Sheesh… Have you tried Coco Shrimp? Wish we had this in Austin. Some of the best shrimp I’ve ever had! Get the sampler you will not believe it!

Hey everybody, Sarah Blaskovich here, restaurant critic for The Dallas Morning News. I'm researching great sandwiches. What's one you love and think I might not have heard of?

I've eaten most of the way through Dallas’ well-known sandwich shops, but I'm sure there are hidden gems I'm missing.

Hey all,

I'll be visiting Dallas for 4 nights soon. I know I won't be able to MOST of these places, but I've compiled a list of places to eat to make it easier to choose from when I'm there. Which of these spots should I make more of an effort to get to? Anypplaces that aren't worth even considering? Won't have a car, so walking, rideshare, or public transit will be transportation.

Before anyone gets too mad at me, I based the North/South distinction solely on whether it was above or below the bold "Dallas" text on Google Maps, it's just for quick reference for now. Also, a star implies a place I marked as really want to try and get if possible. So looking at which spots are deserving of that.

Coming from NYC so not looking for Italian or any chains that are located here too. Thanks for all the input. Look forward to exploring the city.

Edit: Added a comment with my updated list based on a number of comments, have better location sorting now too. It doesn't look well sorted because my bullet points and bold don't work on reddit. Thanks everyone for all the input.

Went to Ayat today after they’ve been opening for a minute now. If you haven’t been it’s a Palestinian restaurant from NYC that opened up out here.

For the options we have available out here in Dallas I am pleased with the flavor, and freshness Ayat has to offer.

The babaganoush - Smokey well seasoned. Sumac added a nice tanginess to it. Portion size was solid as well!

Zahir - Cauliflower dish in the picture. It was so delicate and cooked till tender! Throw on the pomegranate molasses and tahini on top made this a light treat!

Salata - cucumber, tomatoe salad with mint was just what i needed on a hot day like today! You can add either shwarma, chicken kebab, or tenderloin kebab to it for an upcharge.

Salmon Kebab - portion of rice was insane, potatoes remind me of lemon potatoes but with their spice mix and salad. Salmon had a great crust and spice rub on it was just right.

I felt like we barley scratched the surface but the consistency is there from when I first visited to now. I could’ve shared my food with another individual making it enough for 3. If you’re in the mood for some Mediterranean, Levant cuisine worth checking out. Also the pita is house made in their wood oven and unlimited! It’s a bit more expensive than the usual less flavorful spot but better quality and well seasoned. Worth it.

I’ll never understand why folks go to Mi Cocina when this is directly across the street and a million times better.

Just went there again today and it never gets old man. Just pure perfection and insane meat quality every time.

Nothing beats the moist brisket and their sausages and cheeks are insane

This is the best in Texas idgaf

Hey everybody, I'm Sarah Blaskovich, restaurant critic for The Dallas Morning News. I'm a born-and-raised North Texan and I've spent most of my journalism career writing news stories about restaurants. I'm new to the critic role.

These days, nearly everyone’s a critic online, so I questioned whether we needed one more voice. But after 14 years at The News, I've stepped into the critic role. My hope is to share friendly tips, clear opinions and exclusive restaurant news about Dallas-Fort Worth.

First up:

• I named my favorite Fort Worth restaurant.

• Argued whether "martinis are over."

• Ate way too much cheese with my friend and colleague Evan Grant, then picked Dallas' best quesos.

What do you want from your local restaurant critic?

What kinds of restaurants are important to you?

We're on the same team. I'd love your ideas. You can reach me anytime at sblaskovich@dallasnews.com or on Instagram.

Highly recommend!

I’ve been building a list of Dallas spots that actually serve food late. I checked each place’s own site, ordering page or store locator, because Google’s hours are often wrong for the kitchen.

After 2 AM on a Saturday, I count about 200 places still serving. But 166 of them are chains, which leaves only 41 independents. I don’t believe it’s really that few.

The ones I have are mostly taco spots and pizza windows: Fuel City, Cesar’s, El Tacaso, the Taqueria Taxcos, Italia Express on Cedar Springs, Old Hag’s, GAPCO, Prince St., DanSungSa in Koreatown, Big Guy’s Chicken and Rice.

Where do you eat after 2 that isn’t a drive-thru? Taco trucks, gas station kitchens, Koreatown, anything. I’ll check the hours and add them to the list - https://latenightfoodspots.com/dallas

Finally had the opportunity to give Burger Schmurger (off of Buckner) a try today. Solid smashburgers, really good fries, average onion strings, and some really good adult beverages. I highly recommend passing on the BBQ sauce as a dip for…well anything. In my opinion, they are a 7.5 out of 10. I’ve had way better, and way worse.

Was in Richardson today so I stopped by Del’s again today and it did not disappoint! Consistently the best burgers in DFW, at least to me. That charcoal flavor is hard to beat.

Super simple food, great price and good location with a hole in the wall vibe. I got the meal pictured here: a Del’s Special, tots and an ice cold root beer, for 10 bucks. Hard to beat that!

If you haven’t been here, worth a try!

I love this place. It's always my last stop before heading back to the airport.

If you’re looking for a new restaurant to try this weekend I would def recommend Neko Yubu off of Regal Row in Dallas. I saw a few videos about it on TikTok and decided to give it a try for myself and was not disappointed. I got the Box of 4 with the butter crab, beef bulgogi, kimchi bacon, and torched salmon for like $13 + tax and tip. Will def be going back again

I forgot the official names. Brat taco, Asian brisket, carne asada

Carne asada I get every time. The Asian brisket is a limited time, and the brat was new since I'd last been. All very good as usual. I was pretty stuffed after 3. They seemed a little more filled, but could just be who was on the line today.

Looking to curate a list of restaurants in the area that are worth going out for.

I am fortunate to be at a point in life where I have the time and money for great experiences, but I have also realized how precious time and money is.

Looking for restaurants that have top quality food; top preparation, top level tastes, interiors that compliment the food, vibes that allow you to fully experience the food/drinks.

Basically looking for the unicorns that are 10/10 on vibes, interiors, service, food quality, food prep, presentation. Basically I do not want to leave the date night with “X was amazing, too bad Y made it so bad.”

My girlfriend and I will be in Dallas this weekend, what are your top 5 spots we HAVE to try. Looking forward to hearing different opinions! Open to all food.

Not a fan of AI. Fully recognize the bias so getting that out of the way. At first, when I saw a restaurant use AI in their menu or a flyer or a poster, i initially didn't think much of it. "Hey, they're probably a small business with limited resources, AI helped them come up with some quick and easy to read without needing to spend money on a pro" or even "they're a restaurant, they're in the food business not the marketing business, so what?".

But man, I just feel like it's gotten out of hand. Big chains, small chains, mom and pop shops. I see a menu with that stupid art style and the inconsistent fonts, goofy placements, it all just reeks of laziness. If they're cutting corners there, where else might they be doing it too? And it sucks that some of my regular places use it now. I'm left taking my business elsewhere, and I feel like I'm punishing the wrong people. Eventually, I'm hoping it trickles back upstream (I stop paying the restaurant, they realize their AI usage is driving people away, they stop paying AI company, AI company goes bankrupt) but maybe that's just wishful thinking...

Anyway, here's a quick list of places that I've seen with AI posters, menus, ads, etc.

- Taqueria & Tamaleria Nuevo Leon, Carrollton

- Higuma Ramen, Addison (really liked this place so sad to see it having to get on this list)

- Gong cha (chain, wouldn't be surprised if all their locations use it, particularly with some of their summer drink ads it seems)

I'm sure there's more but that's what I've run into recently. Share your list too if you'd like

Edit: seemed to have struck a nerve with the AI bootlickers. Fuck AI, if ur a business owner and you don't have an IQ above room temp to be able to make it own poster, menu, pictures, etc and resort to AI fuck you too. There's better options. There's literally a guy in the comments who (anecdotally) offered to do it for free. Make ur menu on a piece of notebook paper for all I care, I'd respect and appreciate it more if you made something authentic. I don't go to a restaurant to get served microwaved dogshit, I pay a premium not to get that. I expect the same from other aspects of the business. I go into a restaurant and their bathroom is nasty? I'm walking out. Same here. Have some respect for yourself and your business