Dallas’s 2024 Michelin-Recognized Restaurants, Mapped
Among the Texas restaurants featured in Michelin’s first dedicated guide in the Lone Star State, 27 restaurants in Dallas and Fort Worth (and a few destinations elsewhere in the Metroplex) were recognized.
Among the Texas restaurants featured in Michelin’s first dedicated guide in the Lone Star State, 27 restaurants in Dallas and Fort Worth (and a few destinations elsewhere in the Metroplex) were recognized. The city mostly earned the honor of recognition, which means being listed in the influential travel guide, with a handful of Bib Gourmands, one Exceptional Cocktail Program award, and a single Michelin star recipient. Browse through this list of Michelin-recognized restaurants, or make it a checklist of places to eat when in or near DFW. Reservations are strongly recommended at most of these locations, so plan ahead, too.
Goldee’s Barbecue
Those searching for critically lauded barbecue need look no further. The 20-something crew running this joint earned their cred working on the pits of some of the state’s top barbecue joints and quickly rose to join those ranks. Once the long wait in line is over, this place is known for its brisket, sausage, and jalapeño cheddar grits. It’s a communal and rustic dining room with red checked tablecloths and VFW hall-style chairs and tables. It’s open until they run out of food, which happens pretty reliably most days.
Smoke’N Ash BBQ
In Arlington, this fusion of Texas barbecue and Ethiopian cuisine has been turning more heads than just those of Michelin’s secret diners. Patrick and Fasicka Hicks, who are respectively from Waco and the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, merged their cultures to create a unique experience for barbecue lovers. Order Texas favorites by the half pound, including pork ribs, brisket, chicken, and pulled pork. It also has barbecue plates with awaze spice glaze that come with injera, doro wat, tibs (options for vegetarians and beef, lamb, or chicken), a missir wat plate, and more.
Birreria y Taqueria Cortez
This spot, focused on cheesy, melty birria tacos, is a first for Michelin, no restaurant solely focused on this dish has ever landed in the guide. It serves them in trios and platters, and even as a Mexican pizza, along with spicy consomme for dipping. This taqueria is an informal spot with murals of Tejano figures on the bright red walls, mix-and-match chairs, and an unfinished look, proving a place doesn’t have to be fancy to be Michelin-worthy.
Lucia
This much-lauded coastal Mediterranean spot in Bishop Arts, helmed by owner and chef David Uyger, was already a must-visit in Dallas well before Michelin got here. The tiny space this restaurant occupies can be a tough reservation to score, but it is worth picking an off-night or early/late time to get in. The menu changes daily, usually with three options per course of food inspired by coastal Southern Italy, the chef’s homeland of Turkey, Greece, and, of course, Texas by way of the local meats and vegetables it sources. Expect handmade pasta and bread, house-cured meats, seafood, and salads made from seasonal ingredients. It sometimes does take-home dinners to heat and eat; watch its website for those.
Written by the Seasons
Stepping foot in this restaurant will lower your blood pressure by 20 points (not scientifically guaranteed or tested), it is that chill in here. After a glass of wine or cocktail, sipped while taking in the blond wood interior and family portraits that line the back wall, or even watching the passersby on Bishop Avenue, dive into the menu. The house focaccia is a must-order, while the rest of the menu is a rotating collection of plates featuring seasonal produce and local meats. The kitchen can make most dishes vegetarian. It recently added brunch service, a rarity among the Michelin spots in our fair Metroplex.
Stock & Barrel
This homey spot has been chugging along for around a decade in Bishop Arts, just minding its business and staying slightly under the radar until Michelin came along. Chef and owner Jon Stevens serves a never-boring menu of farm-to-table dishes with a worldly bent. Diners can find things like a falafel burger next to Korean fried chicken and black mussels with jumbo shrimp; there’s also a selection of hand-cut pasta, wood-grilled meats, and seafood. It is very much a neighborhood restaurant, the kind of place to go where everyone mysteriously knows your name after a few visits.
Crown Block
The reopening of the show-stopping restaurant space at the top of Reunion Tower was A Very Big Deal in Dallas. Crown Block is the brainchild of chef Kim Canteenwalla and Elizabeth Blau, a pair of successful restaurateurs with other Michelin-recognized spots in Vegas. They created a Texas-themed steak and sushi restaurant that easily fell into being the special occasion spot for the Metroplex and beyond. It is no small thing to step into such a high-profile location, and they’ve done it well enough for the Michelin crew to take notice. Especially worth trying here is anything from the sushi counter, which serves all home-run dishes, and the clever concoctions out of the pastry and dessert station.
Monarch
Monarch is a restaurant where one goes to see and be seen. It has a reputation that it leans into with caviar specials, dry-aged tomahawk steaks that top $200, and a tasting menu called the Royale. This is more aligned with what Michelin diners get in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, on the flashy end of the street. It’s at the top of a tony Downtown hotel, so dinner includes fantastic city views. Don’t let them push you into sitting in the noisy front room here, the back room in a booth with a window view is where it’s at.
Tatsu Dallas
This omakase spot was awarded the only Michelin star in Dallas. It was a surprise when this 10-person and $185 per head spot opened in Deep Ellum, which is not a likely neighborhood for it. Chef Tatsuya Sekiguch worked at the Michelin-starred Sushi Yasuda in New York City for a decade, familiarizing him with what it takes to run a restaurant at this level. His service is easily one of the city’s top omakases, and his treatment and knowledge of the fish and ingredients he works with is unbeatable.
El Carlos Elegante
This 2023 Eater Award winner for Restaurant of the Year caught the eyes of Michelin diners as well. It’s no wonder, considering that it employees more sauciers than any other Duro Hospitality Group restaurant and carefully weaves through the history of Mexican cuisine with the highest-quality ingredients. The decor tells as much of a story as the food, reflecting a hacienda owned by four generations of family whose imaginary portraits hang in the dining room.
Mercat Bistro
This Harwood District French bistro is the little restaurant that keeps on going, and attracts loads of ladies who lunch and intimate dinner dates for folks who live and work in the neighborhood. The small interior is warm and sparse (think brasserie vibe), while the covered and open outdoor seating is wildly popular. It serves breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner of French fare, including quiche, moules frites, escargot, duck confit, and an excellent onion soup.
Tei-An
Tei-An has long been the go-to destination for sushi in Dallas for a big night out, be that work dinners, special occasions, or hot dates. Chef and owner Teiichi Sakuri slings dishes that are considered the gold standard for Japanese food in this town. Don’t skip an order of soba noodles. Sake aficionados will make a happy home here: The restaurant is well-regarded for its sake and Japanese whiskey lists.
Fearing’s
Dean Fearing is known as one of the fathers of Southwest cuisine, a style of cooking centered at his namesake restaurant inside the Ritz-Carlton. That Southwest vibe spills into the dining room’s color palette and contemporary decor, and there is no lack of private dining rooms (yes, plural) available here. Like most hotel bars, it serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a Sunday brunch. Diners should order Fearing’s namesake tortilla soup, which is poured tableside; this is also one of the great places in Dallas to eat a steak.
Stillwell’s
The low lights and moody decor in this room make it the spot for an anniversary or special date night; the steak from Harwood’s proprietary beef program is unparalleled even in a city like Dallas, known for its many great steaks. Make it a night and linger at the bar at Stillwell’s for a cocktail and appetizer first, then head downstairs to Babou’s to extend the evening. And don’t miss a selfie with Big Tex by the elevators.
Mot Hai Ba
Chef Peja Krstic has one of the most interesting culinary minds in Dallas. His Lakewood restaurant serves French-Vietnamese fusion, with some dishes that are more obviously one than the other. But calling it “fusion” feels like a limited description. The menu also features a heavy Texas influence and a good amount of seafood from the Northeast; the dining room is something between an intimate French bistro by way of New Orleans and a homey, family-owned restaurant.
Rye
The team at Rye has seriously been stepping up its game over the last year. Notably, the introduction of its 11-course tasting menu that includes a kangaroo tartare, crab and caviar cannoli, Trinidadian green curry, and more. It already had an inventive, compelling a la carte menu in place. But its bar director, Julian Shaffer, walked away with Michelin’s Exceptional Cocktail Award, so clearly, don’t miss ordering one of his drinks before, during, and after the meal.
Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen
Soups with rich broth and delicious noodles. Shaking tofu rice. Rice paper rolls. Vietnamese coffee. Sangria with a kick of Hennessy. These are a few delights waiting in Nong Vietnamese Kitchen on Lowest Greenville, which is now one of the city’s Michelin-recognized restaurants. Owner Carol Nguyen named the place for her mother and intends to introduce Dallasites to the best of Vietnam in a no-frills dining room with just a bit of an industrial vibe, and, of course, the great food.
Gemma Restaurant
This neighborhood bistro is dark, homey, and a great place for an everyday kind of date night, or just a darn fine dinner. It has a section of the menu entirely devoted to pairing proteins with frites, which we highly recommend. Other highlights include the French roast chicken and whatever chef Andrea Taormina has on special. Trust her process, and you’ll be rewarded with an exceptional meal.
Quarter Acre
Chef Toby Archibald perfected one dish in Georgie’s kitchen that he brought to Quarter Acre: a smoked beef tartare served tableside that is a showstopper. It’s also the perfect jumping-off point for his Lower Greenville restaurant, influenced by the flavors of his home country, New Zealand. There are a lot of Asian-influenced dishes, smoky beach food, and plates steeped in Archibald’s childhood memories to try. Don’t hesitate to ask sommelier Jacob Fergus to take you on a left-of-center trip off the wine list, he’s got some great stuff on hand.
Barsotti’s
A neighborhood Italian joint can be Michelin-worthy. This spot on Oak Lawn Avenue is a gem in an area packed with great restaurants. Open for lunch and dinner, it serves red-sauce pasta inspired by Southern Italy: A go-to for Sunday gravy, chopped antipasti salad, lasagna Bolognese, and the chicken Parmesan with vodka sauce. The food relies on rustic inspirations and the restaurant’s decor follows that lead with funky wallpaper and oversized red booths that make the dining room feel like a home away from home.
Nonna
From the folks behind Barsotti’s is one of Dallas’s most cherished Italian restaurants, Nonna. The tiny dining room can be tough to get a reservation in, and for the love of Mike, don’t just show up, seriously, the restaurant doesn’t even offer takeout on Fridays and Saturdays because it gets so busy. Its signature feature is the wood-burning oven in the corner it uses for pizzas and finishing dishes (order the pizza). The Texas pork chop cooked in the oven is also excellent. Extend the night by popping next door (or through the secret connecting door) to Bacari Tabu for drinks.
Sachet
This is one of the top Mediterranean restaurants in DFW. Since its Michelin recognition, it has been revving up service and adjusting its menu with the quiet goal of going from recommended to star-worthy. Sachet has contemporary decor and envy-worthy teal tiles around the free-standing bar. It serves lunch and dinner, with many standout dishes: A lunch favorite is the falafel sandwich with herby tahini served on a wood-oven-warmed pita. Dinner go-tos include eggplant schnitzel, grilled lamb chops, freshly made campanelle pasta with Turkish lamb ragu, and stuffed piquillo peppers with spicy baba ganoush.
Georgie
Georgie’s menu has transitioned from steakhouse classics to what is best described as cheffy American cuisine. Georgie’s chef, RJ Yoakum, came to Dallas from a position at the French Laundry under Thomas Keller. Of late, Yoakum’s style veers toward taking the idea of a dish, deconstructing it, and creating all the elements in a new style that is evocative of the flavors while employing unusual textures and construction. Want to know what that means? Go in and order the French onion soup.
Mister Charles
This spot from Duro Hospitality has the impeccable design elements of all its restaurants, plus a menu of classic American fare served on fine china. Head in for whole Dover sole served table side, excellent cuts of steak that start at around $100, or uni shells carbonara. (It is also possible to cobble together an entire meal from the shared plates on the menu at a lower price-point.) The restaurant is divided into two breathtakingly decorated sides, light and dark, so it is possible to have an entirely different experience on your second trip.
Knox Bistro
It’s one of the top brunch stops in Dallas, but under the direction of chef Bruno Davaillon the kitchen serves excellent French food at every meal, and offers a robust wine list. With daily dinner specials and a respectable selection of steaks, seafood, and a well-curated cheese plate, all the classic French dining approaches are represented. The vibe is casual with a French country feel and modern touches like a glazed cement bar and wicker chairs on the patio.
Cattleack Barbeque
Cattleack draws a line every time the doors are open, Wednesday to Friday and the first Saturday of every month. The brisket is thick and juicy; the Hatch chile-and-cheese sausages are especially snappy. Looking to really feast? Order the Toddfather, an enormous sandwich topped with brisket, pulled pork, sausage, and a scoop of coleslaw for extra crunch.
Harvest at the Masonic
Harvest has long been a favorite on the Square in McKinney, and it is a leader in the Metroplex for serving hyper-local food from North Texas farmers. In late 2023, owner Rick Wells oversaw the relocation of the restaurant into a former Masonic Lodge and created a three-floor experience that includes a top floor bar with live music that serves the full menu; a second floor designed by the chef; and a first floor, where diners are most likely to end up, with a cute, pink bar tucked in the back. The menu changes frequently and seasonally, but a few things, including the duroc pork chop and the chicken fried steak, are evergreen.
