Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House

Goodfriend sits in East Dallas's Lake Highlands neighborhood, looking from the outside like any neighborhood bar that's been slightly upgraded. Inside it smells like caramelized onions and beef fat, which is the correct way for any serious sandwich spot to smell.

The kitchen runs smashed patties with real technique — thin, lacey-edged, with proper Maillard crust on the flats. The patty melt is the play here: two smashed patties, Swiss and American layered on rye that's been buttered and griddled, caramelized onions that have actually been cooked properly rather than simply warmed. It's one of the cleaner executions of the form in Texas.

The beer selection is genuinely excellent for a neighborhood joint. The patio is large and dog-friendly. The service is friendly in the way that only Texas neighborhood bars manage without it feeling performed.