Heading to Dallas? Three types of restaurants you must try!

For many years, I’ve wanted to travel to Texas. I’d heard so much about the vibes… the scenery… the people… and most importantly…the food! A few weeks ago, I finally had the chance. My first time stepping foot in the southern state was in the beautiful DALLAS! What a great first Texas city to visit, right?! Although there was much to see, my goal was conquering the food scene. If you live in or have researched Dallas, you will see they are known for many types of food.

So, what types would the Pursuit of Delights recommend? I’m glad you asked! ;)

Let’s get to it!

1. BBQ Of Course!

You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT travel to Dallas without stopping at a BBQ restaurant. I’m pretty sure that’s written in the food bible somewhere. The problem is, there were so many to choose from and so little time! Luckily, we leaned on a few resources and decided on Hard Eight BBQ . WOW! Seeing all of the meat and side options when you walk in was just glorious! And you are served your choices directly from the pit master, directly from the grill. Talk about hot and fresh! You also feel as if you are eating in a very large dining room with your extended family. The southern hospitality was well shown here. As you can see from my plate below, I had trouble decided so I went with multiple options – ribs, brisket, chicken poppers, & spicy sausage with mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and creamed corn on the side. My. My. My. I may not have been able to eat every single bite, but I sure was full and happy. Word of advice, come on an empty stomach. You will thank me later! Oh, and don’t head to your seat without getting some of the homemade sauce. This is a must as well!

No matter where you choose, you will likely have a finger licking, plate overflowing, BBQ experience that you won’t regret! BBQ is truly where it’s at in Dallas!

2. Next up… Mexican!

Mexican restaurants are also a must based on the true authenticity of what you will receive. Within my search for top Mexican in Dallas, all roads led to Meso Maya . You know they’re good when it’s a Monday night and there isn’t an empty seat in the place! Luckily, they were also quick so our wait was only about 15 minutes. Once seated, the staff was very hospitable and brought complimentary chips and salsa to the table. We ordered the Carnitas Tacos (pork carnitas, pickled red onions, chile de arbol salsa, queso fresco, cilantro.  homemade soft white corn tortillas, white rice, black beans, served with habanero sauce on the side) and Conchinita Pibil (yucatan-style braised pork, tangy orange, achiote sauce, white rice, black beans, pickled red onions, habanero salsa, served with homemade white corn tortillas). I’d personally like to the thank the hands that prepared these dishes because they were amazinggggggg! Mexican food has always been on my favorites list, but to have it prepared in Dallas was something special!

Side note: If you are a cocktail drinker and want something unique, order the avocado margarita. I was a little leery at first and thought it might be thick and awkward tasting, but it was smooth and delicious!

3. Last, but not least… Steakhouses! 

My last recommendation for an incredible food experience in Dallas would be their steakhouses! There is just something about the quality of meat you receive there! As with many other cities, there was quite the variety of options to choose from. However, our search was simple…we were staying at the Omni downtown (beautiful hotel by the way!), which happened to have a nationally renowned, award-winning steakhouse in it. How perfect! I present to you: Bob’s Steakhouse and Chop . Bob’s specializes in the finest corn-fed, Midwestern prime beef and you can absolutely tell the difference! We ordered quite a bit of food, but the top choices were the speciality wagyu beef filet with carrots and skillet fried potatoes and the specialty scallops with sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts. I’ve also included a picture of the broccoli side dish to show how large and sharable the side options are. This was truly fine dining with much care put into it. The flavor in each dish was off the charts fabulous! To top it off, their plating was beautiful! I almost didn’t want to bite into the food. (Key word: Almost! :) )

But wait…. there’s more!

We ordered the peanut butter and chocolate brownie sundae with triple chocolate and peanut butter cup ice cream topped with pecan chocolate butter nut sauce & whipped cream. Whoa! This was definitely the cheery on top to a great, food focused week!

Brownie Sundae

They say everything is bigger in Texas. Well judging by the portion sizes and feeling like a stuffed rollie pollie after leaving, I’d have to agree! Cheers to you Dallas for providing me with such a great foodie experience! ;)

We hope this helps narrow down your search for top restaurants in Dallas. Don’t forget to comment below with your food experiences in the lovely city!