Spend a Perfect Day Dining and Drinking Through Bishop Arts in Dallas

In the last handful of years, Bishop Arts has become one of the hottest neighborhoods in Dallas. Its appeal lies in being one of the city’s few truly walkable neighborhoods and its small size — being there feels like being in a private party and the people watching is top notch. Bishop Arts doesn’t have the overexposed feeling of Uptown or the rawkus all-night life of Deep Ellum. It’s easier to get around in, and a lot less difficult to park in, than Downtown.

All these things have made it a draw for not only folks looking to while away a lazy day, but also for loads of new restaurants and cocktail bars. From breakfast to a post-dinner ice cream treat, here’s the itinerary for an ideal day spent eating, drinking, and snacking in Bishop Arts.

Breakfast and Coffee at La Reunion or Salty Donut

Whether you’re looking for somewhere to bring your laptop and get out of your home office for a bit or you just want an excellent cup of coffee and a great breakfast sandwich, La Reunion is the place to start your day. The narrow, warm interior filled with glassy, teal tiles, and plants is so welcoming. On a nice day, it offers some outdoor seating as well. And every day of the week you can get a strong coffee done in the style of your choosing. The bagel sandwiches with egg, avocado, and cheese is affordable and served all day long.

Alternatively, if you like a sweet start to your day, begin at the Salty Donut. It’s right at the entry point into the neighborhood and the horchata doughnut is not to be missed. You can get a mean cup of coffee (or three) here also, with a shared table seating indoors and expansive outdoor seating.

Take a Book Break at the Wild Detectives

A cold Carajillo and a book makes the day pass a little faster.

For a change of scenery, pop over to the Wild Detectives, a bookshop with so much more than mystery novels, that is also a coffee shop and cocktail bar. Its homey wood interiors include numerous spots to sit down and read, work, or watch the room while drinking nearly any kind of coffee you can dream up. If a cocktail is more your speed, the Texas Sun (yes, inspired by the Leon Bridges and Khruangbin song) is a sunny Mezcal margarita, the Purple Honey brings TikTok fave Empress Gin into a glass with honey and lemon, the Aperol margarita will transport you to the Mediterranean, and the Carajillo adds a little vanilla liquor kick to an espresso.

Have Lunch, Drink Afternoon Wine, and People Watch at Written by the Seasons

Kathy Tran

The magnificence of sitting at one of the tables just behind the fold up windows in this highly underrated spot for lunch — it opens at 11 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays — and then staying awhile with a half-price bottle of wine (from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) from its curated wine list cannot be overstated. It’s one of the finest places to park yourself and people watch in the neighborhood, because it is set back from the street and just off an open plaza full of seating — and between two hotspots, Casablanca and Paradiso, minus the noise.

Grab a Slice of Emporium Pie

Upon walking into Emporium Pie, you will be absolutely bowled over by the smell of delicious, freshly baked pies, from the Smooth Operator (a French silk with a pretzel crust) to classic cherry and apple pies. Not to be missed: the Drunken Nut pie, a bourbon pecan made with a shortbread crust that will ruin you for other pecan pies. These aren’t just like mom’s pies. They’re much, much better. It’s all made fresh daily and served on a seasonally rotating set of china for dine-in customers, with seating both in and outdoors.

Dinner Is Served at Lucia and Zen Sushi

Brace yourself for three courses of incredible Italian food with a Mediterranean twist. Lucia is difficult to get into, thanks to its excellent kitchen and tiny dining room, so make a reservation in advance — although there’s always the chance you can land a seat at the bar. This cozy room, with nooks that look like a library and a living room with a gallery wall of family photos, is such a delightful place to spend time. Ask your server for help picking from its ever-changing menu and finding the right cocktail and wine pairings.

Emily Loving

Emily Loving

Alternatively, head to Zen Sushi. Chef Michelle Carpenter and her team have won multiple awards for the plates that come out of this kitchen. The food is based in Japanese tradition but incorporates American and Latin elements. Try a Xalapa roll, which combines tuna, avocado, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime and the Zen bruschetta — fried eggplant, tuna, olive oil, and basil. Both dishes will give you a sense of the whimsy and inventiveness with which this chef treats traditional cuisine. have won multiple awards for the plates that come out of this kitchen. The food is based in Japanese tradition but incorporates American and Latin elements. Try a Xalapa roll, which combines tuna, avocado, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime and the Zen bruschetta — fried eggplant, tuna, olive oil, and basil. Both dishes will give you a sense of the whimsy and inventiveness with which this chef treats traditional cuisine.

Kathy Tran

Kathy Tran

An After Dinner Treat at Melt Ice Creams

Save room for a cone! This Fort Worth ice creamery opened an outpost in Bishop Arts, and has been delighting the neighborhood with freshly made dairy delights. What’s on hand varies seasonally, but Cookie Crush and Rocky Road from their always menu never miss the mark.

Take in a Show (and Drinks) at Reveler’s Hall

It’s a wonderful place to finish such a happy-go-lucky day. Reveler’s Hall has shows nightly, and you can hear everything from jazz to the blues to soul to rock. There’s a bar menu of food if you’ve got room for one more plate (obviously the crispy duck wings) and its cocktail menu sticks to the classics, so go all in on a French 75 or a Sazerac to round out the day.