Thanksgiving lands on Thursday, Nov. 26, and the order deadlines arrive well before the turkey does. Some of the best holiday packages in Dallas-Fort Worth close the weekend of Nov. 20, a few sooner. What follows is a working list, sorted by how you plan to spend the day, with the dates that matter written down so you don’t have to dig for them.
The Deadlines, in Order
Most of the best packages sell out or close before the holiday week starts, so here is the calendar. Goldee’s closes first, on Saturday, Nov. 14. The Salty stops taking donut pie box orders Nov. 18. Bidding on Piehole Project pies ends at 8 p.m. Nov. 19, about the last day to give Lulu Modern the week it needs for its duck feast, the same day reservations close for the free veterans and first responders buffet at The Statler. Lockhart Smokehouse, Luckys, James Provisions and Café Momentum (5 p.m.) all want orders by Friday, Nov. 20. Pecan Lodge (9 a.m.), Loro, Meridian and Whiskey Cake close Sunday, Nov. 22.
Start With Pie, and Start Monday
The most interesting pies in town this year can’t be bought off a shelf. The Piehole Project opens its sixth annual online auction at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, with 33 one-of-a-kind pies from 32 DFW chefs. Bidding closes at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19.
The list reads like a dare. Toby Archibald of Quarter Acre made a Bacon and Egg Pie. Phillip Halff II of Culney turned in a Smoked Duck à l’Orange Pithivier. Hao Tran, who is getting Duong DeVille ready in Fort Worth, built The Crab Rangoon Royale, and Jacob Williamson of The Devonshire Club went with a Foie Gras “Snickers” Pie. Matt McCallister, with River Sing set to open soon, offers Someone’s Grandmother’s Custard Pie, which is about as honest a pie name as you will find.
Winners pick up on Monday, Nov. 23, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Dallas College, 11830 Webb Chapel Road, or at Cafe Modern inside the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St. Delivery runs 1 to 7 p.m. Since 2020 the auction has sold 243 pies and raised more than $60,000 to help train and promote young DFW cooks.
Barbecue for the Table
The earliest deadline belongs to Goldee’s Bar-B-Q, the Michelin-starred joint on the south edge of Fort Worth. It is selling exactly two things for the holiday, a whole brisket of five to six pounds for $225 that feeds 10 to 12, and a smoked turkey breast for $75 that feeds five or six. Both come fully cooked with reheating instructions. Orders must be placed and paid for by Saturday, Nov. 14, with pickup Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. That day the pit serves holiday orders only.
Pecan Lodge is taking holiday orders for smoked turkey, spiral ham with apricot-molasses glaze, spice-crusted beef tenderloin, whole brisket and its tamales, plus family-size sides like Mamie’s Baked Beans, cornbread stuffing and Aunt Polly’s Banana Pudding. Everything comes fully cooked. The last day to order is Nov. 22 at 9 a.m., and pickup runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Nov. 21 through 25, at the Pecan Lodge catering kitchen at 1618 W. Commerce St.
Lockhart Smokehouse smokes whole turkeys, turkey breasts, hams, briskets and prime rib, with sides including smoked cream corn and pecan pie. The food arrives frozen and vacuum sealed with reheating instructions. Order by Nov. 20 and pick up Nov. 23 through 25 at the Bishop Arts store, 400 W. Davis St., or in downtown Plano at 1026 E. 15th St. A whole brisket feeds 18 to 20, which settles the question of leftovers. The smoked turkey also recently picked up national recognition from New York Times Wirecutter.
At Loro Asian Smokehouse & Bar, the $190 package for four to six pairs post oak smoked turkey breast with turkey and sage gravy with miso, smoked apricot chutney, toasted brioche stuffing and a yuzu and peach cobbler. Orders placed by Nov. 9 get 10 percent off. Preorders close Nov. 22, with pickup Nov. 24 or 25 at Loro East Dallas, 1812 N. Haskell Ave., or Loro Addison, 14999 Montfort Drive.
In Fort Worth, Tim Love’s Woodshed Smokehouse is selling a dinner for six for $175, built around a smoked whole turkey with stuffing, green bean casserole and two pies, pumpkin and smoked pecan chocolate. For every dinner sold, Woodshed donates a second one to someone who needs it.
Something Other Than Turkey
Meridian at The Village is going its own way. Executive chef Eduardo Osorio’s take-home supper centers on a Whole Bird Szechuan Fried Chicken with pimento grits, cornbread, roasted broccolini and a Burnt Honey Tart Pie. Supper for four is $125 and supper for eight is $225, with part of the proceeds going to Meat Fight, the Dallas nonprofit that raises money for people living with multiple sclerosis. Order through Nov. 22 at Meridian and pick up Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The tart is sold on its own for $40.
Duck makes a strong case for itself in Plano. Lulu Modern, the Dallas Parkway restaurant known for setting its Peking duck alight tableside, is packaging that bird as a Flaming Duck Feast for the holiday. The $188 spread serves four to six and comes with the duck, crepes, fried rice, bao and a bottle of the restaurant’s SMÁLÀ sauce. It is pickup only from 3310 Dallas Parkway, Suite 121, and has to be ordered at least seven days ahead, so plan on getting the order in by Nov. 19 for anything Thanksgiving week.
Tamales have been on Texas Thanksgiving tables for a long time, and two kitchens are making them for the holiday. Mexican Sugar‘s version, braised guiso rojo pork in corn masa, comes from the grandmother of two people on the restaurant’s staff. Each dozen includes salsa verde and mayo crema, and they are available Nov. 16 through Dec. 31 with two days’ notice. In Frisco, Cantina Laredo sells frozen chicken and beef tamales by the dozen starting Nov. 16. Call the restaurant at 214-618-9860 at least 24 hours ahead. Cantina Laredo is closed on Thanksgiving Day.
Then there is Lewisville. Motor City Pizza is bringing back its Thanksgiving Pizza for a third year, a Detroit-style pie loaded with house-smoked turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, scratch-made turkey gravy, cranberry sauce and fried onions. The dressing is owner Greg Tierney’s mother’s recipe. It is on the menu all November at 1425 FM 407, Suite 600.
Sides, Small Kitchens and the Classics
The Thanksgiving dinner with the most behind it comes from Café Momentum, the downtown nonprofit restaurant where justice-involved young people train alongside professional chefs. The $195 dinner for four is cooked from scratch by the kitchen staff and the young people in the program, and every order helps pay for their training, mentorship and support. It includes two pounds of cider-brined roasted turkey breast, mushroom and thyme gravy, sage sausage and cornbread dressing, roasted kabocha and delicata squash with burnt honey and dukkah, collard greens, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, brioche rolls and a choice of toffee brittle sweet potato pie or brown butter and bourbon chocolate pecan pie. Order by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, and pick up from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 1510 Pacific Ave. Quantities are limited.
In Fort Worth, Jon Bonnell has his Thanksgiving to-go menu up on the Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine ordering page, with family-size sides that read like his restaurant menu, including Southwestern cornbread stuffing, green chile cheese grits and sweet potato casserole with pecans, plus pints of turkey gravy and red wine demi-glace. Call 817-738-5489 for the full lineup and pickup times at 4259 Bryant Irvin Road.
Luckys on Oak Lawn serves a Turkey and Dressing platter through Dec. 31, with turkey, dressing, two sides and cranberry sauce for $18.99. For the holiday table, the diner sells whole apple pies plus vegetables and cranberry sauce by the pint. Order by Friday, Nov. 20, and pick up Wednesday, Nov. 25. Luckys is closed on Thanksgiving Day.
In Hurst, James Provisions is cooking sides in sizes from two people to eight, including jalapeño cornbread dressing, rosemary butter potatoes, spicy Brussels sprouts and whipped sweet potatoes. Most are gluten free. Dessert is an olive oil cake with plum elderberry coulis or an apple pie with maple whipped cream. Call 817-576-4323 by Friday, Nov. 20, for pickup on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 290 Grapevine Highway.
Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar has a $150 dinner kit for six with smoked turkey, bourbon rosemary gravy, poblano-turkey sausage and Gouda stuffing, and you can add a whole or half Whiskey Cake. Preorder by Nov. 22 and pick up Nov. 24 or 25 at any Whiskey Cake location.
Let Someone Else Do the Dishes
The Harwood District has four rooms open on Thanksgiving. Mercat Bistro runs a three-course prix fixe brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $75, with a croissant eggs Benedict and a turkey plate among the choices, then dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. for $85. Saint Ann serves a $60 three-course brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with smoked brisket hash and chocolate meringue pie. Both require a card to hold the table and charge $25 a person for late cancellations.
For a steakhouse Thanksgiving in the same neighborhood, Stillwell’s at Hôtel Swexan adds a Turkey Roulade with butterscotch heirloom carrots and cranberry mostarda to its regular menu, and Docent serves an à la carte holiday menu with bacon-wrapped quail legs, a seafood tower and the colossal baked potato.
The Mercury, the Preston Road room that has been around since 1998, sets out its Thanksgiving buffet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with carved prime rib, roasted turkey, seafood and sushi. Adults are $99.95 and children 8 and under are $79.95.
Twenty-seven floors up at the Hilton Anatole, SĒR Steak + Spirits pairs the skyline with an à la carte holiday menu. The plate to order is the Diestel turkey breast with bone marrow dressing and cranberry gastrique, $48, and the regular dinner menu stays available.
On the Fort Worth side, Emilia’s at The Crescent Hotel on Camp Bowie runs a buffet with seatings at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Executive chef Sean Malek’s spread includes Pumpkin Pie French Toast, smoked heritage turkey, Texas smoked brisket and a build-your-own pie station where cooks torch a cinnamon marshmallow meringue to order. It is $150 for adults and $75 for kids 2 to 12, plus a 20 percent gratuity.
Thanksgiving Morning
The meal gets the attention, but the morning sets the tone. A pastry cart in the kitchen buys the cook a few quiet hours and keeps early arrivals out of the stuffing. Build it from Sugar & Sage Bakery on Lovers Lane, across from Highland Park High School, where executive pastry chef Jill Bates runs one of the best lamination programs in the city. Her fall case includes a Cookie Butter Pear Danish, a Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll in maple glaze, a knotted Cardamom Bun and, for the people who skip sweets before noon, a Caramelized Onion Danish with Gruyère and a sesame crust. The kouign-amann is the reason many regulars come in the first place, and the bakery’s Cristo Amann, a Monte Cristo built inside one, tends to sell out.
Seasonal items rotate daily, so go with a short list and an open mind. The bakery normally opens at 7 a.m.; call 469-759-6697 to confirm holiday hours before planning a Thursday stop, or pick up Wednesday and warm everything briefly in a low oven. CraveDFW took a closer look at the Sugar & Sage fall lineup in October.
Dessert Without the Oven
The Salty is selling a pie box of four donut “slices,” one each of pecan, pumpkin, apple crumb and chocolate cream, for $27. Preorder through Nov. 18 for pickup on Thanksgiving morning, or grab a box in the shop Nov. 23 through 26. The Bishop Arts shop is at 414 W. Davis St.
Ida Claire‘s Hummingbird Cake comes from the cookbook of Mildred Wilson, the great-grandmother of the restaurant group’s director of operations, whose family baked it every Christmas. It sells for $65 through Dec. 23, next to a $35 bourbon pecan pie. Haywire and The Ranch at Las Colinas bake a Route 66 Pecan Pie in a cinnamon roll crust with Texas whiskey caramel. It takes 24 hours to make, weighs more than six pounds and costs $45 through Dec. 22.
Before or After the Big Day
Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to wait for Thursday. At Weinberger’s Deli on Grapevine’s Main Street, Dan Weinberger keeps the whole holiday on one hoagie. The Settler stacks Cajun roasted turkey breast, whole cranberry sauce, jalapeño cornbread stuffing, basil mayo, red onion and spring mix on a butter-grilled sesame hoagie. It is not a Thanksgiving Day plan. Treat it as a warmup the week before or a cure for the Friday after, when the fridge is full and nobody wants to look at another casserole. The deli sits at 601 S. Main St., and CraveDFW checked in on Weinberger’s expansion in May.
A Seat at Someone Else’s Table
For the ninth year, Centurion American is hosting Thanksgiving for Your Service, a free buffet for first responders, active-duty military, veterans and their immediate families in The Statler Ballroom, 1914 Commerce St. Seatings are at noon and 2:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, with 100 guests per seating and complimentary valet. Reservations are required by Nov. 19.
The Culinary School of Fort Worth has its instructors, students and alumni cooking more than 1,000 side dishes for Catering to Love’s Thanksgiving program, which delivers holiday meals to roughly 150 foster and trafficking survivor families across the area. Over 13 years the program has fed about 14,000 people. Meals go out Nov. 20 through 25, and Catering to Love is looking for volunteer drivers.
If you are solo this day, Norma’s Cafe in Oak Cliff does their annual Free Thanksgiving open to anyone.
This guide will keep growing through Thanksgiving week. Restaurants with holiday menus or to-go packages not listed here can send details to steven@cravedfw.com, and the sooner they arrive, the better the chance they make the list.
