Dining in Oak Cliff
Restaurants in Oak Cliff are some of the freshest in Dallas -- particularly in the Bishop Arts District and North Oak Cliff.
More than a dozen new restaurants arriving the the past few years -- from home cooking, bistros, coffeehouses, Tex-Mex, Italian, Steaks and ethnic delights are available for your every culinary pleasure. Yumm, it's lip smacking good...
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Best romantic dinners: Our choices are Tillman's Roadhouse for good classic Texas food in a fun and casual atmosphere and for great Tex-Mex in a romantic setting we recommend La Calle Doce.
Other romantic selections: Italian-- Vittos, Thai -- Chan Thai, Southern bistro - Hatties, Spanish cuisine - Cafe Madrid, intimate cafe -- Hula Cafe.
A dinner with the family -- the best Oak Cliff restaurants to take your family -- for kids through grandmother at a "family" price -- Tex-Mex -- we choose El Fenix or Tejanos; Family steakhouse - Charco Broiler; Home cooking - Norma's; Cafeteria - Lubys; Burgers - Hunkey's; Italian - Vittos; Texas cuisine - Chili's.
Experience Great Dining
Ratings are based on input from our secret diners and comments from you. They are based on the quality of the experience for the type of dining establishment. Please send us your input.
Belmont Hotel Bar - The outside bar area has the best view and the food is great - veggie burger - chicken salad - other bar foods. (Reported by Claire) 214-393-4141 -- See Cliff Cafe also.
Beckley Brewhouse - Dawson reports: "A great place to eat is Beckley Brewhouse. They have great burgers, sandwiches, beers, mixed drinks and one of the best homemade pizzas I've ever eaten. All of the staff is very personable. They have a shelf packed with board games that customers can pick and play. An outdoor setting where many dog owners(with leashes) are frequently found. Plenty of cozy seating and a bar area inside where you can enjoy T.V.s or conversation." Located at 1111 N. Beckley.
Cafe Brazil - "Not just another coffe house" On Davis at Bishop (611 N. Bishop). Great coffee, breakfast (thy the walnut pancakes), sandwiches. soup and salads. Open late for you night crawlers. 
Chan Thai - In the Bishop Arts district at 312 W. Seventh Street right around the corner from Vitto's. Great and tasty Thai food. (Bishop Arts District)
Charco Broiler - An Oak Cliff landmark for decades (with its huge Angus Steer on the roof) -- This is the place for a good inexpensive steak dinner. Nothing fancy, you understand, but good food. At 413 W. Jefferson Blvd. 
Click here for a review.
Chili's -- the 1000th Chili's restaurant. 1610 North Cockrell Hill (near I 20).
Cliff Cafe - (Temporarily closed) Located at the renovated Belmont Hotel on Fort Worth Avenue -- experienced Cliffites may remember this as the old Hungry Bear Restaurant location. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinnner. The decor is eclectic modern and the lunch menu is good, quick and reasonably priced.
Cafe Madrid - A Dallas fixture for 18 years, now in Bishop Arts as Dallas’ first Spanish restaurant and tapas bar. It offers a cozy, intimate dining setting reminiscent of the little cafes found on the streets of Madrid. 408 North Bishop Avenue suite 108. 
El Fenix - Located at Colorado and Zang (120 E. Colorado), a long-time favorite of Cliffites -- they have the best chips in town! Check out the Wednesday special. For those who have lived in Oak Cliff for decades, visiting El Fenix is like a step back into time -- yes it has been updated some, but the atmosphere is just like the Martinez family restaurant from the 50s or 60s...We give a 4 acorns because it has been a quality mainstay for Cliffites for over 5o years, and continue to provide classic Tex-Mex dining. 
El Ranchito - 214-946-4238 (In the old Red Bryan's BBQ building)
Faz-Cuisine - Corner of Polk and Jefferson (Continental cuisine with a Mexican accent.)
Gloria's - Not Tex-Mex, but a kissing cousin. This is excellent Salvadorian-Tex cuisine. Try the scrambled eggs with roast beef! The menu features new and interesting flavors (and they also include some Tex-Mex for those less adventurous.) Located at 600 W. Davis. Although there are several of these restaurants in the Dallas area now, this is the original.
Greek Cafe and Bakery -- coming soon on Davis at Bishop.
Hula Hotties Cafe - Who would think a great Hawaiian cafe would open in Oak Cliff? Owners Jill and Roger, who had a bakery on the Big Island for more than 20 years, brought with them a bit of the South Pacific charm to their cafe in the Bishop Arts area. Try their Thanksgiving on a bun sandwich -- or ANY of the baked goodies... Ymmm... They also do catering. 214-943-CAFE,
244 W. Davis, Dallas 75208
Hunkey's Old Fashioned Burgers - located on Bishop at the location that used to be Bishop Grill -- excellent burgers, salads and desserts. (Bishop Arts District)
KAVALA - An oakcliff.com website visitor (Claire) reports: This is a wonderful Restaurant -- probably the best yet -- Great Pizza - Salads - Mussels and more. Priced right. Moderate. The atmosphere is comfortable
La Calle Doce -- This is a family-run restaurant with traditional and nouvelle Mexican cuisine offered in a stylishly old 1920's converted prairie house. Excellent seafood. 415 W. 12th Street. (Also known as "The Twelfth Street Restaurant" to locals.) Although there are several of these restaurants in Dallas, this is the original. It is a head above almost all Dallas Tex-Mex restaurants. 214- 941-4304
Luby's -- Family Cafeteria - 1350 N. Hampton Road (near I 30). CLOSED
Lulu’s Authentic Mexican food at 1234 Newport Ave. It’s off the beaten path, but well worth the trip. Recommended by Scott...
Hattie's -- In the Bishop Arts District -- Good upscale American dishes. (Bishop Arts District) A very good place for lunch or dinner.
Hula Hotties Cafe - Who would think a great Hawaiian cafe would open in Oak Cliff? Owners Jill and Roger, who had a bakery on the Big Island for more than 20 years, brought with them a bit of the South Pacific charm to their cafe in the Bishop Arts area. Try their Thanksgiving on a bun sandwich -- or ANY of the baked goodies... Ymmm... The also do catering. 214-943-CAFE,
244 W. Davis, Dallas 75208
Mariscos La Reyna - Mexican Style Seafood - 517 west Jefferson Blvd
Norma's Cafe - Oak Cliff Home Cookin' where the chicken fried steak is slathered in creamy gravy and the rolls are served hot out of the oven. Look at the Oak Cliff tornado pictures on the wall. An Oak Cliff institution if there ever was one. Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Located at 1123 W. Davis. For down home cooking that is good and basic, Norma's gets a well -deserved 3.5 acorns.
Smoke - BBQ restaurant located at the renovated Belmont Hotel on Fort Worth Avenue -- experienced Cliffites may remember this as the old Hungry Bear Restaurant location. (And more recently the Cliff Cafe.)
Oak Cliff's family favorite restaurants. When the movie JFK was being filmed, this is where the stars and crew members came for some authentic Tex-Mex food. Located at the corner of Beckley and Davis (110 W. Davis). D Magazine calls it "One of the 5 best Mexican Restaurants in Dallas." This was originally an El Chico restaurant -- it changed names when the brand was sold. There is a big stained glass window in the main dining room that came from the original El Chico that tells the story of the family as it came from Spain, through Mexico and to the US. Another of Oak Cliff mainstay Tex-Mex restaurants where Cliffites have met together for over 50 years (first as El Chico and now as Tejano's)
Texas Best Catfish at W. Kiest. and Hampton Rd. According to 52 year Oak Cliff resident, Bubba, it is truly the best catfish place in Texas -- and it's in Oak Cliff.
Tillman's Roadhouse - Mmmm... good food...Tillman’s Corner is now Tillman’s Roadhouse. It has been redecorated and completely revamped. Check out the new website www.tillmansroadhouse.com 324 West 7th Street. 214-942-0988. (Bishop Arts District) If you want a great dinner in a wonderful ambience, this is the place. It is a great date or anniversary restaurant, or a place to meet for business or pleasure.
Spiral Diner -- 1101 N. Beckley - All vegan cuisine, but even my carnivorous friends love it! Web Page: http://www.spiraldiner.com/ The highlight of Spiral is their baked goods. Of course, the wraps, sandwiches, and salads are all made with the freshest and tastiest ingredients (and their chipotle mayo is AMAZING), but when I discovered that I could be vegan and still eat cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, and peanut butter cups, my life got a whole lot sweeter. The atmosphere is great too, with a fun waitstaff. Contributed by Shannon
Vitto's Pizza and Pasta - Italian in the Bishop Arts District -- their pizza is superb, and their other Italian dishes make you feel like you're in the old country. Open Sunday. Located at 316 W. Seventh St. (Bishop Arts District) Probably the best Italian menu in Oak Cliff. A great place to relax and enjoy the pasta.
Veracruz Café - MesoAmerican, Mayan, and Aztec Cuisine, 408 N. Bishop Ave., Suite 107 (Facing Eighth Street), 214-948-4746
Wayne's Beckley Grill -- Offers great down-home breakfast and lunch. 1619 N Beckley Ave, 214-948-8484. This is a working person's diner and it serves up good home cooking -- We just wish it were open some evening.
Wingfield's Breakfast and Burgers -2615 South Beckley Avenue
Yahmon Tasty Jerk Chicken -- Try their combo: one Caribbean style meat and two veggies (214) 941-4477, 416 N Tyler St. - CLOSED
Zen Sushi - Oak Cliff's only sushi bar. 380 W. 7th St..
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