Kevin Gray

Lions Den is an upscale Italian restaurant inside the Stoneleigh Hotel in Uptown Dallas.

The Canada-based restaurant is known for its upscale environment and global menu of steaks and sushi.

DH Noodles is one of many good Chinese restaurants at the powerhouse Coit & Park intersection in Plano. The Lanzhou beef noodle soup is one of the best things on the menu, with perfectly springy wheat noodles and a clean, aromatic broth that’s spruced up by a handful of cilantro and earthy radishes. The dry noodles with cumin and lamb don’t have enough spicy cumin payoff, but we like the crisp peppers. The beef roll is great—it wraps tender meat in a chewy scallion pancake—and we always get the marinated cucumbers, which swim in vinegar and have a touch of sharp, nasal heat. There’s not much atmosphere inside, so DH Noodles is also an easy win for takeout and delivery.

The modern American restaurant adds to the growing portfolio from the team behind Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House.

Uptown is always changing, with new restaurants and even newer high rises springing up to tower over them. The neighborhood’s constant flux is part of what makes it exciting to explore, and also what makes it more important than ever to have a plan when you arrive. These are 11 of the best restaurants in Uptown, including fancy French, incredible sushi, and a steakhouse serving Korean gumbo alongside wagyu filets.

Greenville Avenue Pizza Company is a life-saver when it’s 2am, the bars just closed, and you need a slice. It also tastes pretty good at noon or dinner time, or when you’re on your couch and can’t be bothered to leave the house. The pizzas are thin and crispy, and the zippy housemade tomato sauce is a great baselayer for meaty pepperoni and salty olives. GAPCo classics like the spicy Butcher’s Revenge will light you up with ghost pepper cheese and hot honey. And there’s always something delightfully weird going on, like the Pretty Pickle topped with dill pickles, creamy garlic sauce, and crispy bacon. If someone (maybe even you) doesn’t want pizza, this place also makes good lemon pepper wings and a solid meatball sub.

Thunderbird Pies covers the holy trinity of pizza markets, with Detroit, Chicago, and New York-style pizzas, so you can choose your favorite. The Detroit crusts are crispy and glossy, with an audible crunch that gives way to fluffy dough and rich pools of sauce and cheese. The 12-inch Chicago tavern pies are cracker-like and easy to take down on your own, while the 18-inch New Yorkers demand some help (and a frosty glass of kolsch). We like the fully-loaded Drip Pan—it’s a meaty mix of hot soppressata and sausage with sweet roasted vegetables—and the Thunder Mifflin, which does great things with pepperoni cups and mushrooms.

If you want to watch looped videos of beautiful Italian coastlines on a big TV (and eat excellent pizzas), this is the spot for you. They make a dozen Neapolitan-style pies, each with a blistered crust and a mild fermented tang. Try the margherita con bufala loaded with basil and big mounds of fresh, creamy cheese, and the spicy wagyu salume with zesty tomato sauce and fire-roasted peppers. There’s also one salad here—arugula topped with a bright vinaigrette and big sheets of parmesan—and you should get it. They don’t serve alcohol, but Farina in Grani is next door to Lockwood Distilling and Oak Highlands Brewery, so drinks are nearby if you want them.

Shyboy is an underground bar Downtown with the rare combo of great cocktails, soft-serve, and excellent DJs.

Scilla is a solid coastal Italian restaurant in the Park Cities.