Uptown Dallas is the neighborhood that runs north from downtown along McKinney Avenue and Cedar Springs Road, and it is the most densely restaurant-packed corridor in the city. The McKinney Avenue Trolley runs free through the middle of it. Most of the major World Cup hotels sit on its southern edge. For visitors who want to stay in one neighborhood and eat well for three days without repeating themselves, Uptown is the answer. It has everything from a Gulf Coast seafood institution that opened the year Gerald Ford was president to a Michelin-starred French bistro that earned its star 48 days after opening. Both are worth your time.
Be mindful that lunch spots may also be great for dinner as well.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Uptown stretches roughly from the American Airlines Center in the southwest to the Knox-Henderson corridor in the northeast, with McKinney Avenue as its main spine. The West Village development at the northern end of the trolley line anchors one end; the Crescent complex anchors the other. The McKinney Avenue Trolley runs free daily from St. Paul Station downtown through the neighborhood to the West Village, stopping at major cross streets. Most of the corridor is walkable in the cooler morning and evening hours — plan outdoor activity for before noon or after 7 p.m. during June and July.
COFFEE AND MORNING
Village Baking Co. at 3218 Oak Lawn Avenue is the neighborhood’s most reliable morning stop — French-style artisan bread, croissants, seasonal pastries, and proper espresso. Everything is made in-house. Open Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ascension Coffee at 1621 Oak Lawn Avenue runs breakfast, lunch, and dinner alongside one of the most serious espresso programs in Uptown. Full food menu, rotating single-origin coffees, and a room that stays open late enough to bridge afternoon into evening. Open daily.
BRUNCH
Haywire at 1920 McKinney Avenue, Suite 100 is the Texas farm-to-fork restaurant that has become one of Uptown’s most consistent weekend brunch destinations. Texas-raised proteins, an award-winning whiskey program, and a retractable-roof patio. The shrimp and grits with tasso and andouille sausage red-eye gravy, the Wagyu tomahawk ribeye, and the Cadillac margarita are the anchors. Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Phone: (469) 501-5522.
Fearing’s Restaurant at 2121 McKinney Avenue inside the Ritz-Carlton runs the most celebrated brunch in Uptown — six distinct dining rooms, a sunny patio, and a Michelin-recognized menu from Chef Dean Fearing, the man credited with creating Southwestern cuisine as a serious culinary form. The legendary tortilla soup, chicken-fried quail, and Dr. Pepper-braised ribs are the weekend brunch reasons to show up. Saturday and Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Reservations on OpenTable. Phone: (214) 922-4848.
The Mansion Restaurant at 2821 Turtle Creek Boulevard is the other brunch worth dressing for. Inside the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek — a 1925 Italian Renaissance estate built by cotton magnate Sheppard King — executive chef Sebastien Archambault runs a contemporary American menu with French influences in one of the most architecturally beautiful dining rooms in Texas. The sunny veranda brunch is prix-fixe Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast daily 7 to 10:30 a.m., lunch Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., dinner daily 5:30 to 9 p.m. Valet $10. Reservations on OpenTable. Phone: (214) 443-4747.
LUNCH AND CASUAL
S&D Oyster Company at 2701 McKinney Avenue has been on this street since 1976 — one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Uptown. Herb and Mary Kay Story opened it after Herb’s Navy career on the Gulf Coast left them craving seafood they couldn’t find in Dallas. Head chef Santos Vasquez has been there all 50 years. The building is historic, the patio is a New Orleans-style courtyard, and the broiled flounder, BBQ shrimp, seafood gumbo, and fried oyster po’boy are the reasons to go. No reservations. Open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday. Call ahead to confirm: (214) 880-0111.
Si Tapas at 2207 Allen Street has been serving Spanish small plates in Uptown since 2009. More than thirty hot and cold tapas, a serious sherry and wine list organized by province, and happy hour Monday through Thursday 4 to 7 p.m. with $2 tapas. The seared tuna with four styles of ground pepper, the croquetas, and the oxtail stew are the ones to build around. Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. Friday and Saturday). Phone: (214) 720-0324.
Baboush at 3636 McKinney Avenue, Suite 160 in the West Village is the Moroccan-Lebanese concept that blends street food tradition with shareable mezze in a room built around the colors and textures of a Marrakesh market. The kibbeh, falafel, Baboush kofta — a mix of beef and lamb — the hummus, the dolma, and the Moroccan wings with spicy apricot glaze are the dishes to share. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. Friday and Saturday). Reservations on OpenTable. Phone: (214) 599-0707.
Malai Kitchen at 3699 McKinney Avenue, Suite 319 in the West Village is the Vietnamese and Thai restaurant that has been one of Uptown’s most reliably good spots for over a decade. Vietnamese meatballs, Thai tacos, shrimp pad Thai, lemongrass curry — the menu moves between both traditions without losing either. Happy hour $5 bites and drinks daily. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Phone: (214) 317-3558.
DINNER
Fearing’s at dinner is a different room than at brunch. The pace slows, the room fills with the kind of crowd that dresses for the occasion, and Chef Dean Fearing’s menu leans into the Michelin inspector’s favorites: the Lone Star mosaic carpaccio — tuna, Wagyu beef, salmon, and barbecued eel composing a plate that looks like stained glass — the antelope and buffalo preparations, and the baklava s’more with puff pastry and pistachio marshmallow. Seven distinct dining spaces, the Rattlesnake Bar for pre-dinner cocktails, and live music on weekends. Our review here. Open daily for dinner 5:30 to 10 p.m. Phone: (214) 922-4848.
Truluck’s at 2401 McKinney Avenue has been the benchmark for seafood in Uptown since 1998. The signature is Florida Stone Crab — served from the restaurant’s own fisheries near Naples, flown in trap to table within 24 hours, available October through May. The rest of the menu covers USDA Prime steaks, Chilean sea bass, and a raw bar that runs from oysters to jumbo lump crab. The wine list carries a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. Half-price happy hour runs daily. Read our review here. Open Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. Friday), Saturday 4 to 11 p.m., Sunday 2 to 9 p.m. Reservations on OpenTable. Phone: (214) 220-2401.
Al Biernat’s at 4217 Oak Lawn Avenue has been the most recognizable name in Dallas steakhouses since Al opened it in 1998 after fifteen years as general manager of The Palm. He knows everyone by name, and if he doesn’t know you when you come in, he will by the time you reach the valet. The Wagyu New York strip from Gearhart Ranch, the Allen Brothers tomahawk ribeye, the coconut cream pie, and a raw bar running from Osetra Caviar to live Maine lobsters are the reasons to book ahead. Open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations on OpenTable. Phone: (214) 219-2201.
Salum at 4152 Cole Avenue, Suite 103 is one of the most underrated dinner rooms in the city — Chef Abraham Salum’s contemporary American kitchen has been running between West Village and Knox-Henderson since 2005. The menu changes with the seasons. Beef tenderloin, trout almondine, housemade pastas, and a thoughtful wine list are the constants. Twenty years in, it still draws the kind of regulars who never feel the need to explain why they’re back. Our review. Free valet. Lunch Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner Monday through Saturday 6 to 10:30 p.m. Closed Sunday. Reservations on OpenTable. Phone: (214) 252-9604.
Uchi at 2817 Maple Avenue is James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole’s Dallas outpost of the Austin institution — non-traditional Japanese cuisine built on precision and restraint. The machi cure — yellowtail with orange oil, ponzu, and crispy shallots — is the dish that defines the kitchen’s approach. Omakase available. Sister restaurant Uchiba is directly above, serving yakitori, Japanese whisky, and a late-night izakaya format. We’ve written this place up many times. Happy hour 4 to 6 p.m. daily. Open daily 5 to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. Friday and Saturday). Reservations on OpenTable. Phone: (214) 855-5454.
Mamani at 2681 Howell Street earned a Michelin star 48 days after opening in September 2025 — the fastest in Texas history. Brothers Brandon and Henry Cohanim built the concept with executive chef Christophe De Lellis, who spent 13 years at Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas. The menu is French and Italian Riviera in spirit: Dover sole with brown butter and Meyer lemon, a 22-ounce dry-aged ribeye with potato gratin, whole duck served the Mamani way, and housemade agnolotti with corn and chanterelles. The room — pastel ombré walls, marble, stained glass, burl-wood bar — is the most beautiful new dining room in Uptown. Open daily 5 to 9:30 p.m. (10 p.m. Friday and Saturday). Reservations on OpenTable. Phone: (469) 455-1435.
Norman’s Japanese Grill at 4002 Oak Lawn Avenue is the Oak Lawn Japanese grill with robata-style cooking, fresh sushi, and a sake program that runs deeper than most. The black cod, Wagyu beef skewers, and spicy tuna roll are the standards. Open daily for dinner. Phone: (469) 960-6544.
DRINKS AND LATE NIGHT
Parliament at 2418 Allen Street is the Prohibition-era cocktail lounge opened by barman Lucky Campbell in 2014 — wood-paneled walls, serious drinks, no reservations. The Parliament Royale with gin, yuzu, apple, bitters, and Champagne is the house signature. A 20% gratuity is added to all checks. Open daily 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
The Standard Pour at 2900 McKinney Avenue is the McKinney Avenue cocktail bar that balances serious drinks with a room that actually lets you hear the person across the table. Large outdoor patio, late-night bar menu, happy hour daily, weekend brunch. One of the more consistently full rooms on the avenue on World Cup evenings. Open daily from 11 a.m. Phone: (214) 935-1370.
The Rustic at 3656 Howell Street is the 40,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor music and dining venue with live performances daily, a massive outdoor lawn with string lights, a full kitchen running until late, and the brisket burger that regulars drive across the city for. Open daily from 11 a.m. Phone: (214) 730-0596.
GETTING THERE
The McKinney Avenue Trolley runs free daily from St. Paul Station downtown through Uptown to the West Village. Most World Cup hotels are within walking distance of the southern end of the trolley line. Street parking is available throughout Uptown; paid garages along McKinney and Cedar Springs. Rideshare pickup zones are marked along McKinney. The Katy Trail runs along the neighborhood’s western edge and connects to Knox-Henderson — a good morning option before the heat sets in.
