“The Lone Star State’s largest metropolitan area is having a moment. Last year, Bon Appetit named it the Restaurant City of the Year—but not because of the steakhouses and Tex-Mex you’d expect. With unique hotel properties like HALL Arts and Virgin Hotels Dallas opening up, Dallas is poised to draw visitors looking to explore the underlying texture of this distinctly Texan city that boasts a more cosmopolitan vibe than folksy Austin—which makes the abundance of quirky dives an even more delicious find. Dallas neighborhoods like the Bishop Arts District and Deep Ellum offer a community feel full of art, commerce, and dining experiences that celebrate the city’s “Texanness” as much as its diversity, asking visitors to question what it really means to be from Texas, a state with one of the largest personalities and most contested political battlegrounds, in 2020.” —Annie Werner, Managing Editor