March 13, 2019: This story was updated with news of new restaurants opening or coming soon to The Hill in Dallas.
On a recent Sunday morning in Dallas, I pulled into the shopping center at the northeast corner of Walnut Hill Lane and Central Expressway to find a line of people standing on the curb. Dozens were waiting patiently, as if something big were about to happen. I checked my watch: brunchtime. Snooze, an A.M. Eatery knows how much Dallasites love brunch.
The development is called The Hill, and more than a dozen new restaurants are either open now or coming soon in 2019. If you haven't been up there in awhile, you may remember this intersection as the former home of Crossroads Diner.
The Hill is located close to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. It's down the street from Preston Hollow in one direction, Lake Highlands in another. And on the west side of U.S. Highway 75 is another newish development with restaurants called Preston Hollow Village. Suffice it to say, The Hill has a potential consumer base.
Coming soon at The Hill
No matter how you slice it (and even if you don't know it), you've eaten Empire Baking Co.'s bread. The company is a supplier for lots of well-known steakhouses and burger joints around Dallas, as well as many hotels. The bakery on University Boulevard in Dallas isn't open to the public, but The Hill announced that Empire will open a shop, and it will likely be similar to the one on West Lovers Lane in Dallas, which sells sandwiches, loaves of bread, cookies and more. It's expected to open in 2019 at The Hill.
Casa Verona is another new restaurant expected to open in 2019. Not much is known about it, other than that it's a Greek and Italian restaurant.
Now open at The Hill
Sauce Pizza and Wine is an Arizona-based pizzeria selling pies, salads and pastas. Its new address at the Hill is D-FW's third Sauce, after restaurants in Prosper and Irving.
Two raw-fish shops, Pokeworks and Sushi de Handroll, opened recently. Poke has been popular in Dallas for several years now, but handroll shops are just now popping up. (Dallas' first dedicated handroll shop, Namo, opened in August; Nori was the second. Sushi de Handroll makes three.) Expect to see more poke shops and more handroll shops in D-FW.
Bellagreen is a fast-casual restaurant with a commitment to water conservation and sustainable food. Bellagreen is launching two shops in Plano in addition to this one at The Hill in Dallas.
For coffee drinkers, Houndstooth was one of the earlier additions to The Hill. It's a teeny, two building, solar-powered shop. Another coffee shop opened nearby called Civil Pour. It sells local beer and paninis and is a popular work-from-home spot on weekdays.
Longtime tenant Red Hot & Blue, a Memphis-style barbecue restaurant, transitioned into HQ Prime Beer Garden in early 2019. On the menu is barbecue, burgers, tacos and more. Nazca Kitchen has remained at the intersection despite significant construction. Nazca Kitchen is a South American restaurant where, if you choose, you can eat healthily. (Note to Whole 30 warriors: I have successfully Whole 30ed here.)
Speaking of healthy, Unleavened Fresh Kitchen's wraps and salads and Luna Grill 's Mediterranean fare like chicken kabobs and gyros can also be relatively low-cal.
On weekend mornings, Tacodeli is regularly busy with families filling up on breakfast tacos. The Austin-based company has four D-FW shops (two in Plano, two in Dallas) and was voted the No. 3 best breakfast taco shop in our poll.
The final new restaurant to mention at The Hill is Hat Creek Burger Co., a truly blessed place for parents. At lunchtime, dinnertime — anytime — parents and their littles pack into this order-at-the-counter burger joint with a playground out back. Many an Instagram photo has been taken of cute kids climbing on the jungle gym while mom watches nearby, wine in hand. (Alright: I was that mom.) Pro tip: Wine and beer is half price on Thursdays.
This story was originally published Oct. 9, 2018. It was updated March 13 and 14, 2019.
