There are two kinds of brunch. One is fuel: eggs, coffee and the check before you’ve finished your second cup. The other is an occasion. You gather a table of people you like, order a round, then another, and look up to find it’s somehow 2:30 and nobody wants to leave.
This list is for the second kind. These are Dallas restaurants where the food is good enough to justify the reservation, the drinks are made with care, and nobody is in a hurry to turn your table.
Encina sits in the old Bolsa space on West Davis Street in Oak Cliff, and its weekend brunch has a loyal, packed following. Chef Matt Balke and his partner Corey McCombs opened it in 2020, in the early months of the pandemic, and named it for the holm oak, which was also the original name of Balke’s hometown of Uvalde. The dish everyone talks about is the blue corn pancakes, served with butterscotch, salted butter and cajeta. They became popular enough that the pancake mix won a spot in H-E-B’s Quest for Texas Best in 2024. Start the table with devils on horseback, the bacon-wrapped, blue cheese–stuffed dates with apple butter that carried over from the Bolsa days, and look for the burger, which has long been a brunch-only item. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Book ahead, because Sundays fill up fast.
Taco y Vino lives in a converted bungalow at 213 W. Eighth St. in North Oak Cliff, and its back patio is the reason to go. Wine professional Jimmy Contreras and chef Sharon Van Meter opened it in 2018 to show that tacos and wine belong together, and it celebrated its eighth anniversary this spring. Brunch is served every day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., which makes it a rare weekday option for anyone whose weekend falls midweek. The chilaquiles come with soft-scrambled eggs folded right in, and the spicy tamale bites are made for sharing. Order a bottle for the table, or try the frozen kalimotxo, a Spanish mix of red wine and cola. With picnic tables outside and records spinning inside, it’s easy to stay longer than you planned.
José on West Lovers Lane is where the Bluffview and Park Cities crowd takes its time on weekends. Chef Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman cooks the food of Jalisco and Guadalajara with real care, and the menu changes with the seasons. The covered patio is built for a long afternoon of margaritas. Brunch is Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 4931 W. Lovers Lane. Call 214-891-5673 for takeout or questions.
Le Bilboquet brings Manhattan’s Upper East Side to Knox-Henderson. The Dallas sister of the New York bistro serves weekend brunch in a polished room and on a patio that fills with well-dressed regulars and celebrating tables. The house signature is the Cajun chicken, sliced and served in a beurre blanc with frites, the dish the restaurant is best known for. For a bigger gathering, the Garden Room seats 20 to 50 guests for private events. Find it at 4514 Travis St., Suite 124, and reserve ahead for weekend brunch. For fun, here is our take on Shakshuka.
A few tips for brunch with a group. Reserve early, especially on Sundays. Ask whether the restaurant will split checks before you sit down, not after. And don’t be afraid to tell your server you’re settling in, because the best brunch rooms are happy to let you.
