Ask ten people what they ordered at Bar Sardine last week and at least four of them will say a burger, in a French bistro built around escargot and steak Diane. Nobody planned it that way. That’s just what happened once people started eating there.
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Bastille Day arrives Tuesday, July 14, and while Dallas will not be storming any prisons, we can honor the occasion the way the French would prefer: at the table, unhurried, with a glass of something cold and no particular plans afterward.
The French do not eat the way we do. Lunch is an event, not a refueling stop. Cheese comes before dessert, not instead of it. Dinner starts late and ends later. If you want to celebrate properly this week, pick one of the spots below and give it the two hours it deserves.
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Every July 14, Bishop Arts remembers something most of Dallas has forgotten: this city has French roots. Real ones. In the 1850s, about 350 French, Swiss, and Belgian settlers crossed an ocean to build a utopian colony called La Reunion on the west bank of the Trinity, just across from what would become downtown. The utopia part didn’t take — farming socialists and North Texas summers were never going to get along — but the settlers scattered into the young city and left their mark. Reunion Tower carries the colony’s name to this day.
So, when Oak Cliff throws a Bastille Day party, it isn’t borrowing someone else’s holiday. It’s celebrating the neighborhood’s own origin story.
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Little Daisy sits on the ninth floor of the Thompson Dallas, inside The National, and the elevator ride up is doing some of the work before you’ve ordered a single thing. Step off and the room opens into hand-drawn wallpaper covering the ceiling, martinis and bow-tied garçons sketched out in a style that leans straight into a Toulouse-Lautrec print. A baby grand piano sits ready to play itself on quiet nights and gets taken over by a live musician on the weekends. Every table gets a candle and one single daisy in a small vase, nothing fussier than that, which is exactly the point of a place trying to feel like a Paris café rather than a hotel restaurant.
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If you’ve ever seen a pastry that looks like a caramel-crusted croissant and wondered what it is, there’s a good chance you were staring at a kouign‑amann (pronounced “queen‑ah‑mahn”). This rich, flaky treat comes from a very unlikely origin story — and has quietly become one of the most talked-about pastries in cities like Dallas.
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On Wednesday, October 15, 2025, Lavendou Bistro Provençal will host an exclusive multi-course dinner featuring wines from Foley Family Wines. The evening will include a guided presentation by Fidel Alcada, highlighting the craftsmanship and character behind each pairing.
Guests will enjoy a thoughtfully curated five-course menu prepared by the Lavendou culinary team, each dish paired to complement and enhance the selected wines.
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Berkley’s Market, the neighborhood favorite for groceries and coffee, has teamed up with French Atelier Bakery to offer fresh, authentic French pastries at all of its locations. Baked nightly and delivered each morning, these handcrafted treats bring a true taste of France to Dallas.
The pastry program is led by Chef François Delaire, an acclaimed French pastry chef with more than 20 years of experience in fine dining and luxury hotels across Europe and Asia. His career includes work at Joël Robuchon’s world-renowned restaurants, Peninsula Hotels, and InterContinental properties. Known for his precision and creativity, Chef François now brings his expertise to Berkley’s customers.
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Mamani opened its doors on September 2, instantly becoming one of the city’s most talked-about dining destinations. Co-owned by brothers Brandon and Henry Cohanim of Feels Like Home hospitality group, the restaurant promises an elevated, dinner-only experience where French and Italian influences meet contemporary flair. The space invites diners to slow down, savor each course, and immerse themselves in a refined, yet approachable, culinary world.
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