Head-to-Head · Dallas
The Charles vs Cattleack Barbeque
Dallas at its dressiest against its best brisket: book The Charles for date night, queue at Cattleack for the city's finest barbecue.
The Verdict
The Charles is Dallas at its most glamorous. Duro Hospitality opened it in the Design District in 2018 and reopened it in early 2026 after a redesign that made the room moodier and more cinematic. The kitchen cooks contemporary Italian, handmade pastas, vitello tonnato and roasted branzino, in one of the city's most see-and-be-seen dining rooms, with dinner booked through OpenTable. This is a dress-up, special-night restaurant where the room does as much work as the plate. It scores 8 for food, 9 for the room, and 6 for value.
Cattleack Barbeque is the opposite kind of great. Pitmaster Todd David runs a strictly limited counter at 13628 Gamma Road in Farmers Branch, open only Wednesday through Friday and the first Saturday of each month, from 10am until the meat runs out. The brisket, fatty beef ribs and house sausage have made it a fixture in the Michelin Guide's Texas selection and a regular on best-barbecue-in-America lists. You order at a counter and eat off butcher paper at lunch. It scores 9 for food, 5 for the room, and 9 for value.
Scores, Side by Side
| Score | The Charles | Cattleack Barbeque |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 8 / 10 | 9 / 10 |
| Atmosphere | 9 / 10 | 5 / 10 |
| Value | 6 / 10 | 9 / 10 |
Which One for Which Occasion
| Occasion | Editorial Pick |
|---|---|
| Date night or anniversary | The CharlesThe redesigned Design District room is the city’s most romantic Italian splurge. |
| The best brisket in Dallas | Cattleack BarbequeTodd David’s brisket and beef ribs are the benchmark, and they sell out fast. |
| Impressing a client | The CharlesA polished dinner room and a deep wine list close the evening in style. |
| A barbecue pilgrimage | Cattleack BarbequeWorth planning a Wednesday-to-Friday lunch around, plus the first Saturday. |
| A lively group celebration | The CharlesBig, buzzy and built for a table that wants to be seen. |
Price Comparison
They barely overlap. The Charles is a full-dress dinner, with pastas and mains that push a meal with wine well past 100 dollars a head. Cattleack sells barbecue by weight at lunch, so a heavy plate of brisket, ribs and sides lands closer to 30 to 40 dollars a person. One is an evening you reserve and dress for; the other is a midday line you join early. Weigh both against the wider field in our best steakhouses worldwide and the best barbecue restaurants guide.
How to Book
The Charles books through OpenTable and Resy, and weekend evenings in the Design District fill well ahead, so a weeknight table is the easier target. Cattleack takes no reservations: it opens at 10am Wednesday through Friday and the first Saturday of the month, and the best cuts sell out by early afternoon, so arrive near opening. Start the wider map from the Dallas dining guide, and read the The Charles review and the Cattleack Barbeque review in full.
For occasion fit, see our guides to the best anniversary tables and client dinners. For more Dallas match-ups read The Charles vs Nuri and 4 Charles Prime Rib vs Peter Luger, and browse the compare index.