The Campisi family has been feeding Dallas since Carlo and Antonia arrived from Sicily and tossed the city’s first pizza dough at a bar called the Idle Hour on the corner of Knox and McKinney in 1946. They moved to Mockingbird Lane four years later, took over a space that had been the Egyptian Lounge, and couldn’t afford to replace the neon sign — so they just removed the word “Lounge” and added “Restaurant.” That sign has been glowing on Mockingbird ever since, and the restaurant behind it has outlasted everything around it for nearly 80 years.
Now fourth-generation owner David Campisi is bringing the family operation to Preston Royal. According to public filings, Campisi’s plans to open a new location at 5944 Royal Lane in Dallas, with an opening planned for August 1. David calls the spot a “great spot,” which, coming from a man who has been evaluating Dallas neighborhoods for this family’s whole career, is worth taking seriously.
The menu will be what Campisi’s has always been — thin-crust pizzas, house-made pastas, chicken entrées, sandwiches, salads, and the traditional family recipes that have been in the Campisi kitchen since before most of their customers were born. David has been direct about the approach: no significant changes, no reinvention, no pivot toward something newer. “It will follow the Campisi’s line”. His personal motto — “leave the place better than you got it” — is the operating philosophy of a fourth-generation owner who understands that the thing he inherited is worth protecting. Preston Royal is a neighborhood that appreciates that kind of consistency. The fit makes sense.
We wrote about the original Mockingbird location — and everything that makes it one of Dallas’s true dining landmarks — here. Follow @campisisrestaurant on Instagram for opening updates.
