82 September 21 - 27, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER contents | shopping & services | Arts & entertAinment | Food & drink | sports & recreAtion Best Café Arwa Yemeni Coffee Susan Shihab and Nora Soofi bring the flavors of their Yemeni hometown to Richardson at Arwa Yemeni Coffee. Honeycomb bread, nut-stuffed dates and pound cake drenched with rose syrup are just some of the Yemen-inspired treats that draw visitors to line up out the door during peak hours. Linger over a cardamom-scented coffee, black Adeni tea or a dirty chai while you soak up the decor. Light-washed wooden tones, lush plants and a beautifully lit patio all pay homage to Arwa, an Arabic name that means “beauty and grace.” 888 S. Greenville Ave., No. 223, Richardson 214-782-9749, arwayemenicoffee.com Best Coffee Shop LDU Coffee A “cheeky Australian take” on the classic Italian coffee shop, LDU Coffee opened its doors to the Dallas public in 2017. Two Australian brothers with a passion for coffee were all it took for the concept to skyrocket in popularity. Blending the Australian coffee-drinking culture into the Texas food scene, the brothers roast all of their coffee in-house with a proprietary Australian recipe that the two came up with together. The difference is obvious, and the coffee is stronger than most. The popular flat white coffee comes with a fluffy milk foam floating atop a rich coffee base. LDU’s Cowboy Juice and a Captain America coffee are even stronger, both claiming to “fly you straight into tomorrow.” Add-ons like honey, cinnamon and extra shots of espresso treat you to the real Australian coffee-drinking experience. Multiple Locations 469-739-1881, lducoffee.com Best JapaneSe RestauRant Uchi Modern Asian fare meets ultra-sleek decor at Uchi, a rave-worthy Japanese food destination in Dallas. First, dive into one of Uchi’s inventive daily specials. Tomato crudo, sweet potato pave and a pesto- dressed crab maki might catch your initial attention and hunger. Take your time to move on to the main menu. Uchi’s various raw fish platters are arguably the stars of the chilled side of the menu, while a green-curry lobster dish elevates the hot. For a mix of both temperature extremes, try the leche frita, a plate of curdled milk balls that have been battered and dunked in the deep-fryer. For the indecisive folks: a 10-course omakase menu lets you sample a little of everything that makes Uchi a Dallas foodies’ favorite. 2817 Maple Ave. 214-855-5454, uchi.uchirestaurants.com/ location/dallas Best Food TruCk El Chifrijo Chef Marko Ramirez-Pursley opened his Puerto-Rican-fusion food truck in his island hometown, but Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, brought the chef and his newly painted food truck to Dallas. The truck’s crispy Puerto Rican empanadas are a good place to start, stuffed generously with caramelized meat or vegetables. Try the scoopable stew of meats, beans and vegetables that comes with El Chifrijo’s plantain nacho chips. Puerto Rican mofongo (mashed plantains), rice croquettes and street tacos are other inventive menu options. Everything served from the back of Chifrijo’s truck bursts with flavor and passion. 3230 Towerwood Drive, Farmers Branch 214-315-8989, elchifrijo.com Best ChoColate CocoAndre Chocolate and horchata join forces under the roof of CocoAndre in the Bishops Art District. Truffles here melt in the mouth to reveal fruity, milky and even liquor-infused fillings. Indulge in a couple of café-con- leche truffles, which break open to a creamy, coffee-flavored chocolate filling, or a more adventurous pear-ginger variety, stuffed with a pear ganache and tiled in crystallized ginger. Other funky chocolate flavors like strawberry passion fruit and rosemary ginger are sure to please. Inspired by her Mexican heritage, owner Andrea Pedraza also has an horchata menu with nine varieties of seasonal dishes. Wash your chocolate down with a creamy mazapan horchata, which has a light toasted nutty flavor. Coco Andre is closing its storefront sometime in the next year and transitioning to a new business models, so stop by while you can.. 508 W. Seventh St. 214-941-3030, cocoandre.com Best Buffet Kalachandji’s Dallas’ first all-vegetarian buffet is inside a temple. Named after a sacred city in India, Kalachandji’s is the first in Dallas to serve fully vegetarian fare. The menu rotates daily, but visitor favorites are always present. Help yourself to a few servings of fresh basmati rice, which mixes well with any of the seven-plus curries on the menu. Scoop it into a disk of papadum, a crispy Indian lentil snack that’s slightly puffier than a potato chip and dotted with toasted fennel seeds. Cleanse the palate between trips to the buffet line with the signature lemonade, which offers bursts of tangy tamarind flavor in between sips. The most enjoyable part, though, might be lingering over your food in the courtyard — maybe under the giant tree in the center. Warm lights treat the eyes, water sounds soothe the ears and flavor- packed food tingles the palate. It’s truly an all-around sensory experience. 5430 Gurley Ave. 214-821-1048, kalachandjis.com Best FuSion indian Food Windmills You won’t find typical Indian food at Windmills, a high-end restaurant and brewery in The Colony. With its flagship location in the Indian city of Bangalore, Windmills expanded its award-winning food overseas in 2021. The Colony branch has retained much of the culinary creativity from the original India location, but almost everything — from starters to desserts — comes fried, fattened and Tex-ified. Start with a plate of Texas-fried cheese curds served with a mint-yogurt dipping sauce. The guava chicken plate comes with tandoori chicken that’s been marinated in a tropical guava dressing. It’s paired with a sweet-and-spicy guava mayo on the side. Entrees like a Texas bourbon rib-eye and grilled pork chops all come with subtle Indian twists on classic recipes. The live music on weekend nights spruces up the dining experience here, as does the freshly brewed beer. Grab a reservation, a beer Food & Drink Taylor Adams BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT Uchi Lauren Drewes Daniels BEST CAFÉ Arwa Yemeni Coffee
