Texas Monthly adds and updates approximately sixty restaurant listings to our Dining Guide each month. There’s limited space in the print issue, but the entire searchable guide to the best of Texas cuisine is at your fingertips online!
Below are a few highlights from the new restaurants reviewed in our July 2022 issue. Click “More Info” for further detail on each restaurant:
Alpine
West Texas Italian Delicacies & Catering
You could be forgiven for feeling disoriented when you step into this tiny shop: it does not look like West Texas! A refrigerated case displays logs of salami and mortadella as well as such unusual (for here) comestibles as caprese salad, truffle-laced cheese, and marinated olives. Flatbreads feature ingredients like figs, prosciutto, and arugula, while sandwiches are hefty with fresh, soft bread layered with thin slices of cured meats and cheeses such as provolone and burrata. Brunch (cinnamon-raisin French toast, ricotta-and-heirloom-tomato galette) is served all day on Saturday (best eaten on the patio), cannoli (shown above) are prepared in-house, and premade lasagnas (beef, cheese, spinach) are available to take and bake. Enter through Far West Texas Cattle Co.
Deli | ⭑⭑ | $$ | More Info
San Antonio
Box St. All Day
Pink umbrellas, pink menus—this cute chicness in the heart of Hemisfair Park mixes cool cocktails with favorites from the restaurant’s original food truck (think avocado stuffed with crab, burgers with bacon jam). Dinner is now an option; you’ll find heartier plates, like boneless braised beef with multicolored carrots roasted to candy-cane sweetness and calamarata pasta (its big rings mimic calamari) with a light bolognese and a pile of Parmesan. Brunch bites show up all day, with charmers like cherry compote–topped pancakes and handmade doughnuts.
American | ⭑⭑ | $$ | More Info
Dallas
La Stella Cucina Verace
Polished service, sleek decor, and Italian classics make this Arts District spot a good choice for pre- (or post-) performance dining. A starter of carciofi alla romana (above) came crispy-edged and sprinkled with cheese. Luxurious saffron-kissed risotto with bone marrow had been strewn with edible gold flakes, and slightly sweet bread crumbs coated a tender bone-in veal cutlet fried in butter with sage. Grilled prawns were tasty (but a tad mushy) and came with perfectly cooked white beans enlivened with guanciale. Best bets are pastas, especially the creamy cavalieri alla Nerano, made with provolone and both fried and puréed zucchini.
Italian | ⭑⭑ | $$$$ | More Info
Fort Worth
Nickel City
For our money, we have not found a more fun cocktail joint that also serves food so good we don’t even need booze to enjoy it. Prepared by the Delray Cafe food truck out back, snacks and meals ordered from the bartenders appeared at our table within twenty minutes, which provided plenty of time to people-watch. The best bite of all was the fried bologna sandwich: thick cut, griddled mortadella served on buttery, browned Texas toast with pickle chips, mayo, and Dijon (we suggest adding grilled onion). Plump chicken wings bathed in a perfect sauce were cooked to order and matched by a chunky, handmade blue cheese dressing. The second Thursday of each month brings steak night, which means a bargain on a very respectable grilled sirloin with crinkle-cut fries and crunchy breaded onion rings.
American | ⭑⭑ | $ | More Info
Port Isabel
Hopper Haus
Neighboring SpaceX has brought a lot of new people to this sleepy town. Thankfully, the rocket scientists now have a modern gastropub with an out-of-this-world beer list. The Pretzel Bites with mustard and beer cheese went nicely with a draft beer, but we really enjoyed the Huston Street Tacos: chicken, beef, or veggies wrapped up in corn tortillas with grilled onions, avocado, and cilantro. We hope to view a starship launch from the biergarten in the near future.
American | ⭑⭑ | $$ | More Info
Rating System
Our reviews are written by critics who live in the cities and regions they cover. They remain anonymous to ensure that they receive no special treatment. The magazine pays for all meals and accepts no advertising or other consideration in exchange for a listing. Comments? Write us.
