14 Essential Woman-Owned Businesses in Dallas-Fort Worth

Amid all the fluff of national and international awareness days (Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, Middle Name Pride Day, World Naked Gardening Day), days are occasionally set aside to commemorate something entirely significant. Case in point: International Women’s Day. Celebrated every March 8, the globally recognized occasion celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Oh, and also culinary.

To commemorate the day, we’ve created a list of 14 essential woman-owned food-and-beverage establishments in Dallas-Fort Worth. The fact that we now have so many woman-owned restaurants, bars, bakeries, and coffee shops in the metroplex makes this lineup a tad bittersweet because we’d love to showcase them all. However, tough as it was to highlight only a fraction of what’s out there, the sheer number proves in some small way that progress continues to be made in the restaurant industry to showcase the innumerable talents of women.

Here are 14 local places you need to visit (or re-visit) and the women behind them.

Dallas Farmers Market
The woman behind them: Afifa Nayeb, owner and chef
The Dallas Farmers Market always has a symphony of wonderful sights and smells, but some of the most heavenly aromas wafting through the Shed come from 8 Cloves, a spot for modern Indian, and Laili, a made-to-order shawarma bar. Once you get close to Juicebabe, the sweet smell of freshness tantalizes, too. Nayeb didn’t explore her passion for cooking until her 50s and she has no plans of slowing down, especially with Âme, an upscale French-Indian eatery in the Bishop Arts District, slated to open this spring.
How to order: Call or order online at Juicebabe, 8 Cloves, or Laili for takeout and delivery.

Deep Ellum; Grapevine Citywide (food trucks)
The women behind it: Miley Holmes and Caroline Perini (cofounders). 
The slider revolution in Dallas started with a food truck in 2011, but now includes a full-service restaurant and bar in Deep Ellum, a spot at the new Harvest Hall food hall in Grapevine, as well as three food trucks roaming the city. A leadership team that’s 75% women oversees the operations to deliver tasty and inventive sliders (try the Sweet & Lowdown with strawberry jam and goat cheese) and side dishes (loaded tots, anyone?), plus beer and craft cocktails at the brick-and-mortar.
How to order: Find the food truck schedule, order online, or call 469-917-7111 (Deep Ellum) or 817-251-3056 (Grapevine) for pickup. Or order delivery from Uber Eats or Grubhub. 

Plaza at Preston Center
The woman behind it: Michelle Bonds, proprietor
The gist: Opened in the middle of the pandemic, this cozy wine shop, bar, bistro, and marketplace with carefully curated selections from around the world makes it easy to find great products to relax in-store or at home. The chef-driven menu features a mixture of shareables, including gourmet cheese and charcuteries, as well as seasonal sandwiches and salads to enjoy with wines by the glass or bottle. 
How to order: Call 469-930-0069 for takeout or make reservations via OpenTable.

Highland Park Village
The woman behind it: Elizabeth Chambers, founder and owner
After successfully launching the first location in San Antonio, Chambers set her sights on Dallas and launched the Highland Park Village location in 2016 and another one’s opening later this year in Denver. The bakery’s inspiration started with fond memories of her grandmother and turned into a full-fledged bakery option where everything’s made on-site from scratch utilizing only the finest ingredients from around the world. Cupcakes, pies, and bars top the list of sweet treats while sandwiches and breakfast savories make it an all-day destination.
How to order: Call 214-780-0322 for takeout and custom orders. 

Fort Worth
The woman behind it: Katie Schma, chef-owner
Small-batch foods, including sandwiches, soups, salads, and entrees utilizing the freshest local and regional ingredients are the hallmark of this charming cafe. Saturday-only breakfast is worth marking your calendar for, too, with a killer smashed avocado toast Benedict, loaded egg burritos, and fresh blueberry pancakes luring in diners in the early morning hours.
How to order: Call 817-238-3464 for takeout and curbside pickup, or order delivery from Caviar. 

Trinity Groves, NorthPark Center, Southlake
The woman behind it: Kate Weiser, owner and chocolatier
We’ve never quite understood the “too pretty to eat” conceit, but we come close to comprehending the spirit of that at this chocolate shop where every piece looks like a work of art. Weiser developed her passion for desserts early in life and decided one day to focus solely on chocolates, inventing the wildly popular Carl the Snowman hot cocoa bomb along the way.
How to order: Visit your nearest store or shop online for nationwide shipping.

Trinity Groves
The woman behind it: Tracy German, owner and baker
Sometimes you want cake, but only a slice. Of course, you can find full-size creations aplenty, too, at German’s popular dessert destination at Trinity Groves that launched after 15 years of baking out of her home and having difficulty keeping up with demand. Her hummingbird, red velvet, and chocolate cakes are all top-notch (and huge sellers), so pop in for a slice—or several—and don’t worry one bit about that glob of icing on your chin.
How to order: Call 972-684-5801 or order delivery from Postmates.

Park Cities
The woman behind it: Franchesca Nor, founder, owner, and chef
For more than 10 years, Dive has been a go-to spot for healthy, light, and flavorful dishes with an emphasis on fresh seafood and organic produce to create a variety of salads, sandwiches, and entrees, derived from Nor’s childhood, travels, and culinary education. Family-style meal subscription plans make it even easier to advance-order lunches and dinners, delivered hot to your door and easy to reheat later, too.
How to order: Call 214-891-1700 or order online for takeout, or order delivery from Favor and Grubhub.

Multiple locations
The woman behind it: Nikky Phinyawatana, founder, owner, and chef
Growing up in Bangkok, Phinyawatana developed a passion for Thai food and shared her vast love and knowledge for the cuisine with Dallas more than 15 years ago when she opened the first Asian Mint location on Forest Lane. During the pandemic, she launched a line of meal prep kits to make Thai at home or you can cook along with her during virtual cooking classes. For a truly immersive experience, she even leads regular trips to Thailand (and will again when it’s safe to do so), showing her guests a side of Thailand few tourists ever get to enjoy.
How to order: Call your nearest location or order online for curbside pickup, or order delivery from Uber Eats, Postmates, Doordash, Grubhub, and Favor.

Frisco
The woman behind it: Rachel Phillips-Luther, owner and brand creator
UP Inspired Kitchen is a chef-driven, fast-casual restaurant specializing in breakfast and lunch made with local ingredients. A full coffee bar features everyone’s favorite espresso drinks with fresh-roasted coffee, as well as freshly steeped organic teas. Nearly everything on the menu can be customized for specific dietary needs, too, from vegetarian and keto to gluten-free and Whole 30.
How to order: Call 469-579-4197or order online for takeout, or order delivery from Doordash, ChowNow, Uber Eats, Grubhub, or Seamless.

Bryan Place
The woman behind it: Maria Lagios, managing partner
Lagios created XOXO Dining Room as a place where people can eat, drink, and socialize into the wee hours of the morning. The Instagram-ready space features numerous options for selfies and FOMO-inducing shots for anyone viewing your social media channels. The chic spot features share plates for more casual bites over drinks or settle in for truffle fried chicken, simply grilled Maine lobster, or an incredible ribeye for two from a menu worthy of any fine-dining establishment. 
How to order: Call 214-238-2828 or click the reservation link on the website for dining in. 

Plano
The woman behind it: Tiffany Derry, chef and owner
You might recognize her from being a contestant on Top Chef or you can catch her as a judge in the reality competition’s new season this spring. But you’ll definitely never forget her after a bit of her famous duck-fat fried chicken, which you’ll find in wings, tenders, and sandwiches in addition to the traditional whole bird preparation. A fierce advocate for promoting gender and racial equality in the hospitality business, she operates T2D Concepts as a purpose-driven hospitality group, which will open a full-service version of Roots Chicken Shak in Farmer’s Branch this year.
How to order: Call or order online for takeout, or order delivery from Grubhub, Uber Eats, or Doordash.

University Park
The woman behind it: Uno Immanivong, chef and owner
Ever the gracious host, Immanivong brings a full-service sensibility to the atmosphere at her fast-casual restaurant specializing in yakitori skewers and other Asian street foods in easy-to-customize bowls and banh mi sandwiches. Signature dishes include the knock-your-socks-off Damn, Damn Hot Noods (a super-spicy take on dan-dan noodles), as well as duck fat fried rice studded with Chinese sausage. She constantly innovated throughout 2020 to create what people wanted and needed in the new era of takeout and continues to evolve the concept as she prepares to open her next location in Farmer’s Branch, right next door to her BFF Tiffany Derry’s new Roots Chicken Shak outpost.
How to order: Call 972-913-4883 for takeout, order online for pickup and delivery, or order delivery from Grubhub.

Oak Lawn
The woman behind it: Janice Provost, executive chef and proprietor
The gist: For the past 37 years, Parigi has been a favorite of locals in the neighborhood as well as a destination for casual, romantic meals with an eclectic flair and distinctive Parisian vibe. A focus on fresh, seasonal, local products keeps the menu ever-changing, but standby favorites include the lobster knuckle sandwich, any of her pasta and risotto dishes, and the insanely decadent chocolate glob for dessert.
How to order: Call 214-521-0295 for takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery through a partnership with Alto.

Uptown
The woman behind it: Andrea Meyer, owner and executive pastry chef
Leaving behind her successful corporate career after spending months in Paris immersing herself in the culture and indulging in plenty of pastries, Meyer learned the art of pastry in culinary school and fell in love with the art of French technique. Specialties include colorful macarons, croissants, cruffins, tarts, éclairs, and custom-made cakes, as well as a full coffee and espresso bar featuring Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters beans.
How to order: Call 214-613-3570 or order online for curbside pickup.