A Foodie’s Guide to the Best Restaurants in Arlington, TX
If you’re looking for the best restaurants in Arlington, TX, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled a list of the top eateries and hidden locales in town. So you can experience the best food in Arlington without having to stress about where to go. From traditional Indian cuisine to New American creations, there’s a little bit of something for everyone in our roundup of the best restaurants in Arlington, TX.
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Ricky’s Hot Chicken
When Dallas native Ricky Tran first tasted hot chicken in Nashville, the gears of his engineering brain began to turn. And Chef Ricky took it upon himself to bring this culinary sensation to Texas. So he traveled back to the motherland of Nashville, delving into its history and learning from its masters. Over time, he perfected his own recipe through trial and error, selling hot chicken samples out of his garage. Then, he opened the first location in Richardson to satisfy DFW’s slumbering desire for hot chicken. Of course, Ricky’s Hot Chicken was a hit. People flocked from all over North Texas to get a taste. And it didn’t take long for Ricky’s Hot Chicken to become famous enough to need a second location: Arlington. Nashville Hot Chicken has set the food world ablaze. And Rickey’s is the best place in DFW to experience this culinary craze.
3810 S Cooper St Ste 138, Arlington, TX 76015
Visit Rickey’s Hot Chicken’s Website
Fork In The Road
Josh Hopkins is a visionary chef who has made his name by injecting new life into classic American eats. And his restaurant, Fork in the Road, is a cozy diner with fantastic dishes and funky decor. The menu is mostly a spirited display of specialty burgers and signature sandwiches. Winner of Fork in the Road’s Blind Burger Challenge for two years in a row, the Meunster Burger is a 7oz hand-crafted burger topped with muenster cheese, hickory-smoked bacon, and house-made horseradish on a toasted ciabatta bun. The sandwich selection includes everything from a deluxe grilled cheese — with cheddar, provolone, swiss, smoked gouda, and feta on toasted sourdough — to old-fashioned Reubens and BLTs. With all that said, Chef Hopkins’ crown jewel has to be his Crack-a-Roni, a decadent three-cheese mac with a tasteful splash of truffle oil — this signature side is 100 percent mandatory.
1821 S Fielder Rd, Arlington, TX 76013
Visit Fork in the Road’s Website
Tandoor
Tandoor offers affordable, gourmet Indian cuisine within a warm, homey setting that is decorated with crisp linens and soft lighting. Most notably, their menu is an ode to the time-honored culinary conventions of the Mughal empire that reigned over India from the 15th to the 19th century. Mughlai cuisine is best characterized by the process of marinating meat in a special blend of aromatics and slow-roasting it inside a blazing Tandoor oven. In the same way that mixing colors can produce a one-of-a-kind shade, Tandoor has mastered the art of blending spices to create distinctive dishes teeming with extraordinary flavors. To preserve the legacy of this era in Indian cuisine, the passionate team at Tandoor based the menu on the three pillars of the Mughlai method: high-quality ingredients, diverse dishes, and rich flavors.
1200 N Fielder Rd Suite 532, Arlington, TX 76012
Amiras Mediterranean Cuisine
Amiras Mediterranean Kitchen is a unique dining experience that transports visitors to the exotic eateries of the Mediterranean. They provide guests with deliciously nutritious dishes bursting with layers of unique flavor, from sizzling shwarma plates to fresh-baked baklava slices. With incredible prices and first-rate service, Amiras Mediterranean Kitchen receives each guest into their family traditions of love, health, family, and community. You truly feel like part of the family when you’re there. And it doesn’t hurt that the food is truly exceptional, as well as the prices. The service is top-notch, and the kaleidoscopic environment is excellent for a festive night out with family or friends. Check out Amiras Mediterranean Kitchen for a delicious, healthy meal.
2424 W Division St, Arlington, TX 76012
Visit Amiras Mediterranean Cuisine’s Website
Pioneer Restaurant
Since 1982, Pioneer Restaurant has been the quintessential diner experience of Arlington. Regulars who know the menu by memory. And waitresses who live up to the dichotomy of Southern hospitality: sweeter than honey when they want to be but courser than a bowl of grits when they need to be. They have a rotating menu of daily specials featuring the definitive dishes of any old-fashioned Southern diner: chicken and dumplings, roasted chicken, meatloaf, chicken pot pie, brisket sandwiches, pot roast, turkey and dressing, and more. But they also have a vast breakfast and lunch menu overflowing with Southern staples — such as country-fried steak with gravy and a side of homemade biscuits — and border-inspired masterpieces — such as migas and huevos rancheros. For a homemade meal that tastes like your grandmother’s kitchen on Sunday, check out Pioneer Restaurant.
306 109th St, Arlington, TX 76011
Visit Pioneer Restaurant’s Website
Hurtado Barbecue
Founded by pitmaster Brandon Hurtado, Hurtado Barbecue is Arlington’s first and best independently owned barbecue joint. The origin of Hurtado Barbeque is that of a humble pitmaster’s tale: beginning with a passion for smoking meats in the backyard, branching out to pop-up barbecue events, and finally becoming famous enough to found a brick and mortar restaurant. Pitmaster Brandon Hurtado accomplished this life-long feat in two short two years because he eats, breathes, and sleeps barbecue. Every plate of BBQ that comes out of the kitchen is the product of countless hours of effort. To that point, Hurtado’s is best known for succulent brisket, smoked over a wood-fire pit lower and slower than a cruising lowrider to yield a cut of meat that’s tender enough not to chew. But don’t sleep on the spiced-up side dishes and other specialty items, like smoked sausages that they grind and stuff in-house.
205 E Front St, Arlington, TX 76010
Visit Hurtado Barbecue’s Website
2 Compas Kitchen
In 2009, a couple of cabrones named Arturo and Rolando met while laboring in the kitchen of a restaurant in Plano, TX. The two forged a friendship over a shared dream to bring authentic Mexican cuisine to the DFW area. 2 Compas Kitchen is the manifestation of Arturo and Rolando’s vision to pay homage to their proud Mexican heritage. The menu is inspired by regional Mexican dishes that Arturo and Rolando grew up eating in Veracruz and Toluca and Veracruz, respectively. From gorditas and huarache to quesadillas and tortas, everything is made from scratch with hand-selected ingredients. But 2 Compas Kitchen is best known for its definitive street tacos; it’s a taco lover’s dream come true: lengua, barbacoa, bistec, pastor, carnitas, chicharrones, tinga, nopal, and veggie tacos. Pair a platter of mouthwatering tacos with a refreshing agua fresca, and you have yourself a feast of Mexican flavor and flare.
2304 W Park Row Dr #21, Arlington, TX 76013
Visit 2 Compas Kitchen’s Website
A Taste of Europe
In 2002, Mikhail Frumkin opened Taste of Nations to introduce the DFW residents to the cherished culinary traditions he observed while growing up in Belarus and learning the language of food through the festive warmth of Eastern European cuisine. Their menu offers an array of definitive Eastern European dishes, from borscht and Hungarian goulash to beef stroganoff and Ukrainian pirogues. Eastern European cuisine is a cheerful, soul-warming occasion based on values of community and family. Frumkin had these traits in mind while furnishing Taste of Nations with a close-knit vibe and vibrant decor. The result is an intimate atmosphere that feels as casual and warm as a family home in Eastern Europe. Taste of Nations also has a remarkable gift shop where you can shop for authentic Eastern European merchandise.
1901 W Pioneer Pkwy, Arlington, TX 76013
Visit A Taste of Europe’s Website
Piccolo Mondo
In 1983, Antonio Capaccioli opened Piccolo Mondo to provide residents of the DFW area with the refined flavors of traditional Italian dishes. Over the course of 40 years, Piccolo Mondo has established itself as the premier institution for lavish Italian cuisine in a fine-dining atmosphere. Patrons adore the restaurant’s sophisticated ambiance, tastefully embellished with a dramatic candle-lit atmosphere, crisp white table cloths, a piano and jazz bar, and first-rate service. The menu features du jour specials and classic dishes, from Spaghetti Bolognese and Osso Bucco Milanese to Lobster Isabella. Fort Worth Star-Telegram anointed Piccolo Mondo as the best Italian restaurant of 2018. And Arlington Today included the restaurant on their “People’s Choice & Best Of” from 2015 to 2018.
829 E Lamar Blvd, Arlington, TX 76011
Bay34th Street Diner
Native New Yorker Tim Arjo opened Bay34th Street as a tribute to his first job. He started out bussing tables in a small restaurant at the corner of Bay Ave and 34th Street in Brooklyn. Over time, he climbed the restaurant hierarchy, mastering the culinary sciences along the way. The result is this urban-themed, upscale diner offering a menu of classic breakfast, lunch, and brunch dishes with reimagined modern twists. The menu is inspired by New York City’s iconic food culture. It features everything from bagels and eggs benedicts to chicken & waffles and crepes, as well as signature burgers, deli sandwiches, breakfast plates, and baked goods. If you’re looking for an authentic taste of New York right here in Texas, look no further than Bay34th Street Diner.
3330 Matlock Rd Suite 100, Arlington, TX 76015
Visit Bay34th Street Diner’s Website
Conclusion
Arlington may only be regarded as a bedroom suburb for Dallas. But it is home to some of the best restaurants DFW metroplex. If you are looking for an extraordinary dining experience, look no further than these ten spots. From fine Italian dining to Eastern European cuisine, Arlington has something for everyone. So what are you waiting for? Visit these restaurants today and see for yourself why Arlington, TX is a low-key culinary hotspot.
