Norman's: The Salty Spitoon

Bar seating (Chef's table) facing Norman's kitchen

Showed up to Norman’s, Oak Lawn’s new Western-Japanese addition, on a Friday night without a reservation—because apparently, I love to suffer in the name of “research.” I keep telling myself it’s good content for y'all to see how long it actually takes to get a table at these spots… but let’s be real, most of you are reservation queens, not raw-dogging Dallas dining.

They told me a 2-hour wait. I lasted 45 minutes, checked the list, saw I was still nowhere close… and decided it was time to work my magic. One successful name drop later, I was immediately sat at the chef’s table—aka the tiny four-seat bar facing the kitchen.

If you love watching the behind-the-scenes chaos like I do, request this table. As a devoted fan of The Bear, hearing ‘Yes, Chef!’ and ‘I need hands!’ felt like being on set.

Now let’s start with cocktails—because honestly, there’s not much to say. I tried their popular Snowblood Spritz (sake, coconut water, etc.), the one all the drunk HP moms at the bar were raving about… and it was SO dry it made my throat feel like sandpaper. And I love a dry drink—but this had the after-effects of rubbing alcohol. Other cocktails were fine. Switched to wine.

Food-wise, I went for the TikTok-viral Udon Carbonara. Absolutely delicious. Probably the most unhealthy thing I’ve slurped down in a minute—but seemed worth it at the time. That said, about halfway through, my date and I were chugging water. Warning: if you’re dehydrated, this dish will finish you off. I swear I could feel myself swelling up.

Udon Carbonara at Norman's

Next up: handrolls with a cute roll-it-yourself setup. Check out the seaweed set up with the instruction sheet. Adorable.

Handroll with how-to-roll instructions at Norman's

Shrimp & Longaniza Sausage dumplings—forgettable.

Fluke nigiri—also forgot about it.

Pretty sure the waiters sensed my boredom, because surprise dishes started flying our way. Either they feared me… or the chef’s table is where all the “oops” plates land. So seriously—sit there.

And thank God they started sending extra stuff, because those surprises were the best part of the night. The lobster handroll. Absolutely insane. If you go—get it. No questions. It single-handedly turned my night around.

Lobster handroll pre-wrapped at Norman's

Next was the Akami tuna nigiri—slapped. Bless those servers because it turned what was about to be a low ranking for Norman's into a mid.

And just to clarify if you aren't a frequent reader—mid rankings here aren't bad. I’m just picky. High rankings are sacred territory reserved only for the elite few.

Final Thoughts: I’ll probably be back at some point. I mean… it’s centrally located (right across from Al Bernait’s), so why not. Next time, I’ll just post up on the outdoor patio—the bar out was a fun vibe—order a few nigiris and that lobster handroll, and bounce. I'm still recovering from how salty everything was. So I'll need a minute.

If you’re going for the full dining experience, just know most of the food is pretty average, minus a few showstoppers. Do yourself a favor and grab a seat at the chef’s table for the show, because that’s where the fun happens. The staff was lovely, but honestly? You’re not missing anything earth-shattering with this one.