Restaurant in Dallas, United States
Dallas's most serious Japanese kitchen. Book ahead.
Tei-An is Dallas's most credentialled Japanese izakaya, holding a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 and consecutive Opinionated About Dining rankings for North America. At $$$$, it's the focused, technically serious choice for Japanese dining in the Arts District. Book 2–3 weeks out for weekend dinner — this one fills fast.
If you're weighing up Dallas Japanese dining at the leading price tier, Tei-An is the more focused, more technically serious choice compared to Tatsu Dallas. It holds a Michelin Plate (2024 and 2025) and consecutive Opinionated About Dining rankings in North America — credentials that place it in genuinely competitive national company, not just local. For a returning visitor wondering where to go next, the answer is: come back for dinner, not lunch, and give yourself the full evening.
Tei-An is a Japanese izakaya in the Arts District of Dallas, run by chef Teiichi Sakurai and housed at 1722 Routh Street. Izakaya in Japan is a format built around casual drinking and sharing plates, but Tei-An operates at the $$$$-tier end of that tradition — this is not a budget sake-and-skewers stop. The format suits two profiles well: diners who want serious Japanese cooking without the rigidity of omakase, and regulars who want a place they can return to on multiple occasions without exhausting the menu. If you've been once, you've only covered part of what the kitchen does.
The Opinionated About Dining ranking has moved from Highly Recommended in 2023 to a specific numbered position (#356 in 2024, #435 in 2025) , which means it's entering a wider field as the guide expands, not declining in quality. OAD rankings at that tier place Tei-An in the same credentialled tier as venues like Lazy Bear in San Francisco or the mid-tier serious restaurants tracked by the same guide across Le Bernardin in New York City's peer set. For Dallas, that's a meaningful signal. Google reviews sit at 4.4 across 574 ratings , a high volume for a $$$$ Japanese restaurant, which tells you repeat visitors are driving the count.
The Arts District is where Dallas's higher-end dining has concentrated over the past decade, and Tei-An anchors the Japanese end of that corridor. It is not hidden or difficult to find on a map, but in a neighborhood dominated by steakhouses and Southwestern tasting menus, a Michelin-recognised izakaya operating at this price point is a specific resource. If you're staying nearby , and Pearl's full Dallas hotels guide covers the walkable options , Tei-An is a practical anchor for a serious dinner without crossing town. For the broader picture of what else is worth your time in the city, the full Dallas restaurants guide gives context on how Tei-An fits the wider scene.
Izakaya format also makes Tei-An a better fit for the Arts District's evening rhythm than a single-sitting tasting menu would be. You can arrive, eat at a pace you set, and extend the night with drinks. For bar options nearby, Pearl's Dallas bars guide covers what's worth drinking at after dinner.
Dinner is the better booking. Tei-An opens for lunch Tuesday through Friday (11:30am to 1:30pm) and for dinner Tuesday through Saturday (Friday and Saturday service starts at 5:30pm, other evenings at 6pm). Sunday and Monday are both closed. The dinner window , particularly Thursday through Saturday , is where the kitchen is running at full capacity and where the izakaya format rewards a longer stay. Friday dinner (from 5:30pm) gives you an extra hour of evening compared to weeknights, and Saturday dinner is the only session that is dinner-only, which tends to concentrate the leading of what the kitchen offers into a single focused service.
Lunch is a legitimate option if you're in the Arts District midweek and want to avoid the booking pressure that dinner attracts. At $$$$, lunch at Tei-An is not a bargain meal, but it is a lower-competition window. If you've been once at dinner and want a different experience of the same kitchen, a Tuesday or Wednesday lunch is a reasonable next move.
Booking difficulty is rated Hard. At a $$$$ izakaya with Michelin recognition and limited operating hours (closed Sunday and Monday, lunch service three hours maximum), availability compresses fast. Plan ahead by at least two to three weeks for a weekend dinner. Weekday lunch is your leading shot at a shorter booking window. The venue's booking method is not listed in current data, so check directly via the address or search for the current reservation system before planning around a specific date.
Specific dishes are not listed in current verified data, so Pearl won't invent them. What the awards tell you is that the kitchen's strength is in the izakaya format , shared plates, Japanese technique, drinking-friendly food. Ask the server what is running well that evening; at this price point and with this level of critical recognition, the staff should be able to steer you. If you've been once, push into the parts of the menu you skipped the first time rather than repeating the same order.
No specific dietary policy is listed in the venue data. Japanese izakaya menus typically involve soy, fish-based broths, and shellfish as baseline ingredients, which matters for allergies. Call or contact the restaurant directly before booking if dietary requirements are strict. At $$$$, most kitchens at this tier can accommodate with advance notice, but confirm rather than assume.
No formal dress code is listed, but the combination of $$$$ pricing and Michelin Plate recognition in Dallas's Arts District points clearly toward smart casual. You won't be turned away in clean, neat clothes, but this is not the kind of room where you'd feel comfortable arriving underdressed. Treat it like any other $$$$ restaurant in the city , Al Biernat's is a useful calibration point for what Dallas's top-tier dining rooms expect.
Dinner is the stronger choice for a first visit or a special occasion. The izakaya format comes into its own with a longer, drinks-led evening, and the Saturday dinner-only service is the most focused session of the week. Lunch (Tue–Fri) makes sense if you want a lower-competition booking window or you're already in the Arts District at midday , but at $$$$ it won't save you significant money. For a returning visitor, a weekday lunch is a useful way to see a different pace of the same kitchen.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in current venue data. That said, izakaya dining is traditionally bar- and counter-friendly by format, and many Dallas restaurants at this tier maintain counter seats for walk-ins or solo diners. Check directly with the venue if bar seating matters to your plan. If you are a solo diner or a pair who prefers counter dining, this is worth asking about when you book.
If Japanese is your focus, Tatsu Dallas is the other $$$$ Japanese option worth comparing directly. For a different expression of the izakaya format in another city, Ippuku in San Francisco is a credentialled reference point. Kōnā in Buenos Aires shows how the format travels internationally. For broader Dallas evenings, Mamani, Avra Dallas, and Babel cover different parts of the city's dining range. The Dallas experiences guide and wineries guide are useful if you're building a longer trip around the Arts District.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tei-An | Izakaya, Japanese | $$$$ | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #435 (2025); Michelin Plate (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #356 (2024); Michelin Plate (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Highly Recommended (2023) | Hard | — |
| Fearing's | Southwestern, American | $$$$ | Unknown | — | |
| Lucia | Italian | $$$ | Unknown | — | |
| Tatsu Dallas | Japanese | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Cattleack Barbeque | Barbecue | $$ | Unknown | — | |
| Gemma | American | $$$ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Tei-An's menu is not documented in Pearl's venue data, so dish-level recommendations would be speculation. What is documented: this is a $$$$ izakaya with Michelin Plate recognition and OAD Top 500 ranking in North America, which signals technical precision rather than crowd-pleasing generalism. Ask staff to guide your order around the seasonal focus — that is the format this kitchen is built for.
Specific dietary accommodation policies are not confirmed in available venue data. At a $$$$ Michelin-recognised kitchen with limited daily covers, calling ahead is the practical move. Tei-An runs a short service window — lunch ends at 1:30pm and dinner closes at 9:30pm — so staff have time to plan around requirements if given notice.
Tei-An's dress code is not formally documented, but the context sets expectations: $$$$ pricing, Michelin Plate recognition, and a position at the higher end of Dallas Arts District dining. Err toward neat, put-together clothing. Arriving in resort wear would read as underdressed for the price point.
Dinner is the stronger booking. The lunch window (Tuesday through Friday, 11:30am to 1:30pm) is short at two hours, and Saturday dinner — when the kitchen runs its longest service — gives more time to work through the menu properly. If your schedule only allows lunch, Tuesday through Friday is your window; there is no Saturday lunch service.
Bar seating specifics are not confirmed in Pearl's venue data. As an izakaya format, counter or bar seating is common to the style, but Tei-An's layout is not documented here. Given the Hard booking difficulty and limited hours — closed Sunday and Monday, no weekend lunch — check the venue's official channels before assuming walk-in bar access is available.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
