North Dallas has been quietly eating well for years. But Legacy West in Plano is not just a place to eat. It is the outdoor district that made the suburbs feel like a destination. And if you have been sleeping on it you should probably wake up.
At Legacy West
Legacy West sits at the corner of Legacy Drive and the Dallas North Tollway in Plano TX 75024. It opened in 2017 and was designed from the ground up as a walkable mixed use district in what is otherwise a very car dependent part of North Texas. The project spans over 255 acres and combines upscale retail high end dining offices and apartment living in a layout that actually functions like a neighborhood rather than just a mall with a patio. Free parking is available in multiple garages throughout the property. Street level parking on Legacy Drive fills quickly during dinner hours on weekends so the garages are your best bet.
The Food Scene
Legacy West has assembled one of the strongest dining rosters in the entire DFW suburbs. Earls Kitchen and Bar anchors the north end and consistently packs out with happy hour crowds from the surrounding tech offices. Haywire is the Texas ranch style concept from the same team behind Sixty Vines and it serves brunch lunch and dinner with entrees ranging from $18 to $42. North Italia has become one of the most reliable Italian restaurants in Plano with pastas averaging $22. If you want something more casual Shake Shack and Punch Bowl Social are both here for lower spend evenings. The district also has Toulouse which does French bistro and stays open late. Reservations on Friday and Saturday nights at most of these spots book out quickly so planning ahead is strongly recommended.
Shopping
The retail at Legacy West runs more national than independent but it is curated toward the higher end. Restoration Hardware occupies a full building that doubles as a gallery space. Porsche Design has a showroom here. There is a Peloton studio store a Lululemon and a Tesla dealership all within walking distance of each other. It is the kind of place that rewards browsing even if you are not buying. The Apple Store here is one of the most trafficked in North Texas and the Nike store runs a healthy selection of exclusive releases.
The Layout
The best way to experience Legacy West is to arrive around 5pm on a weekday. The after work crowd from Toyota headquarters and JPMorgan Chase fills the patios by 6pm and the energy is genuinely fun. Weekends are busier overall but the weekend brunch scene between 10am and 1pm has its own rhythm worth experiencing. The district connects to a broader shift in DFW dining moving north that has been happening for the past several years. Legacy West at 7800 Windrose Ave Plano TX 75024 is open daily with most retail from 10am to 9pm and restaurants running later. Rideshare works well here and the DART Silver Line commuter rail corridor runs through this area, which will connect Legacy West to downtown Dallas and DFW Airport once fully operational.
