12 March 19 - 25, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents ish tile has replaced the original wooden shake roof, but aside from the addition of a few small rooms on the western side, it still largely looks the same from Jefferson Boule- vard as when they bought it. A Dilbeck Special While driving up for a marg or three, you might notice the exterior looks anything but master-planned. Distinctively wavy “drunken” red brickwork collides with lime- stone veneer randomly under heavy timber rafters. From one angle, the restaurant ap- pears to be a patchwork of structures an- chored by a two-story limestone frame topped with a bell tower. That’s the Dilbeck influence, meant to give the impression that his buildings evolved organically over time, adding to the feeling that El Ranchito could have been ripped right out of the Old Southwest. As you walk in, it’s easy to drift to family portraits on the timber rafters or a taxi- dermy bull hung over the original Red Bryan firepit. If you go for dinner, mariachis adver- tised on the red LED sign outside kick up the atmosphere while soliciting their way from table to Mexican-painted-tile table. And those mariachis? All yours (for a song) at $25 per. Due to the hodgepodge layout of Dil- beck’s design, the restaurant honeycombs into warmly lit, tile-floored rooms decorated with no shortage of art, mementos and some Cowboys memorabilia. The Food The center of the action is the main room, where disco lights add to the party vibe as mariachis play. Toward the back, homemade tortillas plop on a flat-top grill in an open- sided kitchen. Those tortillas make for fresh chips, which come warm alongside a respectable portion of bright red salsa. Additional starter choices include guacamole and elote, which comes with crema, cayenne and Parmesan cheese. If mariachis aren’t your vibe, there’s an- other form of tableside entertainment. Queso asadero topped with chorizo is plenty to look forward to by itself, but what if you could see a waiter melt it before your eyes? El Ranchito. Tex-Mex loyalists can find enchiladas and fajita nachos on the menu, but North- ern-style cuisine takes the spotlight. Small parillas, cast-iron grills sometimes featured in Northern culinary traditions, are left on tables with burners still firing to keep fajitas, ribs and sausage sizzling. Cabrito al horno, a whole baby goat served with vege- tables, is a house speciality and also comes on a parilla. Other protein-centric dishes Tex-Mex lovers might be unfamiliar with include rib- eye smothered in chipotle salsa, a brandy- marinated half chicken and cheese-topped guiso, a tomato-braised stew of beef and vegetables. There’s also seafood on hand, including Camarones Enchipotlados, a dish of shrimp sauteed in chipotle sauce and served over rice, and whole fried tilapia. The bar, housed in one of the building’s rare additions, pours generously with mar- garitas, not to mention tequila riffs on old- fashioneds and Moscow mules. A Show of Solidarity Pay the check, get a mint on the counter, then head out. To the right, you might see a ‘Save Dallas City Hall Sign.’ In a town where buildings and restaurants alike can be known to have a short half-life, it’s fitting for an institution like El Ranchito to show some solidarity. Oak Cliff resident and Landmark Com- missioner David Preziosi says the building is already a local landmark and is confident the city will confirm that with a council vote. “It’s so unique in style from what we have on the rest of Jefferson,” Preziosi says. “And I think it really stands out. And I think it’s really important that we save buildings like that, be- cause they are very unique to our community here in Oak Cliff. And really, it’s something that you don’t see even in the rest of Dallas.” ▼ OPENINGS THAT’S AMORE CALIFORNIA-BORN BURATTINO PIZZA DRAWS LONG LINES ON ITS OPENING NIGHT, AND WE CAN SEE WHY. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS D allas is a hot spot for big restaurant openings: Delilah and its $29 chicken strips, AVRA, and even Prince Street Pizza, to name a few. These are all met with lots of social media videos and big-rock-star energy. But few of them give out free food for two hours on opening night. But the line out the door of the new Bu- rattino Pizza in North Richland Hills has us looking for our invite. Burattino Pizza is a California import; the first location opened in San Pedro 10 years ago. In that time, it has amassed more than a million followers on Instagram. It’s easy to see why: The continuous stream of piping-hot, cheesy, greasy pizzas has us checking the miles on Google Maps. On opening day in North Texas (Feb. 22), a line snaked out the door, past several busi- nesses, ending at a dumpster in the parking lot. People set up chairs outside the door two hours before it opened. The restaurant in North Richland Hills was offering two hours of free pizza. Owner Emil Chiberi told Culture Map he’s focused on growing the brand in North Texas and hopes to open more locations. The Pizza Hype The base of Burattino’s pie is a crispy brick- oven baked dough, loaded with toppings, cheese and sauce that reaches to the edge of the pie much like a tavern style. The calzones are massive, super stuffed, overly cheesy crime scenes. Here’s a high- light reel of the popular pizzas: • Dirty pepperoni: described as a long-time fan favorite, made with pepperoni, black olives with a black garlic sauce. • White clam: chopped clams, bacon, garlic, oregano, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese with a white garlic sauce. • World Famous 120 Pepperoni: an extra large with, we guess, 120 pieces of pep- peroni. • Mexican pepperoni: red and green chorizo, bacon, garlic, red onion, jalapeños and mozzarella over a chunky mild salsa sauce. • Bianca: white garlic sauce, mozzarella and feta with fresh basil. • Burattino signature calzone: “Use your imagination to build the calzone of your dreams,” dares the menu description. There are also three salads: a loaded house salad (roasted red peppers, red onions, black olives, cucumbers and more), a Mediterranean and a chicken Caesar salad. Prices The pies and calzones here are big. There are two sizes, medium and large. A medium basic cheese pizza costs $12.99, and an ex- tra-large costs $21.99. Fancier options cost a bit more. The medium Dirty Pepperoni is $17.99 and the extra-large is $26.99. Still not bad for the amount of pizza. Burattino Pizza, 6305 Precinct Line Road, North Richland Hills; Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. City of Ate from p11 Alyssa Fields El Ranchito’s architecture
