I was invited to join my food blogger friend The Food Hussy last month when Visit Plano flew her in from Cincinnati, Ohio for a whirlwind food tour of Plano, Texas. Of course, I accepted the invitation! Living in nearby Addison, I was familiar with some of Plano’s attractions and restaurants, but I had no idea what a treat I was in for. I discovered that Plano is a great place for a weekend getaway, with or without the kids. If you live nearby, like me, it’s a fun staycation destination. Check out highlights and recommendations below in my Plano, Texas Staycation: Where to Eat, What to Do Review!
Plano, Texas Staycation: Where to Eat, What to Do
First, I want to thank my favorite (and the only) Food Hussy for inviting me to be her partner in crime for this travel/food adventure. I also want to thank Visit Plano for hosting us for the extended weekend!
Restaurants in Plano, Texas – Where to Eat
First up – where to eat in Plano!?! We ate through as much of the city as we could in one long weekend. It was a tough job, but we were up for the task.
Where to Eat in Plano, Texas: BREAKFAST
Copper Bottom Grille
We stayed at the Dallas-Plano Marriott at the Legacy Town Center (which is gorgeous, and we had a beautiful balcony view!). We ate breakfast almost every morning at the hotel’s Copper Bottom Grille.
The extensive breakfast buffet has something for everyone – from plenty of fruit to omelets to scrambled eggs, pastries, pancakes, potatoes and, my favorite – bacon! And not just any bacon, but mounds of CRISPY bacon! It’s a good thing we walked around so much during the weekend …
Urban Rio Cantina & Grill
We also ventured into downtown Plano for brunch Sunday morning, and ate at Urban Rio Cantina & Grill. It’s a beautiful restaurant, and our server was especially sweet. I ordered the Pedro’s Breakfast: three, farm-fresh eggs, scrambled with pico de gallo and, typically, topped with Queso Fuego (but I ordered it without queso). It’s served with an amazing jalapeño bacon, refried beans, Rio papas and tortillas. Our server said it was his favorite, and I see why. I would absolutely order this again next time I go! Heather ordered hot, bubbling queso and breakfast tacos and sampled my jalapeno bacon because I was raving about it. She didn’t like the spice as much as I did but agreed it was good.
WOW Donuts and Drips
WOW Donuts and Drips was on our list of places we wanted to visit, but we ran out of time with our jam-packed weekend. Fortunately, I live nearby, so I stopped in a month later and ordered coffee and a few doughnuts – one for me, one for my Food Hussy and another just because. Good thing I just joined a gym!
Where to Eat Lunch or Dinner in Plano, Texas
Kura Revolving Sushi
If you’re looking for good food and great fun, THIS is the place to go! Kura Revolving Sushi in Plano is a unique place to go with friends, as a couple or with your kids. I had no idea this place existed, and I can’t wait to take friends and family who visit (like, every single one …)
The food circulates throughout the restaurant on a conveyor belt. After taking our drink order, our server gave us a short demo on how to properly remove plates from the revolving sushi belt, plus how to order items from the menu. If you want something from you the menu, you order via the computer screen above your table … and your food gets delivered via a “fast track” conveyor belt that sits above the revolving sushi train.
What’s especially fun is that it’s easy and affordable to try new things here. At just $2.25 per plate, if you don’t like something, you haven’t wasted much money. If you love something, you can grab another plate of it (like I did with the mackerel sashimi pictured above) … or you can keep sampling new things and/or trusted favorites.
When you’re done with a plate, as long as nothing is left on it, you dispose of it in a special disposal slot at each table. Once you return 5 plates, a little cartoon plays on the computer screen above you. Once you return 15, you get a toy! Sadly, we were full before we could eat enough to qualify for a toy.
Urban Crust Pizza
Our Visit Plano tour started on a Friday, and we spent much of that day exploring downtown Plano. For lunch, we went to Urban Crust Pizza, a wood-fired, three-story pizza shop. It was a beautiful day, so we sat on the third floor’s rooftop balcony. We ordered a create-your-own pizza with goat cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes (without the mozzarella that typically comes with the pizza, no thanks to my cow’s milk allergy).
While we waited for our pizza to bake, they brought us a basket of cut up bread/pizza crust with two dipping sauces: marinara and olive tapenade. Poor Heather – I hogged the marinara because I’m not a big olive fan. Luckily, she is …
There was a little mix-up in the kitchen, and our pizza came out without sauce (we had asked for light sauce), but our server rectified it quickly by bringing us marinara to dip it in. A couple notes: first, they offered to remake our pizza, but we declined because a) we were hungry and b) it looked so good without it and c) we had dipping sauce! Also, this was amazing even without the sauce. I’ll definitely be going back for this same custom pizza.
The Keeper
For one dinner, we had an extra special night, hosted by The Keeper. We chatted with the general manager and were given a kitchen tour by Executive Chef Gil. Of all the things we learned, the most impressive was that when they say their seafood is fresh, they really mean it! Fresh seafood is flown in daily, and you can look on their website to see where it comes from. Also, because weather and seasonal fluctuations can affect supply and, thereby, the menu each day, The Keeper’s menu is fully digital with a touch screen for each guest, and it is updated daily based upon availability!
We started our evening off with cocktails and seasoned popcorn they bring complimentary to every table. It’s a light and tasty nibble that keeps hunger at bay and sure beats loading up on bread!
For appetizers, we shared the fried gulf oysters, which are not only some of the tastiest oyster bites I’ve ever had, but they converted Heather to “team oysters” for the first time. A bonus for any gluten-free diners: these babies are gluten-free and even fried in a gluten-free-only fryer!
We also shared the mussels. Bathing in a coconut lime broth with cilantro and herbs, they’re served with grilled bread you’ll want to use to sop up every bit of the broth like we did!
With plenty of fresh lobster in the house, they were featuring several lobster specials. We opted for the lobster linguine (Heather) and the whole baked lobster (me). Needless to say, it was lobster heaven.
Somehow, we had room for dessert and French press coffee. We chose The “Key”per, the lightest dessert option, made with small angel food cakes, key lime mousse, raspberries and pistachios. Because of my dairy allergy, they made mine without the mousse. It was divine; I can only imagine how good it would be with the mousse!
Whiskey Cake
Another night, we went to Whiskey Cake for dinner. This place is incredibly popular in the area, and we discovered why! Every single morsel we put in our mouths was foodie nirvana.
The deliciousness started with our appetizer – the Local Goat Cheese Fondue. I am so so so grateful that I am only allergic to cow’s milk and, somehow, not goat’s milk, because it would be a tragedy to miss this dish. Made with olive oil, goat cheese, greek olives, roasted tomatoes and grilled sourdough bread, it’s warm, creamy and luscious. I even liked the olives!
For my entrée, I ordered the Rotisserie Farm Bird, made with a spit-roasted half chicken, brussels sprouts, mustard vinaigrette and gremolata. Our server said they slow roast the chicken for three days! The entire combination is magic in your mouth. I got full quickly and wanted to save room for dessert, so I took half of this home … and couldn’t wait to eat the leftovers the next night!
Heather ordered the Black Angus Ribeye, served with char-grilled caulini and roasted garlic butter. She shared a bite of her steak with me; it was tender, juicy and seasoned well.
Last but not least is the restaurant’s namesake – the Whiskey Cake – for dessert. It’s a toffee torte cake, topped with a bourbon anglaise and spiced pecans. If you eat nothing else here, eat THIS! Normally, it comes with the whipped cream on top, but we ordered the cake to share and with the whipped cream on the side because of my dairy allergy. Lucky for me, my cow’s milk allergy can wreak havoc on my sinuses, but I can tolerate a small amount (and there is some dairy in the cake itself).
Turkish Café
In the midst of a strip mall in Plano sits a regular entrance that offers no clue that as you step through the door, you are entering a large indoor/outdoor wonderland of colorful light globes and exotic smells called the Turkish Café and Lounge. A friend recently introduced me to this magical place, and I just had to take Heather there. Note: if you’re in a hurry, this is not the place to go. Visit when you have time to lounge and linger and, on the weekend, stay for dancing! The experience is more European … it’s not a place where they rush you in and out.
If you like Greek or Middle Eastern food, you’ll love Turkish cuisine. We ordered a smattering of appetizers to share, including falafel, crispy feta rolls and, our favorite – the warm Turkish Hummus. It’s made with warm pureed chickpeas and topped with your choice of chicken, beef, Turkish gyro or house-made Turkish sausage and served with warm, soft, house-made pita bread that doesn’t resemble anything you’ll find in a grocery store. Heather and I both highly recommend getting it topped with the Turkish sausage.
Legacy Hall
Legacy Hall is a three-story gourmet food truck mecca, minus the trucks. Living in a town next door to Plano, I had already grown to love this new food hall. However, it’s a place that’s new every time you go (if you resist ordering the same thing each visit). There are soooo many different options – from burgers to brats, seafood to shawarma, pizza to poke to popsicles and much more. There’s also a bar on each floor, including a tap room on the entire third floor. The back of the building, with balconies on the second and third floors, opens up to a family-friendly Box Garden area where you can catch free live music, movies and sports throughout the year.
It will take years for me to eventually sample everything at Legacy Hall, but in the meantime, some of my favorites are: Shawarma Bar (chicken shawarma bowl), Enter the Bao (dim sum 2.0 bao, K-pop bao and orange chicken bao), Monkey King 3 (the loaded Taiwanese tots), Roots Chicken Shak (duck fat fried chicken wings, the spicy bird sandwich and the duck fat fries).
Haywire
Haywire, a 3-story restaurant owned by the folks who own Legacy Hall, sits adjacent to the food hall and backs up to the Box Garden as well. It’s another place that was on our hit list, but we ran out of time and meals during our weekend. However, I’ve been to it many times and recommend it as another lunch, dinner or cocktail option.
What to Do in Plano, Texas (Other than Eat!)
Downtown Plano
There’s so much to do in downtown Plano – from eating to eating to … oh wait! There’s more than that to do! There’s shopping, luxurious lattes, a farmer’s market, more shopping and even a train museum and a park where kids can play …
The number and variety of shops make downtown Plano a truly enjoyable place to window shop, buy gifts or treat yourself. We walked away with a couple items, Heather sampled the cake pops, and I had a delicious latte from XO Coffee. We also stopped in to the farmer’s market.
There’s also a park with a playground and the Interurban Railway Museum. We stopped in (it’s FREE!!) and even took the tour of the old train car on site. Check out my picture of a picture of the original train! What’s not seen in this pic is the secret mail room at the back of the train …
Crayola Experience
If you have young children (or, heck, even if you don’t!), you have to check out the Crayola Experience in Plano! Kids (and the kid left in us adults) can enjoy low-tech and no-tech activities such as making your own crayons, working with modeling clay, playing with a giant lite brite, climbing and sliding in the indoor playground and enjoying a tasty treat. You can also play with interactive digital attractions, take silly selfies and more. We borrowed my three adorable grandsons for the day. After two hours of nonstop fun, it was nap time for all!
Heritage Farmstead Museum
Another place that’s a top pick if you have children is the Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano. If you don’t know it’s there, you can almost miss it. The first time you step into the midst of it, you’d never know there’s a bustling suburban city all around you. Once inside, the city falls away, and you’re transported to a simpler place and time … with a schoolhouse and pigs and goats and donkeys and barns. Take a short little path, and you’re greeted by this view below:
Shops of Legacy
Finally, I can’t leave out The Shops at Legacy.
It’s a fun place for locals, with plenty of free parking. It’s also a fun place for tourists! You can walk to so may different restaurants, my favorite movie theater (the Angelika) and go shopping. You can also visit The Woodhouse Day Spa and get a pedicure, like we did, or pamper yourself with a massage, facial or more.
Whew! That was a busy (and delicious) long weekend! I tracked it, and we walked almost 10 miles. That means we worked off all that food, right!?
What a fun staycation for me and a fun weekend getaway for Heather! Thank you again to The Food Hussy for the invitation and to Visit Plano and the Dallas Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center for hosting us.
