When to Visit - Arts and Events

The Texas State Fair runs from the end of September to end of October. Dating from 1886, it first attracted around 14,000 visitors; nowadays, crowds numbering three and a half million, attend each year. It is a traditional State Fair mix of what's new and what's best, barbecues, a rodeo and the Texan Star ferris wheel; a place for Texans to see and be seen.

Dallas Dining

Everything in Texas is big; including the meals offered at most restaurants. Beautifully prepared, tender, juicy steak drips over the edges of massive dinner plates leaving no room for accompaniments which are always served separately. Imported seafood is delivered at high speed to arrive fresh and delicious for a traditional 'surf and turf' experience. Traditional Tex Mex spicy creations are superb, whilst other American regional cuisine is widely celebrated.

Breakfast buffets are popular in Dallas where, again, prime rib steaks will appear on the menu. Barbeque food is a local favorite, particularly when the meal is cooked and served in the Dallas sunshine. International cuisine, mostly French and Mediterranean is easy to find adding a European twist to the finest homegrown ingredients.

Dallas Tipping Advice

Tipping is more or less compulsory in Dallas, Texas. In restaurants, waiters expect around 10 to 20 per cent, as do taxi drivers and hairdressers, while porters and bellboys anticipate one US dollar or two US dollars per piece of luggage. You are not expected to tip in fast-food restaurants or cinemas.