East Dallas has been waiting on Serritella for a while now. The project was announced in 2024, was supposed to open in early 2025, then early 2026, and is still not open as of today. The co-owner confirmed to the Dallas Morning News recently that it’s delayed but still happening. Given what’s been planned for that corner of Skillman Street, it’s worth the wait.
Serritella is taking over the former Matt’s Rancho Martinez space at 1904 Skillman Street — a building East Dallas knows well, in a corridor that already has Mot Hai Ba, Lakewood Landing, and The Wine Therapist within a few blocks. The group behind it is Lakewood Hospitality Group, and the scale of what they’re building is genuinely unusual for this part of the city: 16,000 square feet, 250 seats, three separate concepts under one roof.
The main dining room is Serritella Prime Italian Steakhouse, where the kitchen will be run by Ryan Ferguson — former executive chef at Nonna and Fachini, two of the most respected Italian restaurants Dallas has had in the last decade. He’s been cooking serious Italian food in this city for over ten years and brings the kind of résumé that makes the menu worth taking seriously before you’ve tasted a bite. The focus is Rome and Tuscany, with freshly made pasta and pizza alongside Texas Akaushi wagyu steaks sourced from the ownership group’s own ranch. Multigenerational Italian family recipes are the stated foundation, which either means something or it doesn’t — with Ferguson in the kitchen, it probably means something.
The second concept is Serritella Market — a grab-and-go Italian market with a cold case stocked with fresh steaks, seafood, and housemade sausage and meatballs. Pasta, gelato, breads, pastries, and coffee to go, plus sandwiches and takeout from the restaurant. For a neighborhood that has been asking for a proper Italian market since Eataly became a conversation piece, this is the closest thing East Dallas has seen to an answer.
The third piece is COSA Speakeasy Lounge, tucked in the back — cocktails, bites, live music, and a semi-private membership program that comes with preferred entry, reserved seating, discounted menu items, and members-only events. The concept of a hidden bar behind a 250-seat Italian restaurant in Lakewood is either going to be ridiculous or exactly right. Everything about Ferguson’s track record suggests it’ll be exactly right.
No confirmed opening date as of today. Follow @serritella_dallas for updates and check lakewoodhospitality.com when it opens.
