Pizza News

Veteran Dallas restaurateur debuts worldly new pizzeria on Lemmon Ave

The pizzas come with creative toppings and flavors from around the world.

Mondo

Veteran Dallas restaurateur Yaser Khalaf is opening a new restaurant that specializes in a pandemic favorite: pizza. Called Mondo Pizza, it's a fresh, worldly take on pizza that's opening at 4436 Lemmon Ave., in a former Snap Kitchen.

Khalaf is probably best known around town for Middle Eastern restaurants such as Baboush and Souk Moroccan Bistro, but diners who've been around for more than a few years will recognize that this is not his first spin at pizza.

"A long time ago, I opened LA Gourmet Pizza on McKinney Avenue, and when I still lived in Kentucky before moving to Dallas, I owned a lot of pizzerias," Khalaf says. "This, I decided to do for fun. It's just a small project, designed for COVID times, focused on delivery, but with a twist to it."

The twist is to do pizza with his international perspective, from his birthplace in Kuwait to his travels throughout the Middle East and Europe.

"'Mondo' means world," he says. "Italian is one of my favorite cuisines, but I put my influence on it with my favorite foods."

The menu has 5 veggie pizza options and seven with meat, and it's an intriguing assortment, ranging from classics such as margarita to more creative pies:

Burrata & Pickled Pear with herbed goat cheese & basil pesto
Avocado Toast with ricotta salata cheese, burrito, pistachios, lemon zest, arugula, & grape tomatoes
Maverick with ground lamb & fennel sausage, pepperoni, & soppressata
Philly Steak with Boursin cream sauce, shaved ribeye, onions mushrooms, bell pepper, & garlic
Chicken Tikka with spicy tikka sauce
Chicken Shawarma, with sumac & herb grilled chicken, goat cheese, and a saffron-garlic cream
Mt. Gyro, with shaved lamb and beef gyro meat, feta cheese, tzatziki crema, capers, arugula, and kalamata olives

There are two salads, Greek and Caesar; garlic bread and cheesy bread; and a limoncello cake for dessert.

He expects to open Mondo in early February, although he has many irons in the fire these days, overseeing multiple concepts including Baboushi now open at the AT&T Discovery District; Darna Euro-Mediterranean Market coming soon to Plano's Legacy West; and a food hall in Denver.

Even Mondo won't just be a simple pizzeria. That would not be enough for the restless overachieving Khalaf.

"It'll have two kitchens, including a ghost kitchen where we can incubate some concepts that we can deliver and offer to-go, maybe tacos, we're going to have fun with it, like a secret to-go kitchen," he says.

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Hummus News

Revered family-owned Mediterranean restaurant debuts in North Dallas

Samantha Marie Photography

Zon Zon food spread

An upscale Mediterranean restaurant is coming to North Dallas from a trusted name: Called Zon Zon, it'll open at 5455 Belt Line Rd. #130, in the Work/Shop center, and it's hospitality group Yela Concepts led by Yaser Khalaf (Darna, Baboush), together with his son Mak Khalef in their first collaboration.

According to a release, it'll open on December 22.

Named for Mak's sister Zaina (“Zon Zon”), the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with a refined take on Mediterranean dining, rooted in tradition but with modern influences.

"We tried to merge what embodies Mediterranean cuisine with dishes that people in Dallas love," Mak says. "A lot of the dishes we have on menu are Mediterranean but have American and Texan influences."

Mezze favorites include hummus topped with green shatta and extra-virgin olive oil; baba ghanoush with charred eggplant, tahini, dukka, and pomegranate; crispy cauliflower with saffron labneh; tuna neya with tahini, mixed pickles, and Aleppo pepper; and kibbeh with ground lamb, onions, pine nuts, and dill labneh.

Salads include seared tuna salad with freekeh and golden beets; Tahini Caesar with tahini–Caesar dressing and za’atar croutons; and roasted beets with burrata, oranges, and pistachios.

Entrées include roasted chicken with garlic-batata and pomegranate jus; chicken shish kebab over saffron rice with almonds and raisins; hanger steak shawarma frites — a clever twist on steak frites with hand-cut fries; ZZ’s Wagyu cheeseburger with smoked provolone and house pickles; Prime ribeye with za’atar chimichurri and heirloom carrots; and apricot lamb couscous.

The beverage program complements the menu with a Mediterranean-focused wine list and creative cocktails such as the coffee-kissed Midnight Istanbul and ZZ’s Margarita, with burnt pineapple and ras el hanout.

Designed in collaboration with Dallas-based Coeval Studios, the restaurant features a 2,130-square-foot interior with an expansive 735-square-foot patio that seats 76, for a total occupancy near 100.

The restaurant boasts an open kitchen, while decorative finishes include modern woodwork, rich textures, and Middle Eastern-inspired details — stylish yet inviting, with a setting that feels like home.

“The inspiration behind Zon Zon came from wanting to create the kind of place we’ve always wished existed — a neighborhood Mediterranean spot that feels both familiar and exciting - we wanted to create a comfortable space where guests can meet up with friends or neighbors on a regular basis,” says Yaser in a statement.

Mak went to college to sudy biomedical engineering, but says he couldn't resist the lure of the restaurant world in which he grew up.

"Zon Zon is a reflection of everything we love about food," Mak says. "What makes this especially meaningful is building it with my dad — bringing our family’s story and passion to the table."

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