Overview
Addison is a suburb of Dallas and is one of the area's most popular places. Addison's main attractions are based around restaurants, and has some of the most restaurants per square mile in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
12 things to do · 17 places to eat · 8 bars & cafés · 9 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Addison
North Texas Jazz Festival
Taste of Addison
Normally held in May, Taste of Addison is a gathering of many of the city's restaurants at Addison Circle Park. Each of the restaurants offers smaller portions of their food at low prices, allowing the public to sample t…
Kaboom Town!
Normally held the night of July 3, Kaboom Town is one of the largest Fourth of July celebrations in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Kaboom Town is at Addison Circle Park. Because of the incredible popularity of Kaboom Town it…
Oktoberfest
Normally held in September, Oktoberfest is a collection of traditional German foods, polka, Paulaner beer, and very silly lederhosen. There's an oom-pah band on site, and a backup oom-pah band in case the first one break…
Worldfest
Normally held in October, Worldfest is a gathering of many different cultural events. Many of the local restaurants set up tents to serve exotic and ethnic foods. Multiple stages show many colorful acts from around the w…
Addison Improv
Have dinner and drinks while laughing with world-class comedians. It's advised to arrive at least 30 minutes before the first show if you want a good seat. Arrive an hour before the first show if you're having dinner. Th…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Feb–May, Oct–Nov. Summer highs reach about 97°F; winter lows dip to about 38°F. Very hot (Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Oct and May. (climate data from nearby Dallas)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- DAL Dallas Love Field, Dallas — 8 mi away (major hub). Directions
- DFW Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth — 13 mi away (major hub). Directions
Addison is centered on the intersection of Belt Line Road and Dallas North Tollway. It is almost completely surrounded by North Dallas. The tolls from Downtown Dallas amount to less than 2 dollars.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Places to stay listed here: about $59–$65 a night (typical $65), from 3 listed prices.
- Estimated daily budget per person (room, two meals, local transport and an activity): budget ~$100, mid-range ~$140, comfortable ~$230.
Options are grouped as Budget, Mid-range, Splurge in the Sleep guide ↓.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning North Texas Jazz Festival, Oktoberfest
- Lunch IHOP
- Afternoon Pete's Dueling Piano bar, Arapaho Road Park
- Dinner Pho Que Huong
- Evening Astoria Cafe
Day 2
- Morning Water Tower Theatre, Celestial Park
- Lunch Which Wich
- Afternoon Taste of Addison, Worldfest
- Dinner Best Thai
- Evening Duke's Original Roadhouse
Day 3
- Morning Addison Improv, Addison Circle Park
- Lunch Blue Mesa Grill
- Afternoon Quorom Park, Kaboom Town!
- Dinner Buffalo Wild Wings
- Evening Dunn Bros Coffee
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
When you get hungry, there are over 170 restaurants in the city's 4 square miles, enough to satisfy any taste. Most of Addison's restaurants are on Belt Line Rd, which is commonly called "Restaurant Row". DART Bus #400 runs along the entire length of Belt Line Rd in Addison, and connects with the Addison Transit Center. While you can find just about anything you want on Restaurant Row, there are many unique restaurants found on the connecting streets.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Get in
By car
Addison is centered on the intersection of Belt Line Road and Dallas North Tollway. It is almost completely surrounded by North Dallas. The tolls from Downtown Dallas amount to less than 2 dollars.
By public transit
Public transit via Dallas Area Rapid Transit, or DART, is found at the Addison Transit Center on Arapaho Road, one block north of Belt Line Road on Quorum Road.
This is right next to Addison Circle Park, making it a convenient option if you are attending a festival or show at the WaterTower. The main dining strip is on Belt Line, a 5- to 10-minute walk south from there.
The DART Silver Line commuter train stops there and at Knoll Trail station, just east across the Dallas North Tollway.
From these two stations, the Silver Line runs southwest to DFW International Airport (Terminal B) and to Plano in the northeast.
Addison Transit Center is also served by several DART bus routes that go around Addison, North Dallas, and the nearby suburbs.
By plane
Addison is served commercially by Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and Love Field, but also has its own airport for private planes and corporate aviation. Private jet service is available from multiple fixed base operators. International travelers can make use of the airport's 24-hour customs port.
Get around
By car
Driving along Belt Line Road can be slow at the heaviest dining times, but usually not too bad. Weekday lunch time and weekend evenings have the worst traffic. If a festival is happening, especially KaboomTown, expect to sit in traffic much longer.
Be watchful for traffic cops as they are strict and tend to hide themselves well. Arapaho Road, Belt Line Road, Midway Road and Quorum Road are well patrolled.
By bus
Most places in Addison are accessible by DART bus.
On foot and by bicycle
Most streets in Addison have sidewalks, and the city is working to make the city more accessible on foot or by bike. There are bicycle racks on the front of all DART buses serving Addison. The Les Lacs Linear Park is available in the southern part of Addison for a quiet and pleasant 2.7-mile paved trail.
Do
Festivals
Addison holds some of the best festivals around. Addison believes in making every celebration as big as possible, and they follow through quite well. Each of these festivals are in Addison Circle Park (SW corner of Quorum Dr. and Addison Circle. DART Addison Transit Center).
Do North Texas Jazz Festival
Do Taste of Addison
Normally held in May, Taste of Addison is a gathering of many of the city's restaurants at Addison Circle Park. Each of the restaurants offers smaller portions of their food at low prices, allowing the public to sample their food.
Do Kaboom Town!
Normally held the night of July 3, Kaboom Town is one of the largest Fourth of July celebrations in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Kaboom Town is at Addison Circle Park. Because of the incredible popularity of Kaboom Town it can be next-to-impossible to find a nearby parking space. Your best option is to stay at a residence or hotel near Addison Circle and walk there.
Do Oktoberfest
Normally held in September, Oktoberfest is a collection of traditional German foods, polka, Paulaner beer, and very silly lederhosen. There's an oom-pah band on site, and a backup oom-pah band in case the first one breaks down. It's advised to go on Thursday, as it can get very crowded on the weekend.
Do Worldfest
Normally held in October, Worldfest is a gathering of many different cultural events. Many of the local restaurants set up tents to serve exotic and ethnic foods. Multiple stages show many colorful acts from around the world. There are also a lot of unique shops set up selling items from around the world. It's a good way to get introduced to many different cultures at once.
Live entertainment
Do Addison Improv
Have dinner and drinks while laughing with world-class comedians. It's advised to arrive at least 30 minutes before the first show if you want a good seat. Arrive an hour before the first show if you're having dinner. There is a two item minimum purchase (food or drink) per person with each show, and the food's overpriced. 21 and up only.
Do Pete's Dueling Piano bar (Same building as Improv)
Known for singing loud and proud. A piano bar offering top of the line entertainment, in a fun and casual atmosphere.
Parks
Addison residents are proud of their parks and feature some of the best in the metroplex
Do Addison Circle Park
Large outdoor park and the location of festivals, concerts and outdoor plays. Also has fountains for cooling off in the Texas heat.
Do Arapaho Road Park
When the wind is out of the north, this is the perfect place to watch planes depart and land as they fly just overhead. Addison Airport is one of the busiest single-runway airports in the nation so there is usually no shortage of traffic on a nice day.
Do Quorom Park
Quiet, very well landscaped park; perfect for having a sack lunch. There is also a large below-ground waterfall surrounded by trees.
Buy
Shop Addison Cigar & Tobacco Co
This shop is a small building all by itself next to Addison airport, which means there's no one to complain about the smell. A very good cigar and tobacco shop, decorated with lots of wood paneling. While it's a small location, they have a wide selection of cigars in their walk-in humidor. The owners are always friendly to help you find what you're looking for. A members-only lounge is available in the back. This place can get crowded on Friday nights, and parking is limited.
Shop Village on the Parkway
A large outdoor shopping mall. With fountains, simulated roudabouts and delicate styling this is reminiscent of an Italian village. Some notable shops here are Paciugo Gelato, Bed Bath & Beyond, Grand Spa International, and Harold's Closeout. Because this shopping center has many restaurants and bars it can get quite busy on weekend nights.
Eat
When you get hungry, there are over 170 restaurants in the city's 4 square miles, enough to satisfy any taste. Most of Addison's restaurants are on Belt Line Rd, which is commonly called "Restaurant Row". DART Bus #400 runs along the entire length of Belt Line Rd in Addison, and connects with the Addison Transit Center. While you can find just about anything you want on Restaurant Row, there are many unique restaurants found on the connecting streets.
Budget
Eat IHOP
Inexpensive, convenient, breakfast served anytime. Just like its bitter rival Dennys.
Eat Pho Que Huong
Pho Que Huong's signature dish is "pho" a Vietnamese soup filled with rice noodles and various other things. It's cheap, fast, and low-calorie. They have some available ingredients not generally found in other restaurants such as tendons and tripe. Along with pho they have a lot of other foods in their 'order-by-number' menu. Fried rice, non-soup noodle dishes, sandwiches, and vermicelli. Beverages include a variety of coffees, teas, and coconut drinks. For dessert they have smoothies, but they're a little icy.
Eat Which Wich
Classic fast food custom sandwich chain. It's easy to order: just grab a paper bag, mark off all the things you want on one side, then draw a silly picture on the other side to keep track of yours. Oh, and this is one of the few places in the Metroplex to serve Mello Yello.
Mid-range
Eat Best Thai
A cozy and tasty Thai restaurant. The place is rarely crowded, and service is very friendly. Along with various meats, vegan options are also available on the menu.
Eat Blue Mesa Grill
A rather nice American Southwest fusion restaurant. Like Tex-Mex with a little extra added. They also have a wide selection of tequila drinks. Try their Sunday brunch, however be sure to show up at 9AM to avoid the church crowd.
Eat Buffalo Wild Wings
Restaurant specializing in finger foods, hot wings, and really hot sauces. Ask your waiter for a trivia box, which will allow you to play video trivia against others in the bar, as well as play a number of other games. Nice place to hang out in the afternoon. The place tends to get noisy most nights.
Eat Clay Pit
Indian restaurant and bar, serving a large variety of exotic vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Atmosphere is more hip and modern, but still traditional. Try a mango lassi to drink, or their signature ginger peach mango iced tea.
Eat Gloria's
Probably the best and most well known El Salvadoran/Tex-Mex in Dallas with locations in UpTown, Addison, & Bishop Arts Disctrict. Great food & Margaritas. Definitely try a Meltdown. Reasonably priced.
Eat Magic Time Machine
This is a kids-oriented restaurant that screams atmosphere! The lobby is decorated in very loud bright colors. The dining room has the same bright colors with loud and gaudy wallpaper. Every obscure, brightly-colored accessory is hanging on the wall. And even the waiters are dressed in various fictional characters. People go there for the atmosphere, and with as much work as they put into their atmosphere they left the food a bit lacking. The food isn't bad, but it doesn't stand out as anything special. Overall it's a fun place to take the kids.
Eat May Dragon
A four-star Chinese restaurant. This is the restaurant owned by Addison city mayor, Joe Chow, and he can frequently be seen running around the place. It serves the normal Americanized Chinese cuisine, as well as several traditional Chinese dishes. There are also some items usually only seen in Asia such as Aromatic Beef, Thousand Layer Egg, Pickled Jellyfish and Peking Style Roast Pork.
Eat Queen of Sheba
A wonderful Ethiopian restaurant with an elegant, yet casual setting. Food is served in traditional Ethiopian style, and sharing of food at the table is encouraged.
Splurge
Eat Antonio's Ristorante
An elegant and romantic small Italian restaurant. Ingredients are fresh, the waiters are professional, and the atmosphere is intimate. Located slightly off the beaten path of the circle's sidewalk, but they do have a nice patio.
Eat Chamberlain's Steak and Chop House
Steaks, seafood and rib seven nights a week in a traditional fine dining atmosphere.
Eat Fogo de Chão
Authentic Brazilian-style churrascaria (barbeque). A franchise of the world-famous Sao Paulo restaurant. 40-item salad bar, and incredible cuts of meat. Expensive but worth it. A very similar restaurant called "Texas de Brazil" sits across the street a block down.
Eat Kobe Steaks
A very popular hibachi-style restaurant. A large variety of meats are available, ready to be grilled right before your eyes at your table. Hibachi chefs juggle their cooking utensils and create large fireballs only four feet from your face. Fun for all ages that don't mind potentially getting their eyebrows singed off. It's advisable to go early in the week, as there is usually an hour wait on the weekends and reservations are not accepted for Friday and Saturday nights.
Eat Mr. Sushi
Excellent upscale Japanese restaurant. There is a modern sushi bar to sit at, and there are also tables available. While their main attraction is sushi, they also have a large variety of Japanese dishes. If you tell them it's your birthday they'll play their large taiko drum for you.
Eat Texas de Brazil
An excellent place for Churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse). Come hungry, as there are a large number of meats to choose from. One price gets you access to their entire selection, as well as a nice salad bar. Dress code is smart casual.
Drink
Drink Astoria Cafe
The newest gem in Addison Circle is Astoria Caffe and Wine Bar, located just north of the circle on Quorum. If you enjoy a relaxing patio and people watching, all the while enjoying great drinks and food, this is the place for you.
Drink Duke's Original Roadhouse
Huge patio. Can be crowded. Saturday nights are usually "biker night", but it seems like every night is biker night.
Drink Dunn Bros Coffee
Coffee shop that roasts their own fair-trade beans in the store. The place has a friendlier atmosphere than Starbucks, and often hosts live music concerts. Free WiFi access, conference facilities, and patio seating are available.
Drink The Flying Saucer
The original location. 250 kinds of beer, over 100 of them on tap. Semi-private room available for rent in the back. Tends to get noisy and crowded on the weekend.
Drink The Lion & Crown
A traditional English pub. Sometimes there is waiter service, but for the most part you have to order at the bar. There are traditional English dishes to eat, but this place focuses primarily on beers, ales, and ciders.
Drink The Londoner
One of the few authentic English pubs in the area offering not only a wide variety of beers, but also hard ciders, and mixed drinks. Traditional food of the UK is available, as well as some American comfort food. The place gets very busy on weekend nights.
Drink Sherlock's Baker St. Pub
British pub and hot spot with active nightlife every day of the week. Live cover bands nightly and no cover charges except New Year's and St. Patrick's Day. Separated areas feature a quaint lounge with true pub atmosphere, an indoor beer garden style area with stage and dance floor, billiards room, and good sized patio. The place is very busy on weekend nights.
Drink The Mucky Duck Bar
A friendly family-owned bar that once was a Mongolian barbecue restaurant, but now serves a large number of signature mixed drinks and many finger foods.
Sleep
Budget
Mid-range
Stay Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham - Addison / North Dallas
Full kitchens for extended stay guests, complimentary high-speed Internet access, cable satellite television with HBO, ample desk space, microwave, refrigerator, coffee/tea maker and iron/ironing board. Complimentary continental breakfast and a free newspaper. Outdoor pool, on-site fitness center.
Splurge
Stay Hotel Intercontinental
A very nice luxury hotel. Rates go from a modest $199/night all the way up to $999/night for a very large suite. French/Mediterranean restaurant. Sunday brunch buffet. Fitness center with workout machines, pool, sauna, whirlpool, two indoor racquetball courts, locker rooms. Business services are copying, courier service, dial-up or high-speed internet available, executive floors, executive suites, facsimile, mobile phone rental, PCs available, printing services, private limousine, and an unstaffed business center. Other services are a newsstand, beauty salon, florist, gift shop, concierge, ATM/cash machine, ice machine, safety deposit box available at front desk, A/C public areas, dedicated lounge (or 24 hour lounge), porter/bellman, and foreign currency exchange.
Stay safe
Addison is a safe place overall. As Addison caters to the more affluent crowd the city does not really have a lower income neighborhood. The only people that you have to watch out for are the drunks, and the Addison police (in case you're the one that's drunk). Don't yell at the police officers, and if they give you a command you should do what they say. The police can be strict, but they're still there to protect and serve.
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