to visit Jimmy’s Food Store. I’d stay away from Meddlesome Moth but overall the food was quite enjoyable on this trip. Do you have recommendations for brisket in the DFW area? Next up: a review of the lounges in DFW Airport. Spoiler Alert: the Capital One Lounge blew me away– talk about home runs!
1