Best Restaurants in Irving (2025)

A beloved Japanese izakaya where regulars linger over karaage, grilled mackerel, and silky chawanmushi. Lauded by Dallas Observer and spotlighted by NBC 5 after landing on Yelp’s Top 100 in the U.S., it remains an Irving essential.

Irving’s destination for Shanghainese specialties—especially xiao long bao—made in view behind glass. Praised by D Magazine and the Dallas Observer, it’s where dumpling devotees bring out-of-town friends.

Family-run since 2010, this tiny spot serves crisp, generously filled Argentine-style empanadas—from criolla to brisket—plus a tangy house chimichurri. Featured by D Magazine and praised by local critics for vibrant, affordable flavors.

A mother-daughter team shares Dominican home cooking—pernil, pollo guisado, mofongo, and jubilant cakes—in a colorful dining room. Recognized by Eater Dallas as 2025 James Beard semifinalists and profiled by D Magazine.

A vibrant vegetarian South Indian dining hall celebrated for dosa, idli, and weekend breakfasts. Featured in The New York Times’ 2024 list of favorite U.S. restaurants and covered by The Dallas Morning News for its lively scene.

Irving’s glamorous fine-dining Indian destination, where tandoors glow behind glass and cocktails shine. Reviewed by D Magazine, honored by local critics, and frequently discussed by Dallas food media for elevating regional Indian traditions.

Halal, Spicy, and Smoked to Perfection: Kafi BBQ Brings Something New to Irving | Eater Dallas

Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi, the pitmaster behind the new halal-certified barbecue spot that opened in Irving in December, says, "It took me five years to make the brisket rub," and later adds, "Five years to make the barbecue sauce, too." A former Silicon Valley engineer who even built the scissors icon that trims YouTube videos, he brings a tinkerer’s obsession for granular detail to cooking: born in Missouri to Iraqi parents, he grew up helping in the family’s gourmet food store, dry-ages beef for fun, can elaborately detail a piece of cornbread he ate in 2017, and describes a near-romantic relationship with his smoker. The signature rub incorporates sumac (a deep red spice derived from the sumac berry) in homage to the sumac-garnished kebabs his father cooked over charcoal and citrus reminiscent of a dry desert lime from Basara, Iraq — he tested a number of peels before landing on a specific variety of California oranges because he found Florida oranges too sweet. As a devout Muslim he insisted the restaurant be halal and, because "I’m obsessed with wagyu beef," he sought zabihah halal wagyu despite the cost: with no outside investors he refused to limit himself to suppliers merely labeled halal and instead hunted for the highest-quality wagyu he could find, procuring American wagyu with a marbling score of nine-plus out of 12 from Wagyu XRanch in Itasca, Texas (renting a U-Haul weekly and driving 20 minutes to its cold-storage facility to load up) and importing beef from New Zealand for its strict halal standards — in both cases cutting out middlemen. The anonymous creator of iqfoodreviews wrote that the new restaurant is "the only spot doing zabihah halal wagyu. It comes at a premium, but there's a clear quality difference." The service and fit-out mix barbecue-joint tropes with bougie flourishes — rolls of butcher paper on the table, "Nice to MEAT you" painted on the wall, a partition built stone by stone and custom furniture from Turkey — while other touches include a fountain that dispenses Maine Root sodas made with organic cane sugar, Dijon mustard imported directly from Dijon, France, and sides made entirely from scratch (the cooks stir their own roux for the macaroni and cheese and cut every potato for the french fries). Open Fridays through Sundays, lines snake around the parking lot and food routinely sells out before 5 p.m.; Abdul-Kafi even created a Google Maps location to test demand after concluding that "Irving was a barbecue dead zone." He sums his approach plainly: "People don’t realize how much tinkering has to happen in barbecue," and, "I love when time is the reason something tastes good." - Diana Spechler

Downtown Irving’s Lao-Thai street food hub—larb, papaya salad, noodles—carrying forward the area’s Laotian culinary roots. Covered by CultureMap Dallas and supported by a steady stream of recent diners and delivery platforms.

A family favorite since 1966 for thin-crust pies, lasagna, and red-sauce classics. Covered by The Dallas Morning News for its longevity and community ties, it remains a dependable stop for old-school Italian-American comfort.

An elegant, independently owned staple for Southwestern-leaning fare and special occasions in Las Colinas. Consistently recognized by local media and named Best Fine Dining by the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber.