La Duni Latin Kitchen & Baking Studio

I’ve visited La Duni Latin Kitchen on several occasions for Sunday brunch and it has consistently been popular for years. The kitchen/​bakery was small and located in a strip shopping center with limited parking. A 30+ minute wait was always expected.
La Duni is an eclectic mix of a bakery, bar and restaurant with a Latin inspired brunch/​lunch menu all highlighted with the sounds of a live mariachi band.
The menu at each of the La Duni restaurants does vary. With the closing of this location on Sunday, June 22^nd the menu is now being offered at the newest location on McKinney Ave.

Went back and had their milanesa again and loved it! This time the chimichurri was pretty delicious. Although I think their empanada appetizer needs some improvement, as it wasn’t too tasteful. It was made with pork, which I found a little strange since in Argentina you will find that they are made with chicken or beef.
I definitely recommend their la duni passion cocktail. It is wonderful!
Also I would have to say the best part about our visit was the waitress. She did an excellent job. She was very professional and did an excellent job overall. I just wish I could remember her name… she was a somewhat older lady.
I am subtracting a star because the tables are too close together. Thus, you feel as if you are sitting on the people at the tables next to you.

One of my new favorite brunch places in Dallas! They have a wide selection of espressos — I ordered the café con leche, which my waiter recommended, and it was perfect! Just the right amount of sweetness; I usually have to add something to my espresso to make it just right, but this one didn’t need anything.
I’m a huge fan of breakfast tacos so I ordered the «3 breakfast tacos.» It came with roasted potatoes, black beans, roasted salsa, and an avocado mash. The scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly, but the taco itself severely lacked seasoning. It had no salt, no pepper. I had to ask for more salsa because when eaten with that and the avocado mash, the tacos were delicious! I could’ve definitely eaten another serving of the potatoes — cooked and seasoned really well with red pepper.

We went here for Valentine’s day. I had bought a new pair of heels and wanted to dress up. I felt a little overdressed. They decorated with balloons? haha most people were in dressy casual.
I wasn’t hungry enough for an appetizer, so we skipped that. I wanted the white clericot which is a white wine blend, but apparently that is no longer on the menu. I shameless asked the waitress for a recommendation for a fruity drink (no judgment on Valentine’s day y’all) and she recommended the La Duni Passion: it’s orange juice, coconut, and bacardi. I was so surprised at how good it was! My boyfriend even ordered his own!
I ordered the lomito cubano: it’s grilled pork tenderloin over rice and black beans. The real selling point for me was that it came with plantains. If you don’t like plantains, we probably don’t share the same life values. The dish also came with the yucca frita. As an ex-​vegetarian, the meat didn’t really do it for me, but the sides were good.
My bf ordered the milanesa de cerdo con papas: basically a panko crusted pork steak. He cleaned his plate but wasn’t ecstatic.
The REAL reason I picked La Duni was for the dessert menu. I wanted to try the infamous cuatro de leche cake. It was good, but not mind blowing. I’m pretty sure I could make this dish myself. The dulce de leche (Arequipe is what they call it) was too much for me. We didn’t finish the dish and didn’t take it home. It wasn’t bad though.
Overall La Duni was a nice 4 star restaurant. If I had to describe it in five words I would call it: «On the Border» of Highland Park

I want La Duni in Hawaii. While on vacation in Dallas, my friend suggested we eat here because it has amazing drinks. Basically, she knew booze would get me there. But guess what the food is amazing as well.
I can’t remember what I ate, but my stomach is still happy that it went there. The ambiance was wonderful, services was great, and it was baby friendly.
There’s not much to expand on the other glowing reviews, so I incorporate those reviews here. Go read them in conjunction with mine.
I will say that parking AT&T his location was a bit tight, but parking never stopped me from feeding my face.

I have got to pick up the number of stars here. First off, excellent service that goes the extra mile. Staff is very connected to what they do at La Duni that they are mentioned by name (and nickname) on the menu.
Secondly, their menu both in food offerings and espresso is amazing. Always prepared deliciously and to a perfection.
I am a HUGE fan and have no idea why didn’t rate five stars to start with.

Finally, I found a place I like for dessert in the DFW area. O. k that’s probably because I live in Ft. Worth and still have a lot of Dallas places to explore but this stuff was totally comparable to any D. C or California (both places I’ve called home) fair I’ve had.
Ambiance and service were great. The dessert was delicious. We had a Venezuelan Triple Chocolate Truffle cake and a Berry Cobbler. Surprisingly I liked the cobbler more. The cake was great too. It was served with a chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I would’ve liked vanilla ice cream with it but I suppose I could’ve asked for a la mode. Coffee was delicious… I’ve had enough of the mediocre Starbucks style. All in all, a good experience will definitely be going back!

Complaining how homesick I’ve been since leaving Miami a few months ago, a good friend dragged me out to LaDuni for some Pechuga de Pollo and a mojito. Needless to say, she like my best friend now LOL. This place is a go-​to spot for anyone wanting to experience Latin food at it’s finest. The food, the music, the ambiance. .felt like I was back on Lincoln Rd. 5 stars!!!

The five star rating is for their cuatro leches cake alone. I’ve had dinner here and at the Northpark location, which was good, but doesn’t hold a candle to their CUATRO LECHES CAKE!
It’s my favorite cake in all of DFW! Paired w a cup of black coffee — just exquisite!
So glad that they’ve opened a couple of locations in Fairview!

I heard La Duni was a great place for dessert so I decided it was a place I had to try out. Came in during the middle of the day and it was empty but the packaged desserts looked amazing. We sat at the espresso bar and ordered an iced hot chocolate drink served on ice, pretty spectacular if only the whip cream was amazing which it wasn’t. Ugh anyways I decided to go for the three gelato profilites and I chose pistachio, almond, and banana gelato. It was good but not great. I love their caramelized pecans they topped the dessert with but the gelato was alright and the pastry although hot it isn’t something I want to get again. This place will not be getting a visit from me unless I’m craving a cold hot chocolate drink.

My new love is coffee! Not just any coffee, specifically the perfection that rolls out of La Duni Latin Kitchen and Coffee Studio on a daily basis.
Start with a real cup, add espresso combined with hot milk, milk froth, and caramel sauce, and serve at a bistro table with one elegant orange rose, and you’ve got my recipe for a perfect morning. Sure La Duni can serve this up right, but I’m just saying that this is seemingly something that could be created in our kitchen on a daily basis… hint, hint Danny if you’re reading ;)
I’ve had coffee in the restaurant, as well as to go, and the result has been the same every time. This is definitely a place you should frequent and by frequent, I mean go weekly. Don’t just take it from me, my sister has met me here a few times. Seriously, one day we stopped in to the NorthPark mall location twice! This is good stuff.
Come in for the coffee and stay for breakfast and bakery goodies. I’m obsessed with their use of gruyère cheese and their skilled crafting of a homemade English muffin. They combine them both in their Gruyère and Ham Scramble. Skip the Hollandaise and red jam, something this buttery good doesn’t need it anyway. The texture of the muffin is a cross between what you have previously known as an English muffin and a toasted piece of Texas toast. It is thick and chewy and browned perfectly on top. Serve it along side honey baked ham with scrambled eggs covered in gruyère cheese and with a side of roasted potatoes that are good enough to be a featured entrée… and you have my current breakfast obsession.
What to Order:
La Duni Latin Kitchen and Coffee Studio:
1. Cappuccino Caramel
2. Gryuere and Ham Scramble with Homemade English Muffin
Read my full review at
.

My very generous boss took my two co-​workers and I to LaDuni for our Christmas lunch. My first thought was, «Faaaaanceeeeehhh!» This was WAY better than the Tex Mex we had last year. We spent a good week perusing the menu online to better narrow down our options. We even Googled-​Image searched them, too!
Upon arriving, we were seated fairly promptly, and we gave the menus a final look. The chips and salsa brought to our table were pretty tasty, and not spicy at all, which made it tough to resist eating the entire bowl. We had water brought to our tables, and our orders were taken. I ordered the gaucho chicken sandwich with yucca fries. The chicken was delicious and tender, and I loved the manchego cheese it came with. The bread was lackluster, however. It tasted like a croissant, which was not what I had hoped for. I did not remember until I bit into the sandwich that my waiter had not given me the other options available, and I didn’t even remember to tell him that I wanted ciabatta instead. D’oh.
When our meal was complete, we requested the four-​slice cake platter. The dessert took a painfully long time to come out. We were getting nervous about getting back in time to see our patient. Finally, the slices came out. I was a little puzzled, because the slice of cake i ordered was MUCH bigger than the other three slices the others got. Those three slices came in a long platter, and mine came in a different dish. The other thing was that our waiter got our cake order wrong. We got two slices of triple chocolate cake, and one slice of rum cake, and it was supposed to be the other way around. We didn’t complain, since we were already pressed for time. Taste-​wise, he cake slices were a huge hit, even with our office patisserie, who is a self-​professed cake snob.
To sum it up, spotty service and lack of accuracy could have turned this into a two-​star review, but the food was tasty, and the dessert was nothing short of divine. So I will be back. I hear happy hour rocks, and since they are down the street from where I work, it’s perfect to give it another try.

Pretty good place for dinner, very good place for brunch, and holy-​mother-​of-​god good for dessert.
One of my favorite cakes is the cuatro leches. They don’t call it CUATRO for nothing — this cake is so moist it’s wet. It’s as if the pastry chef took the essence of tres leches and magnified it in this creation. My second favorite cake is the Venezuelan rum chocolate cake. As much as I love chocolate, a simple chocolate cake is sometimes just boring. And that’s where the rum comes in, turning a plain old chocolate cake into something with flair. I just wish they would add more rum.
I’ve often come here just for the dessert. So if you happen to be finishing dinner at a restaurant with limited dessert options, head here!

I really enjoy La Duni for dinner or lunch! All of the menu items I’ve tried have been great, and here are a few suggestions:
–Try any sandwich in a popover instead of on a croissant or bread. The popovers are delicious!
–Add a side of asparagus and broccoli to your order. It is seasoned with a lemon dressing.
–The pastries and cookies are a fun part of La Duni. Even if you’re not having a fun meal, the pastries make La Duni a fun place for meeting for dessert or coffee.

I have been to La Duni for a few lunch dates with friends.
There is parking in front of the shopping center or a lot tucked away behind the strip mall.
I regularly order the daily empanada with salad greens. It is always delicious and perfectly sized for lunch. I also like to pretend that it is healthy-​ish.
I love La Duni & it is a staple for longish lunches/​special occasion lunches.

Came to La Duni for lunch the other day to celebrate a co-worker’s birthday. There was ample parking just when you think it’s a strip mall and that there wouldn’t be any espcially around lunch time. I hear there is additional parking behind the strip mall.
The place was moderately full but there was not a wait.
I ordered the gaucho chicken breast sandwich (marinated chicken with avocado, tomato and cheese) with the potato frittes. Everything was really good. Perfectly cooked chicken and the flavors were amazing together.
The décor was also really cute. Slightly more than just a casual restaurant with pictures of kids and sayings on the walls. Also tables adorned with a lot of their baked goods like signature cookies and wedding cakes.
A place I would surely return to.

This is the La Duni location for me. Although the ambience is not quite as romantic as at the McKinney location, I rarely have to worry about a wait like I do on McKinney or at the mall, but the food is just as good, and the service is even better.
While they have a pretty good cocktail list, I’ve decided drinking there is not worth it because the cocktails are like $ 10 for three sips. The glasses are small and full of ice. So, I’ve come to terms with that. But the FOOD! And the desserts!!! Worth many a return. I recently tried the chori-​burger and it was amazing. Even the regular sandwiches are good. The popovers, huevos rancheros, and steak & eggs are all solid brunch options. And while I know it’s not the best out there, I’m still a sucker for their cuatro leches cake.
I could probably come here every weekend (if I quit my job and worked out all the time)!

As fate had it I visited two La Duni locations in one day. First for drinks at Northpark, and then for more drinks near my house.
With all the pretty well dressed young women, I expect high prices, even at a bistro although I felt like I was in a high end department store.
Our waiter was all over us, which was annoying, although he was fit, Latin and attractive, pressuring us to order, order extras and what not.
We were going to share a half bottle of wine but couldn’t decide and asked the waiter for his recommendations, he went right to the most expensive selections.
Furrowed brow. Uh yeah, not cute, I don’t like feeling like a cash machine.
So we decided we’d split a sandwich — cause I wasn’t that hungry, split charge $ 3.50. For a sandwich? Come on dudes.
I guess you’re paying for atmosphere especially with all the pretty girls, their boyfriends and the sex Latin waiters.
Sandwich was okay. A bit overpriced. 2 half bottles of wine and a shared sandwich will set you back $ 50 with tax and tip.
Perfect for a certain Highland Park cougar looking for a fresh Latino house boy.
Sorry but I’m not in the market.

I went there last night to celebrate my friend’s birthday and she decided to come here for dinner. Great choice. :)
Despite it’s a Saturday night, it didn’t take us that long for us to get a table for 8 people. The layout of the place wasn’t that great, but the décor and ambiance brought out that cool Latin flavor. The prices there I could easily break the bank of not for those delicious drinks.
The La Duni Passion was to die for, very filling for a drink, the texture was similar to a piña colada. As some of you may know, I am partial to passion fruit and that was the only reason why I was sold on that drink, lol.
I ordered the grilled chicken with the asparaus/​broccoli, roasted tomatoes, and mashed potatoes. It was the Gruyère cheese that they put on top of the mashed potatoes which made it oh so good that made me want to clean the plate — which I did, lol.
The waiters were very attentative, the layout of the place was a little crammed.
This place is good for dates, dine-​in happy hour, and I heard that some come here just for the desserts.
Would definitely come back here again in a heartbeat! :)

A private wedding reception took over this kitchen and baking studio.
Hors d’oeuvres: All arrived in perfect hors d’oeuvres fashion, with much attention to detail to each one.
* Grilled Shrimp Baguette — I missed out on this one as they ran out!
* Roasted Green Apple Brioche -” Okay, but better ones to come!
* Smoked Salmon Muffin — Good! It looks good and tastes good!
* Wild Mushroom Vol-​au-​vent — Yummy stuff, I wish I had more!
Appetizers:
* Platon Campero — A lot of delicious things to share on this plate, you almost wished for your own.
* Shrimp Planchas -” Arrived skewered and was cooked nicely.
* Provoleta — A whole plate of cheese and some tortillas to wrap it in. You can easily eat the whole plate of cheese yourself and die. It was really good and worth all the fat! Must be heavenly as an entrée all on its own!
* House Salad — Not your average house salad with mixed field greens, crumbled cheese, vinaigrette and toasted cheese bread. Good stuff!
Entrees:
* Carne Asada «Lime-​Garlic Marinated and Grilled Halal Beef, Served with Garlic Basmati Rice, Sweet Plantains, Black Beans, Duni Onions, Roasted Poblano and Red Bell Pepper Cheese Rajas, Salsa and Mashed Avocado -» My beef came out a bit too overcooked compared to others, which is why my entrée was disappointing. A very generous portion though. Plantains were good, black beans were good… I’m glad there was so much other good food to make up for this overcooked meat.
Wedding Cake:
* Award Winning Cuatro Leches Cake
* Triple Chocolate Truffle
* Nutella Milk Chocolate
* Panque de Limon
Four different wedding cakes to try! What a treat! No fighting about only getting to try one because the wedding couple took care of us! The Cuatro Leches Cake was the favorite for the Big F as he hogged the whole slice to himself. I liked the other ones better though.
Beverages:
* Limonada con Minta -” So good and refreshing! We couldn’t get enough!
* Naranjada — This was really good as well! I had my fair share!
* Viennese Truffle Chocolate Milk -” A nice sweet drink that any child and adult could easily love!
Favors:
* Chocolate Truffles
* Chocolate-​covered rice crispies treats
Overall, we were pretty impressed with the food. Generous menu with a wide selection to please all palates, we definitely didn’t leave hungry. They had some wonderful things that we couldn’t get enough of like their specialty drinks and appetizers. And of course, they are known for their cakes!
4 stars
(Pics posted!)