And Now For Some Good News — Eataly Dallas is Officially Open

After more than a year of anticipation and pandemic setbacks, Eataly finally decided to give Dallas some good news: the beloved Italian food hall would be opening their Texas location in NorthPark Center just in time for the holidays. This week, the 46,000-square-foot marketplace brought more than 10,000 high-quality food products, over 1,200 Italian wines and liquors, three restaurants (including rooftop Terra with stunning treetop views), a cooking school (virtual to start), and a variety of classic-looking stalls that transport shoppers to bustling Italy, where prized Alba white truffles and hard-to-find brands abound.

Knowledgeable staffers man the counters of La Pasticceria (order specialty cakes or grab a monoporzione and espresso to go), Salumi & Formaggi with its staggering cheese collection and five different kinds of prosciutto, La Gastronomia (pick up pizza by the slice), La Pescheria, and La Macelleria, where the majority of meat is sourced from Texas. Pull up a barstool and watch the masters assemble fresh pasta, made with local eggs and Italian flour, or observe Eataly’s cheesemongers at work in the Mozzarella Lab. Indulge in fresh bread made in-house with natural mother yeast, and pair with imported 100 percent extra virgin olive oil or a scoop of real-deal gelato made with local Mill-King milk. Thanks to the new Made in Eataly line, shoppers can attempt to replicate the authentic Italian experience (and support the Slow Food philosophy) from the comfort of home.

But for many, the allure of Eataly, founded in Turin, Italy in 2007, is about discovery — the joy of wandering down rows of shelves (glass of Italian wine or local beer in hand) lined with the best of the best, whether sourced from a small market in Italy or a producer doing great things not too far from home. “We’re bringing new Italian products, but we’re also bringing together local vendors who share our passion for food. We’re creating an experience, something we don’t think Dallas has seen yet,” says Adam Saper, Eataly’s business partner. Eataly is undeniably a juggernaut, but the educational emporium doesn’t arrive to displace local gems — instead, it gives talented small producers like Milk & Patience, Sturdivant Farms, and A Bar N Ranch a well-deserved lift.

Though the team searched the entire city, Eataly settled on NorthPark Center, one of the top malls in the country, for both its accessibility and celebration of art. Eataly Dallas plans to contribute their own masterpieces — ones created in the kitchen.