16 September 25 - OctOber 1, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents for the food. Artisanal salumi, pasta and piz- zas dominate the menu. The white clam pie with fresh clams, garlic, olive oil and oreg- ano is a treat. Given its widespread popular- ity, securing reservations, especially during peak dining hours, is highly recommended. Partenope Ristorante 1903 Main St. (Downtown Dallas) Partenope Ristorante has been named one of the best pizzerias in the U.S. for four years in a row. It has climbed rankings every year, and this year it earned the 12th place spot thanks to its outstanding Neapolitan-style pizza and authentic Italian dishes. From meticulously crafted antipasti dishes, like the polpette al sugo (beef and pork meat- balls, marinara and house bread) to the Su- per Jeff sandwich (soppressata, prosciutto, provolone, mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, Calabrian chili may, giardiniera and bal- samic) and pasta dishes, you can taste the love in each bite. Partenope Ristorante is a charming spot, blending comfort and style. Those in North Dallas can rejoice. Their sec- ond location, which opened in recent years, is still thriving at 110 S Greenville Ave. in Richardson. Pizzana 3219 Knox Street (Knox-Henderson) Hailing from Hollywood, Pizzana pizzeria is the collaborative creation of Italian Master Pizzaiolo Daniele Uditi and Candace Nel- son, the visionary behind Sprinkles Cup- cakes. Pizzana is known for its authentic “Neo-Neapolitan-style” pizzas, which fer- ments dough for 48 hours to impart true Ne- apolitan pizza qualities with a firm, not floppy, base. The menu offers antipasti, pizza, salads and desserts. For antipasti, you can’t go wrong with the Caprese di bufala, with large chunks of fresh mozzarella, heir- loom tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic and ol- ive oil. For pizzas, go for the cacio e pepe pizza, a signature pie that offers a unique twist on the original pasta dish. Be sure to save room for dessert because the panna cotta with salted caramel and caramelized pretzels is simple but so decadent and should not be missed. Via Triozzi 1806 Greenville Ave. Via Triozzi is a restaurant that was a vision 17 years in the making when it officially opened in 2023. Chef Leigh Hutchinson was inspired by staying in a 15th-century villa while completing a culinary program out- side of Florence. So much so, she brought it to Dallas. Her signature bolognese sings with besciamella and pecorino romano in the lasagna al forno, and luckily, the tiramisu is fit for two to close out your evening. A din- ner here is like being invited to your long- lost Nonna’s house, through delicate details and the right amount of comfort. They have a new upstairs patio is that is supposely lovely (haven’t been able to check it out yet). Osteria il Muro 311 W Congress St. (Denton) Strictly for this round-up, Denton is an hon- orary part of Dallas County. Osteria il Muro is a 24-seat gem for regional Italian cuisine situated inside an old residential home. While we can call it a gem, it’s nowhere near hidden. Dining here is by reservation onl, and they’re released on the last Monday of the month at noon sharp for the following month on Tock. It’s cutthroat, but if you’re quick enough, you can grab a seat and enjoy a menu that partners with local farmers, uti- lizes seasonal produce and is made com- pletely from scratch. The sourdough focaccia is universally loved, and in the past, they’ve featured favorites like fried squash blossoms and pork lingua tortellini. Always save room for dessert here. Especially if it’s the affogato. ▼ HIDDEN GEMS OXTAIL EGGROLLS? SAY LESS. JAMAICA MI HUNGRY IS AN ISLAND OUTPOST IN SOUTH DALLAS. BY SIMON PRUITT W e were supposed to leave for Austin at 10 in the morning, which quickly became noon, and then noon turned into 3 p.m. Erykah Badu was playing that night at the ACL Live at Moody Theater, and doors opened at 7 p.m. The idealists among us say that you should get to Austin around lunchtime, hang out in the city, maybe grab a coffee, and get to the venue with plenty of time to spare. But you know how these things go. We left really late and hungry. Thank- fully, only 25 minutes into the drive, one road sign broke from the repetitive cast of fast food options: an instantly recognizable green, black and yellow Jamaican flag, with “Jamaica Mi Hungry” plastered in the cen- ter. We checked the exit number and saw it was only a few hundred feet ahead. Natu- rally, the only suitable reaction was to swerve the car across three lanes of highway traffic (not recommended) and send our- selves careening towards this mysterious new eatery, drawn in only by a funny name and a proclivity to Caribbean flavor. Just a few minutes up the road and just a few feet within the Dallas city limits, Ja- maica Mi Hungry is the diviest of all dives. It’s presented in an unseemly sandwich be- tween a Cricket and a Metro by T-Mobile store, with a small church just across the parking lot. A step inside the restaurant doubles as a bow to the altar of Usain Bolt and Bob Mar- ley, who are each honored on the restau- rant’s walls in a massive mural backed by the Jamaican flag. Next to the mural, there’s a small painting of street signs reading St. Mary and Port Maria, a parish and a city in Jamaica. Aside from the nod to their cultural signifiers, Jamaica Mi Hungry doesn’t do much else for presentation. We figured they’d rather let the food speak for itself, and we also figured we’d let the first employee we saw speak for themselves on what the best thing on the menu was. Jamaica Mi Hungry’s menu offers up the greatest hits from the Caribbean stan- dards. Entree options range from oxtail to jerk chicken to a huge plate of mixed vege- tables and mac and cheese. There’s meat and cheese patties, fried plantains, coco bread and oxtail egg rolls a la carte. But we were there for the full Jamaica Mi Hungry experience, or at least the best one we could get. One employee recommended getting a curry chicken plate, which comes with two sides, and we chose mixed vegeta- bles (cauliflower, carrots, squash, zucchini) and rice and peas. We watched in equal parts horror and hunger as massive portions of each item were dolloped into a black plastic to-go box. A medium portion (which would’ve been a large anywhere else) costs $16.50 before tax, or $18.50 for a large, which we might never be hungry enough to try. Our table was like a Thanksgiving meal, with all those weighty portions mushed together into one delicious concoction. The curry chicken was amazing, spiced perfectly and served with heaping amounts of sauce, along with potatoes were fantastic. Beneath it all, the traditional rice and peas were an excellent base for the chicken and savory steamed vegetables. Another stop a few days later yielded a similarly positive reaction, though we opted for the jerk chicken with mac and cheese in- stead. This month, Jamaica Mi Hungry cele- brates its fourth anniversary, a true accomplishment in the restaurant industry. Next time you’re driving down south, or you’re extra hungry for a stuffed box of Ja- maican food (and maybe a bit to take home after), a drive to South Dallas is well worth your while. Mi Hungry, 9702 S Lancaster Road, Ste 110. Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. ▼ OPENINGS OPEN UP, ALREADY THE MOST EXCITING RESTAURANTS OPENINGS IN DALLAS THIS FALL. BY AAREN PRODY H ospitality in Dallas is doing more than expanding in the Design Dis- trict and Uptown. It’s evolving. A Korean-style omakase place wants to pick you up in a limo to take you to its dinner service; a rare fine-dining Mediterranean spot is angled to be one of the hottest open- ings; and another new two-in-one restau- rant will offer tasting menus based on the rotating art gallery on its walls. These experiences and more are the res- taurant openings in Dallas we’re most look- ing forward to this fall. Meridian 5650 Village Glen Drive Meridian was originally a Brazilian-inspired restaurant inside Dallas’ famous Village neighborhood, just a wee bit north of SMU, that closed in mid-2024 for renovations and to welcome a new chef to the kitchen. The new executive chef, Eduardo Osorio, is rei- magining the restaurant as an everyday neighborhood eatery that will feel lively and lived in. It’s slated to open in mid-October and will focus on seasonality, simplicity and soul. (We attended a charity dinner once where Osorio cooked a dish that was one of the best things we ate all year — needless to say, we’re excited about the next phase of this restaurant.) Kilmac’s Oak Cliff 814 W Davis St. Owner Feargal McKinney and partner Charles Reis (behind Old Monk, Spider Murphy’s and The Skellig) are opening a new favorite in Oak Cliff called Kilmac’s. The new spot will be more cocktail-centric and feature both indoor and outdoor seat- ing. This opening has been fairly under the radar as far as openings go, so we hope to see an update soon to confirm. We have been eyeing their Instagram account periodically, and they recently updated the bio to “Com- ing Fall 2025.” That’s a good sign. Avra 300 Crescent Court Mark our words: Avra will be the next res- taurant flooding your social media feed. It’s inspired by Greece’s seaside tavernas, and the recipes have been passed down from the co-owner and co-founder Nick Tsoulos’s family for generations. Avra already has out- posts in New York, Beverly Hills and Miami and Dallas is just as excited to get in the doors and take a peek at their 300-year-old stone planters. Oh, and glasses from the fin- Simon Pruitt Curry chicken at Jamaica Mi Hungry, with vegetables and rice. City of Ate from p15
