Restaurants in Midlothian

Drawing on his experience as an artist, Pablo Esparza festoons the walls of his restaurant with a rotating display of work from local artists and framed prints of his own black-and-white photography. He also taps into 20 years of restaurant experience, staffing his kitchen with cooks who skillfully grill carne asada, assemble torta sandwiches, and wrap tortillas around beef, rice, and beans according to his specifications and the whims of a giant magic 8 ball. Bartenders mix custom cocktails and dispense brews from behind the full bar, and diners croon out hits during karaoke nights or dance to tunes from live DJs.

Even as the sun begins to glint on the horizon, Suzanne Maxwell is hard at work in The Lovin' Oven Bakery, the Historic Towne Square shop in which she has whipped up old-fashioned cakes and baked treats for more than 30 years. She specializes in gourmet cakes, of which rum, banana nut, and italian cream are a few of the more than 15 flavors. She bakes cookies throughout the day to ensure they stay as gooey and soft as a Jell-O pillow, and she can customize cookie orders of any size, shape, and design. Suzanne also lovingly preps pastries including brownies, cream horns, and éclairs, and prepares pies in flavors such as key lime and mincemeat.

The Lovin' Oven Bakery also serves lunch, featuring turkey and tuna salad atop all-butter croissants and paired with chicken 'n' dumplings or beans and corn bread. Suzanne also crafts special-order cakes for all occasions, such as birthdays, weddings, and baby-hedgehog adoptions.

At The Buzzer Grill and Bar, half-pound signature burgers destroy hunger alongside cold beers and beef mishkaki bathed in ginger. Robust build-your-own-burger creations can be customized with mix-ins and toppings such as eggs and avocado. HDTVs broadcast sporting events and live meditation tournaments until the bar's doors close at 1 a.m. on Thursdays–Sundays.

In 2003, entrepreneur Donald Brown opened the first Donald Brown Chicken, a restaurant that would soon become a family enterprise. Though the signature fried-chicken recipe is a well-kept secret guarded by cooks trained in krav maga, daughter Donnice gladly gives out hints to its taste. "It's a touch spicy, but my 1-year-old nephew and 2-year-old niece love to eat it," she says. Housemade waffles and traditional sides such as greens, yams, and black-eyed peas round out meals.