Plano’s Best Restaurants — A Guide to the Suburb’s Extraordinary Dining Scene

The Plano outpost of Whiskey Cake is a popular spot for cocktails, steak, sandwiches, and celebrations with their namesake dessert. The American restaurant also offers a great social hour from Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm and 9 pm to 11 pm including $3 beers, $5 glasses of wine, and $5 cocktails.

This Plano barbecue joint serves some of the best Central Texas-style meats in the city, as well as in Dallas’ Bishop Arts and Arlington. Brisket, pork, chicken, turkey, and sausages are the real deal here. Pair with a side of deviled eggs, slaw, or baked beans and a draft beer. Happy hour specials are available from Monday through Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm and include $3 domestic bottles, $4 imports, and $1 off of well liquors and wine.

Mexican Sugar is a go-to Mexican restaurant at Plano’s Shops at Legacy for margarita flights, fajitas, tacos, and enchiladas. The spot is also open for brunch on weekends, serving mimosas, Cajeta French toast, breakfast tacos, and chilaquiles. A second outpost recently opened in Las Colinas as well.

This wood-fired Italian pizza restaurant offers some of the best pies and rooftop views of historic downtown Plano. You can never go wrong with a frozen peach Bellini, Heart of Plano salad, Shea’s Eastside or Urban Amore pizza. For dessert, don’t miss a house baked pie or tiramisu.

A Spanish tapa restaurant, Bulla Gastrobar has tons of space indoors and on the outdoor patio for family and friends to share tapas and paellas. From cured meats to cheeses to flatbreads and patatas bravas, the restaurant offers options for everyone. You can pair with a bottle of wine or sangria, and happy hour is Monday through Sunday from 5 pm to 7 pm.

Since 2002, chef Jörg Fercher has been cooking up authentic Austrian food in historic downtown Plano. An artist turned chef, Fercher combines cuisine with artistry for his classic dishes like schnitzel and bratwursts. The beer garden also offers Austrian and German brews to pair with your meal.

Opened in Granite Park in 2020, this new American restaurant comes from Frisco’s EG Steak owners David Jeiel and Alex Nunes. Bavette Grill features a patio with a hydroponic garden where 36 organic herbs and vegetables are grown as “patio-to-plate” ingredients. Featured dishes include a 50-day wet-aged USDA Prime cut steak, short rib steak, a Butcher Burger, and salmon cakes, while the full bar serves crafts ’80s-inspired cocktails.

Social Hour is Monday through Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm and includes a small bites menu, and brunch starts at 11:30 am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Known for their ahi towers and sushi rolls, this Japanese hotspot is open for lunch and dinner in Plano. The Superman Burrito is also a favorite, as well as lunch bento boxes available for dine-in and pickup. There’s also a small outdoor patio for al fresco dining.

Opened in 2021 by chef Brian Luscher (formerly of shuttered The Grape), this casual seafood restaurant is located at Granite Park in Plano. A coastal cantina inspired by the boardwalks of Southern California, this new spot from 33 Restaurant Group features elaborate tropical cocktails and delicious bites. A favorite dish is the Baja beer-battered fish tacos.

Located at Legacy West, Haywire is a new American restaurant from the same minds behind The Ranch at Las Colinas. Serving Texas favorites like Wagyu Tomahawk Ribeye and chicken fried steak, the spot has three floors to dine at including a rooftop patio. The restaurant is also featuring daily curbside pickup options for those wanting to take their meal to-go.

This San Antonio-based Brazilian steakhouse opened its doors in The Shops at Legacy in Plano in 2021. It specializes in authentic, rodizio-style dining and focuses on premium cuts of meats including lamb, beef, pork, and chicken. A salad bar and full-service bar, as well as outdoor patio are highlights of the new spot. Plus, it’s all you can eat for dinner for $61.95 for adults and $31.95 for kids ages seven to 11.

A newbie to Plano’s dining scene, this American craft kitchen is located at LakeSide Market. After a quick name change before opening, CraftWay Kitchen has quickly become popular for its candied bacon, crab stuffed mushroom, sandwiches, and beef and fish entrees. Pair with a cocktail like the Prickly Pair Julep or local draft beer.

The Latin Pig Cuban Restaurant has long been a staple in the Plano dining scene. A family-owned and operated spot, the restaurant serves cuban sandwiches, beef, pork, goat, and chicken dishes, and authentic drinks like Malta, Iron Beer, and agua de coco.

A modern Japanese bistro in downtown Plano, EBESU offers some of the best sushi in the area. Opened in 2019, the spot is popular for its grilled ingredients cooked on a high grade Japanese Binchotan, sushi, and sashimi. Executive Chef Koji “Tsukasa” Yoshida was even one of 20 semifinalists for the 2022 James Beard Awards.