Downtown News

Acclaimed Italian restaurant from Dallas' Design District moves downtown

Pastas will be house-made.

Photo by Thanin Viriyaki

In fantastic news for downtown Dallas and Italian food fans everywhere, it's the much anticipated (and relocated) comeback of Sassetta, opening at the Joule hotel at 1530 Main St. in downtown Dallas. According to a release, it'll open on April 8, dinner only at first, with the addition of lunch to follow.

This is a second life for Sassetta, the restaurant founded by Tim Headington, CEO of Headington Companies, which first opened in the Dallas Design District in 2017. It closed during the pandemic and will now be located at the Joule, in the space previously occupied by Americano, another Italian restaurant, great in its own right, which also closed during the pandemic.

Sassetta will be the sister restaurant at the Joule to CBD Provisions, which is still open. (And meanwhile, Sassetta's Design District space has been taken over by another Italian restaurant, Carbone.)

Food
Sassetta will do creative interpretations of modern and regional Italian cuisine, including:

shareable small plates such as tomato-braised meatballs, tuna carpaccio, and stuffed castelvetrano olives (an homage to an item on Americano's menu)
house-made semolina pastas, rolled or extruded in various shapes then perfectly dressed, including ricotta agnolotti, black spaghetti, tagliatelle bolognese, and black pepper bucatini
thin crust pizzas, starting with three-day fermented dough cooked at ultra-high temperatures to achieve a puffy, blistered crust, with toppings such as littleneck clams, hen o’ the woods, black pepper and burnt honey (an original Sassetta pizza)

Overseeing menu creation and execution is executive chef Jason Zygmont, who has worked at culinary bright lights such as Per Se, Noma, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. He joined Sassetta in December 2021, relocating from Nashville, where his restaurant Setsun was awarded Eater's 2019 Dish of the Year with his signature agnolotti.

"The culinary scene in Dallas is exploding and I'm excited to be joining this thriving food culture," Zygmont says in a statement. "It's clear that Sassetta initially struck such a chord here because of the quality of food and the beautifully designed space – no doubt this iteration is going to impress in a similar, yet new way."

Although its main thrust is seasonal, modern Italian fare, the new menu also features influences from the Mediterranean region including Southern France, Northern Africa, and Spain. Wine list is a robust collection from various regions in Italy, as well as California and France, along with amari and Italian cocktails. The signature cocktail, Carmenta’s Spell, is named after a Roman goddess and contains Prosecco, Pisco, pomegranate liquor, and lemon juice and served in Il Buco Vita’s hand-blown “Goddess” glass.

Decor
Inspiration from Tuscany is woven into Sassetta's reimagined aesthetic with a new color palette by Swoon the Studio, design, dining experience, and the restaurant’s serving pieces. That includes hand blown glassware, colored tumblers, and custom glazed dishes by Il Buco Vita, a group of skilled Italian artisans. They're going for a modern, neighborhood trattoria where locals gather for aperitivos with friends or an elegant dinner.

Jean Liu, principal of interior design firm Jean Liu Design, says in a statement that they sought to emphasize the connection to Italy's history through design elements such as terrazzo bathroom flooring, vibrant colors, and artwork and dining pieces by skilled artisans.

That includes Galloti & Radice Jolie light pendants in the dining room; "Renata" floor and wall tiles from Ann Sacks' terrazzo collection; and an abstract mural by British interiors firm de Gournay representing Tuscany's rolling hills.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, according to the release, is a subtle nod to Harry's Bar in Venice. They've also opened the dining room to embrace a large porch area for more al fresco seating.

"We couldn’t be more excited to reintroduce Sassetta to Dallas as well as reintegrate itself into the vibrant fabric of Main Street," Headington says. "Witnessing Sassetta's meticulous evolution under Jean's artistic vision has been incredibly inspiring to me and The Joule team. And what Chef Zygmont has created – refining our favorites, as well as presenting new dishes – reflects our commitment to quality and creating more reasons to visit downtown."

pizza hotels downtown

Losing some spice

Beloved neighborhood taqueria to close after 37 years in Dallas' Oak Cliff

Facebook/El Padrink

Cafeteria y Loncheria El Padrino will close its doors at the end of 2026, following 37 years serving the neighborhood.

An Oak Cliff taqueria will close its doors at the end of 2026, ending nearly 37 years serving the neighborhood. Cafeteria y Loncheria El Padrino, the brightly painted-brick gem at 408 W. Jefferson Blvd., will lose its lease at the end of December, according to Juan Contreras, son of the restaurant's owner.

Contreras confirmed to CultureMap that property managers will not renew his father's lease and have given the restaurant less than three months to vacate.

“Honestly it’s not a surprise,” Contreras says in an Instagram post. “With Bishop Arts and all the development interest around it, something was bound to happen eventually.”

The little restaurant sits at the end of a row of thrift and quinceañera dress shops, a few blocks from Bishop Avenue and the evolving Bishop Arts District.

Contreras, who shares his father's name, says the little Oak Cliff El Padrino was his dad’s first restaurant. “His dream," Contreras notes. "He’s been feeding this neighborhood since 1989.”

The family later opened a second location in Pleasant Grove.

Both restaurants are beloved for their welcoming atmosphere and unfussy, authentic Mexican fare.

"As a small business in Oak Cliff, we know what it means to be part of a community. Our neighbors are not just customers .. they are family," notes a Facebook post from the taqueria.

While handmade tortillas and tacos are staples, customers also come for antojitos — or "little cravings" — such as guacamole, menudo, pan dulce, queso, French fries, and chips. Heartier options include machacado (shredded meat) and eggs with bacon strips and cheese in the beans.

Regulars know, love, and fear the camarones a la diabla — shrimp that made a deal with the devil — with shellfish "swimming in salsa roja so picante, it’ll make your abuela say '¡Ay, Dios mío!'," says El Padrio's Facebook page. They recommend ordering a cold agua fresca de piña bien before taking a bite: "That sweet pineapple coolness is your lifesaver."

The younger Contreras, who is involved in local advocacy and community organizing, says the history of Oak Cliff — particularly the area around his father’s restaurant — illustrates the less welcome side of neighborhood revitalization.

“This has been building for years. Elected officials and interest groups sell you a beautiful picture of what a neighborhood can become," he says in his social media post. "What they leave out is that the people who stayed and kept these neighborhoods alive when nobody else wanted them are usually the ones priced out or pushed aside for ‘better’ tenants.”

The elder Contreras came to the U.S. "with nothing but his hands and the hope that his kids would have it easier than he did," says the son, "the way so many of our fathers did."

Unless something changes before the end of the year, the Oak Cliff location will continue operating throughout 2026, Contreras says. The Pleasant Grove location will remain open and unaffected, he adds.

“If you’re one of the Oak Cliff regulars or you’ve been meaning to stop by, now’s the time,” he says. “Come eat, order out, and tell your friends. Every visit means a lot to my dad right now.”

Hope is not entirely lost for the owner and local fans of his restaurant, Contreras says. The Contreras family has weathered its share of challenges and does not intend to give up on Oak Cliff easily. They just need to find an appropriate and affordable space from which to operate.

“This isn’t our first rodeo. If you know of a move-in-ready space in Oak Cliff where my dad can plug in and cook, send me a message," he says.

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