Went here on a date and was left full with the amazing apps and entrees. I'm sad I just now discovered this place as I think it will be one of my top Dallas places! read more

See all

Gemma's food and wine program are very good. The menu changes often featuring local and seasonal ingredients. Everything is made in house including the delicious pasta and scones. There's only a couple New American restaurants in Dallas I prefer over Gemma, but that says a lot. Perfect for a nice date, special occasion or team dinner. read more

See all

Great service, wine and food. Staff is knowledgeable - all their recommendations were amazing. The menu changes constantly, but there are some staples that will stay. It'd consider it as more of a "foodie" spot. The interior is light and airy. Casual, yet classy, vibe. It wouldn't necessarily be my first choice to take an *out of town guests,* BUT definitely a spot I'd recommend in general! It has something for everyone. read more

Beautiful place and phenomenal food. Phillip, the hostess, went above and beyond in helping us get the table and the time we needed and made our time there very pleasurable. Superb. read more

Came here for the first time on my husband's birthday and was blown away by our experience. Our server, Raoul, and the entire staff went above and beyond to make it a special evening--from a card signed by the staff to a birthday candle + complimentary night cap, we truly felt honored and celebrated. Cocktails were excellent and there were so many delicious-looking dishes on the menu it was hard to choose! We landed on the rabbit pappardelle and a duck leg special, both of which were cooked to perfection and plated beautifully. Far from your typical dinner fare, we were truly impressed by the complexity of the flavors and the level of care in the execution. The atmosphere was stylish, sophisticated, and romantic with great music and thoughtful lighting. Can't recommend this place enough and very much look forward to returning to celebrate special occasions for years to come. Our warmest thanks to the entire staff! read more

Gemma - Duck leg special w/ parsnip puree and cherry jus - French Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Gemma is my favorite Dallas-area restaurant. As a farmer, I love the seasonal menu and the quality of ingredients is just superb. Whenever I dine there, I LOVE the food I am served and can't wait to return. I simply can't recommend it enough. read more

See all

The Ceviche was beautifully prepared and wonderful. It was served with sweet potato chips. The salmon was buttery and so flavorful. The accompaniments were unique and delicious. read more

Service is outstanding. Menu is wonderful. We especially loved the short rib appetizer and cocktails.

Finally got around to eating here after hearing amazing things about it... let me tell you Gemma did not disappoint. Service was amazing even though our server was the bartender as well and was twice as busy. She was very educated on the menu and helped us navigate what to order for our first time. The ambiance was perfect and not too hectic or loud. Anytime we had dirty plates ready to be taken away, they didn't stay on the table more than 30 seconds before another server or bust boy was grabbing them. HIGHLY recommend the Korean sticky ribs they were delicious and I could've ate them as my meal. Burger was also fabulous and they even make the buns in house. My boyfriend got the Wagyu cut of the day and cleaned the plate lol. Will most definitely be coming back!!! read more

See all

Stumbled upon this restaurant by complete accident. our Friday plans got canceled and we literally drove until we found a restaurant. We walked in and was able to be seated with without having a reservation, so that was great. Love the ambience of the restaurant very cute, very clean, classic, great vibes. Our waiter was very attentive, I didn't get his name but he gave us all great recommendations. We started off with oysters. Top 5 for sure. They were so good, I understand why oysters are called aphrodisiac. Next week got the Duck Frites. My pictures aren't the best as y'all know, by the time I remember we are done with the food. They also provide blueberry scones as a starter. So so so delicious they come out warm and you put butter on them, to die for! For drinks we got the blood orange margarita and an old fashion. I would highly recommend trying this place out, you won't be disappointed. Also the waiter said the menu changes often so every time you come, it's a surprise read more

Gemma - Blueberry scones - French Near Me - Dallas, Texas

See all

Went a few years back and thought it was a bit stuffy. Went back a few weeks ago and the place has been completely transformed. More of a casual (but nice) neighborhood restaurant. Light and cheery. Great servers and terrific food. We will be back for sure. read more

Service and food were great. Casual attire which wasn't expected but fancy food that exceeded expectations!

I'm completely obsessed with the upscale American decor here that somehow still maintains a humble charm with the apron wearing servers. The restaurant was booked until 10:30 that night, but we were lucky enough to get a seat at the bar for dinner service before the crazy influx of diners. Our bartender/server was very knowledgeable about both the food and the drinks and checked in on us to ensure that we loved the food and were having a great experience. I ordered the watermelon bliss drink, which is what I imagine is a classy embodiment of a Texas summer drink. The giant yellow cube of watermelon juice is the perfect way to keep your drink cold and it only gets better as it melts down - it never got too sweet and I let that baby melt all the way down because I usually prefer my drinks sweeter. The food was overall good though I thought the presentation and taste of the quail could have been improved. Frying the quail somehow removed the true quail flavor, which was disappointing to me since I love the gamey flavor, but I could see that as a positive to some. The bed of cheesy grits was plentiful, but had a drier consistency that the piri piri didn't seem to mesh well with. I used a minimal amount of the sauce to dip my fried green beans in. I would have loved a creamy, less spicy version of the piri piri for the dish. read more

See all

Underwhelming, and just meh! This place has some of the best pictures of food on their social media and webpage yet when your actually at the restaurant all of that great food playing and food porn is missing, such a let down and a disappointment. I'm gonna post my pictures and as you can see by dessert it was just an afterthought with no time or detail other than taking out of the fridge, the apple bar wasn't even warmed up and we didn't eat it you can see the ice cream isn't melting at all. The ceviche dish looked the best as you can see it's the second picture but there was no flavor whatsoever other than if you ate a jalapeño. Wish it was better but just blah in platings and taste read more

See all

Great dining. We went here for my birthday. Recently renovated and delicious as ever. Our go to spot on Henderson.

Daughter took me here for my birthday. The complimentary bread they give you is fantastic. All 4 of us ordered something different and were happy with our meals. Great wine selection. read more

Overall rating: 3.83/5 (rounded up to 4) The experience at Gemma was at most mediocre. Comfort: 3.5/5 We were seated next to the billing register, which was a high traffic area. This was somewhat distracting to me every time a waiter/waitress came to process a bill. The place was well decorated, bright, and had a comfortable temperature. Taste: 3.5/5 We had the shishitos and okra as the appetizer and they were pretty good. They had a very nice charred flavor. Maybe I am not that great at using a knife, but it was difficult to cut the stems off with a dull butter knife. The halibut was cooked well. However, the taste was nothing extraordinary. There was not too much flavor in the halibut and tasted somewhat underwhelming. The seared sides of the fish gave it a very nice texture (crunchy), but again made it very difficult to cut with a butter knife. Service: 4.5/5 We were seated right away even though we arrived 10 minutes before the reservation time. The waitress was very nice. She gave us good appetizer recommendations. However, she was a little quiet and was hard to hear what she was saying. Also my drink was never empty and was always filled up at the right time. Overall the service was on point. read more

Gemma - Halibut - French Near Me - Dallas, Texas

See all

Arrived for a much needed date night after 4 years, 2 kiddos. We loved every bit of our experience. The food was divine. The service was excellent. Ambiance was relaxed, lovely. I would recommend to anyone looking for a quiet, chill, romantic evening. read more

Starting with the service, we had a waiter who was in training, so I understand service being a bit slow. However, he got orders wrong, checks wrong, and took him almost an hour before he took orders. He apologized quite often... but cmon... they should have trained him a little better. The food... was average at best. Farm to table, new American tapas style food is popping up everywhere to feed the yuppy trends. Despite every entree costing over 20$, they tasted at best like a 10$ dish. Their popular rabbit dish was mediocre. The oysters were tiny, and their beef tartare was subpar. The mussels were fresh, but tasteless. The steak and fries was underwhelming. Their still water had a musty taste and smell. The complimentary scones was the only thing i enjoyed. Overall- overpriced and slow service, not any more special than any other new American place popping up. read more

Gemma - Oysters - French Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Husband and I went pre-covid awesome experience. Great atmosphere. Good service. Portions were methodically put together and beautiful. You can't go wrong with anything on their menu TBH. We put our entire order in at the beginning and they paced it really well throughout our time there. Will be back for sure. read more

The food was incredible, the service was amazing, & the ambience was perfect. The menu though small, featured a wide range of options to select from. I had an great time dining here & would definitely come again! read more

Gemma - French Near Me - Dallas, Texas

See all

Completely overrated! Was really good when it first opened, but has always been over-priced for the quality.

Review is for first-time visit for birthday celebration Thursday, 3/18/21, reservations 5:00pm, left 8pm. It was fantastic! I read all the recent reviews and was prepared for valet only (please tip well!), and saw they had a cocktail list, so I tried the Gemma Manhattan to start that was yummy, then the Basil Beauty Cucumber which paired well with the Tuna Crudo. I also tried the Alpinist, where server Brent (if I heard correctly) worked on for 2 years to perfect it and it was DELISH! It paired really well with the grilled Caesar. I would have preferred that the grilled Caesar had more chargrill and the dressing more balanced and less harsh on the vinegar side. Hubby had some Gemma Old Fashioned's and they were delicious. We had the raisin scones and butter that got better as they sat, and as a birthday treat, they comped us the fried olives and Texas Pecans appetizer which was unique. Ashley and Brent (apologies if I got it wrong) both served very smoothly during a busy dining room as time went on. The Sommelier double timed as the host, and suggested various priced Pinot Noirs, including the last bottle he had of Dunston that I decided to splurge on (my Solar Return only comes once a year after all), paired well with the delicious braised rabbit Pappardelle (I think my first time having rabbit and it was fantastic there and reheated at home- as others reviewed- pasta and tender rabbit melted in the mouth and was even better reheated at home a few days later), the grilled striped bass (we finished it there- crispy skin was outstanding and I appreciated the roasted beets as others reviewed too), and the really delicious wagyu flatiron steak with amazing crispy matchstick potatoes and chimichurri was perfectly done and the textures were great too. Birthday desserts: The Lemon Tart was like a precious beautiful miniature world, pre-spring, an art piece (see photo with candle stuck to the side of the plate), was delicate, fresh and light. We also got a gift of the chocolate and peanut butter that didn't disappoint. Neither were too sweet and sugary, just right. We had a perfect booth in the corner as I requested a less loud area as hubby has some hearing loss and we're both sensitive to noise and crowded places, and were asked if the music was too loud and they were happy to bring it down to perfect. Eclectic music genres. Soapbox Warning: The research that says restaurants have to have high ceilings, no acoustics and loud music to attract young people who turnover tables faster may be true, but it bums me out. No issues at Gemma. Yes it got louder as it got busier, but they didn't keep turning up the music. It went from 0 to 60 when the busy time hit, but we were well taken care of. The decor of Gemma was really soothing and understated which appealed to me. Hubs and I are more into comfort fine dining than dressing up, and there were regulars and diverse diners of all ages, races and genders, which is nice to see. Masks were respected and there were hand sanitizers on the tables. They have a sister restaurant, Sachet I must check out. Thanks to all the Staff at Gemma for making my birthday dinner out really wonderful! read more

See all

Walking in the door of Gemma I was greeted by a friendly hostess. She reminded me that valet parking was complimentary and offered to stamp my ticket. As I walked to my table I couldn't help but notice the simple, chic and rustic decor. It was very quaint and charming. I loved the atmosphere and felt very comfortable. Gemma was on my list of restaurants I must try. So I rounded up my foodie friends and made a reservation. We were seated promptly and ready for good food and conversation. Our table decided to order different appetizers or entrees and share them. We like to make our own tasting event. Service: was wonderful and my waiter Ryan provided excellent customer service to the table. He was attentive and explained everything in detail. Ambience: very cozy and laid back restaurant. I love the colors. The restaurant is very simple and pleasing. Food: some things were delicious and other things were just ok. Let me start with the juicy pork chop. It was sinfully good. It was well seasoned and my favorite entree. It came with sweet potato hash, pickled okra and collard greens. All the components of this dish worked well. I tried my friends duck and it was ok. It was missing something. The description of five spice duck made it sound good, but I think it lacked in spice and flavor. We selected mussels as an appetizer and I was not pleased. The broth I felt took away from the mussels. I think white wine broth goes better. The coconut lemongrass tasted like watery milk. The second appetizer we tried was the mushroom bouchee. It was yummy to my tummy. The mushrooms were heavenly. The cognac demi mushrooms were truly a treat. The third appetizer was the spicy onion rings. I didn't think they were spicy at all. There was nothing exciting about them. The fourth and final appetizer was the turkey meatballs. The portion was good, but we all agreed the taste fell flat. We all have had better meatballs. For drinks we all selected the blood orange margarita. The color was vibrant and the drink was tasty. I truly enjoyed the flavor. So overall I was happy to have tried the food. I think some dishes were a hit and a few were a miss. So there were some inconsistencies. I highly recommend the pork chop. You will be happy and not disappointed. read more

See all

We've been to Gemma about five or six times in the past, and we love the food. However, tonight was not the good experience we've had before. Our waiter hovered over us 85% of the time we were there. I was really so uncomfortable to the point that we didn't finish our meal. It was almost as if he was rushing us out. Finally, we asked for the check and left. IF we do go back, hopefully we'll get another waiter that does not watch us like a hawk. He took being an attentive waiter to breaking point... not a pleasant experience. read more

Really good food. Came here for date night and got the following: Baby Octopus- I wasn't a fan but my husband loved the flavors. My advice is skip this one (as it doesn't even contain that much octopus) Fried Texas Quail- delicious and shareable (it comes with 6-8 pieces of fried quail) Pappardelle- normally rabbit is very gamey but not in this dish. It was hands down the best dish of the night Spaghetti - yummy Thier dessert options left much to be desired (hence the 4 stars instead of 5). I ended up getting their chocolate sorbet which was okay. read more

Girls' Dinner was a success. Gemma is an excellent spot in Dallas. I love the convenient parking.

Outstanding. Absolutely worth the hype and the food and service was as great as I had heard. Appreciate the tip on yelp to try the bar area - very open seating (not one of those bars where people are constantly bumping into you) with comfortable chairs and beautiful place settings. They have mirrors lining the west wall so it's very bright and airy. The scones + butter for the appetizer is incredible. I think I could have filled up on those, but we also loved the burrata: super fluffy chilled burrata with green pesto, a carrot puree and perfectly toasted bread. We enjoyed a bottle of the Meandro 2015 Douro Red Wine at the suggestion of the very knowledgeable sommelier and paired it with the SPAGHETTI A LA CHITARRA (lamb) & PAPPARDELLE (rabbit). Both of these dishes were extremely savory and the meat was incredibly tender with absolutely no *game-y* taste. We topped the meal off with a strawberry rhubarb tart - just get it. You deserve it. read more

Absolutely underwhelming visit. We had the burger, the vodka pasta and the margaritas. The pasta was a bit on the bland side and my husband's burger was sadly over cooked. Our waiter was kind and patient. It wasn't horrible food, don't get me wrong, it was just way over priced for what it was. We can get a better burger and tastier pasta elsewhere in Dallas for less money. read more

Excellent food, impeccable service. Will definitely be going back. Moules Frites and Steak Frites were perfect!

COVID-19 Review: Fantastic experience during a pandemic. First time out in a year for a nice dinner, had an 8:45 reservation and very much appreciated the reduced capacity and attention to safety and distance, it made all the difference. The food and staff were perfect, a really great night out. I recommend the dining room or patio if you are looking for a little energy, the capacity was very comfortable. read more

My friends and I visited Gemma at the start of girls trip to Dallas and were immediately impressed by the service and food! Our server was very attentive but not overbearing and they brought us complimentary appetizers to help us celebrate our friend's birthday. They even left a little birthday card they all signed on the table which was very thoughtful. We enjoyed pasta, mushrooms, bread, olives, and every item was delicious! My friend (birthday girl) was initially served a plate of pasta she didn't order (just a miscommunication) and they ended up letting her keep that PLUS bringing the dish she originally ordered. They were very happy to do it and weren't annoyed at all. Wonderful ambiance, beautiful restaurant and fantastic food. Well worth the prices for the quality of service, ambiance, and cuisine. Highly recommend - big shoutout to the entire staff working evening on 5/1/24 - you all were so wonderful and attentive. read more

COVID-19 Review: What I loved: - Patio-specific reservations! We had to get one at 6 pm, but we weren't rushed at all and ended up staying until about 9 or 9:30 pm. - Waitress: so sweet, so patient with us, so friendly and welcoming. - Sommelier: suggested an off-menu $90 bottle of wine when we asked for a recommendation...I debated whether to file this under "loved" or "didn't love" but ultimately went with "loved" because I like that they have a sommelier in the first place, and the service was lovely (he decanted it and then had me, THE WOMAN, taste it for approval -- propsssss for not being stuck in the 1950's), and the wine was delicious. - Bread: the softest, warmest, most melt-in-your-mouth raisin scone everrrr. Hardly even deserves to be called a scone because it was soooo soft (which of course a good scone is, but scones get a bad rap). I knew it was going to be a good meal the minute I tasted that little morsel of heaven. - Appetizer: warm grilled baby octopus over cold soba noodles was delicious. - Main course: duck confit was superb. What I didn't love: - Valet parking is really your only option. No charge, but still. Also, they close at 11 pm (on a weekend), so you can't really plan on walking to after-dinner drinks somewhere else in the area. - My seat (at our table on the patio) was facing an extremely bright parking lot light that basically shone into my face the entire time. I know they can't really do anything about that, but it wasn't super fun. I'm sure this affected people at other tables who were seated facing the same direction I was -- if you can, get a seat facing toward the restaurant, or at the very least at 90 degrees, but don't sit with your back to the restaurant on the patio. Overall, still five stars because the food, wine, and service all were excellent, and you can't really fault them for parking (and parking-lot-lighting) issues. read more

This was our first time and we will definitely be back. The food was so delicious! The only weak point was the dessert, but they made it right by taking our dessert off our check. read more

Getting back to our favorites since the pandemic has been challenging but Gemma didn't disappoint! The new restaurant changes look great. Bianca Negroni and burrata to start was wonderful. My entree of Brodetto Verde was delicious. Unfortunately the Grilled Striped Bass my husband order had a funny taste. The Banana Pot De Crane we shared was prefect. The recommendation of wine was not our favorite but wine can be tricky. We will return! read more

Last Saturday night was my 2nd time at Gemma. It's a busy place, so be sure to reserve a table ahead. And it's handily located right in the heart of Henderson, just a walk away from some great spots to get a drink before dinner. I had the sagnarelli (duck ragu, porcini mushrooms and crispy duck prosciutto) as an entree, and the fried mushrooms an an appetizer. The duck noodle dish was very good (blindfolded, I wouldn't be able to tell it apart from a similar dish at Petra and the Beast--but I digress--), although the crunchy prosciutto does make one do a double-take. It's such a contrast to the other, softer components of the dish. but once you get used to them, it's an enjoyable feast. My mushrooms were a disappointment. Nothing particularly memorable about them, except for the fact that by battering and deep-frying them, they managed to stifle would could have been some great flavors. That dish needs re-working, IMHO... I skipped dessert, and I'm glad I did. They are all about $12.00 and not terribly generously sized. And to be honest, they didn't seem to wow in their originality or overall effect. I was particularly disappointed that an image on the website was not available, a beautiful and intriguing chocolate tart of a sort, with a group of candied peanuts protruding from near the edge...but alas, it had apparently been so long that it was available, that our server had not idea what it was. I hate that! Either update the menu online, or don't tempt people with things you don't have... And one more thing...our dinner was pretty slow. For some reason, the courses took quite a while to come. Granted, the table had eight people. But the dinner was two hours and forty-five minutes long. So....location-location-location? It's definitely got that going for it. read more

Gemma - Not sure what they were going for with this dish...but they missed it! - French Near Me - Dallas, Texas

See all

Gemma is an upscale restaurant serving modern American food about 5 minutes outside of downtown Dallas. FOOD (4.5/5): I tried several of the menu options, all of which were delicious. I really appreciated the portion sizes of the dishes which often times are very small at upscale restaurants. The lamb pasta dish and rabbit pasta dish were my favorites out of what we tried. Next time I visit, I would skip the Oysters. They were pretty pricey and the quality was not worth the cost in my opinion. SERVICE (5/5): Everyone here was so friendly! The bartenders were great and helpful. Complimentary still or sparkling water along with a fig scone comes with the meal. ATMOSPHERE (4/5): Standard dimly lit restaurant. The bar area was very nice, the general seating was standard. read more

See all

Located in the Knox Henderson area. Place does offer complimentary valet which has to be validated at the end of visit. Dining area is pretty small but food was good. I had the grilled oysters and pasta plate. Pasta was good but the oysters was a bit salty. If I had money to splurge, I would come back. read more

I think it's hard to rate this place bc the menu is constantly changing, but we were mostly satisfied with what we got. I am torn between a 3 and 4 stars because the entrees were alright, service was good but started off weird, but the dessert tipped me over the edge. My husband made a reservation here day of and they said they could only seat us on the patio - which would have been fine if it wasn't a random cold front in spring in Dallas. When we walked in we asked if we could be seated inside but the host said there were no tables available (even tho the restaurant was maybe 50-60% full? And there were at least 3 tables open, but that's fine). We agreed to sit outside but the patio was empty and did not look well prepared for guests maybe bc the wind was blowing 20 miles an hour- things looked disheveled with plates on the bench and tablecloths strewn about. The host graciously offered to surround us with heaters but neither would turn on, so finally we came to an agreement to be seated at the bar (which ended up being fine but I was a little hesitant bc I was 9 months pregnant at the time and sitting in a high stool is not something super convenient to navigate when you have to pee every 30 minutes). I will say during our whole time eating 3 table tops remained open and available.... I'm just sayin... that's prob one of the reasons why this wasn't a 4 star experience for me...but enough about seating. On to the food! The bartender was very attentive, friendly and helpful. I also love a restaurant with interesting complementary bread starters. We got fresh scones with butter which were delightful. My husband got the rabbit papperdelle which was too rich for my taste but he loved it. I got the lobster pot pie which was the only off menu item. It was pretty tasty- a creamy lobster filling with a fluffy Filo dough ball resting on top. Overall very good but skimped a little on the lobster. The thing that stole the show though was the meyer lemon tart. Oh my god. So. Effing. Good. The attention to detail in the composition of this desert was evident. It was the perfect balance of tart and sweet (lemon + lavender cream), creamy and crunchy (the tart and little balls of passion fruit crunchies) and the saltiness and crunchiness of the pistachios was the most amazing complement, topped with little mint leaves for the added freshness. The dessert felt light and summery and I would die for another. I would come back if the menu changed and we could sit comfortably, maybe would return for the dessert itself! read more

Gemma - Meyer lemon tart - French Near Me - Dallas, Texas

We love Gemma! The restaurant is elegant, the service is great, and the dishes are flavorful and beautiful. It's always such a treat to see what comes out of the kitchen - we already know the taste will be great, but it's fun to see their beautiful plating of the dishes! They switch up their menu regularly but I can always recommend their homemade pasta dishes, as well as getting at least 1-2 apps (past favorites of ours are scallop carpaccio and baby octopus). The baby gem salad is also tasty if you want something fresh and not too filling before your meal! The ambiance here makes it a great date night spot or the perfect place to celebrate an anniversary, family in town, etc and we're looking forward to many more meals here in the future! read more

See all