D.L. Mack's — Restaurant in Dallas

Food poisoning cases at the DL Macks at Preston/Royal!!!!! I had heard of another bad experience there and yet still “braved it” at the bar with a friend early evening in Friday, 7/26/24. The only thing we shared for to eat that night was the spinach dip, which made sick both as dogs that evening and into the next day. I called my friend the next day and she said she had also gotten severely ill after our meal. Total food poisoning from the dip we shared 😣.

What’s even worse: I called the manager working the following day on Saturday, 7/27, in the late afternoon, and spoke to the female manager on duty. She said she was sorry to hear we got sick from their food, that she would check out the kitchen, and call us both back no later than the next day. Neither my friend nor I ever heard back from DL Macks regarding the poisoning. She had mentioned that the spinach dip came in a vat…This is beyond disappointing, really scary, as we all need to trust the places we choose to dine!! I am so disappointed in their failure to address poor food handling and/or harmful health issues associated with their food products.

The worst part? In an effort to create awareness and safety for DL Mack’s customers, we wrote corporate (Vandelay Hospitality) on the website message board, early the following week, detailing the event specifics and our deep concerns. It is NOT acceptable to poison your clients, period, ever, and just ignore client health and safety issues and their attempts to repeatedly give a heads up to management so as to prevent future occurrences for what should be a trusted neighborhood restaurant.

To date, we have yet to hear back from DL Mack’s management…and we have yet to hear back from Vandelay Hospitality. We are dining out regulars in Dallas - however, is so unacceptable and certainly not reflective of the quality of restaurants in our Dallas area for sure. Not safe, not responsible, truly disappointing, and very, very scary!!! I really liked that place and am so bummed out they have seemingly gone downhill so quickly :(. Be safe, all, and head’s up to maybe just stick to drinks there and not the food, if you...

The Hillstone You Crave (DL Mack's on Preston Road)

Dallas doesn’t lack for Hillstone (Houston's) acolytes. We love the lighting, the banquettes, the cocktails that arrive in frosted glasses and taste like they’ve been rehearsed. DL Mack’s clearly knows this too, it wants to be Hillstone so badly it even nails the part where your server says, “Oh my gosh, that’s my favorite thing on the menu.”

But here’s the thing: it’s not Hillstone (all though the price is). It's more facsimile. A copy of the exam where half the answers got smudged.

The ambiance? Lovely. Polished woods, flattering shadows, just enough noise to convince you people are having more fun than you are. The place is really warm and cozy. But then you cut into the redfish, and it’s less Gulf Coast briny treasure and more .. how do I put this? A hockey puck in disguise? The broccoli that promised “steamed” arrived like it had been on vacation in garlic butter. That’s not a sin, exactly, but it's a bit of a bait-and-switch.

Then, in a twist we didn't ask for, the pizza is the star of the show. Not “pretty good for a side-hustle pizza,” but genuinely excellent crispy, chewy, balanced, the sort of thing you’d come back for if you were in the neighborhood (we got the Harry Caray Special). Other items on the menu look good, so we temper this review only because had a couple of things. By the way, the french fries are basically like R&D (if you're from Dallas) and just as tasty. The drinks, too, were cold and well-made. The bartender just seemed to be moving at geological pace.

Would we come back? Maybe. Probably? If friends insisted. DL Mack’s is a reminder: sometimes you crave Hillstone, and sometimes you end up here, wishing you’d...

My family and I tried to go to DL Mack's a while back, but as we walked into the half empty restaurant, we were told that the wait was over an hour unless we had a reservation. I asked about the numerous empty tables all over the restaurant and was told they were reserved. I made a reservation tonight and was excited to inally try it out considering we have lived nearby for years. We were seated immediately, but then we sat for a full 25 minutes without a single person stopping by the table. I had to finally ask a hostess if we even had a waiter assigned to us. Everyone was starving and thirsty. After the waiter came by, he apologized and said they were short staffed. I ordered waters, drinks, appetizers and the meal all at once, afraid that he would disappear and not come back. 15 minutes later our waters finally showed up. Our apps came before our cocktails even made it to the table (15 more minutes later). We finally got food and it was a bit of a disappointment. The menu is vague at best about what you will get. The casear salad had a weirdly sweet vinaigrette dressing on it (not cream at all and almost zero cheese). I actually asked if they had brought me the right salad, and the waiter said that this was their version of it. I send food back to the kitchen like once every 15 years (usually if it is inedible or raw), but this salad made the cut. Other food was mediocre and overpriced. Overall, we won't return, and I can't say anything positive about...