Partenope Ristorante, the much-anticipated authentic Southern Italian restaurant will open for lunch and dinner seven days a week beginning Monday, September 23 inside the historic Titche-Goettinger Building at 1900 Main Street, the northeast corner of St. Paul and Main Street in Downtown Dallas.
Created by talented husband and wife duo Dino Santonicola (chef and master pizzaioli born and raised in Spanish Quarter of Naples, Italy) and Megan Santonicola (a fixture in the Dallas restaurant scene since 1999 on the management side), Partenope Ristorante is a love letter to Dino’s hometown, culture and experiences of dining around a big table with family and friends fully embraced in a complete Neapolitan dining experience.
Megan says, “I will never forget the first time Dino brought me home to meet his family in Naples. I was blown away by the gorgeous simplicity of the dishes I ate that also bared a genuine focus on quality and taking time to prepare. Sunday meals start at 4p. His family takes all day to cook, then we enjoy hours and hours of dining, drinking, and conversation. We may not end the meal until 10p at night and sometimes later. It’s a wonderful way of life.”
Dino puts it best, “In Southern Italy, when you sit down to eat, you eat.”
He continues. “Our passion and love for the culture and cuisine, is now able to be shared through everything we have painstakingly planned and worked through all of these months together.”
Their dedication to deliver the best Neapolitan-cuisine is simple: a hunger for good food produced from quality ingredients delivered to guests in a warm, friendly and inviting atmosphere with great hospitality as the icing on the cake.
The design and building, one might say, also replicates the spirit or essence of what Dino and Megan bring to the table with Partenope.
“We fell in love with the location right when we laid our eyes on it. The building embodies great culture, heartbeat and has a soul,” exclaims Megan. The 4,000 square foot restaurant is located in the historic Titche-Goettinger Building which was formerly a department store. The eight-story building was designed with a Renaissance Revival and Art Deco style and was built in 1929. Now home to 1900 Elm Apartments, Partenope is conveniently located on the first floor.
She continues, “It hasn’t been easy working with a historical Dallas landmark since there are so many obstacles to overcome; but we knew once we set eyes on this space how special it was. We knew it had to be the spot for Partenope and are incredibly grateful it all worked out.”
The pizza oven is the focus of an open kitchen and was custom designed and made by Stefano Ferrara in Naples with hand painted Italian tiles. The design is a simple, practical design with an Italian Trattoria as inspiration. The dining room comfortably seats 100 with 12 at the full-service bar. A private dining room holds up to 20 people seated.
The menu features house-made pasta dishes such as Rigatoni alla Genovese, Fusilli al Pesto, Timballetto di Melanzane and more.
Street food is a large part of Naples’ culture and Partenope acknowledges this with menu items such as the Mozzarella in Carrozza and Dino’s award-winning Montanara pizza. The Montanara won the gold medal at the Pizza Olympics in Naples in 2012. The menu features over 10 pizza options ranging from Pizza Fritta to Focaccia Pizza.
Lighter menu items include Insalata di Barbabietole, Prosciutto al Tagliere, Caprese di Zucca and Zia Nunzia. Many of the items on the menu are vegetarian and gluten friendly.
Guests can round out the meal with a Caffè Napolitano and classic Southern Italian desserts such as the Tiramisu and Torta Caprese.
Naples is known to serve some of the best Caffé Napolitano in all of Italy and Partenope is bringing this authentic drink to the restaurant by sourcing the beans from Palmieri Café, a Southern Italian coffee shop and bakery at Dallas Farmers Market. “The drink is served with sparkling water in order to cleanse the palate after an indulgent meal,” continues Dino. “We will be using Palmieri’s beans for only this…and we specially shipped Neapolitan coffee makers to use table-side for this presentation.”
Partenope features a 30-40 bottle wine list exclusively featuring Italian varietals with an emphasis on the Southern Italy region. Signature cocktails are available with a focus on aperitivo and Partenope’s versions of classic drinks made with Italian spirits and sodas.
“With our 50 combined years in the industry, Dino’s deep Italian roots and setting up shop in this stunning historic building, we hope that guests truly feel like they have been transported to Naples,” says Megan.
