Sfuzzi News

Buzzy Uptown Dallas Italian restaurant makes comeback on Henderson Ave

They were among the first restaurants in Dallas to have arugula on the menu.

Sfuzzi

The revival of iconic Italian restaurant Sfuzzi is set to commence: The one-time Uptown Dallas hot spot will re-open in a new location on Henderson Avenue on Friday, March 4.

The restaurant, which is going into the old Capitol Pub space at 2401 Henderson Ave., will be open with upscale Italian food and cocktails including their signature frozen Bellini for dinner and weekend brunch.

First debuting on McKinney Avenue in 1987. the concept has been adopted by This & That Hospitality partners and veteran restaurant/bar operators Brandon Hays and Phil Schanbaum; Hays has a personal connection, having worked there early in his career and knows first-hand of its history as a chic destination for locals and celebrities, with a swanky atmosphere and, at the time, cutting-edge Italian food.

"Recreating this space has been a walk down memory lane," Hays says in a statement. "Everyone we run into has an amazing story to tell us about the birthday they celebrated, the life partner they met, or just an amazing night out they'll never forget. This has been the driving energy and force behind getting this project to the finish line and Phil and I can't wait to have all those wonderful guests back in the doors!"

The menu will include Sfuzzi classics such as:

Chicken Parmesan – breaded chicken breast topped with basil tomato sauce and mozzarella on a bed of spaghetti

Lasagna with house Bolognese, tomato, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan

Pork Chop Piccata – 14 oz. roasted pork chop with saffron risotto in a caper-piccata sauce

Chicken Paillard – oven roasted chicken, cherry tomato, pickled onion, arugula, and parmesan

Filet mignon with truffle butter, carrots, and portobello mashed potatoes

Sea Bass with puttanesca sauce

Italian bites include meatballs, beef carpaccio, asiago & artichoke dip with focaccia, and portobello mushroom fries with tomato aioli.

Pizzas and pastas include sausage rustica pizza with Jimmy's Italian sausage, spicy vodka rigatoni, pesto fusilli with rosemary chicken, and gemelliwith house Bolognese.

Drinks
The drink program was created by acclaimed bartender Fernanda Rossano, who herself worked as a barback at Sfuzzi in 2009. Espress Yourself has Tito’s vodka, NOLA St George, cold brew, and demerara; and the Spritz Thyme has Aperol, grapefruit, lemon, thyme, and prosecco.

Atmosphere
The space has 4,000 square feet inside, with a 2,000 square feet patio. Seating capacity is 80 inside and 120 outside. Design by Wallace Johnson Studios (Sachet, Alice, R&D, Beverly's) embraces Sfuzzi's trademarks that include a wraparound patio, U-shaped bar, a Woodstone wood-burning oven, and a split in the interior, with lounge seating on one side and traditional dining on the other.

henderson-avenue openings

Soul Food News

Dallas celebs are flocking to Soul Shack, new restaurant in Cedar Hill

Soul Shack

Fried chicken, mac & cheese, collards at Soul Shack.

Dallas has a new upscale soul food restaurant that originally hails from Chicago: Called Soul Shack, it’s in the former Turkey Leg King space at 305 W. FM 1382 #502, in the Hillside Village shopping center in Cedar Hill where it opened in late January.

Soul Shack was founded by owner Erik “Rico” Nance, an entrepreneur and veteran restaurateur, and is led by his business partners Theous Griffin and Ronald Edwards III, who serves as general manager. The original was a fast-casual concept in Chicago called Soul Shack Express, which is still open.

The Dallas location is a more ambitious effort, with a full-service restaurant, full bar, and swanky nightlife atmosphere. Nance had previously opened Mikkey's Retro Grill, a hip-hop themed burger restaurant, in Cedar Hill, which closed in late 2024.

"I felt like the city needed a cocktail lounge," he says.

The space boasts a 1920's jazz club atmosphere, with marble floors, circular black booths, chandeliers, crystal bead curtains, and tables topped with a newsprint design. There's a "Soul Shack" sign in white neon, and a photo wall with flowers and a photo collage of iconic Black artists and performers like Eddie Murphy and Diahann Carroll. They also host live music and DJs at night.

The menu is mostly Southern but with fusion twists: soul rolls (fried egg rolls) filled with jerk chicken, which is their signature dish; plus gumbo, collard greens, sweet potatoes, mac & cheese, lamb chops with a parmesan crust, oxtails, and beef short ribs in gravy.

Tranelle and Ron Edwards with Shaq O'Neal Shaq O'Neal (right) drops into Soul Shack.Soul Shack

"Soul Shack has been an offspring of the things that we've learned from our other restaurants," Nance says. "We're still in soft opening mode, but we've already taken off. We'll have a beautiful nightlife and older crowd."

They've quickly earned notice from celebrities including TikTok phenomenon Keith Lee, who touted them with a review in their first week open (giving it a high rating of 8 out of 10 on his scale); and more recently celebrity Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal, who dropped in for a surprise visit, posing for a photo with Edwards and his wife, Tranelle.

"We had no idea, he just came in, made a reservation and said he'd heard the food was amazing," Nance says. "When he came in the door, we said, 'We're turning this into Soul Shaq.' We accommodated everything he wanted. I love that man and what he stands for, his philanthropy."

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