12 April 30 - MAy 6, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents toppings are locally sourced. Some of our fa- vorites include the Texas Sweet Heat, which has cup and char pepperoni, fresh jalapeños and hot honey drizzle. One of our favorites in- cludes the chicken, bacon and ranch, which is topped with marinated chicken, smoked ba- con, house ranch and cheddar cheese. Pizzana 3219 Knox St. and 11700 Preston Road Pizzana is a collaboration originally from Los Angeles between Candace Nelson, former owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes, and master pizza chef Daniele Uditi. Pizzana serves what they call neo-Neapolitan pizza: the dough is fermented for 48 hours, which gives it true Neapolitan pizza qualities, but with a firm, not floppy, base. One of their signature pizzas, the cacio e pepe, is a spectacular twist on the traditional pasta dish. One of the things we like most about Pizzana is its ability to offer a heat and slice option for to-go orders, where they prepare the pizza to the point where you can bring it home and throw it in the oven at a high temperature for about five minutes and enjoy it as if it were just pulled out of the res- taurant’s pizza oven. Cane Rosso Multiple Locations Cane Rosso continues to master the alchemy of creating the perfect Neapolitan-style pie, and owner Jay Jerrier and his team have been delighting Dallas since 2009. At all nine locations throughout North Texas the pizzas adhere to the standards of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, which means they are cooked at about 900 degrees for about 90 seconds. The most popular pie is the Honey Bastard (house-made mozza- rella, hot soppressata, bacon marmalade and habanero honey), but we also recommend checking out the pizza of the month for new off-the-menu creations. Thunderbird Pies 7328 Gaston Ave., White Rock Lake Before COVID, Detroit-style pizza was not well known to Dallasites, but after the culi- nary team behind Cane Rosso and Zoli’s did some experimenting, we’re well acquainted with the pillowy, square slices. Our favorite is a toss-up between the Thunder Mifflin (pepperoni cups, sausage, mushrooms and tomato sauce) and the Drip Pan (hot sop- pressata, sausage, roasted mushrooms, cara- melized onions, roasted peppers and tomato sauce). If you prefer your pizza with a crunchy base, they also offer tavern-style crust now. Zoli’s 14910 Midway Road, Addison (Yes, this makes a trifecta for Jay Jerrier and his PILF empire. He’s locked in.) Zoli’s New York-style pizza can’t be beat. It’s popped up in our best-of issues for numerous years and we always rave about it, like in 2023 when we said: “It captures the essence of tradi- tional New York-style pizza, with a master- piece crust that stays firm despite hefty toppings while the edges remain light and airy.” Just like at Cane Rosso, the most pop- ular pie is the sweet-heat Honey Bastard, but we recommend checking out the pizza of the month for new off-the-menu cre- ations. 14910 Midway Road, Addison Bryan Street Tavern 4315 Bryan St., Old East Dallas Bryan Street Tavern, inspired by Imo’s Piz- za’s Midwestern empire, brought stone- fired thin-crust pizzas and Provel cheese from St. Louis to Old East Dallas around 12 years ago. The style may be from out of town, but all the proteins have been sourced from Jimmy’s Food Store since the tavern opened. All the beers on tap pair well with pies like the Tavern favorite, made with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, Jimmy’s spicy Italian sausage, pepperoni, red onions and mushrooms. NEONY Pizza Works 829 W Davis St., Bishop Arts NEONY “neo-nee” makes New York-style pizza fused with elements of traditional Neopolitan pizzas. The dough here goes through an extended fermentation pro- cess, and when baked for a shorter time at higher temperatures, you get a chewy, yet crispy crust. All 11 pizza options are 12 inches. They carry all the classics, along with more interesting takes like a banh mi pizza and a pesto cream creation. Be on the lookout for Detroit Night on Sundays, where they serve an exclusive Detroit- style pizza for one night only, and special “pizza of the night” offerings announced on Instagram. ▼ OPENINGS A NEW BUGATTI THE NEW RESTAURANT IS HELMED BY CHEF ERIN WILLIS A JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE. BY AAREN PRODY A fter spending 40 years as a fixture of Italian dining in Farmers Branch, Bugatti Ristorante is expanding its footprint in its original digs. The Bugatti family opened Bugatti Ris- torante on Bachman Lake in the 1980s, building its reputation on attentive, old- school service and classic dishes. It closed its original location in 2023 and relocated to Farmers Branch in 2024. The new concept, Trattoria Bugatti, is opening just steps away from the restau- rant’s original location off Northwest High- way near Lemmon Avenue and Marsh Lane . The New Chef & Local Suppliers Trattoria Bugatti has hired chef Erin Willis, a James Beard Award nominee and former owner and executive chef of RM 12:20 Bis- tro, a French bistro in Lake Highlands that closed in 2023. Willis’ background spans Italian, French, Mediterranean and Ameri- can cuisines, but she will draw on her time studying cooking and food culture in Italy for her culinary philosophy at the trattoria. Willis is leaning into local partnerships to source ingredients around North Texas: Lubbies Bagels is supplying sourdough pizza and focaccia dough; Botolino Gelato is supplying the gelato; and fresh pasta is from Fresh Pasta Delights, a family-owned, arti- san pasta maker in Plano founded in 1984. The Mains These core ingredients will build Trattoria Bugatti’s apertivo, lunch, dinner and dessert menus. We can expect classic Italian dishes with seasonal ingredients and contempo- rary touches. In a release we received, cacio e pepe wings, house focaccia with calabrian butter and basil olive oil were highlights from the “starters” section. Willis learned how to make alfredo the true Italian way and will feature the dish made with fettuccine, butter, garlic and parmesan (no cream) on the menu. More call outs for entrees were the sachetti shrimp scampi and Lasagna “Rotta,” Willis’ modern take on lasagna with housemade meatballs, ricotta, pecorino and broken sheet noodle. Lunch will feature similar pasta dishes, but will play with the sourdough pizza dough and focaccia for pizzas and sand- wiches. Their signature trattoria focaccia sandwich is layered with ricotta, giardiniera, arugula, mortadella, pepperoni, salami and red wine vinaigrette, and costs $14 before tax and tip. The Drink Menu Alongside these offerings are drinks from mixologist Chris Henley of Betty Cocktail, a Dallas-based mixology consultancy group. He is also the general manager at Bowen House, an Uptown favorite for cocktails. Dallas will look to the Italian margarita first. It’s made with tequila, amaretto and orange liqueur. Much of the menu is Ital- ian-inspired favorites, but there are re- fined classics like espresso martinis as well. Exclusively at the bar is a dedicated aper- tivo menu with a curated selection of cock- tails, wines and beers that go with small bites perfect for grazing. The bar-only op- tions include fried gnocchi and grilled shrimp skewers. Trattoria Bugatti opened Monday, April 20, at 3850 W. Northwest Highway in the Midway Hollow area. Greenville Ave. Pizza Co. The Supreme Pizza at GapCo. Samantha Marie Photography Pasta e Fagiolo at Bugatti Ristorante in Farmers Branch. City of Ate from p11
