If your travels take you to Texas this autumn, there’s a slew of new dining and cultural diversions for you to live it up in the Big D.
Hôtel Swexan
This charming, Euro-style hostelry opened in summer 2023 as the flagship hotel of the Harwood District, a 19-block master-planned community in uptown Dallas. Its moniker comes from the Swiss-Texan (“Sw” and “exan”) heritage of developer Harwood International’s founding family, the Barbier-Muellers. These dual identities permeate the property, from watercolors by Swiss artist Uwe Wittwer to a cowboy sculpture made of lightbulbs. hotelswexan.com
Mabo
When most foodies hear “omakase,” they think “sushi.” Dallas chef Masayuki Otaka turns this assumption on its head with Mabo, his new eight-seat restaurant dedicated to omakase of the yakitori variety. Otaka uses fine meats and seasonal veggies to craft 14-course tastings of binchotan-charcoal-grilled goodies – duck breast, Wagyu, shishitos, romaine hearts, etc. Diners may add off-menu dishes like sunagimo (chicken gizzards) or hatsu (chicken hearts) to tastings (starting at $200/person; held twice nightly) for an additional fee. @mabodallas
Dallas Trinity FC
Soccer fans can watch history being made as the city’s first women’s football club plays its debut season this fall. Between September and October, there are four home games scheduled for Cotton Bowl Stadium. The team is also part of the USL Super League’s inaugural season, one of eight U.S. markets to participate after USL received Division One sanctioning. dallastrinityfc.com
