The Best Spots Right Now — Local Favorites and a Few Worth the Drive
By Jamie Marancenbaum | Midtown Market Group | April 15, 2026
There’s a window every spring in North Texas that doesn’t last nearly long enough. The kind of evening where you can sit outside, take your time over a meal, and actually feel like you’re somewhere. Not rushing to beat the heat, not checking the weather app, just — out, enjoying it.
That window is open right now. In about six weeks, it won’t be.
I spend most of my time in North Dallas, Preston Hollow, Richardson, and Farmers Branch — and there is genuinely no shortage of great dining right here in our neighborhoods. But I also think part of living well in a city this size is knowing when something is worth the drive. So here’s both.
Local Favorites — Right in Our Neighborhoods
Chilangos Tacos — Preston & Alpha, North Dallas
This one has been quietly earning its reputation since opening at the corner of Preston and Alpha, and it deserves more attention than it gets. Chilangos is a Mexico City-style taqueria — handmade tortillas, quality meats, proper salsas — built by a team that genuinely knows what they’re doing. Co-founder Chef Joel Mendoza trained at Pujol in Mexico City, ranked among the 50 best restaurants in the world, before bringing his craft to Dallas. The carne asada and barbacoa are the moves. The Signature Ribeye taco is worth the detour on its own. Get there before the lunch rush if you can.
Best for: A quick, excellent lunch or an easy weeknight taco run that punches well above its price point.
Cris and John — Campbell & Preston, North Dallas
A Vietnamese-Mexican fusion spot in a North Dallas strip mall that has absolutely no business being this good — and yet here we are. Founded in 2017 by Cristina and John (a married couple, John having grown up in Ho Chi Minh City), Cris and John has built a devoted following with dishes like the Phorrito — all the flavors of a classic pho, wrapped like a burrito — Vietnamese curry enchiladas, quesabirria tacos, and a pho burger that regulars talk about constantly. It’s casual, the line moves fast, and the food is genuinely creative without being gimmicky. Closed Saturdays and Mondays, so plan accordingly.
Best for: A lunch that surprises you, adventurous eaters, anyone who’s been meaning to try it and keeps putting it off.
Sweet Firefly — Custer & Campbell, Richardson
If you live in Canyon Creek or anywhere nearby and haven’t made Sweet Firefly a regular stop, this spring is the time to fix that. It’s a small, family-owned gourmet ice cream shop that has been a neighborhood institution since 2010 — handmade ice cream in rotating seasonal flavors, vegan and dairy-free options, New Orleans-style sno-balls, and bulk candies that make it equally dangerous for adults and children. The Coffee Toffee Crunch and Sea Salt Caramel are classics. The surprise weekly flavors are always worth asking about. The owner knows regulars by name. It’s exactly the kind of place that makes a neighborhood feel like home.
Best for: After dinner, a weekend afternoon treat, or any day you need a reminder that good things are still simple.
Preston Hollow Village
Still one of my favorite evening spots in the neighborhood. La Duni’s covered patio, Barter’s outdoor seating, the general corner café energy on a warm weeknight — there’s a combination of walkability and neighborhood warmth here that’s hard to find in North Dallas. Bring a friend, plan to stay longer than you intended.
Best for: A long catch-up, a low-key Friday evening, anywhere you want to feel like you’re in your neighborhood.
Worth the Drive — When You Want to Make an Evening of It
I cover real estate across the broader North Dallas corridor, which means I’m regularly out in Plano, Frisco, and McKinney. These are the spots I keep coming back to — all worth building a plan around.
Ebb & Flow, Plano
One of the genuinely prettiest patios in North Texas. Someone cared about the experience of sitting outside here, and it shows in every detail. The cocktail program is worth the drive on its own.
Best for: A proper date night, a celebration, anything that deserves a setting with intention.
CRU Food & Wine Bar, Plano
Upscale, well-shaded, and exactly right for a long dinner. The wine list is serious without being intimidating, and the patio has a comfortable-but-elevated energy that makes a Tuesday feel like a weekend.
Best for: Wine lovers, slow dinners, a mid-week reset that actually resets.
The Rail Yard, Frisco
Food trucks, string lights, live music — designed around the idea of lingering. Casual and energetic in the best way. Great for a group, great for a Friday with no real plan.
Best for: Groups, live music nights, anyone who wants the outdoor festival energy without a two-hour drive.
Local Yocal, McKinney
Farm-to-table on McKinney’s historic square, and genuinely worth the miles. There’s something about eating outside in McKinney’s downtown that feels like a slower, more intentional version of North Texas. The food is locally sourced and consistently good. This is where I take out-of-town guests.
Best for: Weekend brunches, impressing visitors, a reminder that North Texas has real charm and character.
Why I Write About Restaurants
Fair question — I’m a real estate agent, not a food critic. But the neighborhoods people want to live in aren’t just about square footage and school ratings. They’re about whether there’s somewhere to walk to on a Friday night, whether the area has energy and character, whether you actually want to be there.
The North Dallas corridor I work in — Preston Hollow, Farmers Branch, Richardson, and beyond — has both great bones and a genuinely good quality of life. That’s not a marketing line. It’s why people who move here tend to stay, and why I stay too.
If you’re curious about a specific neighborhood — what the walkability looks like, what’s coming, what the people who live there actually think — reach out. That’s my favorite kind of conversation.
Enjoy the patios while the weather cooperates. Summer is coming fast.
— Jamie
Jamie Marancenbaum is a Dallas realtor with Midtown Market Group, specializing in North Dallas, Preston Hollow, Farmers Branch, Richardson, and the surrounding communities. She writes a twice-monthly newsletter covering local real estate, development, and neighborhood news.
