Al Biernat's North Dallas
We went to Al Biernat’s North for Restaurant Week — $59 per person for three courses, with a $99 upgrade option that included the filet, steak frites, or Chilean sea bass. The building is handsome from the outside: white facade, big lettering, the kind of exterior that sets reasonable expectations. The room inside is classic North Dallas steakhouse — white tablecloths, black chairs, arched windows, green booths along the wall. It’s comfortable, but the energy was flat. The clientele skews heavily toward retirees and the room never got out of a quiet, polished hum.
The complimentary bread basket arrived first — fine, unremarkable, exactly what complimentary bread baskets at this price point tend to be. The old fashioned and mango margarita were both underwhelming. The margarita in particular felt weak for what it was, and neither drink made a case for the cocktail list.
The appetizers were the high point. The crispy calamari was the best dish of the night — lightly battered, fried correctly, a good portion size, served with roasted tomato sauce and garlic aioli. It’s the kind of calamari that makes you wish the rest of the meal held the same standard. The lobster bisque alongside it was solid.
For mains, the almond-crusted halibut (parsnip purée, green beans, carrots, chili fried capers, lemon butter sauce) was flavorful and well-portioned — the right pick from the second course. The shrimp and chicken lo mein is a genuinely interesting menu item for a steakhouse, and it landed as decent: not a miss, not a reason to come back specifically.
Dessert came as two slices: coconut cream pie and pecan pie on the same plate. The coconut cream pie was the clear winner — Al’s Famous Coconut Cream Pie earns the name. The pecan pie was fine in comparison.
Service was a 10/10 throughout — attentive, warm, and the clearest reason the evening worked as well as it did.
The verdict: With the depth of the Dallas dining scene, Al Biernat’s North is a skip. The calamari, halibut, and coconut cream pie are genuinely good, and the service is excellent. But the room lacks energy, the cocktails don’t land, and nothing else on the plate makes a strong argument for the price. Worth knowing about if you’re in the area, not worth going out of your way for.
