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Food

13 brand-new restaurants and bars you'll want to know about in (and near) Dallas

You've got some eating to do, Dallas. As news poured in about new restaurants opening near the city center, we decided to roll up some of the tastiest tidbits into one easy-to-read spot. Doesn't matter your cuisine preference, there's something delicious for everybody.

Gung Ho

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Upscale Chinese-American food will be a big trend in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2018, and the first notable restaurant serving it has now opened. Gung Ho, which we named as one of the most exciting restaurants opening in Dallas in 2018, is located on Lowest Greenville, next-door to the popular HG Sply Co. and from the same restaurant group. Executive chef Kirstyn Brewer, formerly of Victor Tangos, has created a menu that includes pickled veggie eggrolls, crab rangoon, chicken fried rice and orange chicken. Dim sum brunch coming soon. Opened Feb. 20 at 2010 A Greenville Avenue, Dallas.

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Scout

Want a respite from your daily grind in downtown Dallas? Scout is serving up food, drinks...
Want a respite from your daily grind in downtown Dallas? Scout is serving up food, drinks and games.(Rose Baca / Staff Photographer)
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There's just one spot in downtown Dallas where you can nosh on a beet and goat cheese salad and lace up your shoes for a competitive bowling match or challenge an opponent to a game of ping-pong. Scout is a new gaming den inside the Statler hotel in downtown Dallas that offers a relaxed bar vibe with a better-than-bar-food menu. It's pricey, though. Our Tiney Ricciardi notes that Scout employs a cheeky theme with its cocktail menu, which dares, "Let's get campfire drunk." Read more about it here. Opened Feb. 19 inside the Statler Hilton hotel, 914 Commerce St., Dallas.

El Famoso

El Famoso is a new SoCal-Mexican restaurant in Irving.
El Famoso is a new SoCal-Mexican restaurant in Irving.(Ben Gibson)

Drive to Las Colinas and you'll find new restaurant El Famoso selling comfort food. The menu shows an intersection of Mexican street food and American diner food: mac and cheese, elotes, sloppy joes, enchiladas and the like. The decor will make you feel like you've stopped into a blast-from-the-past restaurant off of Route 66. But you're in fact around the corner from the new Toyota Music Factory. Opened Feb. 16 at 5228 N. O'Connor Blvd., Irving.

Cedars Social

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Wait a second, you're saying, Cedars Social isn't a new restaurant! Right you are. But it closed for a redo, and it's now back open and serving food you've never seen there: modern Mexican. What's more, the woman in charge is Monica Greene, of Dallas restaurants Cuidad and Monica's Aca Y Alla. Her chef is Anastasia Quinones, who has been making traditional Mexican food at restaurants around Dallas for some time now. Give Cedars Social a spin next time you're near downtown Dallas. Officially re-opened Feb. 16 at 1326 S. Lamar St., Dallas.

Tiny Victories

Tiny is in the name for a reason: This Oak Cliff bar is 1,000 square feet. Tiny Victories comes from the team who launched Henderson Avenue bar High Fives, Design District barbecue spot Ferris Wheelers and the former McKinney Avenue bar So & So's (now Parlay). These guys are also opening a bar in Victory Park sometime this year called Dibs on Victory. Basically, they've got something going in every corner of Dallas. Opened in mid February at 602 N. Tyler St., Dallas.

Mamoun's Falafel

First, Mamoun's opened in New York City. Then at several addresses in the northeast. Then, Uptown Dallas? Consider us lucky. The beloved NYC shop sells Middle Eastern food and is now going to be franchised all over the U.S. If you go, get a falafel sandwich or a shawarma plate. Opened Feb. 10 at 2829 McKinney Ave. (inside West Village), Dallas.

Poké Bop in East Dallas

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East Dallas' first poke shop is now open at Mockingbird Lane and Abrams Road. It's the second Poké Bop in Dallas; the first is on Lemmon Avenue. This shop serves traditional poke options -- and poke has become very popular in Dallas -- but a notable addition to its raw-fish and rice bowls is the Poké Ritto: a giant sushi roll the size of a burrito. You're gonna want to see it. Opened Feb. 8 at 4140 Abrams Road, Dallas.

Top Round

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Beef is not what's for dinner only at Top Round Roast Beef. In fact, this new Irving restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The thing to get at this Los Angeles-founded shop is a slow-cooked roast beef sandwiches topped with things like cheese "wizz," "atomic horseradish," caramelized onions and more. The restaurant also sells chicken sandwiches and a host of fries, which can come topped with several of the sauces and sides you'll find on the roast beef sandwiches. The "dirty fries" topped with gravy, cheese, caramelized onions and Round sauce are probably the way to go. Opened Feb. 1 at 310 W. Las Colinas Boulevard (at Toyota Music Factory), Irving.

Uchiba

One of Uchi and Uchiba's best bites -- and also one of its least expensive -- is the avocado...
One of Uchi and Uchiba's best bites -- and also one of its least expensive -- is the avocado nigiri with yuzu kosho, a simple bite of avocado over rice.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)

Wildly popular Japanese restaurant Uchi now has a place where diners can hang out and order some of the Uchi menu. Upstairs, where Top Knot used to be, there's a smarter replacement: Uchiba, part Uchi, part bar -- hence the name. Head straight upstairs for a casual hang with great food and cocktails. It's all helmed by the great Tyson Cole. Read more about Uchiba from our Tiney Ricciardi. Opened Jan. 31 at 2817 Maple Ave. (above Uchi), Dallas.

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3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails

"Social hour" is what they're calling happy hour at new Dallas restaurant 3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails. We like it, because social hour is long: 2-6 p.m. on all weekdays except Mondays -- when it lasts all day. The West End restaurant, opened by Jay Khan of RJ Mexican Cuisine, is a mix of healthy and not: build-your-own-bowls with simple proteins, starches and veggies; a turkey sandwich; truffle cheese fries; and a burger stacked with cheddar and black-pepper aioli; among others. Opened in late January at 311 N. Market St., Dallas.

Tapas Castile

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The two women running Tapas Castile met working at this exact Trinity Groves address years ago. Tapas Castile was once revered West Dallas tapas restaurant Casa Rubia, where Jessica Kate-Martinez and Kendra Valentine honed their cooking and front-of-house skills. At their new restaurant, they hope to sell you affordable tapas that will show why they believe Spanish meat, cheese and wine are some of the best in the world. Opened in Late January at 3011 Gulden Lane (inside Trinity Groves), Dallas.

Pazzo

Pazzo is a restaurant that doubles as a nightclub.
Pazzo is a restaurant that doubles as a nightclub.(Courtesy of Pazzo)

In Italian, "pazzo" means "crazy." That's the vibe they're going for at this American-Italian restaurant that turns dinner into a nightclub. The restaurant has a raw bar that serves oysters and seafood towers for anyone watching their figure. But there's also champagne brunch and waffles, or rosé all day, for those who aren't. The restaurant has a DJ and bottle service, and its owner Luke Zeutzius says a in a statement that he hopes Pazzo has "playful energy." Opened Jan. 18 at 2680 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas.

Beau Nash (inside the Crescent)

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People of a certain age might remember Beau Nash, a restaurant inside Hotel Crescent Court in the late '80s, 90s and early 2000s. One person described it as "the place to be" back then, and now that it has reopened, it might be the place to be again. This upscale lobby bar has a decadent sparkling wine list and lots of Champagne cocktails. It's a place perfect for celebrating a birthday. Opened in January. 400 Crescent Court (in the Crescent lobby), Dallas.

Do you live in Collin County? Here are some new restaurants you might want to know about:

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Closer to Fort Worth? Check this out: a guide to drinking and dining at the new Shops at Clearfork.