The Dallas dining scene is no stranger to reinvention, but every so often a new opening feels like a statement. This week, Tivona Group, the Dallas-based hospitality company behind the acclaimed Indian fine-dining destination Sanjh, steps into a new lane with the arrival of Urban Italia, opening Friday, January 9, in Victory Park. Located at 3030 Nowitzki Way, the restaurant brings Italian-American cooking into sharp, modern focus—equal parts memory, technique, and appetite.
At the helm is Chef Carla Pellegrino, whose résumé reads like a master class in soulful Italian cooking with polish. At Urban Italia, she frames the menu around what she calls “Italia-Merica” cuisine: dishes born in immigrant kitchens, shaped by availability and ambition, and eventually woven into the American dining canon. Think spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmesan, and steak pizzaiola—not as throwbacks, but as living classics, made with intention and restraint. Pellegrino’s approach honors tradition while sharpening it for today’s table.
The menu moves comfortably between refinement and indulgence. Appetizers set the tone with coastal ease, including a jumbo lump crab cocktail served over shaved ice with classic accompaniments, plus baked little neck clams stuffed with herbed breadcrumbs and broiled in white wine and lemon. From the wood-fired oven, Neapolitan-style pizzas land with confidence, ranging from a rich Pizza Bianca layered with mozzarella, San Daniele prosciutto, arugula, Grana Padano, and white truffle oil to a textbook Margherita and a vegetable-forward Capricciosa finished with taggiasca olives and Pecorino Romano.
Housemade pastas lean into comfort without losing finesse. Fettuccine al Ragù Bolognese is slow-cooked and deeply layered with veal, beef, and pork, while Shrimp Fra Diavolo delivers heat and balance through Calabrese chilies, garlic, and white wine. Cappelletti filled with artichokes and Parma prosciutto arrive in a light cream sauce that feels indulgent without tipping into excess.
Entrées broaden the scope beyond red sauce staples. Chicken Milanese comes crisp and brightened with arugula and heirloom tomatoes, while Chilean sea bass Mediterranea is roasted with olives and teardrop tomatoes. Salmon Harissa adds a subtle North African accent, and an American Wagyu sirloin au poivre, finished with cognac peppercorn sauce and fries, anchors the menu with classic steakhouse confidence.
Behind the bar, award-winning mixologist Yangdup Lama builds an Italian-accented cocktail program that feels playful but precise. Standouts include the Milano Bianco, layered with gin, dry vermouth, bitter bianco, and grapefruit, and the Amalfi Highball, a clarified, carbonated blend of vodka, Italicus, limoncello, cranberry, and lime. Even the espresso martini gets a twist, folding mezcal, fig-infused Marsala, hazelnut, and espresso into something darker and more complex. A thoughtful mocktail list mirrors that creativity, offering non-alcoholic options that don’t feel like an afterthought.
The room itself matches the menu’s balance of warmth and polish. Designed by Fusion AE, the 5,500-square-foot space seats 250 across an elegant dining room, an indoor-outdoor bar, and a generous patio. Natural woods, bright coastal accents, and an easy, open flow give the restaurant the feel of a destination without formality.
Urban Italia opens for dinner January 9 in Victory Park, with lunch service to follow. It’s a confident debut—one that understands Italian-American food isn’t about reinvention for its own sake, but about care, memory, and the pleasure of getting it right.
