The Best Japanese Food in Dallas
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The best Japanese food in Dallas, according to the experts: the Michelin Guide, the Dallas Observer, and D Magazine have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Tatsu comes out on top.
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MĀBO and Tei-An hold the next two places. D Magazine shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with the Michelin Guide next.
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Rank 1. Tatsu
Sushi
Ten counter seats inside a renovated gin building, and getting one of them is genuinely the hard part. This is an intimate edomae omakase, Michelin-starred, where the chef sequences around fourteen nigiri pieces so the flavors build steadily from delicate to deep. The rice comes from Hokkaido, the movements are unhurried, and the chef will quietly adjust the size of a piece if you ask. Everyone sits down together, so don't be late.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 1 Star
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2024 · Best Omakase · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2023 · Best Tasting Menu · Best of Big D
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Dallas Observer 2024 · Best Omakase · Best of Dallas
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Tasting Menu · Best of Big D
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Rank 2. MĀBO
Sushi
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- Texas Monthly Texas Monthly: #3 · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Esquire Esquire: The Best New Restaurants in America
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- Texas Monthly #3 · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Esquire The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 3. Tei-An
Japanese Noodle Shop
The house-made soba is the point here, though the menu at this elegant soba house in the Arts District runs wide enough to spark a real argument about what to order. Cold or hot noodles arrive with seasonal toppings that range from strictly traditional to a Bolognese that has no business working as well as it does. Grilled freshwater eel comes with its crisped spine, exactly as it would in Japan. The Michelin Guide has it listed among its selected restaurants in Dallas.
The awards
- Dallas Observer Dallas Observer: 2025 · Best Omakase · Best of Dallas
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- D Magazine D Magazine: #8 · The 50 Best Restaurants
- Dallas Observer 2025 · Best Omakase · Best of Dallas
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- D Magazine #8 · The 50 Best Restaurants
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Rank 4. EBESU Robata & Sushi
Modern Japanese
The awards
- D Magazine D Magazine: #18 · The 50 Best Restaurants
- D Magazine D Magazine: 2023 · Best Sushi · Best of Big D
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Koji Yoshida
- D Magazine #18 · The 50 Best Restaurants
- D Magazine 2023 · Best Sushi · Best of Big D
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Koji Yoshida
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Rank 5. Sushi Kozy
Sushi
The cypress wood counter is the only seat that matters at this omakase spot tucked into Ross Avenue, where the format blends kaiseki composed bites with a procession of nigiri. Chef Paul Ko's cooking reads refined and quietly global, duck confit in phyllo giving way to delicate anago dusted with sansho pepper. "Kozy" is doing some heavy lifting in the name, given how sleek the room actually is, but the Michelin Guide listing is not.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- D Magazine D Magazine: The Best New Restaurants in Dallas
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Rank 6. Namo
Sushi
The awards