My favorite days are when I find fun in things I never thought to do before! I’m always looking for new places to try especially the “hole in the walls” that not many people know about. I’m not going to lie, I’m someone who takes for granted the cool places in the city I live in. I don’t really like to do the “touristy” things, but between the hole in the walls and the touristy things you can really find the gems of the city! So, Lula & I decided to partner up and give you guys some cool recommendations. I hope you use our recommendations as a guide to check out a new place you’ve never been to before in Dallas, I’m sure you’ll find a new go to spot.

Muggle Shakes

Muggle Shakes is such a cute little dessert place. I don’t really prefer ice cream, but it was still very enjoyable. I even got a protein shake to have for breakfast the next day. A great place to end a family day, date night, or just a day with the girls.

Tacos and Tequila

Tacos and Tequila is by far one of my favorite brunch spots! On Sundays it’s unlimited food and three mimosas for $24! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? Usually I’m not a huge fan of buffet style restaurants just because the food doesn’t taste as fresh but their food does not disappoint. The salmon, meats, and eggs are cooked right there and served to you! It’s very worth the price, so if you don’t try this one, you’re really missing out. Everything in their buffet is good.

Velvet Taco

Before I moved to Dallas I did not like tacos one bit! But velvet taco in Uptown has some great taco options. I’ve ordered almost all the tacos they have to offer on the menu, I just find ways to substitute the meat! The Buffalo Chicken taco with shrimp instead of chicken is so good if you love buffalo chicken, definitely my favorite! I believe their tacos run about $6 each. And for those looking for something to eat after bar hopping in Uptown, they’re open late and have the cutest little free water dispenser to keep you hydrated.

Legacy Food Hall

Legacy Food hall is like a giant family friendly cafeteria with tons of food and drinking options indoor and outdoor! Brilliant idea if you ask me. There’s a giant bar in the middle of the food court and a ton of food stands surrounding it. The drinks at the bar here were so cheap I couldn’t believe it. You can get a few drinks for under $20. If you live in an expensive city you know that rarely happens. The food court is three floors full of food and drinks you must try. They’re popular for their Frosé, which is pretty tasty in my opinion. I love crepes and they had a ton of options. Right next door is a waffle stand with many of the same toppings, so try both and decide which one you like best!

The Island Spot

I’m very big into Caribbean food, but being Caribbean of course that’s something my family cooks all the time so it’s rare that I’ve found restaurants that could meet my standards. But, The Island Spot in Carrollton is definitely a go to spot for me. The music is always on point and the food is always delicious. They always have great drink specials going on especially for their rum punch and sometimes they have live music! They even throw brunch parties on Sundays. I’ve been eating Jamaican food ever since I could remember and this was the first place I’ve EVER had jerk salmon. If you’ve never had it, you have to..  it’s a great substitute for jerk chicken if you love spice but don’t eat meat. You can get a meal for less than $20 here and trust me they serve pretty decent sized portions. Some of my favorite menu items are the fried dumplings, Jerk Chicken nachos ( when I did eat meat .. SO GOOD), curry shrimp, and jerk salmon. Curry and Jerk anything is good to me honestly.

The Community Grill

I don’t have any mouth watering pictures for this one, but the Community Grill is another must try restaurant with a great neighborhood feel right in Frisco. The place is nicely decorated and their menu is simple and tasty! My favorite is the shrimp tacos with french fries, they seriously have the best fries here. I always ask for jerk seasoning on the side, it goes great with it! Definitely a great place to go grab lunch with your friends or have dinner and drinks on the weekend.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Rainbow Vomit

Rainbow Vomit is a cool pop up shop. It’s $25 for the hour but trust me an hour is long enough. This is a great place for taking pictures with your friends! The bathroom even had cool art, but yes, that really was the bathroom. Talk about motivational. There’s a little secret hidden in Rainbow Vomit if you’re not too busy taking pictures to find it! There’s a few other pop up shops right in the middle of Dallas and even in Fort Worth so if you’re into that check some out this spring and summer, there’s plenty around.

TAKE A DANCE CLASS WITH DOBES

If you’re looking for something fun to do outside of eating and great drinks, take an Afrofusion dance class! I’ve taken one of her dance classes and it was so fun! I had never taken a dance class before, let alone an afrofusion dance class but it really took me out of my comfort zone. Her classes range from $10-$15 and the experience is well worth it! Follow her on Instagram to keep up with her dance class schedule @callmedobes. Dates, times, and locations may vary.

If you want to try something different and bring out the inner kid in you, set aside an hour out of your day to go to Ninja Nation! The best way I can describe it is a big indoor obstacle course filled with activities and trust me, it’s not just for kids! There are plenty activities for adults and children (5+). They have classes but they also have open gym for $15 which is a great price for all that you get to do! You can reserve a spot online and pay when you get there. This location is right in the middle of Frisco and a must visit! Trust me, you’ll thank me later!

If you’re into more creative eating, here’s some of Lula’s dessert recommendations:

Sweet Daze
3356, 581 W Campbell Rd #127, Richardson, TX 75080
Never disappoints! With their collection of beautiful donuts made fresh daily and their galaxy cheesecake (top layer tastes like marshmallow fluff 😍) to their fruity pebbles soft serve you are sureeeeee to fall in love. The line is NEVER short here, but it’s definitely worth the wait. Make sure to call ahead because they RUN OUT of items frequently. (Demand is high y’all) Donut designs and ice cream flavors vary but they have a variety of choices such as cinnamon toast crunch and fruity pebble soft serve, galaxy, unicorn, and mermaid donuts, and different flavored drinks like lavender lemonade! I have also ordered various cakes from here for birthday parties/ other events and boyyyy they do not disappoint. Check out their cake options in-store plus they can make a custom design for you if you’d like. Average price for donuts etc. ranges from $4-10 and average price for the made to order cakes are around $80-150.

Sablon Chocolate Lounge
3839 McKinney Ave #157, Dallas, TX 75204
It’s a nice little sit down spot featuring MY FAVORITE chocolate fondue with your choice of dipping fruits (and cookies/crackers) They also have waffles, sundaes, and some yummy chocolatey milkshake type drinks. Everything is chocolate themed; so that means they also have hot chocolate, frappasitas, crepes, and even dessert pizza. This restaurant also has outdoor seating so its perfect when the sun comes out! I almost get the same thing every time, simply because the fondue chocolate is so rich and creamy its hard not to want to dip kiwi and strawberries every time I get the chance to. The location is also central to a bunch of other great restaurants, which means its perfect for the after-dinner-dessert trek. Price range $10-25 for most items.

Ninja De Cream
Price range $8-15
9144 Prestmont Pl #230, Frisco, TX 75035
Have you ever had mochi egg waffles?! Probably not because I had never had any before coming in here either. Ninja De Cream is the CUTEST place ever featuring a plant wall and an instagrammable ice cream cart for your pleasure. They make the egg waffles fresh when you order and you can just smell the aroma of freshly baked waffle before they call you to the counter for pickup. They have rolled ice creams of all flavors, ice pops, and many different variations of egg waffles! If you like mango, definitely try the mango rolled ice cream as it was not only my favorite — but two of my friends’ favorites as well. Sit down, relax, play some board games, and enjoy.

Press Waffle Co
Price range: $5-15
7800 Windrose Ave, Plano, TX 75024
Late night cravings happen and with the location located at Legacy Food Hall, you can enjoy a cafeteria-style selection of various food places including Press Waffle Co. The waffles are delicious and perfectly flavored but enjoy your choice of toppings. The most popular being the house waffle** or make your own waffle stack (the stuff dreams are made of). The toppings for the house waffle include whipped cream which already tastes especially good, and that added to COOKIE BUTTER just might be your favorite combination.

Mango Mango
Price range: $5-15
2205 Central Expy, Plano, TX 75075
It was really really hard to pick a top 5 since we have so many amazing dessert options located in the DFW area, but I have to say the mango stick rice from Mango Mango is only made cuter by the egg-shaped glass cup that it comes in. You actually get to keep the cup so I have like 75 sitting in my cabinets right now. They have a variety of mango themed desserts and even a few durian flavored items as well. Being half thai really influenced the decision to try this place out, because in Thailand mango sticky rice is AMAZING and its extremely hard to find a good tasting one here in the States. But, this place comes close to tasting like it’s from back home. Want to be a collector of egg-shaped cups like me?! This is your next stop!

You can also find more of her recommendations on her instagram @lulaeats

While we still have more exploring to do in Dallas, these are recommendations we both found to be very enjoyable and well worth the time and money. So, I hope we were able to help you plan your next fun weekend in Dallas!