Brian Nagele
Plano is a Texas-sized suburb of Dallas and a historical little city with its own attractions. Plano has a quaint old-timey town center full of museums that point to its role as a 19th-century north Texas hub.
You can travel back to the 19th century at The Heritage Farmstead Museum, exploring a preserved farm and schoolhouse. If you’re a fan of the hit TV show Dallas, you can visit Southfork Ranch to see where it was filmed.
The larger Dallas metropolis is a quick drive away, but you don’t need to venture out of Plano to find a spectacular meal. I have compiled a list of the best restaurants in Plano for you to explore below.
Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar
3601 Dallas Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093
Phone: 972-993-2253
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Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar is a sports bar and family-friendly New American kitchen in the Haggard neighborhood.
The massive dining space has modern industrial-chic décor, a fast-paced atmosphere, and farm-to-table ingredients to elaborate colorful plates of American comfort food.
As the name implies, Whiskey Cake is famous for its whiskey cocktails. I recommend the Bohemian Raspberry bourbon drink with raspberry simple syrup, lime, and ginger beer.
For dinner, they have the best burgers in town. I went for the OMG 2.0 with onions, crimini mushrooms, crispy onion straws, melted cheese, mustard, and chili mayo.
Densetsu
4152 Spring Creek Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093
Phone: 972-964-7875
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Densetsu is a casual, modern sushi and sake bar and Japanese kitchen in Bristol Pointe Estates. They combine classic sushi and sashimi with Texas-style takes on specialty rolls.
The presentation is phenomenal. Fast service and moderate pricing make Densetsu a favorite lunch spot for young professionals.
I like to sit at the sushi bar to watch the expert chefs prepare each roll with impressive finesse. Their sashimi and traditional rolls are authentic and fresh, but I was most impressed by their Texas fusion rolls.
I recommend the superman burrito with raw tuna, salmon, crabmeat, and avocado in a soy paper wrap with ponzu and spicy mayo dipping sauce.
The Latin Pig Cuban Restaurant
3131 Custer Rd #165, Plano, TX 75075
Phone: 972-985-9760
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Located in Teakwood Estates, The Latin Pig Cuban Restaurant is a festive and vibrant lunch and dinner eatery offering the most authentic menu of Cuban specialties.
The casual, family-friendly dining space is lined with artistic photographs of Cuban street scenes, and the heaping portions of delicious Cuban food come atop colorful plates.
The menu at The Latin Pig has every Cuban dish imaginable from starters to desserts. Cuba is famous for its variety of yuca and plantain dishes, of which there is no shortage at the Latin Pig.
My favorite entrée is the Ropa Vieja, shredded brisket swerved with fried peppers and onions in a savory tomato sauce with black beans and dirty rice known as Congri.
Jorg’s Cafe Vienna
1037 E 15th St, Plano, TX 75074
Phone: 972-509-5966
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Owned and operated by Austrian native Jorg Fercher and his wife Cathy, Jorg’s Café Vienna is a beer garden, European bar, and Viennese restaurant in downtown Plano.
Jorg’s offers a wealth of German and Austrian beers along with authentic German dishes lauded as the best in the Dallas Metroplex by D Magazine.
Jorg’s Café makes all its dishes from scratch daily using high-quality ingredients and recipes from Jorg’s family tradition. Whether you want fresh-baked Bavarian pretzels or grilled smoked bratwurst, you’ll find every variety.
I had to try their world-famous Shnitzel, opting for the Oma’s Paprika, a breaded veal cutlet smothered in Hungarian Paprika cream sauce.
Urban Crust
1006 E 15th St, Plano, TX 75074
Phone: 972-509-1400
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Urban Crust is a fashionable wood-fired pizzeria, cocktail bar, and Italian eatery in downtown Plano across from Haggard Park and the Interurban Railway Museum.
Urban Crust has a stylish urban-chic bar and dining space that revolve around an authentic wood-fired brick and stone oven.
They also have a rooftop ice bar and patio to enjoy a happy hour or late-night cocktail. Urban Crust specializes in Neapolitan thin-crust pizzas with perfectly charred and bubbly crusts and gourmet toppings.
I recommend the Black and Blue with basil pesto, wood-fired sirloin, portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, and bleu cheese.
Lockhart Smokehouse
1026 E 15th St, Plano, TX 75074
Phone: 972-516-8900
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In case you’re unaware, the most famous destination for Texas-style barbecue is a small hill country town called Lockhart.
Downtown Plano may be a couple hundred miles away, but Lockhart Smokehouse offers the same delectable oak-smoked meats and sweet tangy BBQ sauce served on butcher paper with a cold beer.
The casual, counter-service BBQ joint is an authentic Texas tradition. You order your desired meats by the half-pound, taking them on a plastic tray covered in butcher paper to the nearest table. I loved their pork ribs and brisket served with a side of baked beans and slaw.
Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill
4017 Preston Rd #530, Plano, TX 75093l
Phone: 972-473-2722
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Featured in D Magazine, Plano Magazine, and winner of Restaurant Guru’s Best Seafood Award, Sea Breeze Fish Market and Grill is a family-owned fish market and gourmet yet casual seafood restaurant.
Sea Breeze is just north of downtown Plano in El Ranchero Country Estates in a beautiful warehouse-sized dining space with nautical décor and an impressive seafood display case.
They fly their seafood in fresh daily, offering a wide variety of raw bar and New American seafood dishes plus a wonderful list of wine and craft cocktails.
I wanted to sample both shellfish and a filet, so I went with the Baked Haddock stuffed with crabmeat in a lemon-dill beurre blanc sauce.
Mexican Sugar
7501 Lone Star Dr Suite B150, Plano, TX 75024
Phone: 972-943-0984
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Mexican Sugar is a stylish modern Mexican Cantina and tequila bar with a festive and inviting atmosphere in Legacy Town Center.
Mexican Sugar combines the urban and Texas-chic dining experience with creative takes on Mexican and Latin American cuisine. They offer a hip, fancier atmosphere to enjoy a traditional Mexican comfort meal.
Their robust menu of top-shelf tequilas offers the best spirits for sipping straight, but they taste equally delicious in a craft cocktail.
I started with guacamole and chips and crispy yucca fries with adobo crema. My favorite entre at Mexican Sugar was the lump crab enchiladas with poblano crema.
Bob’s Steak & Chop House
5760 Legacy Dr Suite B-1, Plano, TX 75024
Phone: 972-608-2627
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Another Legacy Center staple, Bob’s Steak & Chop House is a stunning fine-dining American steakhouse and wine bar.
Praised as one of the premier steakhouses in the US by Bon Appetit and featured in The Dallas Morning News and D Magazine as the best steakhouse in the DFW area, Bob’s originated in Dallas in 1993.
The quality of its beef, seafood, wines, and dishes is unparalleled, making for one of the finest multicourse meals I’ve experienced.
My go-to steak is a bone-in ribeye, but I couldn’t resist Bob’s Seared Duck Breas with Luxardo cherry sauce. It was a memorable meal, indeed.
Taverna Rossa
4005 Preston Rd #512, Plano, TX 75093
Phone: 972-403-3321
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Taverna Rossa is an artisanal beer brewery and craft pizza kitchen in a lively, casual dining space made with century-old wood from a historic Texas barn.
The open kitchen reveals a giant wood-burning oven, serving award-winning pizzas and Texas-inspired bar fare using locally sourced ingredients.
They also feature live music on the weekend with a different lineup each week, from blues to rock n roll. Taverna Rossa’s specialty pies are thin-crusted gourmet masterpieces.
My favorite was the Local Goat and Fig with bacon, goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, dried figs, balsamic glaze, and fresh basil.
The Capital Grille
7300 Dallas Pkwy, Plano, TX 75024
Phone: 972-398-2221
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Located inside the upscale shopping complex, The Shops at Legacy, The Capital Grille is a classic American Steakhouse with a high-end fine-dining experience.
The Capital Grille has an elegant and polished atmosphere, offering the finest USDA choice steaks dry-aged on site to pair with an award-winning wine list.
The Capital Grille has a traditional multi-course menu with extravagant raw seafood bar starters and a wide variety of steak, seafood, and lamb entrees.
My favorite steak at The Capital Grille is the seared tenderloin with butter-poached lobster tails. The sides are served family-style, so I recommend splitting the creamed spinach and cheesy au gratin potatoes.
Final Thoughts
Plano is a Texas-sized suburb of the Dallas Metroplex with a Texas-sized variety of wonderful eateries. Whether you want authentic Cuban food, sushi, or barbecue, my list of the best restaurants in Plano offers a multitude of cuisines and dining experiences.
Did we leave a restaurant out of this list? Make sure you leave us a comment and we’ll check it out!
Best Restaurants in Plano
- Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar
- Densetsu
- The Latin Pig Cuban Restaurant
- Jorg’s Cafe Vienna
- Urban Crust
- Lockhart Smokehouse
- Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill
- Mexican Sugar
- Bob’s Steak & Chop House
- Taverna Rossa
- The Capital Grille
Have you checked out Craftway Kitchen. The food is always on point and the prices are reasonable.
The puff pastry on their French Onion Soup is lovely.