Dallas Specialty

Cherry is an on-demand platform that offers classic and gel manicures and pedicures throughout Dallas. It’s the brainchild of time-short Texans, Bumble’s Whitney Wolfe Herd and rewardStyle’s Amber Venz Box, both of whom craved the convenience of an at-home manicure. Services are waterless, and technicians come armed with ten popular Essie shades, though you’re welcome to provide your own. (Basic treatments start at $15.) Everything, from the choice of service to the location and tip, is handled through Cherry’s user-friendly app.

This independent bilingual bookstore is an amazing spot, day or night. In the morning, stop by for Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters and breakfast tacos; in the evenings, the place transforms into a full-service bar with tapas and a lively backyard. Their events, like Shakespeare in the Bar and poetry and book readings, are absolutely fantastic.

This adorable shop specializes in spectacular pies, whether you like them creamy and topped with thick, brûléed meringue or filled with fresh fruit with a crumble on top. Owners Megan Wilkes and Mary Sparks change the menu four times a year to reflect the season, but the super popular Smooth Operator (chocolate cream with a pretzel crust) and Drunken Nut (bourbon and pecan) are available all year long.

Any time you visit Pokey O’s, it’s likely to be crowded with SMU students vying for a place in line—but don’t let that deter you. They’re famous for made-on-the-spot ice cream sandwiches, which they make with chewy chocolate chip cookies and Texas Blue Bell ice cream.

Snap Kitchen has revolved around grab-and-go meals since 2010, making it one of the older companies in the relatively new healthy premade meal space. There are convenient pickup locations in Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Chicago, and while it doesn’t technically do delivery, you could easily arrange one through TaskRabbit. Snap also offers a twenty-one-day "commit" program, which offers healthy takes on hearty meals, like gluten-free beef stroganoff, bison quinoa hash, chicken butternut squash macaroni, and fettuccine and vegetable “alfredo.” The cooking style is relatively free from the niche health foods that turn some people off of clean eating, making it an easy transition for health-food rookies.

Gourmet Valet Head Chef Becky Nelson was a stay-at-home mom before she started her meal delivery business, and the dishes (beef filets, chicken chowder with cornbread, and seriously good dessert) definitely have a home-cooked feel to them. Each order rings in at around $15, a price that is easily justified considering each meal comes with multiple complementary sides. While many of her meals fall solidly in the healthy and gluten-free category, Nelson is also the genius behind Dallas-based Nieman Marcus’ signature holiday shortbread cookies.

While finding a Ruthie’s food truck near your office on a weekday is practically a godsend, knowing that they cater just makes it that much better. They rolled by the goop pop and served their famous grilled cheese heart attack (aptly called The Boss), which comes complete with slices of BBQ brisket tucked inside. Wash this or the mac ’n’ cheese down with their soup shooters on a day when you’re feeling particularly indulgent—it’s worth it.

When caterer Nathan Burke arrived at goop pop with a pizza oven attached to his truck, insanity ensued. People just couldn’t get enough of the pizzas that came out of that contraption. That night’s runaway hit was the combination of applewood-smoked bacon, garlic, and truffle oil, just to give you an idea of the kinds of ingredients Burke mixes to perfection.

We’ve leaned heavily on this new juicery throughout our extended stay in Dallas: The cold-pressed one-day programs have been the perfect palette cleanser after a lot of Texas-style BBQ. We recommend the “Pick 6,” as its perfect for splitting with friends. There are five pickup locations in Dallas.

Park it in the yard and snack it up with some of the city’s best food trucks without having to chase them down. Window hop from BBQ and burgers to pad thai and po' boys, order beers while you wait, and then pull up a lawn chair to one of the picnic tables under the breezy trees and let the face stuffing begin. There’s really no better way to spend an afternoon.