South American in Dallas

4025 William D. Tate Grapevine

817-251-9881

South American, Steak, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Menu

This is arguably the best Brazilian "espeto corrido churrascaria," or continuous service grill house, in the area. The space is palatial, if a bit banquet-hall-esque, the salad bar is ample and relatively fresh and the skewered meats, served by gauchos with wicked carving knives slipped into their belts, are for the most part juicy and tasty. Plus, the meats are served with such relentless constancy that complimentary angioplasty services are offered in the bathrooms.

2 articles

Casa Vieja Restaurant

1927 E. Belt Line Rd. #152 Carrollton/Farmers Branch

972-416-8172

Colombian, South American, Critics' Pick

This Colombian institution in Carrollton is best at the soups available as specials on certain weekends, like ajiaco, a chicken-potato soup made with indigenous corn, or a Caribbean-influenced, curried seafood bonanza. The bandeja paisa, a regional sampler plate, is excellent for newcomers to Colombian cuisine, and the empanadas are good, too. Casa Vieja has a stage with live music some nights.

4 articles

El Fogon, Latin Cuisine

3636 Frankford Rd., Ste. 300 Carrollton/Farmers Branch

972-820-6440

South American, Restaurants, Recommended

Some people will tell you nothing good can be found in a North Dallas strip shopping center. El Fogon stands as proof those people have no idea what they are talking about. The bland little storefront houses a kitchen turning out home-style Peruvian and Ecuadorian favorites. That means you'll find curiosities such as boiled potatoes in a frothy sauce with a fried egg on top, as well as hearty meat dishes. Yes, they include some Tex-Mex (surprising margaritas) for the less adventurous. The rest of their menu, however, is like a peek into the soul of South America.

Fogo De Chao

4300 Belt Line Rd. Addison

972-503-7300

South American, Steak, Recommended, Best Of

Dallas' original churrascaria Brazilian steakhouse – where gauchos haul around dripping hunks of meat – is still going strong, catering to hordes of men from the high-tech corridor. In fact, at lunch you might get run over by a gaucho zipping to someone's table in the packed dining room. The meats – from leg of lamb to filet mignon to neatly skewered chicken legs – are always good, with the juicy sirloin scoring as our favorite. You pay one price for as much meat as you can handle, plus a lavish salad bar. The salad selections, though, are a slight notch below some of the area's other churrascarias, which means they're still very good. Any meat lover will leave happy.

7 articles

Inca's Cafe

2662 N. Josey Lane Carrollton/Farmers Branch

972-323-4968

South American, Restaurants, Recommended

Although it's not a crowded field, Inca's stands out as the DFW area's best Peruvian restaurant. Don't expect anything fancy, however: This is home-style South American cuisine, served in a Spanish-speaking atmosphere with live music-also in Spanish-on many weekends. Wish they would add a few more potato dishes, aside from the classic papa rellena. Their cabrito is outstanding.

3 articles

Joyce and Gigi's

1623 N. Hall St. East Dallas & Lakewood

469-334-0799

Latin American, South American, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Menu

This underserved section of Hall Street desperately needed a strong neighborhood restaurant. How lucky that it got such a delightful one. At 9 p.m. the dining room is packed, with many patrons sitting at the small bar and most snacking on a simple house-baked bread served on a wooden board with compound butter. Churrasco presents a sizable hunk of chewy and extremely flavorful flap steak flanked by small links of homemade chorizo and fried batons of yucca. The plate is meant to serve two, so if you’re on your own and craving beef, opt for the skewers, which feature similar flavors paired with a savory chickpea purée. Chilean sea bass finds its way into a brilliant escabeche, with currants for sweetness and wisps of fried plantain that lend a crisp texture to every bite. With South American flavors realized through two Bolivian chefs who have put their hearts and souls into their cooking and their dining room, Joyce and Gigi’s is an all-out charmer.

10 articles

La Duni Latin Cafe

4620 McKinney Ave. Park Cities

214-520-7300

South American, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

This "Latin brasserie," sprung from the mind of ZuZu Handmade Mexican Food chain co-founder Espartaco Borga, is a collision of homespun recipes from Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba. This makes for a sexy assortment of enchiladas, salads, quesadillas, grilled marinated picanha steaks and sandwiches on fresh-baked rolls. La Duni also has a terrific wine list cataloging some 89 wines, all of them from Spain and South America and all of them available by the half-glass, glass and half-bottle, or by the bottle. Fresh house-baked goods are served daily, and La Duni is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which makes you wonder how wine is served before 10 a.m.

17 articles

Lumi Empanada & Dumpling Kitchen

3407 McKinney Ave. Uptown/Oak Lawn

214-979-2424

South American, Vietnamese, Recommended, Menu, Slideshow

Part Asia, part Brazil and all laid-back Uptown cool. The food is inspired by two continents, but it is common fare: feijoada (the meaty Brazilian stew), a mound of fried rice flecked with blue crab that you can't stop eating, spring rolls and such. The caipirinha cocktails are difficult to put down, as well. Parking can be a problem.

7 articles

Rafain Churrascaria

18010 N. Dallas Parkway Carrollton/Farmers Branch

972-733-1110

South American, Steak, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

One of the Dallas area's newest churrascarias-where "gauchos" tote around skewers of roasted, simply seasoned meat and you dine until you explode-bears more than a passing resemblance to Texas de Brazil, which popularized the Brazilian steakhouse concept in the metroplex. The cuts of meat and even the items in the expansive salad bar are similar, which isn't such a bad thing; the quality is top-notch. And there's nothing like spit-roasted leg of lamb, or Rafain's best offering-flank steak, with just enough fat to make to make it exquisitely flavorful. This handsome restaurant, owned by a Brazilian family, offers more native touches than other area churrascarias, including a dessert bar featuring various kinds of candied fruit and Brazilian seafood dishes available as appetizers. Warning: Some meats are heavily salted.

2 articles

Taco Diner

4011 Villanova St. Park Cities

214-696-4944

Mexican, South American, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

Tucked away in the hustle and bustle of Preston Center, this Taco Diner location offers what might be the best service and food of all the Taco Diners in the metroplex. The waitstaff is knowledgeable and helpful with questions about the menu, and service is quick and attentive. The food doesn't disappoint either-the guacamole is fresh and flavorful, tacos are greasy and perfectly cooked and the margaritas are strong. Don't miss the thick, bold queso, and definitely save room for flan.

7 articles

Texas De Brazil

101 N. Houston St. Fort Worth

817-882-9500

South American, Steak, Recommended, Best Of

The Texas de Brazil in Fort Worth boasts the same world-class salad bar and savory roasted meats (delivered to your table on skewers) as its cousins in Dallas and Addison, but like Cowtown itself, the place is exceptionally friendly. Excellent lobster bisque, filet mignon and rack of lamb. The layout of the multilevel restaurant–with some tables in out-of-the-way places–meant some cuts of meat arrived on the warm side, but the good service made up for it. If you like red meat, you'll dig this place.

8 articles

Texas De Brazil

15101 Addison Rd. Richardson & Vicinity

972-385-1000

South American, Steak, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

This Brazilian espeto corrido churrascaria, or continuous-service grill house, with servers offering a variety of meats from skewers, has mostly good meat, but a few offerings are desiccated -- especially the pork. The all-you-can eat salad bar is loaded with fresh stuff, and the wine list has a good selection with flavor descriptions.

2 articles

Texas De Brazil

2727 Cedar Springs Rd. Uptown/Oak Lawn

214-720-1414

South American, Steak, Recommended

This Brazilian espeto corrido churrascaria, or continuous-service (all-you-can-eat) grill house, is a hotbed of carnivorous decadence. Servers armed with skewers and knives prowl the dining room offering 14 cuts of savory beef, pork, chicken and lamb. Most of the meat is delicious, though a few can be arid and chewy. The salad bar is an incomparable spread loaded with some of the freshest stuff you'll find. Just remember to check your cholesterol level before you visit.

Tupinamba Cafe

9665 N. Central Expressway #142 North Dallas

972-991-8148

Mexican, South American, Recommended

Tupinamba is the "Everybody Loves Raymond" of Dallas Mexican restaurants – it's not bad, and if it's convenient, you're up for it, but you wouldn't go too far out of your way to check it out. To say the décor is reminiscent of a hotel restaurant would be a gross understatement; the place looks exactly like a hotel restaurant, sickly blue shell-patterned upholstery and all. Just shy of being overpriced, Tupinamba's best dish is the fajitas and the rice is decidedly delicious and fluffy, but the enchiladas leave a lot of tastiness to be desired. The salsa's mild but tangy and comes in a cool refillable carafe. The Dominguez clan has also got a weird Texas A&M thing going on, with "12th Man" themed menu items and a giant glowing A&M logo on one wall. El Gig'em, or something. This is the oldest family-owned TexMex restaurant in Dallas (69 years).

4 articles

South American in Dallas

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