Tour Legacy Food Hall in Plano, Texas

Dining out has long been considered a competitive sport in Dallas, home base for the State Fair of Texas and restaurants that lean heavily on prime beef and Tex-Mex. The newest restaurants drawing the most attention aren’t steakhouses or taco joints, though. They’re the 22 unique shops inside Legacy Hall, a 55,000-square-foot, three-story food hall that houses a half-dozen bars and a two-story craft brewery in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas.

"Every major food hall in the world was built by real estate guys to sell real estate and fill a space,” Legacy Hall founder Jack Gibbons tells USA TODAY. "Legacy Hall was designed from the ground up by restaurant people to deliver a great customer experience. We hand-selected each of the chefs and their concepts so that there’s a fantastic mix of flavors and prices.”

Gibbons projects that more than 100,000 visitors a month will visit Legacy Hall — more visitors than The Alamo or Six Flags amusement park — which would make it the most visited tourist destination in Texas.

Legacy Hall’s independent restaurants offer everything from Knife Burgers (from Top Chef's John Tesar) and Roots Fried Chicken (from Top Chef's Tiffany Derry), to lamb shawarma, maple bacon doughnuts, fresh-baked naan and Texas Hill Country sausages. With three levels to spread out or just kick back with a beer and relax on the outdoor patio, Legacy Hall has quickly become a top destination for families, workers, music lovers, couples on dates and food pilgrims across the country who want to see what all the fuss is about.

“The restaurant mix will change over time,” says Gibbons. “That’s part of keeping the concept fresh.” Plus, an all-seasons outdoor live music venue is set to debut this spring.

To see what’s fresh at Legacy Hall now, check out the photos above. And see more food hall photo tours below.