New on Resy: Gemma, City Hall Bistro, Muchacho Tex Mex, and More

An all-day cafe at the swank Adolphus Hotel downtown, City Hall Bistro packs a little bit of everything into a well-edited menu that veers Mediterranean. Come for a breakfast of hazelnut waffles and a killer breakfast sandwich, for a lunch or dinner of wood-fired pizzas and pastas, or for an after-work glass from their Southern European wine list, complete with charcuterie as a snack.

This gussied-up casual, California-meets-Texas bistro is the best of both worlds: Delicate housemade pasta dishes like braised rabbit and swiss chard pappardelle recall owners Allison Yoder and Stephen Rogers’ prior lives in Napa, while steaks and fried Texas quail represent their Dallas present. 

The Adolphus Hotel’s high-end offering, The French Room offers exactly what its name implies: immaculate French cooking served in a soaring, gorgeous room. This is a place to celebrate, whether you’re dining on Champagne and caviar or attending one of their famed tea services.

This Highland Park Mediterranean restaurant, from the same folks who brought you Gemma, focuses on seasonality and sustainability. Menus offer bright, vegetable-forward mezze, pastas, and kebabs, backed up by a wine list that draws equally on Texas, Lebanon, and Spain.

Tex-Mex for the 21st century. The menu at Primo’s downtown at The Statler is a little bit lighter and a little bit brighter than your favorite neighborhood haunts, but it hits all the right notes. Highlights include a creamy white queso, table-side fajitas, and updated combo platters that include an all-pork belly option as well as a vegetarian combo.

Chef Omar Flores’ contribution to the Tex-Mex renaissance, Muchacho offers swoon-worthy dishes like smoked brisket sopes, cornmeal-dusted redfish tacos, and heritage pork short ribs “pibil” that are swathed in a habanero guava glaze. Wrap everything in a house-made tortilla and pair it all with a tamarind margarita.

To say Regino Rojas has a way with tacos is an understatement: The man has a gift, and with this chef’s tasting menu of tacos, you’ll never be disappointed. The octopus carnitas are a favorite, and so are the Michocan-style birria tacos with consomé. 

Meatballs are the name of the game at Sfereco at the Statler, with six flavors (including burnt ends) on offer, with a variety of sauces to accompany them. The rest of the menu tilts Italian American, with chicken parm sandwiches, shrimp scampi pasta, a variety of pizzas, and more.

Fried chicken, biscuits, and beer: What more could you need? Whistle Britches shuffles and remixes these favorites into sandwiches, crispy tenders, wings, and more, alongside Southern classics like fried green tomatoes, deviled eggs, and mac ‘n’ cheese. Sophisticated comfort food at its best.

This isn’t just any hotel restaurant. For chef Eric Dreyer, it’s deeply personal: Named after owner Craig Hall’s mother, Ellie, who loved to cook with him and for the entire family, Ellie’s is a place where you’re encouraged to sit and stay awhile, lingering in its bright, sunlight-strewn room, and dining on fresh, light, seasonal fare as well as one of the best burgers in town.

Equal parts sushi bar and izakaya, this sleek Deep Ellum restaurant, true to its name, focuses on elegant hand rolls, neatly assembled with rice and the freshest of fish. While they’re the star of the meal, seasonal izakaya specials like tempura, chicken karaage, and takoyaki always impress, too.