13 June 5 -11, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents gonna come to this neighborhood. The best restaurants and the best cafes are going to be in this area, and we complement each other. It’s a great experience. You come here, it’s a one-stop shop.” ▼ EAT THIS DALLAS’ VIRAL PERSIAN GRANDPA SAMAD’S CAFE OPENED IN DALLAS OVER 37 YEARS AGO NEAR LOVE FIELD, AND THE 84-YEAR-OLD OWNER STILL COOKS WITH HEART. BY AAREN PRODY W e’ve seen the internet algorithm gloss over perfected travel vid- eos that took hours to color grade. It’s humbled creators and motivated others. It’s a finicky beast that business own- ers and entrepreneurs spend hours trying to conquer for their next viral moment. Unfortunately for many of them, the in- ternet algorithm loves adorable old men more than anything (remember TikTok grandpa?). As such, it didn’t take much for a global community to fall in love with a Per- sian man serving food out of his hole-in-the- wall restaurant in Dallas. That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday, April 2, when TikTok creator @ SamsPOV went on a solo date to Samad’s Cafe, a tiny restaurant in the shadow of Dal- las Love Field Airport. Twenty million views later, and strangers from around the world are leaving the cafe five-star reviews. In just a matter of weeks, Samad’s Cafe went from having 200 reviews to nearly 1,800 and boasts a perfect 5-star rating. “Just left Samad a 5-star review and I’m all the way in Africa, you guys better go!”, TikTok user @chimyamazimba com- mented. The TikTok creator visits Samad about once a week, documenting each visit back to the cafe. The most moving one is this video, where he gives Samad over $3,000 that his followers raised for him. Samad declines and shows the creator that every tip he re- ceives, he saves, and at the end of the month, he gives it to others in need of medical care. Samad Afghanipour has been filling Manor Way with Persian spices for almost 37 years now. It was his dream to come to America to open a cafe, and he says that his place was the first Iranian restaurant in Dallas. He was a one-man show until the video went viral, so he brought in his son, who grew up in the cafe, for backup. Many Persians come here for home- cooked meals that they usually can’t find in Dallas. Afghanipour wakes up every morning and starts cooking at 7 a.m. so that the food is ready by the time the cafe opens at 11 a.m. At first, he had just a trickle of customers, but over the last month or so, the dining room has been filled with locals, who are making the TikTok commenters from around the world proud. The drink selection consists of a few dif- ferent Jarritos flavors, water, and other so- das, but by far the most interesting is a mint-flavored yogurt soda, which is popular in Middle Eastern and Persian cultures. You’ll either love or hate this concoc- tion: you may find it a bit like spoiled milk with a glow-up. The consistency is thicker than either milk or soda, with a twangy kefir kick and a hint of mint. The carbon- ation gives the sourness an extra oomph, and that’s why it gives your taste buds a toss-up. Remember the time Brittany Broski tried kombucha for the first time? It’s like that. And don’t worry if you don’t like this one, Samad doesn’t either. He prefers the non-carbonated one they also sell. On Wednesdays, Samad’s runs two spe- cials: zaresh polo and morgh ( juicy chicken thigh in broth with rice), and baghaly polo and mahicheh (delicate lamb shank served with rice). There’s a different combo spe- cial every day of the week, as well as daily kabob specials, which the hidden gem is known for. We went with the chicken thigh dish. The best way to attack this is to first squeeze a lemon wedge over the top, spoon some yo- gurt dill sauce over the top, and then use one of the quarter slices of pita to scoop up both chicken and rice. Let’s not skip over the rice too quickly, though; with mix of golden raisins and cur- rants, it’s amazing rendering a full spectrum of textures and flavors to the dish. During our weekday lunch visit, we were told the “hype” was starting to wear off, which was apparent in the empty dining room. We hope Samad’s Cafe continues to serve the variety of people that were drawn to it in the first place. Remember that reviewer from Africa? We need to make them proud. Samad’s Cafe, 2706 Manor Way, Monday- Friday, 11:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Sunday, closed. ▼ BBQ BURNT ENDS AND SMOKE 10 NORTH TEXAS SPOTS LAND ON TEXAS MONTHLY’S TOP 50 BBQ LIST. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS S ome people wait for the NFL sched- ule to be released or anxiously await the Academy Awards’ announce- ment. In Texas, the most important release is arguably Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s top 50 BBQ joints. Making the list is sort of like getting se- lected for an Academy Award–one will al- ways be able to tout that exclusivity; your description henceforth can include the ref- erence. Barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn sharp- ens his pencils every four years for this list, which ranks the top 10 barbecue spots and lists the remaining 40 by city. To compile the list, “taste testers drove thousands of miles across the state in late 2024,” accord- ing to the article, which you’ll need a sub- scription to read. Those tasters visited a total of 319 barbecue joints; visits are not coordinated with the restaurants, no one knows when Vaughn or others will show up, and Texas Monthly pays for its own meals. Vaughn notes that while eating barbecue for a living is good work if you can get it, there were moments when it was “tedious and exhausting to parse the often minute differences among so many meals.” What’s Good Around Here? F our years ago, Goldee’s in Fort Worth took the exclusive No. 1 spot on the list and retained its place- ment in the top 10, although it fell to third overall. Since the high marks last time, the crowds have relentlessly lined up at this rustic spot. Texas Monthly notes, “We’re pleased to report that the Goldee’s crew has not faltered as hungry hordes have de- scended upon this modest joint a half mile down a country road from the county landfill.” Party tip: You may not have to show up hours in advance now that it’s not No. 1 (al- though you actually probably will). If you decide to make the journey, Texas Monthly reports that the “Sunday-only bread pud- ding is so heavenly that God might skip church for it.” Dayne’s Craft Barbecue in Aledo moved up from the general top 50 in 2021 to No. 7 on this year’s list. Cattlelack, which is a Michelin-recom- mended spot, dropped from No. 6 to the top 50. The Others Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin took top smoke hon- ors this year. The No. 2 spot on the list went to LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin, where the director of the Michelin Guide dined when he was in Austin last year for a press trip pro- moting their hotel guide. If you’re in Austin, this is worth standing in line for hours for. Speaking of which, Franklin Barbecue is not in the top 10 but is in the top 50. No. 3 - Goldee’s Barbecue (Fort Worth) No. 4 - Redbird BBQ (Port Neches) No. 5 - GW’s BBQ (San Juan) No. 6 - InterStellar BBQ (Austin) No. 7 - Dayne’s Craft Barbecue (Aledo) No. 8 - LaVaca BBQ (Port Lavaca) No. 9 - Truth Barbeque (Houston) No. 10 - Evie Mae’s Pit Barbecue (Wolfforth) How North Texas Spots Moved Goldee’s (Fort Worth): Dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 Panther City BBQ (Fort Worth): Dropped from No. 10 to the top 50 Cattleack (Farmers Branch): Dropped from No. 6 to the top 50 Dayne’s Craft Barbecue (Aledo): Moved up from the top 50 to No. 7 Smokey Joe’s BBQ (Dallas): Stayed in the top 50 Slow Bone (Dallas): Stayed in the top 50 North Texas Spots New to the Top 50 North Texas Smoke BBQ (Decatur) Yearby’s BBQ and Waterice (Pilot Point) Sabar BBQ (Fort Worth) Smoak Town BBQ (Fate) This year, Texas Monthly added a supple- mental list of 50 honorable mentions. Places That Fell From the top 50 in 2021: Zavala’s Barbecue (Grand Prairie) Hurtado Barbecue (Arlington and Dallas) Terry Black’s (Austin and Dallas) Smoke-A-Holics (Fort Worth) Hutchins (McKinney) Smoke ‘N’ Ash in Arlington, a recom- mended spot in the Michelin Guide, made the honorable mention list. Aaren Prody Samad’s Cafe, a nondescript building housing some wonderful food. Lauren Drewes Daniels LeRoy and Lewis in Austin is No. 2 in Texas.
