Deep Ellum Restaurants

The wait can be a long one, especially because Pecan Lodge sticks to a schedule that’s dictated by meat quantities. In other words, if they run out of meat in their on-site smoke pit that day, you won’t be enjoying Dallas’s best BBQ. We were, however, lucky enough to get our hands on their world-renowned brisket, and it was perfectly smoked, absolutely decadent, huge, and totally delicious. The ribs are equally insane.

A quick intro to Japanese: "Tanoshii" means fun; "oishii" means delicious. You’ll want to throw them both around at this buzzy eatery slinging noodle bowls and a mix of Asian street food. A few other key words to know: tonkotsu (breaded and fried pork cutlet), ramen (the noodles you know and love), yakitori (chicken skewers from the grill). Braised pork belly steamed buns sound tasty in every language.