Avanti Heads West

Chic Uptown Dallas restaurant and night-owl hang joins migration west

Avanti is opening another location in Fort Worth.

Photo courtesy of Avanti

Uptown Dallas mainstay Avanti Ristorante is about to join a migration west. The restaurant will open a Fort Worth location in mid-March, in the One City Place development, on the site of the former Tandy Center.

The original Italian-Mediterranean restaurant has been on McKinney Avenue for more than 30 years. It's a cozy rendezvous spot and top go-to for night-owls, thanks to its willingness to stay open late, with its trademark "moonlight breakfast."

Owner Amin Malek says that the Fort Worth branch will be much like the original, but with additions to the menu and twice the space.

"The menu will be similar, but because of the added square footage and the bigger, beautiful kitchen, we'll be adding more Mediterranean items," he says. "We're also introducing some flatbreads for our patio and bar diners, and extending our appetizer selection."

That includes a favorite of his: cheese.

"One thing I've always wanted to have is a nice cheese and charcuterie selection, which we were not able to do in Uptown, due to the lack of space in the kitchen there," he says. "You can't fit more than three people in that kitchen. But I'm a huge cheese fan, and want to offer a nice cheese selection."

Fort Worth will also have another unique feature that's been high on Malek's wish list.

"One thing we've never been able to have on McKinney is a private room," he says. "This has a room that seats more than 60 people, with AV connections for corporate events."

This is not Avanti's first expansion. In 1995, a second Avanti opened at Fountain Place in downtown Dallas, where it became a lunch destination for downtown workers and a popular spot for weddings and other catered events. That branch closed in 2014.

Avanti Fort Worth will pick up the slack. Located at Throckmorton and Second streets, abutting a grassy area it'll share with fellow Dallas emigre Wild Salsa, it re-creates McKinney Avenue's ambience, with an elegant chandelier, huge windows, and patio.

"When we realized we were going to close Fountain Place, we began looking for a place we could host events," Malek says. "Once we saw the location in Fort Worth, we realized it wasn't an event space but would be better suited for restaurant. It gave us a good incentive to go West."

Coffee News

Family-owned cafe brews coffee and pastries in historic Irving setting

Alma Cafe

Cake and cappuccino from Alma Cafe in Irving.

There's a new family-owned coffee shop bringing a welcome amenity to Irving: Called Alma Cafe and Bakehouse, it's a Latina-owned coffee shop that just opened in a former residence at 202 S. Britain Rd. in downtown Irving, where it's offering a warm and cozy place with coffee and pastries baked in-house.

Their much anticipated opening followed a series of pop-ups they held at the space for nearly a year during construction, which helped build a loyal base of fans celebrating their role as one of the only alternatives in the area to corporate chains.

The shop was founded by young entrepreneur Marla Ojeda, who has nurtured a longtime passion for coffee, along with her family including her mom, who does all the pastries. The cafe was a recipient of the City’s Enhancement Incentive Program, which provides grants to small businesses, and helped them get a foothold in Irving's Heritage District.

"I've always been passionate about coffee, the flavors, where the beans are from, going to coffee shops and traveling to see what everyone has to offer," Ojeda says. "During COVID, I started making my own coffee drinks at home, creating new recipes. I became inspired to do a shop and bring something special to this part of Irving."

Their menu includes classic espresso drinks, original latte creations, buzzy matcha, and pastries.

Popular items include their brown sugar latte, anything matcha (including original and ube), and their Spanish latte with espresso, milk, condensed milk, and vanilla. Pastry offerings include croissants, cupcakes, strawberry cake with strawberry frosting, scarlet red velvet cake, and their very popular blueberry scones.

Strawberry cake and iced cappuccinoAlma Cafe

The pastries are made by Ojeda's mother, Elvia Ojeda, an accomplished chef. They're just about to unveil a new menu expansion with savory dishes including breakfast sandwiches, chilaquiles, avocado toast, and croissant sandwiches such as tuna salad.

"I love coffee and she loves baking — my family also has experience in building and real estate, so we make the perfect team," Marla says.

Marla has a flair for interior design, and was involved in conceiving the space. It has a bright area in the front for ordering, with white tiles, warm white countertop, and gleaming stainless La Marzocco espresso machine. At the entrance, she's hung a statement piece: a large Renaissance-style painting of flowers in an ornate gilded frame.

The cafe has a lounge-style space as well as a wooden patio that wraps around the exterior. They enforce a no-computers policy; it's designed as a place to enjoy coffee and snacks, not as a workspace to camp out. They also do not have a phone or a website yet; for now, everything is through their Instagram page, and note, the response is not always immediate.

The house was built in 1938 and was still a residential home until 2020. It's part of the Heritage District, the first area designed by city founders J.O. Schulze and Otis Brown in 1903. Heritage Park, a community recreation area with a wood cabin, benches & picnic tables, and a historic train depot, is only three blocks away.

"We're hoping there's nothing else like this in Irving," Marla says.

coffee openings