Three Dallas Restaurants Named Texas' Best
Rainbowcat, Mamani Sushi, and Kozy 2025 were recognized as the three best new restaurants in Texas. Each establishment offers unique culinary experiences that have captivated local food critics and patrons alike. The restaurants represent the latest wave of innovation and excellence in Dallas cuisine.
The recognition comes from *Texas Monthly's* twenty-fifth iteration of its highly anticipated annual list of the state's best new restaurants. This year's list was curated for the first time by the publication's new food reviewer, Paula Forbes, who crisscrossed the state to identify the top 10 spots that opened between December 1, 2024, and October 31, 2025. Rainbowcat is the latest venture from James Beard finalist Misti Norris, formerly of the acclaimed Petra and the Beast which closed in late 2024. Located within the Saint Valentine bar, the restaurant offers what Norris calls "nostalgic comfort food," featuring playful and inventive takes on junk food like a porchetta "McMuffin" and chicken "nugs." Forbes described Norris as cooking "like some kind of genius space alien." Mamani, which opened in the redeveloped Quadrangle in Uptown Dallas, had already garnered significant attention by earning a Michelin star just weeks after its debut in 2025. The French-Italian restaurant is led by Executive Chef-Partner Christophe De Lellis, who previously spent 13 years at the three-Michelin-starred Joël Robuchon restaurant in Las Vegas. The name "Mamani" is a sentimental tribute to the grandmother of co-owning brothers Brandon and Henry Cohanim. Sushi Kozy, an intimate omakase restaurant in downtown Dallas, is the first solo concept from chef-owner Paul Ko, an alum of Uchi Dallas where he was head sushi chef. The restaurant, which opened quietly in mid-2025, offers a 17-course tasting menu. In early 2026, the team was bolstered by the hiring of Chef de Cuisine RJ Yoakum, a James Beard Award finalist and an alum of The French Laundry.
