Where to Stay in Dallas If You Like to Eat

Texas is big. I mean really big. Texans measure things by how much time you’ll spend driving on I-35. Much of what you think of as Dallas is likely part of the expansive Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It isn’t uncommon to hear about a great spot in Dallas only to find that it’s an hour away in one of the interconnected cities or suburbs. Which is why the best way to maximize your visit to the Big D is to pick a strong home base, a.k.a. a hotel with on-site dining so delicious you won’t want to leave the lobby, in a neighborhood with a right smart collection of restaurants and bars at your fingertips.

Are you interested in a more country-and-western experience? Set your home base in Fort Worth. Want global options and dazzling fine dining? Dallas proper is the place for you. Whether you are looking to two-step the night away or unwind with a sumptuous feast, use this guide to find your vibe in the DFW and make all your wild west dreams come true.

Starting Point: Uptown Dallas

Uptown Dallas is known for its Victorian-era homes, mix of elegant restaurants with neighborhood sports bars, and the nostalgia-inducing bell of the M-Line Trolley. One of the most walkable neighborhoods in Dallas, Uptown is an especially apt choice during the cooler weeks of spring or fall.

Don’t skip “brekkie” at Little Ruby’s, an Australian all-day café with blush pink booths, mauve leather-backed chairs and honey wood accents (she’s IG grid-worthy). There’s a selection of pastas, bowls, and sandwiches but the day’s first meal (served until 4 p.m.) is where it’s at. The ultra-thick slice of banana bread with creamy-tangy passionfruit butter is a must. Pair with Australia’s best-known coffee drink: the flat white. And yes, you will see Vegemite toast on the menu.

It may come as a surprise that one of Dallas’s most beautiful restaurants was created by the CEO of fast-casual beverage franchise Smoothie King, but anything is possible in the Lone Star State. Nuri Steakhouse combines sophisticated Korean design with Dallas steakhouse culture in a stunning display of Art Deco meets futurism. Custom fluted lamps hang from gold-trimmed oak columns, while velvet-backed banquettes with marble curves around hand-painted wallpaper and jade-colored tile floors. There’s a rare wine collection by master sommelier Barbara Werley with bottles going back to 1863, and a lavish cocktail bar with bold stone and metallic features. Yes, it’s a steakhouse, and you should indulge in locally sourced beef (try the tartare East-meets-West style), but the real showstopper is the buttery-soft, 48-hour marinated sea bass with white radish.

Looking for the local watering hole? Check out Katy Trail Ice House. Skip the food menu and grab a seat at one of the many outdoor picnic tables for a predinner drink. With 50 beers on tap, and the 3.5-mile greenbelt park of the same name as its backyard, this beer garden has the best people watching in the city. Expect to see senior dogs in strollers and lots of Lululemon.

Hotel Crescent Court

Crescent Court is a towering French neo-Renaissance complex that overflows with classic Uptown glamour. There’s an on-site spa and fitness center where you can relax with a massage or yoga class from expert instructors in addition to an outdoor courtyard home to everything from Shake Shack to Nobu. If you’re in the mood for bubbles, stop by gorgeous Champagne bar Beau Nash in the hotel lobby for a Hugo Spritz (or a bottle of Dom). On the 17th floor, hotel guests have dining access to members-only Crescent Club. The club’s iconic lunette windows (as seen on Paramount+ series, Landman) offer unique city views, with oil paintings and floor-to-ceiling wood-paneling dialing up the charm. Because the restaurant is not open to the general public, it’s a quieter, more intimate space. (Like ordering room service without the awkward bed tray.) Try the grilled octopus with viper green herb mojo or the enormous fall-off-the-bone tender lamb osso bucco.

Hôtel Swexan

For European style with a Western flair, look no further than Hôtel Swexan. These ultra-luxe rooms feature wall-to-wall views of Uptown Dallas, a walk-in marble shower, and free-standing soaking tub. The twin sauna and steam rooms in the elegant fitness center had me feeling relaxed and refreshed like no other.

Hôtel Swexan’s in-house flagship restaurant Stillwell’s is a two-time Michelin-recommended steakhouse and bar located on the 7th floor. Expect a compact but elegant dining space, excellent service, and a menu that spotlights their premium beef program in partnership with Texas ranches. Order a side of the state-fair-size onion rings for a bit of whimsy.

Starting Point: Fort Worth Stockyards

If you just binged every episode of 1883 and want to break in your new boots, the Fort Worth Stockyards are where you begin your Texas adventure. The Stockyards are a mix of old and new, high and low. There are plenty of dive bars and saloons (Filthy McNasty’s is exactly what you think it is) but for a more modern experience try the Sidesaddle Saloon. Small bites and an approachable cocktail menu named after famous women of the Old West, Sidesaddle represents the new wave of Stockyards bars that emphasize quality products in updated accommodations that don’t lose their identity.

Provender Hall delivers New American classics in a comfortable two-story dining space. Stop by for lunch or dinner and don’t even think about passing up the fried green tomatoes. Dressed with a Dijon sauce, chives, and an avalanche of grated country ham, these tangy, perfectly deep-fried tomatoes pack a smoky-salty bite.

For the ultimate Stockyards experience, you can’t beat Cattlemen’s Steakhouse. A Fort Worth institution since its opening in 1947, a facelift from multihyphenate and Fort Worth local Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, 1923) transformed Cattlemen’s from an aging tourist stop into a fine dining steakhouse. A hammered copper-topped bar, leather and cowhide bucket chairs, and dim lamps illuminating dark wood paneling maintain the Stockyards charm with a luxe edge. The 32-oz. tomahawk is served with charred, olive-oil-marinated tomatoes and flaky salt on a cutting board, because a plate simply cannot contain its size. Go ahead, live a little.

Hotel Drover

The crown jewel of the Stockyards, Hotel Drover is set on a large property with ample green space, covered patios, firepits, and a river running through the backyard. Stage coaches trot down Mule Alley, the smell of BBQ is in the air, and everyone dons their boots and cowboy hats for dinner.

Chefs prepare your meal on the open wood-fire grill at 97 West, the Drover’s massive restaurant inside the main lobby. A warm, inviting space for guests and locals alike, the menu is robust, with options for the more adventurous like antelope and goat cheese grits or bison tenderloin with roasted vegetables and a garlic demi-glace. When you tuck in for the night, the rooms are cozy, filled with beautiful leather and cowhide design features.

Starting Point: Cultural District

Fort Worth’s Cultural District is known for its museums, restaurants, and—of course—the rodeo. Explore the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art for a western-centered experience, or the Kimball and Modern art museums if Picasso and Warhol are more your thing. If you’re swinging by the Botanical Gardens, head to nearby Café Momento, an intentionally small, analog café. Its modern, stylish interior houses a curated selection of art books and magazines to prep you for an afternoon of museum hopping.

A short jaunt over to the Southside of town will bring you to Panther City BBQ. What began as a bar-side food truck in 2018 has since expanded its prowess in the barbecue world, even landing a spot in the 2024 Michelin Guide to Texas. Get the brisket elotes and pork belly burnt ends, and be sure to pencil in a siesta afterward.

Bowie House

Bowie House is an opulent New West hotel located on the brick streets of Fort Worth’s Cultural District. The rooms are spacious and tastefully decorated. Nothing could pull me away from the emerald green–tiled shower, except maybe the food that awaits on the ground floor. Bowie House’s expansive lobby bar is complete with fireplace seating, an incredibly sexy library, and an art-focused teal billiards room. Likewise, the restaurant Bricks and Horses contains all the fantasy of cowboy life with the luxury and comfort of the 21st century. From market fresh oysters topped with hot sauce sorbet to locally sourced filet mignon grilled over Texas charcoal, Bricks and Horses sets the bar for the modern fine-dining steakhouse.

Starting Point: Design District

Dallas’s Design District, once an industrial zone with interior design offices and scarce food options, now holds the keys to some of the city’s hottest dining destinations. Norman’s Japanese Grill marries western style with a Japanese inspired menu. Expect excellent service, laid-back vibes, and a large menu that pulls off an impressive tightrope act of delicate, interlacing flavors. The uber-buttery snow crab nigiri might just be perfection in a single bite. Night Rooster is a sexy, modern Chinese restaurant from two-time Top Chef contestant Shirley Chung. The menu is creative and fun, with items like the Wagyu “cheeseburger” potstickers with bacon-tomato jam, and honeycomb-fried halibut with pomegranate sweet-and-sour sauce. With excellent cocktails and a mix-and-match sharable menu, Night Rooster is the move for a night out.

Likewise, Dallas chef Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman has created a playful and immersive menu centered around Mexican ingredients at Puerto Cocina. The bar program features an entirely Mexican wine list mostly from Baja California, Mexico, expertly paired to the menu. The mussels with a green coconut curry aguachile and butter-braised scallop are the perfect bocados (small bites) to get you started. The tiradito is as tasty as it is visually stunning: Dry-aged hiramasa, candied kumquats, and lychee swim atop a creamy base of ají amarillo chile and basil oil. It’s dynamic, textural, fresh, and exciting, as is the entirety of the menu.

Virgin Hotels Dallas

Virgin Hotels Dallas brings bold British style to Dallas’s trendy Design District. With a showstopping exterior and jewel-toned clubhouse interior, it’s here to show you a good time. Rooms have a chic apartment feel, with signature red design elements throughout. Choose between skyline views from the rooftop pool (complete with bar and lounge) or live music at The Commons Club bar and restaurant in the lobby. It’s a surreal maximalist’s dream with dramatic lighting, mirror-lined booths, and enough glittering fixtures to make Jay Gatsby jealous. The menu is Cajun-inspired with a heavy dose of international flair. The polenta crusted snapper with pillowy fried potatoes and a bright, herbaceous sauce vierge is to die for.