Erin Booke

2 weeks ago | theinfatuation.com | Kevin Gray |Erin Booke |Tiffany Yannetta

Calling it a "yacht club" might be a stretch, but this place does sit on a big pond with a fountain and has all the feel of a lakeside boat bar—it just happens to be in Plano. The menu is appropriately nautical (crispy coconut shrimp, beer-battered fish tacos), and cocktails are served in tiki glasses shaped like sea creatures. Go ahead and sip pineapple margaritas from a puffer fish just like Poseidon intended. Here’s the ol’ tiki bar inside a coffee shop inside a Half Price Books gag.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Erin Booke

You can’t have a restaurant guide to anywhere in Texas without a classic steakhouse, and Steve Fields is a classic Plano haunt for quiet dinners or date nights in the lounge with live piano. It’s good for pretty much any special occasion, too: the waitstaff will probably ask you several times what you’re celebrating tonight. The menu is heavy on the standards, including an excellent iceberg wedge salad topped with thick-cut bacon.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Erin Booke

This Southern fried chicken restaurant at The Shops at Willow Bend is a buzzy, family-friendly brunch spot where kids can play in the outdoor courtyard when they get too wiggly. The pickle-brined chicken is everywhere on the menu: We love it packed between buttermilk biscuits and topped with pepper jelly and honey butter in the Whistle Britches Sandwich.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Erin Booke

Partenope makes some of the best pizza in Dallas—and now you don’t have to go all the way Downtown to get it. Our favorite here is the spicy Calabrese, with mozzarella, tomato sauce, hot soppressata, ricotta, calabrian chili, and calabrian honey. It’s got a touch of sweetness that tempers the spice, and the perfectly charred and chewy crust clearly comes from a master pizzaiolo. We also dream about the creamy spaghetti alla nerano in a zucchini sauce that has a slightly sweet earthiness.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Erin Booke

The snacky Japanese menu matches the whimsical atmosphere and cutesy, anime-inspired decor at Okaeri Cafe, which offers table seating as well as zashiki floor seating. For grab-and-go, order the spam onigiri or egg salad sando to pair with our matcha oat milk latte with ube foam. If you're staying for a bigger lunch, the omurice curry is warm and filling, with a silky omelette spiraled like a tornado over a savory broth.