Local Cuisine and Libations

Food is one of the many passions Corley and I both share. She loves to cook and we both enjoy introducing our friends and family who don't live in Dallas to the many different and unique options we have. Dallas is home to several major restaurant companies like Brinker International and Yum! Brands which means this area is also privy to many new restaurant concepts that are tested out here before they are opened up across the country. Dallas is also known as having one of the highest number of restaurants per capita which is sometimes a double-edged sword when trying to making a decision on where to go.

None the less, we wanted to highlight just a few of the many excellent restaurants that are near the Downtown and Uptown neighborhoods. We've also provided a short list of the many fine local bars and pubs in case you're in search of a cold beverage during the weekend.

BBQ
Cowboy Chow - known as much for their open-range or chuck-wagon style dining as they are for making Deep Ellum their home on the range.
Dickey's - ya, we know this is a chain, which by default should disqualify this recommendation, but their BBQ is dang good and the original location opened up in Dallas back in 1941.
Sammy's BBQ - a favorite lunch spot for the suits from downtown during the week.

Tex-Mex
Primo's Bar & Grille - opened up by two cousins, hence the name, who will have the place packed on any given weekend.
Manny's Uptown - serving some of the best margaritas and brisket tacos out of an old house-turned-restaurant in Uptown

Hamburgers
Twisted Root - gourmet meats, house-made condiments like ancho-chipotle ketchup and horseradish mustard with a dash of Deep Ellum attitude.
Jake's Hamburgers - you can pay a visit to their Uptown location or check out the one in Lake Highlands that is a short stroll from our house.
Village Burger Bar - everything is skinny in Uptown's West Village, including the fries.

Pizza
Campisi's - original location, which is still in business today on Mockingbird Lane, opened in the mid-1940's and at one time had ties to Jack Ruby and Dallas' organized crime. There is a downtown location if you're not looking for a history lesson.
Coal Vine's - the ambiance and taste of a little New York pizzeria in the middle of Uptown

Seafood
Five Sixty - Wolfgang Puck's new Asian fusion restaurant that has arguably one of the best views of downtown Dallas.
Deep Sushi - hands down the best sushi in town
S&D Oyster Co. - once a neighborhood grocery store and livery stable is now a great place for oysters on the half shell, hush puppies and fresh snapper.
Hook, Line & Sinker - if you like it fried, you'll feel right at home here.

Brunch
Dream Cafe - everything from Cloud Cakes and Austin Tacos to Migas or a Monte Cristo.
Cafe Brazil - often highlighted in the Dallas Observer's annual Best of Dallas list. You'll have plenty of options at their diverse coffee bar as well as from the Brazilian-inspired menu. There are a few standard breakfast options as well to round out the selection.

Bars and Pubs
Stoneleigh P - once a pharmacy and located directly across for the 1920s landmark hotel. A great Uptown neighborhood bar with a pool table and Golden Tee.
Gingerman - by far one of the largest draught beer selections in Dallas.
Uptown Pub - dark wooden fixtures, cozy booths and a perfect patio for West Village people-watching.
Adair's - if you're looking for a Texas-style experience, you've found the place. Adair's has been a staple of the Deep Ellum area for more than 27 years where you'll be served beer in a can and can almost always hear a good Texas county band playing.
Elbow Room - it was a tough call on whether to put the Elbow Room under the Pizza category or here with the other bars as they have some of the best pizza in Dallas. They also have one of the better jukeboxes, pools tables, shuffle board and darts.
Old Monk - another regular on the Dallas Observer's Best of Dallas list. This pub offers up an impressive beer list that compliments the lights from a monastery in Pennsylvania and a turn of the century altar door.