Whether you’re traveling for a conference, meetings, or a quick overnight trip, having reliable go-to spots in a city can make all the difference.
At Dakota, we’ve spent years on the road meeting with allocators, industry professionals, and investment managers across the country and around the world. Along the way, we’ve learned firsthand which hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops consistently deliver. The ones that turn a business trip into a productive, enjoyable experience.
That’s why we created Dakota Recommends. The insider list for business travel exclusive to Dakota Marketplace Members, or with a subscription.
Built by executive business travelers for executive business travel, it’s a curated collection of hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and event spaces designed for professionals who expect more from every trip.
Unlike tourist guides, it’s built for business. Every spot is Dakota Verified, tested by the same team behind Dakota Marketplace and trusted by thousands of firms.
Now live inside Dakota Marketplace, Dakota Recommends includes more than 1,000 verified locations across 25+ U.S. cities, London, and Paris. Each listing features “Dakota Must Trys”... our insider dishes and experiences our team swears by.
Dallas
As one of the largest and most capital-rich markets in Texas, the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex is a critical stop for investment sales professionals covering the South and Southwest. The region’s allocator base is broad, relationship-driven, and deeply embedded across corporate, public, and private capital channels, making Dallas a high-value market for managers building long-term coverage outside the coastal hubs.
The Dallas Metro Area hosts a wide range of capital sources across banks, corporate pensions, public pensions, foundations, endowments, family offices, and RIAs. On the banking side, institutions such as Plains Capital Bank, Texas Capital Bank, and Guaranty Bank and Trust represent important regional platforms with discretionary and advisory capital mandates.
Corporate pensions are among the most significant pools of capital in the market. Major employers including AT&T, American Airlines, and Exxon Mobil operate their pension plans out of Dallas and its surrounding areas, creating a concentrated base of corporate retirement capital that is both sophisticated and actively engaged with external managers.
Public pension funds further anchor the institutional landscape. The Dallas Police & Fire Pension System, Fort Worth Employees Retirement Fund, and Dallas Employees Retirement Fund collectively represent meaningful allocator relationships for managers targeting public plan exposure in Texas. The region is also home to a solid base of foundations and endowments, including Children’s Health, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and university endowments such as TCU and SMU, which regularly allocate across public and private strategies.
Family offices play an outsized role in the Dallas ecosystem. More than 30 family offices are tracked in Dakota Marketplace across the metro area, including established platforms such as Crow Holdings Capital, Rosewood Corporation, and Hunt Investment Group. These groups are typically relationship-oriented, long-term allocators with flexible mandates and direct access to decision-makers.
The RIA channel is another key pillar of the Dallas market. With more than 75 RIAs represented in Marketplace, Dallas offers one of the deepest independent advisory footprints in the region. Firms such as First Command Financial Planning, Avantax Wealth Management, Tolleson Private Wealth Management, and RGT Advisors headline a market that spans mass affluent, high-net-worth, and ultra-high-net-worth client segments.
For investment professionals, Dallas is a market where efficient coverage is achievable. A single trip can include meetings across corporate pensions, public plans, family offices, RIAs, banks, and foundations, often within a short geographic radius.
That’s why Dakota Recommends now highlights Dallas inside Dakota Marketplace, curating the hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and event spaces our team relies on when meeting allocators and maintaining relationships across the Metroplex.
Dallas Inside Dakota Marketplace:
- 4 hotels selected for accessibility, professionalism, and consistency
- 18 restaurants suited for investor lunches, client dinners, and relationship-building meetings
- 3 event spaces appropriate for private dinners and small allocator gatherings
- 2 coffee shops ideal for informal check-ins and quick conversations
Each location meets the Dakota standard: professional, reliable, and proven in real allocator meetings. These are the venues our team trusts when engaging with the institutional and private capital that defines the Dallas–Fort Worth investment landscape.
Dakota Recommends
Dakota Recommends isn’t just a list, it’s a toolkit for business travelers. These are the places that have helped us at Dakota deliver successful meetings, memorable events, and efficient trips time and time again.
When you're traveling for work, trust the spots we've already vetted. You’ll find them all in Dakota Marketplace, organized by metro area, ready to support your goals on the road. We've also incorporated "Dakota Must Trys" under each place listed!
Whether you're planning your next trip or refining your meeting strategy, book a demo of Dakota Marketplace to explore the people and places that keep our team coming back.
