A blue corn pancake with cajeta, a caviar-topped latke, and a soufflé that takes twenty minutes because it should. The Dallas brunch argument, settled for 2026.
North Bishop Avenue, Bishop Arts District, Dallas. Renelibrary / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The best brunch in Dallas right now is Encina, the Oak Cliff spot whose blue corn pancakes show up in nearly every serious ranking in town. The rest depends on the morning you want:
Top pick
Encina, Bishop Arts. The blue corn pancakes and the pork belly earn the wait.
Best splurge
Knox Bistro, Knox-Henderson. A Michelin-listed French room with a full brunch menu.
Best walk-in
Oddfellows, Bishop Arts. Brunch daily from 7 a.m., no reservation needed.
Best Mexican brunch
José, Lovers Lane. Carnitas hash and huevos rancheros until 3 p.m.
We started with sixteen Dallas brunch spots that show up in local coverage. Then we checked each one the boring way: current menus, current hours, review sites, and the last three years of city food press. Big names fell out fast: one served its final brunch in June, one announced a reopening that never came, one left Dallas for the suburbs, and one splits its own diners too sharply to recommend.
The ten that survived cover every kind of Dallas morning. There is a $16 brunch pizza with sixty wines on tap behind it. There is a Michelin-listed bistro that takes 10 a.m. as seriously as dinner, and a downtown room so good we ranked it even though its brunch only happens on Saturdays. Prices below run from cheap to special occasion, and we say which is which.
At a Glance
The top of the ranking, side by side. Scroll sideways on a phone for price and rating.
The best brunch spots in Dallas, ranked, with neighborhood, signature order, price level, and our editorial rating out of five.
This ranking is built from the public record, weighed in this order:
1The food. What each kitchen is known for, what critics say about it, and what thousands of diners repeat about the plates once the patio glow wears off.
2The consensus. How often a spot earns a place on credible lists, from D Magazine and The Infatuation to the Dallas Observer, and how long it has kept that spot.
3The experience. Waits, noise, service and parking, as reported by reviewers over and over. We ignore one bad Sunday. We pay attention when fifty reviews say the same thing.
4Value. What you pay against what lands on the table, from a $13 sweet soufflé to a $36 hanger steak and eggs.
We did not do anonymous table visits for this guide. Every claim comes from sources we can name: current official menus and hours pages, city food press, and diner scores on Google and OpenTable. The rating on each entry is our own editorial score, built from the four criteria above. Platform scores are quoted separately. Google blocks direct checks, so its figures were read from review aggregators in July 2026 and rounded. Treat them as close, not exact. We confirmed every spot was open, at its current address, the week of publication. No restaurant can ever buy, sponsor, or influence its ranking.
Ratings and review counts move every week. Ours were gathered July 21, 2026, and each entry lists when we last verified it.
1
No. 1: Encina
Bishop Arts★4.8(4.6 on Google (about 380 reviews))★$$ avg.
Chef Matt Balke's Oak Cliff dining room turns out the most talked-about pancake in Dallas, and the rest of the menu keeps up with it.
Masa in the batter, which is what makes them worth the drive. Drlectin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Ask five Dallas food writers where to eat brunch and you will hear one name five times. Encina sits in a corner suite on West Davis in Bishop Arts, and chef Matt Balke’s weekend menu has become the closest thing this city has to a consensus. D Magazine lists it. So do The Infatuation, the Dallas Observer, Dallasites101 and PaperCity. No other spot we checked can say that.
The order is the blue corn pancakes, a stack sweetened with butterscotch and cajeta and cut with salty bacon. The rest of the menu argues for a second visit: spiced honey glazed pork belly over cheddar grits, a skillet quiche, a brunch burger with a creole spread. Diners on OpenTable have pushed the score to 4.9 across more than 1,100 reviews, which is about as close to unanimous as that platform gets.
Heads up:
brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. only. Four hours a
week is not much, so reserve ahead or arrive at the door when it opens.
How it scored
Food
4.9 out of 5
Consensus
5.0 out of 5
Experience
4.4 out of 5
Value
4.7 out of 5
Key facts
Address
614 W. Davis St, Suite 100
Brunch hours
Sat and Sun, 10a to 2p
Booking
OpenTable or encinadallas.com, walk-ins wait
Chef
Matt Balke
Pros
Named in five current Dallas brunch guides, more than any other spot we checked
The blue corn pancakes with cajeta and butterscotch have a following of their own
OpenTable diners score it 4.9 across more than 1,100 reviews
Cons
Brunch runs only four hours a weekend, so the room fills fast
Lovers Lane★4.7(4.6 on Google (about 1,700 reviews))★$$$ avg.
A Park Cities seafood bar that treats Saturday morning like a party, with oysters, lemon poppy seed pancakes and a benedict worth the tab.
The kind of Gulf plate that anchors a Dallas brunch. Kent Wang / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Somewhere along the way, Saturday morning at Hudson House turned into one of the hardest tables in the Park Cities. The Lovers Lane original opened as a New England style seafood bar, and the brunch menu explains what happened next. There is a lobster eggs benedict, a challah French toast the menu calls the Hamptons, and lemon poppy seed pancakes under blueberry compote that whole tables share.
The numbers back the hype. OpenTable diners score it 4.9 across more than 1,000 reviews, and the Lakewood location cracked OpenTable’s national Top 100 brunch list for 2026. The problem is getting in the door. Walk-in waits stretch past 90 minutes at peak, and more than a few 2026 reviewers left feeling the check outran the portions.
Beat the rush:
brunch starts at 10 a.m. sharp. A reservation, or a seat at the oyster
bar right at open, skips most of the pain.
How it scored
Food
4.7 out of 5
Consensus
4.6 out of 5
Experience
4.3 out of 5
Value
4.3 out of 5
Key facts
Address
4448 Lovers Lane
Brunch hours
Sat and Sun, 10a to 3p
Booking
OpenTable or hudsonhouse.com, walk-ins wait
Typical spend
$31 to $50 a person, per OpenTable
Pros
A 4.9 from more than 1,000 OpenTable reviewers
The Hamptons French Toast and the lemon poppy seed pancakes anchor the sweet side
The Lakewood location made OpenTable's national Top 100 brunch list for 2026
Cons
Walk-in waits past 90 minutes come up again and again in reviews
Several 2026 reviewers call it pricey for the portions
Fitzhugh at Travis★4.7(4.6 on Google (about 550 reviews))★$$$ avg.
A green-walled bistro off the Katy Trail where the brunch menu reads Jewish deli by way of France and Texas, latkes and caviar included.
The Fitzhugh end of the neighbourhood, a short walk from here. Richard H / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Beverley’s is what happens when a French bistro grows up in a Jewish deli family and moves to Texas. The green-walled room on Fitzhugh sits a short walk from the Katy Trail. No brunch menu in Dallas looks like this one: challah French toast, shakshuka, a jumbo lump crab cake crowned with poached eggs for $29. When the occasion calls for it, there are latkes with caviar.
Four of the city’s current brunch guides list it, and the reviews carry an unusual detail for a room this fashionable: people praise the service. Watch the clock, though. Brunch proper runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. before a lighter mid day menu takes over, and the small room fills quickly.
Best for: a date, a visiting parent, or anyone who thinks brunch peaked with a good bagel and needs convincing otherwise.
How it scored
Food
4.7 out of 5
Consensus
4.7 out of 5
Experience
4.6 out of 5
Value
4.2 out of 5
Key facts
Address
3215 N. Fitzhugh Ave
Brunch hours
Sat and Sun, 11a to 2p, mid day menu to 5p
French toast
$19
Booking
Resy, walk-ins welcome
Pros
Appears in four current Dallas brunch guides, including D Magazine's
Shakshuka at $18 and a jumbo lump crab cake with poached eggs at $29
Reviews skew warm on service, which is rare at this price
Cons
Brunch proper lasts three hours, and the room is small
Bishop Arts★4.6(4.3 on Google (about 3,200 reviews))★$$ avg.
The Bishop Arts standby that serves brunch every single day from 7 a.m., a schedule nobody else here keeps.
Bishop Arts, in Oak Cliff. Oddfellows sits on the main strip. Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Every city needs one brunch place that is simply open. In Dallas that is Oddfellows, which has anchored Bishop Arts since before the neighborhood was a destination and serves its brunch menu every day of the week from 7 a.m. Show up on a random Tuesday and the bread pudding French toast is waiting.
The kitchen leans Texan: brisket hash, beignets, huevos rancheros, chicken and waffles. About 3,200 Google reviewers average it to 4.3, and the complaints are the predictable ones for a no-reservation favorite, mostly weekend waits and the occasional heavy hand with salt on the hash.
Skip the line:
weekends run on a Yelp waitlist. Join it from home before you leave and
the queue mostly takes care of itself.
How it scored
Food
4.4 out of 5
Consensus
4.6 out of 5
Experience
4.4 out of 5
Value
4.6 out of 5
Key facts
Address
316 W. Seventh St
Hours
Mon to Sat 7a to 10p, Sun 7a to 9p
Booking
Walk-in with a Yelp waitlist on weekends
Brunch
All day from 7a, walk-ins only
Pros
Brunch every day of the week, with the full menu from open
The bread pudding French toast and brisket hash draw the crowds
Four current guides list it, and it has held that spot for years
Cons
Weekend waits come with the no-reservation policy
Some reviewers find the brisket hash heavy on salt
Knox-Henderson★4.6(4.4 on Google (about 760 reviews))★$$$ avg.
A Michelin-listed French room steps from the Katy Trail, where brunch means salmon gravlax benedicts and a $36 steak frites with eggs.
Steak, fries, and an egg on top at brunch. Dcollard / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
The fanciest room of the ten is Knox Bistro, and it knows it. The Michelin Guide added the Knox Street dining room in 2025, and the executive chef trained at Ferrandi in Paris. Even the wine list holds a Wine Spectator award. What earns it a spot here is that the weekend menu takes the meal as seriously as dinner.
Chicken and waffles arrive with warm maple butter and a fresno chili sauce for $24. The salmon gravlax benedict sits on a buttermilk biscuit for $25. And the $36 steak frites with eggs uses prime hanger steak, which is not how most kitchens treat 10 a.m. Service starts at 9:30 on weekends, earlier than nearly everyone nearby.
Plan ahead:
the official site lists a $50 a person charge for cancellations inside 72
hours. Confirm the policy when you book so Saturday holds no surprises.
How it scored
Food
4.8 out of 5
Consensus
4.3 out of 5
Experience
4.3 out of 5
Value
4.2 out of 5
Key facts
Address
3230 Knox St, Suite 140
Brunch hours
Sat and Sun, 9:30a to 3p
Chicken and waffles
$24
Booking
OpenTable or knoxbistro.com
Pros
Recognized by the Michelin Guide in 2025, with a Ferrandi-trained chef
The salmon gravlax benedict on a buttermilk biscuit runs $25 and earns it
Brunch starts at 9:30, earlier than most of its neighbors
Cons
Reviewers say the valet gets swamped at peak times
Tables sit close, and some diners report being nudged along
Uptown★4.5(4.6 on Google (about 2,900 reviews))★$$ avg.
Wine on tap, a $16 brunch pizza with a sunny egg on top, and a patio crowd that treats Sunday like a holiday.
Uptown has been rebuilding itself continuously for two decades. Mang9 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Sixty Vines runs on a simple idea: sixty wines on tap, food built to go with them, and a brunch that does not end at 2. The Crescent Court patio serves until 4 p.m. both weekend days, which makes it the safety net of the weekend. Sleep in, miss your reservation elsewhere, and you can still order pancakes here at 3:15.
The food holds its end. The brunch pizza layers sausage, bacon and maple under a sunny egg for $16, the pistachio and spiced cherry French toast is better than it needs to be, and almost every entree stays under $18. The complaints in reviews are about pace, not plates. When the patio fills, service slows, and the Crescent garage costs first-timers a lap or two.
Best for:
a long, late Sunday: brunch holds until 4 p.m. and entrees stay in the $16 to $18 range.
How it scored
Food
4.3 out of 5
Consensus
4.4 out of 5
Experience
4.3 out of 5
Value
4.7 out of 5
Key facts
Address
500 Crescent Court, Suite 160
Brunch hours
Sat and Sun, 10a to 4p
Brunch pizza
$16
Parking
Free valet at brunch, validated self-park
Pros
Brunch runs until 4 p.m., the latest weekend close here along with The Henry
Entrees hold to $16 to $18, gentle for Uptown
The pistachio and spiced cherry French toast is the sleeper order
Cons
Reviews describe slow service and long food waits when the patio fills
The Crescent garage confuses first-timers, so read the valet signs
Uptown★4.5(4.4 on Google (about 2,000 reviews))★$$$ avg.
A big, handsome room in The Union that serves brunch from 9 a.m. both weekend days, with a rooftop upstairs and enchiladas worth the trip.
Uptown, still building. The Henry keeps a dining room in it. IcedCowboyCoffee / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
The Henry takes up a grand corner of The Union with tall windows, a rooftop upstairs, and the longest brunch shift in Uptown. Doors open at 9 a.m. on weekends and the kitchen serves until 4 p.m. That seven-hour window covers everyone, from early walkers to the recovering bachelorette party.
The cinnamon sugar French toast at $18 is the signature, but the smarter order is the $19 huevos rancheros enchiladas, the plate people come back for. Across more than 3,500 reviews, OpenTable diners average it at 4.7. The knocks are noise and price: this is a loud, polished, spendy room, and it does not pretend otherwise.
Best for: groups that cannot commit to a time, since a 9 to 4 kitchen forgives almost any plan.
How it scored
Food
4.4 out of 5
Consensus
4.2 out of 5
Experience
4.4 out of 5
Value
4.2 out of 5
Key facts
Address
2301 N. Akard St, Suite 250
Brunch hours
Sat and Sun, 9a to 4p, rooftop from 10a
French toast
$18
Booking
OpenTable, reserve for weekends
Pros
A seven-hour brunch window, with the earliest weekend start in Uptown
The huevos rancheros enchiladas at $19 are the order regulars defend
More than 3,500 OpenTable reviews average out to 4.7
Cons
The room gets loud when full, which is most of Sunday
One of the pricier tickets here, and reviews say so
Lovers Lane★4.5(4.4 on Google (about 1,650 reviews))★$$ avg.
The city's best Mexican brunch, where carnitas hash and huevos rancheros come with a margarita list that takes itself seriously.
The Tex-Mex brunch standard, eggs and salsa. Ruth Hartnup from Vancouver, Canada / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
José gives Dallas brunch something the eggs benedict circuit cannot. The kitchen ranges from carnitas hash to huevos rancheros to a Cabo Bowl, and the agave list is one of the better ones in the city. The Lovers Lane room serves weekend brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and unlike half these spots, a same-week reservation is usually there for the taking.
It is a neighborhood restaurant in the best sense, loud when a match is on the bar TV, patient with strollers, and consistent across about 1,650 Google reviews that average 4.4. When service dips, it is on packed patio days, which reviewers note and forgive.
Order this:
the carnitas hash and a margarita off the agave list. Reservations land easier here than at the neighbors.
How it scored
Food
4.5 out of 5
Consensus
4.1 out of 5
Experience
4.4 out of 5
Value
4.5 out of 5
Key facts
Address
4931 W. Lovers Lane
Brunch hours
Sat and Sun, 11a to 3p
Booking
OpenTable, walk-ins welcome
Typical spend
$31 to $50 a person, per OpenTable
Pros
The carnitas hash and Cabo Bowl give brunch a reason beyond eggs
One of the deeper agave lists in the city, with margaritas to match
Reservations are easy to get compared to its neighbors
Inwood Village★4.4(4.7 on Google (about 1,800 reviews))★$$ avg.
An all-day soufflé house rather than a brunch room, with a 4.7 Google score that puts it in this argument anyway.
Twenty minutes to make, ninety seconds to collapse. Order it first. Mark Miller / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Rise is the entry that bends the rules. There is no brunch service at the Inwood Village original, just one all-day menu of soufflés, savory and sweet, served from 11 a.m. until night. We ranked it anyway, because on a weekend morning the room is packed with people doing exactly what brunch is for: lingering over eggs, in this case whipped to a cloud.
The jambon and gruyère soufflé at $26 is the institution, and the $13 sweet soufflés close the meal the way dessert was always meant to. Its Google score sits near 4.7 across some 1,800 reviews, the best of these ten. Walk-ins only under five guests, and the made-to-order format means lunch takes as long as it takes.
How it works:
soufflés are baked to order and the menu warns they take time. Order
your sweet soufflé with your meal, not after it, and the timing works
out.
How it scored
Food
4.6 out of 5
Consensus
4.0 out of 5
Experience
4.2 out of 5
Value
4.3 out of 5
Key facts
Address
5360 W. Lovers Ln, Suite 220
Weekend hours
Sat 11a to 10p, Sun 11a to 9p
Sweet soufflés
$13
Booking
Walk-in only under five guests
Pros
The jambon and gruyère soufflé at $26 is a Dallas institution
The highest Google score here, near 4.7
The Marshmallow Soup makes children of everyone
Cons
Soufflés are made to order, so plan on a slow meal
No reservations under five means long weekend waits
Downtown★4.3(4.5 on Google (about 1,650 reviews))★$$ avg.
Downtown's best brunch lives in the old F.W. Woolworth building, with one catch you need to know before you go: it happens on Saturday only.
The old Elm Street core, where the Woolworth's room sits. Renelibrary / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Woolworth serves brunch on Saturday only, from 10 a.m., because the restaurant closes on Sundays. Plan around that and you get the best-looking morning downtown offers, inside the 1920s F.W. Woolworth building on Elm with a rooftop bar overhead.
The menu was built for the morning after. The Hangover, $20 of eggs and comfort, says so on the label. Chicken and waffles run $18, and the crab nachos on taro chips are the odd, good idea the kitchen is known for. Google reviewers hold it at 4.5 across about 1,650 reviews, though the entrees draw the occasional consistency complaint.
Before you go:
closed Sundays, all day. Half the disappointed reviews are from people
who found this out on the sidewalk.
How it scored
Food
4.2 out of 5
Consensus
4.0 out of 5
Experience
4.3 out of 5
Value
4.4 out of 5
Key facts
Address
1520 Elm St, Suite 201
Brunch hours
Saturday from 10a; closed Sunday
The Hangover
$20
Booking
Resy, walk-ins at the bar
Pros
Chicken and waffles at $18 and crab nachos on taro chips at $20
A 1920s building with a rooftop bar upstairs
The rare downtown brunch that is not inside a hotel
Cons
No Sunday brunch at all, which trips up half its would-be diners
Four big names missed this list for reasons worth knowing. Restaurant Beatrice, an Oak Cliff favorite, served its last brunch in June 2026. Ellen's in the West End announced a reopening, but as of late July every platform still showed it closed, so we could not send you there. Whistle Britches closed its Dallas location, leaving only suburban rooms. And Sadelle's in Highland Park Village splits diners sharply. It holds a 4.7 on OpenTable against a 3.8 on Google, with steady complaints about waits and prices, and that gap kept it off the list this year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best brunch in Dallas?
Encina in Bishop Arts is our top pick for 2026. It appears in five current Dallas brunch guides, more than any other spot we checked, and its blue corn pancakes with cajeta have a following all their own. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., so book ahead.
Where can I get brunch in downtown Dallas?
The Woolworth on Elm Street is the standout, but it serves brunch on Saturday only and closes Sundays. On a Sunday, head a few minutes north to Uptown, where The Henry serves until 4 p.m. and Sixty Vines pours wine on tap until 4 p.m. as well.
Do I need a reservation for brunch in Dallas?
For most of these spots, yes. Encina, Hudson House, Knox Bistro, The Henry, Sixty Vines, Beverley's, José and The Woolworth all take reservations, and weekend tables go fast. Oddfellows is walk-in with a waitlist, and Rise seats walk-ins only for parties under five.
What time does brunch end in Dallas?
Most kitchens stop between 2 and 3 p.m. Encina and Beverley's wrap at 2 p.m., José and Knox Bistro at 3 p.m. Among the weekend-only rooms, The Henry and Sixty Vines run latest, until 4 p.m. Oddfellows serves its brunch menu all day.
Which Dallas brunch spots serve on Sunday?
Every spot on this list serves Sunday brunch except The Woolworth, which is closed Sundays. Oddfellows goes furthest, serving its brunch menu every day of the week from 7 a.m.
Does Dallas have drag brunch?
Yes, Dallas has a steady drag brunch circuit, mostly on weekend afternoons in Oak Lawn and the Cedar Springs strip. None of the ten spots in this ranking host one, so if that is the brunch you want, look to the dedicated venues rather than this list.
Sources & Methodology
This guide is original reporting. Nothing here was pulled from a press release or a paid placement.
—Official menus and hours pages for all ten restaurants, checked July 21, 2026.
—D Magazine, "Where to Find the Best Brunch in Dallas," updated April 9, 2026.
—The Infatuation Dallas, "14 Best Brunch Spots," updated September 23, 2025, and its Encina review, updated April 8, 2026.
—Dallas Observer, "12 Spots With the Best Brunch in Dallas," updated February 28, 2026, and its June 2026 restaurant closings report (Restaurant Beatrice).
—Whistle Britches' official location page and its Yelp listing, both showing no remaining Dallas location as of July 2026.
—Dallasites101, "Your Guide to the Best Brunch in Dallas," updated May 2026.
—CultureMap Dallas: OpenTable Top 100 Brunch in the US, April 2026; Ellen's West End reopening report, May 20, 2026.
—Michelin Guide listing for Knox Bistro, and Knox Bistro's official brunch menu dated April 23, 2026.
—PaperCity, "32 Best Dallas Brunches," used only where newer sources back it up.
—Review platforms as of July 21, 2026: Google ratings and counts as mirrored by review aggregators (Google blocks direct checks), plus OpenTable scores as noted per entry.
Marisol has covered Texas food for more than a decade, from border panaderías to Hill Country meat markets. She has ordered a breakfast taco in all 254 counties, and was a 2024 James Beard Award nominee for food writing. She joined Best of Texas in 2019.
