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Addison is a suburb of Dallas and is one of the area's most popular places. Addison's main attractions are based around restaurants, and has some of the most restaurants per square mile in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

Get in

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Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison

By car

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Addison is centered on the intersection of Belt Line Road and Dallas North Tollway. It is almost completely surrounded by North Dallas. The tolls from Downtown Dallas amount to less than 2 dollars.

By bus

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Public transit via DART buses is found at the Addison Transit Station on Arapaho Rd, one block north of Belt Line Rd on Quorum Road. This is right next to Addison Circle Park, making it a convenient option if you are attending a festival or show at the WaterTower. The main dining strip is a 5- to 10-minute walk south to Belt Line.

By plane

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Addison is served commercially by Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and Love Field, but also has its own airport for private planes and corporate aviation. Private jet service is available from multiple fixed base operators. International travelers can utilize the airport's 24-hour Customs port.

Get around

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Addison Circle park, in Addison, Texas

By car

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Driving along Belt Line Road can be slow at the heaviest dining times, but usually not too bad. Weekday lunch time and weekend evenings have the worst traffic. If a festival is happening, especially KaboomTown, expect to sit in traffic much longer.

Be watchful for traffic cops as they are strict and tend to hide themselves well. Arapaho Road, Belt Line Road, Midway Road and Quorum Road are well patrolled.

By bus

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Most placed in Addison are accessible by DART bus.

On foot and by bicycle

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Most streets in Addison have sidewalks, and the city is working to make the city more accessible on foot or by bike. There are bicycle racks on the front of all DART buses serving Addison. The Les Lacs Linear Park[dead link] is available in the southern part of Addison for a quiet and pleasant 2.7-mile paved trail.

See

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Map
Map of Addison

Do

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Festivals

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Addison holds some of the best festivals around. Addison believes in making every celebration as big as possible, and they follow through quite well. Each of these festivals are in Addison Circle Park (SW corner of Quorum Dr. and Addison Circle. DART Addison Transit Center).

  • North Texas Jazz Festival. 
  • Taste of Addison. Normally held in May, Taste of Addison is a gathering of many of the city's restaurants at Addison Circle Park. Each of the restaurants offers smaller portions of their food at low prices, allowing the public to sample their food. 
  • Kaboom Town!. Normally held the night of July 3, Kaboom Town is one of the largest Fourth of July celebrations in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Kaboom Town is at Addison Circle Park. Because of the incredible popularity of Kaboom Town it can be next-to-impossible to find a nearby parking space. Your best option is to stay at a residence or hotel near Addison Circle and walk there. 
  • Oktoberfest. Normally held in September, Oktoberfest is a collection of traditional German foods, polka, Paulaner beer, and very silly lederhosen. There's an oom-pah band on site, and a backup oom-pah band in case the first one breaks down. It's advised to go on Thursday, as it can get very crowded on the weekend. 
  • Worldfest. Normally held in October, Worldfest is a gathering of many different cultural events. Many of the local restaurants set up tents to serve exotic and ethnic foods. Multiple stages show many colorful acts from around the world. There are also a lot of unique shops set up selling items from around the world. It's a good way to get introduced to many different cultures at once. 

Live entertainment

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  • 1 Addison Improv, 4980 Beltline Rd (SW corner of Quorum Dr and Belt Line Rd, 2nd floor. DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 404-8501. Have dinner and drinks while laughing with world-class comedians. It's advised to arrive at least 30 minutes before the first show if you want a good seat. Arrive an hour before the first show if you're having dinner. There is a two item minimum purchase (food or drink) per person with each show, and the food's overpriced. 21 and up only. 
  • Pete's Dueling Piano bar (Same building as Improv), 4980 Belt Line Rd. Known for singing loud and proud. A piano bar offering top of the line entertainment, in a fun and casual atmosphere. 
  • 2 Water Tower Theatre, 15650 Addison Rd (NE corner of Addison Cirle Dr and Addison Rd. DART Addison Transit Center), ☏ +1 972 450-6232. Enjoy stage performances throughout the year. Something different every other week. Be sure to buy tickets in advance, as it fills quickly. 

Parks

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Addison residents are proud of their parks and feature some of the best in the metroplex

  • 3 Addison Circle Park (Addison Circle Rd and Quorum Dr. DART Addison Transit Center). Large outdoor park and the location of festivals, concerts and outdoor plays. Also has fountains for cooling off in the Texas heat. 
  • Arapaho Road Park (park in the parking lot on the Northwest side of Arapaho Rd/Addison Rd intersection and walk a few hundred yards west to find the park; DART Bus #333). When the wind is out of the north, this is the perfect place to watch planes depart and land as they fly just overhead. Addison Airport is one of the busiest single-runway airports in the nation so there is usually no shortage of traffic on a nice day. 
  • 4 Celestial Park (Celestial Rd at Bellbrook Dr. DART Bus #463). Watch the solstices on a giant sundial. 
  • 5 Quorom Park, Quorum Dr (just north of Keller Springs Rd. DART Bus #362). Quiet, very well landscaped park; perfect for having a sack lunch. There is also a large below-ground waterfall surrounded by trees. 

Buy

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  • Addison Beverage Center (Along west side of Inwood Road between Belt Line Rd. and Landmark Dr. DART Bus #400, then walk south). Stores with liquor: M-Sa 10AM-9PM (closed on Sunday); stores with beer and wine only: Su noon-7PM, M-Th 10AM-9PM, F Sa 9AM-9PM. This area is a grouping of all of Addison's spirits/liquor stores together along Inwood Road. Other area stores have beer and wine available, but this area has the only stores in Addison with liquor items. 
  • Addison Cigar & Tobacco Co, 15401 Addison Rd (NW corner of Lindbergh Dr and Addison Rd. DART Bus #534), ☏ +1 972 239-1521. This shop is a small building all by itself next to Addison airport, which means there's no one to complain about the smell. A very good cigar and tobacco shop, decorated with lots of wood paneling. While it's a small location, they have a wide selection of cigars in their walk-in humidor. The owners are always friendly to help you find what you're looking for. A members-only lounge is available in the back. This place can get crowded on Friday nights, and parking is limited. 
  • 1 Village on the Parkway, 5100 Belt Line Rd, Dallas (SE corner of Belt Line Rd and Dallas Pkwy. DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 308-0100. A large outdoor shopping mall. With fountains, simulated roudabouts and delicate styling this is reminiscent of an Italian village. Some notable shops here are Paciugo Gelato, Bed Bath & Beyond, Grand Spa International, and Harold's Closeout. Because this shopping center has many restaurants and bars it can get quite busy on weekend nights. 

Eat

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When you get hungry, there are over 170 restaurants in the city's 4 square miles, enough to satisfy any taste. Most of Addison's restaurants are on Belt Line Rd, which is commonly called "Restaurant Row". DART Bus #400 runs along the entire length of Belt Line Rd in Addison, and connects with the Addison Transit Center. While you can find just about anything you want on Restaurant Row, there are many unique restaurants found on the connecting streets.

Budget

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  • IHOP, 3910 Belt Line Rd (SE corner of Belt Line Rd and Commercial Dr. DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 241-9299. 24 hours. Inexpensive, convenient, breakfast served anytime. Just like its bitter rival Dennys. 
  • Pho Que Huong, 4826 Belt Line Rd (SE corner of Addison Rd and Belt Line Rd. DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 239-5858. Pho Que Huong's signature dish is "pho" a Vietnamese soup filled with rice noodles and various other things. It's cheap, fast, and low-calorie. They have some available ingredients not generally found in other restaurants such as tendons and tripe. Along with pho they have a lot of other foods in their 'order-by-number' menu. Fried rice, non-soup noodle dishes, sandwiches, and vermicelli. Beverages include a variety of coffees, teas, and coconut drinks. For dessert they have smoothies, but they're a little icy. 
  • Which Wich, 4135 Belt Line Road # 120 (in strip mall on NE corner of Belt Line Rd and Midway; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 404-9424. Classic fast food custom sandwich chain. It's easy to order: just grab a paper bag, mark off all the things you want on one side, then draw a silly picture on the other side to keep track of yours. Oh, and this is one of the few places in the Metroplex to serve Mello Yello. $. 

Mid-range

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  • Best Thai, 4135 BeltLine Rd (On the North side of Belt Line Rd, just West of Midway. DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 386-3353. M-Th 11AM - 9:30PM, F 11AM-10:30PM, Sa 11:30AM- 10:30PM, Su 11:30AM-8:30PM. A cozy and tasty Thai restaurant. The place is rarely crowded, and service is very friendly. Along with various meats, vegan options are also available on the menu. 
  • Blue Mesa Grill, 5100 Belt Line Rd (in Village on the Parkway shopping center; SE corner of Belt Line Rd and Dallas Pkwy; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 934-0165. M-Th 11AM - 10PM, F Sa 11AM - 10:30PM, Su 9AM - 9PM. A rather nice American Southwest fusion restaurant. Like Tex-Mex with a little extra added. They also have a wide selection of tequila drinks. Try their Sunday brunch, however be sure to show up at 9AM to avoid the church crowd. 
  • Buffalo Wild Wings, 5000 Belt Line Rd (SE Corner of Belt Line Rd and Quorum Dr), ☏ +1 972 701-9464. Su-Th 11AM - midnight, F Sa 11AM - 1AM. Restaurant specializing in finger foods, hot wings, and really hot sauces. Ask your waiter for a trivia box, which will allow you to play video trivia against others in the bar, as well as play a number of other games. Nice place to hang out in the afternoon. The place tends to get noisy most nights. 
  • Clay Pit, 4460 Belt Line Rd (on the south side of Belt Line, just east of Midway Rd. DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 233-0111. Indian restaurant and bar, serving a large variety of exotic vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Atmosphere is more hip and modern, but still traditional. Try a mango lassi to drink, or their signature ginger peach mango iced tea. 
  • Gloria's, 5100 Belt Line Rd. Suite 852 (SE corner of Belt Line and Dallas North Tollway; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 387-8442. Probably the best and most well known El Salvadoran/Tex-Mex in Dallas with locations in UpTown, Addison, & Bishop Arts Disctrict. Great food & Margaritas. Definitely try a Meltdown. Reasonably priced. 
  • Magic Time Machine, 5003 Belt Line Rd (NE corner of Quorum Dr and Belt Line Rd; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 980-1903. This is a kids-oriented restaurant that screams atmosphere! The lobby is decorated in very loud bright colors. The dining room has the same bright colors with loud and gaudy wallpaper. Every obscure, brightly-colored accessory is hanging on the wall. And even the waiters are dressed in various fictional characters. People go there for the atmosphere, and with as much work as they put into their atmosphere they left the food a bit lacking. The food isn't bad, but it doesn't stand out as anything special. Overall it's a fun place to take the kids. 
  • May Dragon, 4848 Beltline Rd (SE corner of Belt Line Rd and Addison/Inwood Rd; Dart Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 392-9998. A four-star Chinese restaurant. This is the restaurant owned by Addison city mayor, Joe Chow, and he can frequently be seen running around the place. It serves the normal Americanized Chinese cuisine, as well as several traditional Chinese dishes. There are also some items usually only seen in Asia such as Aromatic Beef, Thousand Layer Egg, Pickled Jellyfish and Peking Style Roast Pork. 
  • Queen of Sheba, 14875 Inwood Rd. (0.2 miles sound of Belt Line Rd, on the west side of the street; DART Bus #488), ☏ +1 972 980-9450. A wonderful Ethiopian restaurant with an elegant, yet casual setting. Food is served in traditional Ethiopian style, and sharing of food at the table is encouraged. 

Splurge

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  • Antonio's Ristorante, 4985 Addison Circle (NW corner of Quorum and Addison Circle; DART Addison Transit Center), ☏ +1 972 458-1010. An elegant and romantic small Italian restaurant. Ingredients are fresh, the waiters are professional, and the atmosphere is intimate. Located slightly off the beaten path of the circle's sidewalk, but they do have a nice patio. 
  • Chamberlain's Steak and Chop House, 5330 Belt Line Rd (SE corner of Belt Line Rd), ☏ +1 972 934-2467. Steaks, seafood and rib seven nights a week in a traditional fine dining atmosphere. 
  • Fogo de Chão, 4300 Belt Line Rd. (on the south side of Belt Line, just east of Midway Rd; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 503-7300. Authentic Brazilian-style churrascaria (barbeque). A franchise of the world-famous Sao Paulo restaurant. 40-item salad bar, and incredible cuts of meat. Expensive but worth it. A very similar restaurant called "Texas de Brazil" sits across the street a block down. 
  • Kobe Steaks, 5000 Belt Line Rd (SE corner of Quorum Dr and Belt Line Rd. DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 934-8150. Su 4:30 - 10:30PM, M-Th 5 - 10:30PM, F 5:30 - 11:30PM, Sa 4:30 - 11:30PM. A very popular hibachi-style restaurant. A large variety of meats are available, ready to be grilled right before your eyes at your table. Hibachi chefs juggle their cooking utensils and create large fireballs only four feet from your face. Fun for all ages that don't mind potentially getting their eyebrows singed off. It's advisable to go early in the week, as there is usually an hour wait on the weekends and reservations are not accepted for Friday and Saturday nights. 
  • Mr. Sushi, 4860 Belt Line Rd (S side of Belt Line Rd between Landmark and Quorum. DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 385-0168. Lunch: M-F 11:30AM - 2PM, Sa 11:30AM - 2:30PM, Su noon - 2:30PM; dinner: M-Th 5:30 - 10:30PM, F 5:30 - 11PM, Sa 2:30PM - 11PM, Su 5:30 - 10PM. Excellent upscale Japanese restaurant. There is a modern sushi bar to sit at, and there are also tables available. While their main attraction is sushi, they also have a large variety of Japanese dishes. If you tell them it's your birthday they'll play their large taiko drum for you. 
  • Texas de Brazil, 15101 Addison Rd (NW Corner of Belt Line Rd and Addison Rd; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 385-1000. An excellent place for Churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse). Come hungry, as there are a large number of meats to choose from. One price gets you access to their entire selection, as well as a nice salad bar. Dress code is smart casual. 

Drink

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  • Astoria Cafe, 15701 Quorum Dr. (NW corner of Quorum Dr and Morris Ave; DART Addison Transit Center), ☏ +1 972 239-5853. The newest gem in Addison Circle is Astoria Caffe and Wine Bar, located just north of the circle on Quorum. If you enjoy a relaxing patio and people watching, all the while enjoying great drinks and food, this is the place for you. 
  • Duke's Original Roadhouse, 4180 Belt Line Rd (SW corner of Belt Line Rd. and Midway; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 503-2337. Huge patio. Can be crowded. Saturday nights are usually "biker night", but it seems like every night is biker night. 
  • Dunn Bros Coffee, 3725 Belt Line Rd (in the shopping center in NE corner of Marsh and Belt Line Rd; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 406-9711. Coffee shop that roasts their own fair-trade beans in the store. The place has a friendlier atmosphere than Starbucks, and often hosts live music concerts. Free WiFi access, conference facilities, and patio seating are available. 
  • The Flying Saucer, 14999 Montfort Dr. (on Wwst side of Montfort, just South of Belt Line Rd; DART Bus #463), ☏ +1 972 991-7228. The original location. 250 kinds of beer, over 100 of them on tap. Semi-private room available for rent in the back. Tends to get noisy and crowded on the weekend. 
  • The Lion & Crown, 5001 Addison Cir (Addison Circle, on the circle next to the big blue sculpture; DART Addison Transit Center), ☏ +1 972 503-5001. A traditional English pub. Sometimes there is waiter service, but for the most part you have to order at the bar. There are traditional English dishes to eat, but this place focuses primarily on beers, ales, and ciders. 
  • The Londoner, 14930 Midway Rd (NE corner of Midway and Beltway; DART Bus #31), ☏ +1 972 458-2444. Open every night until 2AM, Lunch available Tu-Su. One of the few authentic English pubs in the area offering not only a wide variety of beers, but also hard ciders, and mixed drinks. Traditional food of the UK is available, as well as some American comfort food. The place gets very busy on weekend nights. 
  • Sherlock's Baker St. Pub, 5100 Beltline, Suite 776 (SE corner of Belt Line Rd and Dallas North Tollway; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 726-6100. British pub and hot spot with active nightlife every day of the week. Live cover bands nightly and no cover charges except New Year's and St. Patrick's Day. Separated areas feature a quaint lounge with true pub atmosphere, an indoor beer garden style area with stage and dance floor, billiards room, and good sized patio. The place is very busy on weekend nights. 
  • The Mucky Duck Bar, 5064 Addison Circle (Addison Circle Dr at Dallas North Tollway; DART Addison Transit Center), ☏ +1 972-233-9362. A friendly family-owned bar that once was a Mongolian barbecue restaurant, but now serves a large number of signature mixed drinks and many finger foods. 

Sleep

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Budget

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  • 1 Motel 6, 4325 Belt Line Rd (NE corner of Midway & Belt Line Rd; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 386-4577. A basic and convenient night's stay for the budget traveler. Basic amenities in each room. Free local calls, kids stay free, pet allowed, free expanded cable, accessible rooms, free morning coffee, nonsmoking rooms. 

Mid-range

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Splurge

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  • 8 Hotel Intercontinental, 15201 Dallas Pkwy (Spectrum Dr at Dallas Pkwy; DART Bus #400), ☏ +1 972 386-6000. A very nice luxury hotel. Rates go from a modest $199/night all the way up to $999/night for a very large suite. French/Mediterranean restaurant. Sunday brunch buffet. Fitness center with workout machines, pool, sauna, whirlpool, two indoor racquetball courts, locker rooms. Business services are copying, courier service, dial-up or high-speed internet available, executive floors, executive suites, facsimile, mobile phone rental, PCs available, printing services, private limousine, and an unstaffed business center. Other services are a newsstand, beauty salon, florist, gift shop, concierge, ATM/cash machine, ice machine, safety deposit box available at front desk, A/C public areas, dedicated lounge (or 24 hour lounge), porter/bellman, and foreign currency exchange. 

Stay safe

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Addison is a safe place overall. As Addison caters to the more affluent crowd the city does not really have a lower income neighborhood. The only people that you have to watch out for are the drunks, and the Addison police (in case you're the one that's drunk). Don't yell at the police officers, and if they give you a command you should do what they say. The police can be strict, but they're still there to protect and serve.

Go next

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This city travel guide to Addison is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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