106 September 18 - 24, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Contents | ReadeRs’ PiCks | shoPPing & seRviCes | aRts & enteRtainment | Food & dRink | sPoRts & ReCReation restaurants. Beyond that, Stillwell’s offers an exceptional experience; Michelin thinks so enough to recommend the spot. The tasting menu here is an excellent way to experience what the kitchen has to offer. Other than that, and as if it’s not enough, the Delmonico rib-eye is served with a buttery caramelized crusty exterior, cooked to perfection with exceptional flavor. 2575 McKinnon St. 469-405-1911 stillwellsdallas.com › BEST FRIED CHICKEN Mike’s You can’t talk about fried chicken in this town without talking about Mike’s. Go ahead, try it. We’ll wait. It was downright charming that Mike’s got started in a space it shared with a coin-operated laundry; the bathrooms were down past the wall of dryers. You can get tenders, dark, white, wings and sandwiches (the spicy was recommended recently). It’s all cooked to serve, which means, yeah, you might have to wait a minute. But it’s hot and fresh every time. The crust has crunch and the meat is (we don’t use this term often) oh-so-juicy. Get Mike’s Sauce to go with your order. 4234 Maple Ave. 214-443-7822 mikeschicken.co › BEST RESTAURANT FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION Tango Room As you walk past the host stand, be sure to take in the Andy Warhol casually hanging on the wall, then tuck into a snug plush red velvet booth and let the immaculate service take it from there. The Tango Room is a subtle clap back to so many of Dallas’ loud dining rooms; with fewer than 12 tables, it never gets above a hushed roar here. More art peers over diners’ shoulders, likely appreciating the artwork on the tables, like a tartare tartine, steaks from Allen Brothers and duck fried rice. The rib-eye and New York Strip are Westholme wagyu from Australia. There’s caviar service for $185 or a $55 martini with Belvedere Lake vodka, osetra and oyster vermouth. The wine list is exceptional as well. 1617 Hi Line Drive 214-252-8595 tangoroomdallas.com › BEST CHICKEN WINGS Baby Back Shak Baby Back Shak is in the Cedars and is the showy spot on the block, covered in bright red paint. They offer any number of great dishes, including boudin, barbecue and ribs, sides, desserts and more. But the smoked wings are the underdog here. They call them “chicken drummies,” and they come bathed in a house-made seasoning and kissed with smoke. You should go see about them at lunch when you can get five flats and drums hot off the grill along with a drink for less than $20. 1800 S. Akard St. 214-428-7427 babybackshak.com › BEST CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK Chubby’s Chubby’s has been serving Dallas since 1987 with the motto, “You bring the tummy, we bring the yummy.” So, here we are, belly out. Chubby’s presents like a regular diner, but the dishes, from pancakes to burgers, are anything but regular. Bring your biggest tummy for the chicken-fried steak, which is folded in half so it can fit on the plate. They use hand-cut USDA choice beef cutlets that are battered and deep fried to a golden brown and smothered in a country gravy speckled with pepper. Tuck it in. All of it. But leave room for pie. 11331 E. Northwest Highway 214-348-6065 eatatchubbys.com › BEST COFFEE ROASTER Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters If the biggest coffee snob you knew were polite, approachable, and most important, not condescending, they would work at Noble Coyote. This micro-roastery on the corner of Exposition Avenue gets most of its flowers during the state fair each fall, but it deserves them year round.
