Where should we eat on a date in Dallas?

The tables our editors book for a date — read each entry for the dish to order and the best time to go.

How many places to eat on a date does this guide cover in Dallas?

5 — hand-verified by editors and drawn from our full A-to-Z guide to Dallas. Each one has a real address, the best time to go, and an editor's note.

Food Date Ideas in Dallas — 5 Hand-Picked Spots

Bishop Arts District

Oak Cliff (south of Trinity River)

$$
Afternoon
Food

Two blocks of independent shops in Oak Cliff, the densest restaurant strip in Dallas, and the cinema where Oswald was arrested.

Tip Two-block walkable strip (Bishop + 7th + Davis) of independent shops, murals, and the densest restaurant cluster in Dallas. Emporium Pies (314 N Bishop) for the namesake (Drunken Nut: bourbon + pecan, $7) — eat at the porch tables. Hattie's (418 N Bishop) for upscale Southern. Lockhart Smokehouse (400 W Davis) for Central-Texas-style brisket sold by the pound on butcher paper. Spinster Records for vinyl. The Texas Theatre (one mile south) is where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested in 1963 — still a working repertory cinema.

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Bakery counter filled with pastries and baked goods

La Banqueta (Trini Garza)

West Dallas (Little Mexico)

$
Evening
Food

$3 al pastor tacos cut from the vertical spit, a salsa bar with seven options, no English on the menu. The Dallas taqueria of record.

Tip The taqueria of record in Dallas — has been since the 1990s. Cabeza, lengua, suadero, al pastor cut from a vertical spit, all in handmade corn tortillas, $3 per taco. Multiple locations now but the West Davis spot has the original feel: walk-up window + outdoor picnic tables, salsa bar with seven options (the salsa de aguacate is the move), no English on the menu boards. Eat three tacos standing up, watch a soccer match on the patio TV. The neighborhood (formerly 'Little Mexico') is the most authentic Mexican-American Dallas; combine with Trinity Groves (T) for a longer west-side evening.

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Moon setting behind a large white arch bridge in Dallas

Trinity Groves

West Dallas (Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge)

$$
Evening
Food

Restaurant incubators in a 12-acre warehouse across Calatrava's white sailboat bridge. Walk the bridge at sunset, eat looking back at downtown.

Tip A restaurant-incubator district across the Santiago Calatrava-designed Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge (the white cable-stayed arc that looks like a sailboat on the Trinity River). 15+ restaurants in a 12-acre warehouse complex, all started as concepts that may or may not survive — Cake Bar, 3 Stacks Smoke + Tap House, Sum Dang Good Chinese, Babb Brothers BBQ, Hofmann Hots (Detroit hot dogs). Skyline view of downtown across the bridge from the patio of any restaurant. Walk the bridge itself (pedestrian deck on the south side, 1,900 ft) at sunset — the cables light up white, downtown lights up gold.

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Sushi platter arranged on a black ceramic plate

Yutaka Omakase

Henderson Avenue (Lower Greenville)

$$$
Evening
Food

12 seats at a hinoki counter, 14-course edomae omakase, Yutaka Yamato cooking since 1989. The Dallas dinner you fly in for.

Tip The Dallas omakase that gets compared to Tokyo seriously — 12 seats at a hinoki counter, 14-course chef's choice nightly, Yutaka Yamato has run the kitchen since 1989. Specialized in 'edomae' Tokyo-style sushi: aged tuna, hand-cured mackerel, miso-marinated black cod, all paired with sake flights. Book on Resy 30 days out for Friday/Saturday; Tuesday/Wednesday sometimes open last-minute. Henderson Avenue itself is the new Knox-Henderson upscale strip — combine with The Charles (Italian, 4 doors east) or Sister (next door) for a pre-dinner cocktail. This is the Dallas dinner you fly in for.

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Orange neon LED pizza-slice sign glowing at night

ZaLat Pizza

Lower Greenville (late-night)

$
Late Night
Food

Open til 4 AM seven nights. Vietnamese flavors on pizza — The Notorious P.I.G., pork belly + cilantro + sriracha. The Dallas late night.

Tip Dallas's late-night pizza of choice — open til 4 AM seven nights a week. Started 2015 in a closet-sized Henderson Ave kitchen by Khanh Nguyen, who put Vietnamese flavors on pizza: 'The Notorious P.I.G.' (pork belly + cilantro + sriracha), 'Spicy Hawaiian' with pickled jalapeño + fresno chili. The Fitzhugh location has the longest hours and the patio. After the Deep Ellum shows let out, after the Lower Greenville bars close, after Henderson Avenue calls it — ZaLat is where the 2:30 AM Dallas date ends. Order slices ($5) or a whole 14-inch ($24). Outdoor seating at picnic tables.

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See the full A–Z guide to Dallas — all 26 dates →

Dallas places to eat on a date — FAQ

Where should we eat on a date in Dallas?: The tables our editors book for a date — read each entry for the dish to order and the best time to go.
How many places to eat on a date does this guide cover in Dallas?: 5 — hand-verified by editors and drawn from our full A-to-Z guide to Dallas. Each one has a real address, the best time to go, and an editor's note.