A good lunch in Dallas doesn’t have to come with a valet stand or a wine list. Some of the best midday meals in town still come off a charcoal grill, a flat-top or a smoker that’s been running for decades, and you can walk out full without wincing at the check.
These are the places we keep going back to when we want a real lunch at a fair price. They’re not new, and none of them are trying to be. That’s a big part of why they’re still here.
Goff’s Hamburgers
Goff’s has been grilling burgers since 1950, when Abe and Bernice Gough opened the first one on Lovers Lane. Their son Harvey ran it for years and became a Dallas legend for insulting his customers almost as much as he fed them. He sold the business in 2004 to Jim Francis, whose family kept the recipes and the red brick charcoal grill going.
The restaurant lost its Hillcrest Avenue home to a grease fire in 2016 and came back two years later at 3032 Mockingbird Lane, near SMU. The menu didn’t change. Order the hickory burger with the house hickory sauce or the chili, cheese and onion burger, both cooked over real charcoal, which is getting harder to find in this city. While you wait, look at the walls. They’re covered in old Dallas photographs, from SMU football to Doak Walker, and it’s as good a history lesson as you’ll get with fries.
Goff’s is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Lucky’s Cafe
Lucky’s has been an Oak Lawn fixture since 1988, one of the restaurants from Gene Street, who also co-founded the original Black-eyed Pea. The room is pure retro diner, with black booths and plenty of chrome, and breakfast is served all day, so lunch can be whatever you want it to be.
The chicken-fried steak is the reason a lot of people come, and it’s the daily special every Tuesday, which saves you a few dollars, and the chicken and waffles with cinnamon sugar butter have a following of their own. Lucky’s also leans on local suppliers more than most diners its age. It’s at 3531 Oak Lawn Ave. and opens at 6:30 a.m. every day.
Mama’s Daughters’ Diner
In the Design District, Mama’s Daughters’ Diner is still serving the kind of hearty, old-school comfort food that’s getting rare, at breakfast and lunch, with homemade pies to finish. The family story goes back to Norma Manis, and her family has kept the diner going since 1988. We told that whole story in our piece celebrating all that is Mama’s Daughters’ Diner.
It’s at 2014 Irving Blvd. and keeps diner hours, opening at 6 a.m. on weekdays and closing at 2 p.m., so plan for an early lunch. Saturday hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday runs 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bubba’s Cooks Country
Paul and Mary Beth Vinyard opened Bubba’s on Hillcrest Avenue in 1981, years before they started Babe’s Chicken Dinner House, and it’s still run by the family. The art deco diner sits at 6617 Hillcrest Ave., and lunch kicks in once breakfast wraps up at 11 a.m.
The fried chicken is the headliner, with mashed potatoes, green beans and yeast rolls right behind it. The chicken-fried steak comes in a smaller portion if you don’t want to spend the afternoon on the couch, and there’s a drive-thru for days when lunch has to happen in the car. Bubba’s is open every day from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more on the Vinyards’ diner, see our recent piece on making it a Bubba’s weekend.
Jimmy’s Food Store
Jimmy’s has been an East Dallas institution for more than 50 years, and the DiCarlo family still runs it. It’s an Italian grocery first, stocked with imports you won’t find at the supermarket, but the sandwiches are what bring in the lunch crowd. Wander the aisles while yours is made and you’ll probably leave with more than lunch.
Popular picks include the muffuletta with house-made olive salad and a meatball sub built on Marie DiCarlo’s family meatball recipe. Jimmy’s is at 4901 Bryan St. and is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. It’s closed on Sunday. We told the family’s story in Jimmy’s Food Store: A Dallas Gem.
Smokey John’s
For barbecue that won’t wreck your budget, Smokey John’s on West Mockingbird Lane has been feeding Dallas for 50 years. The Reaves family still runs it, and the sides get as much attention as the meat. We covered the family’s story when Smokey John’s hit 50 this summer.
It’s at 1820 W. Mockingbird Lane, Suite 18, near Love Field, and it’s open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It’s closed on Sunday, so don’t make the drive.
None of these places are trying to impress anyone, and that’s exactly why they’re worth your lunch hour. Bring a friend, order too much and leave room for pie.
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