Asian Fusion in Dallas

4511 McKinney Ave. Park Cities

214-559-3111

Asian Fusion, New American, Southwestern, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

Since 1999, Abacus has represented the quintessence of creative dining injected with a good dose of common sense. Today, its neutral-beige interior feels like a time capsule from 1999; its menu, an abrupt collision between Texas steakhouse and Japanese sushi bar, is similarly dated. The good news is that the food can still be good, and occasionally great. Even better, the happy hour is one of the best deals in Dallas. Half of the menu is elegant renditions of Southwestern grilling classics — venison steaks, rib-eyes, quail, mac and cheese — and the other half is sushi. The Texas game side of the menu is the more successful. Best of all is an exceptionally well-cooked venison tenderloin, a bold red medium rare and the tender, simply grilled stuff of meat-fueled dreams. Two lamb chops are similarly divine and crusted in pecans.

38 articles

Asian Mint

11617 N. Central Expwy, Suite 135 North Dallas

214-363-6655

Asian Fusion, Japanese, Recommended, Best Of, Readers' Choice

There are few surprises at Nikky Phinyawatana's Asian fusion restaurant. The Mint menu, much like its North Dallas counterpart, lists the regular players at first glance-satay, rolls, piquant Thai soups, stir fries, Mongolian beef. Then comes the house's special pad Thai, which is available in the form of crunchy wonton strips, crab haul, low-carb (sans noodles), among others. There is a daily martini special. If you like the spice, request it. Otherwise, the kitchen will play it safe.

15 articles

bbbop Seoul Kitchen

828 W Davis St Oak Cliff/South Dallas

469-248-3702

Asian Fusion, Menu, Readers' Choice

5 articles

Beehive

1514 Elm St. Downtown/Deep Ellum

469--848-1515

Asian Fusion, French

The all new Beehive in downtown Dallas has been attracting restaurant and Instagram-eaters from all walks of food. With their twisted, experimental food style, even the most classic of dishes like French onion soup comes with an unique twist. The cocktails are probably the most alluring item; with alcohol infused boba, brightly colored drinks with a sweet fruity flavor, and fun cotton candy toppers, these drinks are something to stop everything and run into beehive for.

Caravelle Chinese & Vietnamese

400 N. Greenville Ave. Richardson & Vicinity

972-437-6388

Asian, Asian Fusion, Chinese, Vietnamese, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

If you're looking to feed a crowd of people something other than the usual Tex-Mex or Italian, consider Caravelle. Its modest strip mall location conceals a massive high-ceilinged dining room decked out in entirely too much pastel pink, accented with giant chandeliers and gold dragons. The extensive Chinese-Vietnamese menu offers a little something for everyone, from expected dishes like Peking duck and an especially delicious version of orange chicken to slightly more exotic offerings such as cheese lobster and green bean tofu (don't miss the addictive deep-fried shrimp balls). The bring-your-own-booze policy makes it an especially attractive option for large groups. Service is definitely authentic -- that is to say, somewhat sluggish, with definite potential for a language barrier -- but it's a small price to pay for huge platters of food this tasty.

2 articles

Carrollton Town Center

2540 Old Denton Rd Carrollton/Farmers Branch

832-768-3722

Catbird

1401 Elm St., Thompson Hotel Downtown/Deep Ellum

469-726-4115

Asian, Asian Fusion

Catbird, helmed by chef Jeramie Robinson, offers Asian-influenced fare that one might expect from someone who spent time at Uchi (hint). In addition to working with Tyson Cole, Robinson also worked with Jason Maddy at The Mansion on Turtle Creek and worked under the tutelage of John Tesar for years.

This spot is perched nine stories up inside The Thompson Hotel at The National at Akard and Elm in downtown Dallas. Stepping out of the elevator, the space is a lush Art Deco den with dazzling glossy finishes and marble. It's just missing a Champagne toast from Leonardo D'Caprio.

Perhaps most notable, Catbird sports wrap-around outdoor balcony seating that gives nice views of the city complete with comfy couches and gas-powered fire pits. On the weekends after dinner service, a DJ sets up.

The dishes at Catbird are intended to be served for the table in small plates to be enjoyed by all. Start with Texas beef bao buns, made with smoked brisket, sweet chili, and dressed with Thai-inspired herbs and shallots.

Brussel sprouts come with a slightly charred crunchiness, micro herbs, and a light honey-lime sauce. Their crab rangoon dip comes with snow crab, pimento cheese, bell pepper jam, all served in a skillet along with crispy wonton crackers.

6 articles

Chow Thai Restaurant

5290 Belt Line Rd. North Dallas

972-960-2999

Asian, Asian Fusion, Sushi, Thai, Recommended

Owners Sam and Vinnie Virasin's initial foray into offering upscale Thai cuisine to the masses has been a hit for more than a decade. The restaurant's success has allowed the Virasins to open Mango Thai, a fast-casual eatery. However, Chow Thai's popularity has hardly waned. The most lauded menu selection offers customers a sampler of the kitchen's offerings, taking its cue from a Japanese lunch form, the bento box. The lunch combos -- because, really, that's what they are -- come with ice cream. The appetizer sampler offers a concise overview of the restaurant's starters, and can be seen on many tables during dinner service. Naturally, pad Thai is a frequently requested entrée, but so is the more authentic white pepper and garlic seafood platter (pan-seared shrimp and scallops with jasmine rice or udon noodles, broccoli and snow peas).

Cris and John

5555 Preston Oaks Rd. North Dallas

972-803-4750

Vietnamese, Mexican, Asian Fusion, Best Of, Essentials

Cristina Mendez and John Pham opened Cris and John in 2017 in a North Dallas strip mall — bookended by a 7-Eleven and a laundromat — and have stood out with a creative blend of Vietnamese and Mexican street fare. The center of Cris and John’s menu is the phoritto, which piles all the goodness of a bowl of pho into a warm and crispy tortilla. From there, the menu expands to bao, tacos or banh mi with a variety of fillings, or more traditional pho and ramen. Want loaded fries and spicy wings too? Cris and John’s has you covered, blending cuisines like few others in the city.

Top pick: Each week, Cris and John creates a $30 special tray filled with some of its most popular items, like Angry Pho, birria tacos, chicken wings or spring rolls. The tray offerings change each week, so there's always something new to try. If you see the option to add short rib to pho for a small up-charge, do it.

6 articles

Firefly

14905 Midway Rd. Addison

972-788-9210

Asian Fusion, Restaurants, Bars and Clubs, Recommended, Menu

This pan-Asian restaurant takes the tapas craze and runs with it. Small plates, appetizers and hors d'oeuvres don't go by those terms, but rather are renamed tapas. A small bowl of pho is a hot tapa. The tuna tower is a cold tapa. The signature Firefly Rolls (grilled pork, mango, mixed greens, mint, vermicelli and peanuts with a jalapeño vinaigrette) are spring rolls tapas. Some tapas options have more substantial brethren. A bowl of udon is one of them. But that is not what draws people to Firefly. It's all about the happy hour and all-you-can-eat sushi specials. These offerings are cheap and allow for marathon eating. The lunch sushi deal is a mere $10.95. The dinner price sees an increase of $12. Happy-hour drink deals start at $1.75. All the menus are severely limited, but your pocketbook doesn't have to be.

Junction Craft Kitchen

2901 Elm St. Downtown/Deep Ellum

214-377-0757

Southern, Asian Fusion, Korean, Recommended, Menu, Slideshow

Just about every street corner in Dallas harbors a Southern fare kitchen offering deviled eggs, pork belly, burgers and the inevitable shrimp and grits. Many of them are good; some are excellent; most are forgettable. All, even the good ones, sort of run together. Except for the most daring of them all: Junction Craft Kitchen. The name is a mission statement from chef and part-owner Joshua Harmon, who keeps finding creative ways to bring East Asian, especially Korean, flavors to American Southern cooking. Harmon and his crew experiment with housemade pickles and kimchi — like a fantastic, surprisingly mellow, 8-month-old kimchi of black radishes pickled with squid ink. Junction has an ever-changing bao special that’s a reliable must-order. On one visit, it came with excellent if rather upscale housemade boudin (no casing) made from pork liver, thigh and ear, plus a bit of duck liver for good measure. Want to play it safe? There’s always the “double dirty” burger: two thin, griddle-smashed patties with ribbons of pink under warm, oozing blankets of caramelized onion, housemade American cheese and smoky kimchi aioli.

8 articles

Komodo Dallas

2550 Pacific Ave., Ste 120 Downtown/Deep Ellum

214-261-6000

Asian Fusion

The restaurant is quite impressive, even from the outside. A doorman opens the large wooden doors and three hostesses with iPads at their fingertips greet you. Adjacent to the hostess stand is a Peking duck frying station with naked and fried red fowl hanging from hooks. It's real in here.

1 event

Kona Grill

8687 N. Central Expressway Park Cities

214-369-7600

Asian Fusion, New American, Best Of, Menu

The NorthPark outlet of the Arizona-based East-meets-West chain has a see-and-be-seen patio that seems to be bustling from open to close. You might try sitting at the bar with its 2,000-gallon aquarium backdrop. Either way, request Kona's signature dish, the Macadamia nut chicken, or sushi rolls with fusion creations such as the Big Island meatloaf and the bubblegum saketini. There is a dedicated vegan menu, but it must be requested from the host station. Sushi-roll fanatics can take advantage of select half-price items on Sundays.

3 articles

Little Katana

4525 Cole Ave. Park Cities

214-443-9600

Asian Fusion, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

Little Katana is an inventive offshoot of the tiny sushi bar in the Galleria expanded to a full kitchen that prepares dishes with Japanese, Korean and Thai influences. In addition to fresh and relatively inexpensive sushi, Little Katana offers a variety of steaks and other meats cooked on a custom-engineered grill to tame the intense heat generated from the imported Korean oak charcoal the kitchen uses. Results can be mixed. Steaks can be rich and juicy, or leathery and parched. Ahi Tower, a silo of tuna, fake crab and avocado layers, is delicious. So is the mango cheesecake, served as a mess in a sundae glass. Watch the service though.

3 articles

Loro

14999 Montfort Dr. Addison

214-894-5676

Asian, Asian Fusion, Barbecue

This is Loro's second location in Dallas, near Addison. Here the menu is primarily pan-Asian with touches of Texas brisket. If it sounds like an awkward marriage, it's not. It's beautiful. Try green curry hushpuppies with a coconut chili ranch or a smoke prime bavette served with a shishito salsa verde. The sandwich selections here are reliably fantastic as well. We love the Loro Cheeseburger with a red onion brisket jam. Ge it during happy hour for a sweet deal. And the coconut rice with the bits of brisket is amazing.

4 articles

Naan Sushi

7161 Bishop Rd. Plano

972-943-9288

Asian Fusion, Japanese, Korean, Sushi, Recommended, Menu

This sleek "edgy" restaurant lounge is earnestly hip. But don't let that scare you off. The Korean creations are stellar and the sushi is top-notch, if you don't let the intrusive techno-crud on the sound system spoil your appetite.

1 article

Nandina

5631 Alta Ave. East Dallas & Lakewood

214-826-6300

Asian Fusion, Restaurants, Recommended, Menu

This Asian "tapas bar" is filled with clean, supple sushi, spectacular pad Thai and innovative little dishes with an Asian rip (lamb chops with wasabi port wine sauce). The interior is a compelling mesh of flowing curves (sushi and sipping bars) and rigid geometry (rectangles and squares) including a cascading fountain and a muscular water wall.

2 articles

P.F. Chang's China Bistro

8687 N. Central Expressway Park Cities

214-265-8669

Asian Fusion, Chinese, Recommended, Best Of

How many diners know that the giant, 11-foot-tall stone horses flanking the entrances of many P.F. Chang's symbolize the original Forbidden City in China, which was built for China's first emperor Qin Shi Huangdi? Or that the restaurant's founder, Philip Chiang, is still this successful chain's consultant, and author of its current menu? People probably don't care, so long as they can find Caramel Mango Chicken or Philip's Better Lemon Chicken, two of many entrees available only at Chiang's chain. Chiang — born in Shanghai and son of the founder of the first Chinese restaurant in the United States to serve Chinese food from regions other than Canton — has upped the Chinese ante by offering every dish on his menu prepared to order. Like extra cashews in your Cashew and Almond Chicken, or want an order of Kung Pao without any chili peppers? That's a problem if you're dining at most other chain Chinese restaurants, but not here.

1 article

Pei Wei Asian Diner

18204 Preston Rd., Suite E-1 Richardson & Vicinity

972-985-0090

Asian Fusion, Chinese, Recommended, Best Of

Diners in Dallas / Fort Worth don't head to Pei Wei for authentic Asian cuisine, but rather for non-traditional takes on Chinese noodle dishes and lettuce wraps. Large portions are the order of the day at the chain, whose restaurants combine faux Asian fare (Sriracha Chicken Salad, Crab Rangoon, and any number of pan-fried-while-you-watch entrees, all with dipping sauces) with good, old-fashioned American food court technology (check out the massive soft drink machines that allow you to sample a dozen or more sodas for one small price). Counting calories? Ask the staff to "stock-velvet" your meal and, instead of pan-frying your dishes, the chef will cook it in broth for you. Pei Wei is easy to find on Voice Places.

2 articles

Pho Bowl

2807 Commerce St. Downtown/Deep Ellum

Vietnamese, Thai, Asian Fusion

1 article

Royal Chopstix

6205 Coit Rd. Plano

972-769-1391

Asian Fusion

Royal Chopstix offers simple Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai and Singaporean dishes--spring rolls, egg drop soup and pad Thai for instance--in safe, mainstream guises that will fill the belly without siphoning the wallet.

1 article

Seven Woks

12300 Inwood Rd. North Dallas

469-580-6838

Asian, Asian Fusion, Chinese

Shinsei

7713 Inwood Rd. Park Cities

214-352-0005

Asian Fusion, Sushi, Japanese, Critics' Pick, Best Of

Shinsei has been providing pan-Asian flavors to the Lovers Lane set for over a decade, under the ownership of Lynae Fearing, former wife of Dean Fearing, and Tracy Rathbun, who is married to star local chef Kent Rathbun. Executive chef Carlos Capistran oversees a sushi-centric menu with the help of sushi chef Shuji Sugawara. But whether you pile up a stack of sashimi or a warm option like the lobster tacos or the popular (and delectable) Thai beef cheek, this long-time gem holds its own against more trendy Austin imports.

11 articles

Sky Blossom Bistro

1514 Elm St., Ste. 611 Downtown/Deep Ellum

469-313-1524

Asian, Asian Fusion, Best Of

Sky Blossom offers one of the best seats in all of downtown. The rooftop Vietnamese bistro and bar has a spectacular perch in the center of downtown with an open-air dining area offering a bird's eye view the area. (The sky-high pool at The Joule across the street is a great conversation piece for sure.) There's also a cozy dining room. The plates are delectable; a $5 small bites menu is an affordable lunch or happy hour option. Big bowls of pho and soup are rich and flavorful. The margarita flight is a great way to take in the scene and relax. If you have guests in town, this a great spot to allow them to see and taste the culture of the city.

3 articles

Stone Horse Bistro

348 W. Campbell Rd. Richardson & Vicinity

972-479-9494

Asian Fusion, Restaurants, Recommended, Menu

Brother to Little Katana on Travis Street, Stone Horse is the same copious blend of Japanese and Korean with little flecks of Thai and Chinese. Steaks are rich and juicy, sushi plows through the range of stunning to adequate to deplorable, with most hugging the former rather than the latter. Service is earnest if naïve, but that shouldn't keep you away from the compelling fried rice dishes, the hot stone bowls, or the chocolate torte. Yes, the chocolate torte.

1 article

Tei-An

1722 Routh St. Downtown/Deep Ellum

214-220-2828

Japanese, Asian Fusion, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Essentials

The most influential figure on the Dallas dining scene might be Teiichi Sakurai, who is doing his best to build one of America’s best Japanese food markets. Sakurai’s previous restaurants, Teppo and Tei Tei Robata, are both still open and still outstanding, and his ramen shop Ten is a cult favorite. But Tei-An is his masterpiece, one of the few restaurants in America to make its own soba noodles from scratch. The soba is spectacular however you try it, from plain noodles with a trio of dipping sauces in bowls to a “bolognese” riff that bridges the gap between Japan and Italy. Tei-An flies in fresh seafood daily straight from Tokyo, making sushi and sashimi essential orders. Tasting menus offer a good chance to try everything, including the excellent tempura.

Top pick: Order as much as possible from the list of daily specials, then fill up on the city’s best okonomiyaki. If you don’t save room for a bowl of black sesame mousse for dessert, then you’ll just have to go back.

Fun fact: This isn’t just a local favorite. Tei-An has a glittering reputation over in Japan, too. If you get a glimpse of the wooden plaques for the members of this restaurant’s secret society of regulars, you’ll see the names of several of Major League Baseball’s Japanese players.

29 articles

Turan Uyghur Kitchen

2001 Coit Rd #163 Plano

469-910-8028

Asian Fusion, Asian, Essentials

As one of the Dallas area’s only Uyghur restaurants, Turan Uyghur Kitchen educates as well as nourishes. Uyghur cuisine prominently features roasted mutton and beef, rice dishes and kebabs. Since the majority of Uyghurs are Muslim, the food is predominantly halal. Dishes like the big plate chicken are simply marvelous, and a small portion was huge, easily feeding two people. This is a braised bone-in chicken stew served on a bed of flat noodles and piled high with potatoes, spring onions, garlic, and red and green bell peppers. Don’t sleep on polow if it’s available, a slightly sweet pilaf-style rice cooked with onions and carrots and served with a lamb shank.

Top Pick: We can’t say enough about the deep and savory flavors in the big plate chicken. Bone in chicken and noodles are seasoned with star anise, cinnamon, clove, white and black pepper, “and so on” (according to the menu). If this were the only item on the menu, Turan Uyghur Kitchen would be a success on this dish’s merits alone.

Asian Fusion in Dallas

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