The Year In Eater: Dallas’ Top Posts Of 2015

Tallywackers, the Oak Lawn "testeraunt" where "Magic Mike meets Applebee’s," opened its doors in June. The restaurant’s extra-long hot dogs and beefcake servers in silver hot-pants aside, the consensus seems to be that Tallywackers is at least a decent place to enjoy chicken fried steak, shots of Fireball, and cheap beers with a well-curated view.

In September, a Lewisville Whataburger employee stirred a viral controversy when he refused to serve two police officers. Even though the employee later apologized and said that he was just fooling around, Whataburger responded swiftly to social media complaints about the incident, canned the employee, and asked the officers back for a "face to face" apology.

As part of Classics Week, Eater rounded up these 25 long-standing Dallas institutions that everyone (with taste buds) in the metroplex should check out. Some of these spots have been open for more than 100 years, others since the 1980s. Either way, these gloriously old-school eateries are all pretty damn classic.

Despite a depressing ending to the Texas Rangers 2015 season, fans still flocked to Globe Life Park to support their team and devour some pretty ridiculous ballpark eats. This year, the home of the Rangers added chicken-fried bacon, Fried Sm’Oreos (graham-cracker crusted fried marshmallows and deep-fried Oreos on a stick, for the uninitiated), and other artery-clogging delights to the menu. If you’re already counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report, get a jump-start and map out where you’ll eat in 2016.

Despite our well-established love for all things fried, Dallasites wanted to eat a little bit healthier in 2015. Prepare yourself for those 2016 New Year’s resolutions at these healthy establishments that won’t make you sacrifice flavor for low-calorie fare. Think fresh-pressed juices, "rawsagna," and a vegetarian buffet that will make even carnivores weak in the knees.

Brunch is right up there with Tom Landry and big hair on Dallas’ list of time-honored traditions, and our love of boozing at breakfast isn’t going to slow down any time soon. Everyone’s got their preferred place to brunch, but resolve to diversify your Sunday morning (or afternoon) plans at these hotspots in 2016.

Forget Christmas – in Dallas, the most wonderful time of the year is State Fair of Texas time. Every year, the crafty fried food gurus at the Fair introduce wackier creations than the year previous, and 2015 was no exception. This year, we spent way too many tickets on bacon margaritas, chicken fried lobster, and of course, Fernie’s Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly.

After the clock strikes midnight, a good meal can be hard to find. That is, of course, until you’ve made your way to these 20 establishments that keep the kitchen firing well into the wee hours of the morning. From banh mi to diner fare to Korean BBQ, even picky eaters will find something to love when they find themselves hangry at 1 a.m.

Thanks to this 2015’s totally bizarre weather, it’s been patio season pretty much all year long. This city is full of excellent patios, each with their own unique vibe. It might be chilly now, but this is Texas – we’ll be ready for margaritas on the patio before you know it.

Despite the popularity of more modern and refined Mexican cuisine, Tex-Mex still reigns supreme. When you’re in serious need of a bowl of queso or plate of sour cream enchiladas, here’s exactly where to go.

Dallas is a city of travelers, which means that we need to know exactly where to grab a meal before a flight. Fortunately, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has a host of excellent options, ranging from classy Texas cuisine at Sky Canyon to casual mediterranean at the forthcoming Cafe Izmir. Things are just going to get better, too – Chef Kent Rathbun will open four restaurant concepts at DFW in the coming months.