12 Best Restaurants In Bishop Arts District

Wondering where to find the best restaurants in Bishop Arts District? This Dallas food guide shares twelve of our favorite places to eat in this cozy Oak Cliff neighborhood. 

When you first drive into Bishop Arts District, you’ll see thin streets dotted with small homes repurposed into free-spirited restaurants. You’ll find everything here. Texas BBQ? Check. Outdoor patios? Check. Sunday brunch? Check.

Hopping over to a new restaurant in Bishop Arts District is one of our favorite weekend activities. If this is your first time visiting Passport To Eden, here’s a quick summary of our current favorite spots: Taco Y Vino (six tacos and a bottle of wine for $45), Written By The Seasons (if you only have time for one meal in Bishop Arts District, make it this one), and Picolé Pops (our favorite relief from Texas summers). 

We’ve tried not to repeat any places mentioned in our original Bishop Arts District guide, but a couple have slipped in. On that note, here are our top picks for the best restaurants in Bishop Arts District, from long-time Oak Cliff staples to newly opened seasonally-inspired spots.

Best Breakfast Restaurants In Bishop Arts District

The Salty

The Salty is a donut shop that feels more like a cafe. In the mornings, customers line up to order cold brews alongside whipped lemon ricotta bomboloni. A conference table, surrounded by chairs, encourages lollygagging (but most families slide in and out of the seats, using the space as a pit stop for napkins). From the patio, you’ll watch couples open up The Salty’s sleek black boxes in delight. The “Should I eat this?” question pops up often; we’ve asked it ourselves.

The Salty’s Horchata Donut is sumptuous, heightened with a light, aerated meringue, and punctuated with Valrhona Caramelia Chocolate. You’ll wrestle with how to eat it gracefully, but the truth is, there’s no way. Elegance is reserved for The Salty’s blissfully buttery brioche donuts, not for us donut eaters. Wiping white ripples off your lip is inevitable; it’s okay.

Read Next: 5 Best Coffee Shops In Bishop Arts District

Village Baking Co

Village Baking Co’s displays entice: scored sourdough, perfectly plump boules, chocolate chunks sinking into Kouign Amman recesses. But it’s the croissant lovers who will want to rejoice. Village Baking Co’s pretzel croissants bridge salty and sweet. Sliced almonds dapple flaky, sugar-dusted pastries. Pain Au Chocolate’s golden brown layers puff around a thick inner stretch of chocolate. Get a drip coffee to cut the sweetness.

Encina

Encina’s flavors zag where you expect them to zig. Everything bagel is served alongside a trio of dips: thick labneh, a rich smoked salmon rillette, and creamy deviled eggs. Pancakes are sweet and gritty from blue corn; butterscotch and cajeta add a caramel signature, overwritten by salted butter. Peanut butter whipped cream pairs with strawberry-splattered French Toast. Weekend brunch at Encina does not miss.

Best Lunch In Bishop Arts District

Tribal All Day Cafe

Picture a fitness influencer’s highly-curated “What I Eat In A Day” video: dragon fruit smoothies, nourish bowls, rainbow veggie wraps. Tribal All Day Cafe serves just that. The menu is not the kind you’ll hear us fawn over often, but here we are. This Bishop Arts District restaurant makes green-and-clean meals appealing. Seriously, the food here is addictive.

And Tribal Cafe is really open all day, from 8 AM to 8 PM (but we recommend stepping in for lunch). Expect nutritious offerings that taste good and leave you feeling even better afterward.

P.S. This is one of the best restaurants in Bishop Arts District to try if you’re vegan (the veg-forward options are endless).

Oddfellows

Sunday brunch at Oddfellows is both a daydream and a nightmare. The best part? Good food. The worst part? Dense crowds. It seems like everyone in Dallas is here (or wants to be here). Your best bet for visiting Oddfellows is mid-afternoon on a weekday when service is friendlier, and plates come out faster. Skip dessert and start your meal with a shared plate (Fried Green Tomatoes, please). Then choose from the “Favorites” portion of the menu (we’ll nudge you towards the boneless Fried Chicken and Waffle).

Read Next: 10 Things To Do In Bishop Arts District

Boulevardier

Boulevardier’s atmosphere feels just like the cocktail. Small tables and seats create a smooth, intimate environment. Sweetness arrives after with the menu, which (on Sundays only) includes a brioche-bun enclosed beef patty tarped in bacon. Gruyere cheese ribbons through the menu, gift wrapping that messy (don’t order this on a first date) Brunch Burger, Croque Madames, and French Onion Soups.

Best Places To Eat Dessert In Bishop Arts District

Picolé Pops

Given that Dallas’ sweltering weather can steal away from spring and dip into autumn, you can realistically pick up Picolé Pops‘ cooling Brazilian-style paletas anytime. Go for the classic creamy pop (Toasted Coconut), filled pop (Banana Nutella), or boozy alcohol-infused concoctions (Mango Margarita, Tequila Sunrise).

Emporium Pies

Emporium Pies needs no introduction. If you’re a Dallasite, chances are you’ve heard about the Bishop Arts District location. Emporium’s flagship store—a yellow-paneled, turquoise-paned, sloped-roof house—is a cozy place to grab a slice of dessert. Smooth Operator and The Drunken Nut are some of our favorite flavors, but Lord Of The Pies (a deep-dish apple streusel) is hefty and brick-dense (which is why we order it every time).

Potpourri Boulangerie

Potpourri Boulangerie knocks down the pretentious notions of afternoon tea. The lack of dress code makes this Bishop Arts District bakery more in tune with the laid-back and welcoming attitude of Oak Cliff. Here’s what $75 per person will get you: three pots of tea and a six-course tasting menu (rotated seasonally), including a tea tower (brimming with sweet treats). You’ll need to make a reservation via phone at least one full day in advance (call 214-941-9941).

Best Dinner Restaurants In Bishop Arts District

Taco Y Vino

Taco Y Vino is one of the first places I shove my friends to when they visit Dallas. The restaurant, with its funky music and Q.R. codes on vinyl, has a fun, easy-going neighborhood feel. There’s patio seating in the front and backyard so that you can take advantage of bright spring days and slow-cooling summer evenings. Taco Y Vino’s six tacos and a bottle of wine special is popular and well-advertised. But we tend to gravitate towards their taco trio, mix-and-match protein-focused fillings set in twin corn tortilla shells.

Written By The Seasons

Brenton Phillips and Haley Nutt, owners of Tribal Cafe, pen a new story with Written By The Seasons. Written By The Seasons presses just enough glaze and citrus and oil to brighten cruciferous vegetables. Fruit and herbs mingle in ways that feel both playful and artful. Each seasonally-tuned arrangement carries the spontaneity and commitment of an elopement. If you only have time for one meal in Bishop Arts District, make it this one.

Stock & Barrel

Stock & Barrel is designed to convert. Don’t like brussels sprouts? Try them caramelized. Skip green beans during family dinners? Have them charred. Beets are smoked; romaine hearts are grilled. The interior is polished, with tulle lights and elbow-room-wide tables. Plates come out just large enough to satisfy. Save room for Stock & Barrel’s toffee croissant bread pudding (you can thank us later).

And if you can’t score a reservation, join the crowd lingering by the bar.

More Bishop Arts District Restaurants

• Lockhart Smokehouse BBQ: get the brisket. enough said.
• Antojitos Mentiiras: TikTok viral, Mexican spot known for its elotes
• Jaquval Brewing Company: this chill brewpub is one of the newest openings in Bishop Arts District
• Veracruz Cafe: explores the indigenous-influenced flavors of Veracruz Mexico
• La Bodega: grab-and-go stop for rotisserie chicken
• The Mayor’s House By Selda: Mediterranean food served in George Sergeant’s (1930s Oak Cliff mayor) former home

Let me know if you’ve visited any of these restaurants in Bishop Arts District! What are your favorite Bishop Arts District restaurants? This is by no means a comprehensive list! I always love trying new spots.