Coronavirus News

A new wave of Dallas restaurants reopens, masked up and ready to roll

You can get your Moxie back. Because this is a dish from Moxie's. Which has reopened. See.

Photo courtesy of Moxie's Grill & Bar

Dallas restaurants continue to experience a dramatic rate of change in the wake of the pandemic outbreak, as they slowly return to business. There'll be another big bump on June 12, when Texas' reopening plan allows Dallas restaurants to 75 percent.

Meanwhile, here's what has recently reopened (and temporarily closed):

Openings

Avanti Restaurant in Uptown Dallas has reopened on Mondays for dine-in and takeout, with a 50 percent discount on their wine list. For reservations, call 214-871-4955.

Blue Mesa Grill has reopened all three locations for dine-in, takeout, and free delivery. That includes their Addison location at 14866 Montfort Dr. (officially Dallas), plus Plano and Fort Worth. They've developed new menus for lunch and dinner, and a weekend brunch menu with family-style dishes that sub in for their signature buffet. Brunch is also available for curbside pick-up, $65 to feed four.

Craft and Growler, the beer bar in Exposition Park, has reopened following state orders at 25 percent capacity.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse has reopened for dine in at its Dallas and Plano locations.

First Watch, the daytime café chain, has reopened its Dallas-area restaurants for dine-in service in accordance with regional guidelines. They're also open for take-out, which can be ordered online at FirstWatch.com or by calling your nearest location, where you can also can sign up online on a waiting list for a table prior to arriving. They have 15 locations in the area including Preston Forest, Lake Highlands, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Euless, and Fort Worth.

Good Union Urban BBQ at CityLine in Richardson has reopened its dining room with social distancing practices and protocols, including sanitizing tables and chairs between each customer. Good Union Urban BBQ recently released an app for ordering takeout including their family pack.

Knife Dallas is now offering dine-in 7 days a week with a reservation. They continue to practice increased safety measures in both their dining room and patio, and their full menu is still available for take-out. Dining-in hours are 5–10 pm daily; take-out orders can be placed from 4-9 pm the day of.

Lawry's The Prime Rib has increased its hours and is offering lunch again, including a hand-carved sandwich bar with choice of bread, cheese, toppings, and a side dish. Sandwich choices include Prime Rib, Prime Rib Dip, Turkey, Corned Beef, and Pastrami.

Merchant House on Maple Avenue has reopened with safety measures including distancing, servers wearing face masks, and single-use menus.

Moxie's, the restaurant and sports bar chain, has reopened all of its U.S. locations with protocols in place, including two in DFW: Uptown Dallas and Plano. You can dine inside the restaurant or on the patio, with new Happy Hour features from 3-6 pm. They're also still offering curbside pickup and delivery at all locations, with 25 percent off all to healthcare workers and first responders for phone-in pick-up orders.

Pakpao Thai in Dallas' Preston Hollow Village has reopened, 11 am-10 pm daily, with new menu items including some pan-Asian favorites.

Table 13 in Addison is open with dine-in dinner service from 5-10 pm, and also live music, not to mention a Copper River salmon special for $39.99.

Closures

Royal China, the Preston Royal Chinese dining institution, had reopened at 50 percent capacity but has now shuttered temporarily due to an employee testing for COVID-19.

openings

Pasta News

Acclaimed team opens Tutto Gustoso Italian at Watters Creek in Allen

Tutto Gustoso

A new Italian restaurant with a high-powered culinary team has opened in Allen at Watters Creek Village: Called Tutto Gustoso Italian Restaurant, it's a contemporary Italian spot located at 842 Watters Creek Blvd., in the former Cru Wine bar space which closed in mid-2025 after 16 years.

Tutto Gustoso is from General Manager Leo Gravina, a native of Italy who is well known to Allen diners via Numero 28, the Italian restaurant he oversees at The Village at Allen; and executive chef Enrico Glaudo, a global culinarian, also from Italy, who previously helped open Ocean Ranch, an Italian restaurant on Greenville Avenue which has since closed.

Credentials
The famously charming Gravina previously worked for the Bice Group, the acclaimed Italian restaurant company founded in Milan in 1926, and was part of a team of Italians who opened a location of Bice in Uptown Dallas in 2006. He's since worked for hotel groups including Hilton and the Gaylord, and served as director of operations for the Lombardi Group for five years.

Glaudo started his career in the kitchen at age 14, and is well known in southern California's cosmopolitan Italian restaurant scene, having earned acclaim as a chef at restaurants such as Primi where his authentic Italian cooking dazzled critics. He first came to Texas nearly a decade ago by way of Houston, where he served as executive chef of Hotel Granduca Houston.

“Our goal is simple,” said Gravina, “to make our guests feel like they’ve stepped into a trattoria in Italy, where every ingredient is fresh, every pasta is handmade, and every meal is shared with joy.”

Menu
The menu at Tutto Gustoso celebrates Italy’s regional diversity, featuring handmade pastas, fresh seafood, Italian meats, and artisanal breads prepared daily.

Highlights are as follows:

Antipasti: Focaccia and dips featuring olive tapenade and spicy whipped ricotta, or Burrata Caprese — burrata mozzarella with basil oil and balsamic pearls. Polpette al Sugo (beef meatballs in marinara); Olive Ascolane (stuffed fried olives), and Fritto Misto with crispy calamari, zucchini and oyster mushrooms.

Pasta: Tagliatelle Bolognese with beef sauce, Ravioli Pere e Ricotta pear and ricotta-stuffed ravioli in a creamy walnut sauce, and Spaghetti Chitarra alle Vongole Rosse with Italian clams and Calabrian chili.

Risotto: Barbabietole Pistachio e Gamberi (roasted beet risotto with shrimp and Sicilian pistachio) or Porcini e Mirtilli (porcini mushrooms and blueberries).

Secondi: Main courses include Brasato al Barolo—tender short ribs braised in Barolo wine; Tagliata di Manzo, a 14-oz grilled New York steak with Tuscan beans and balsamic arugula salad; Salmone alla Senape Dolce; Filetto di Branzino; Pollo alla Milanese.

Pinsa & Piadine: By day, Tutto Gustoso serves light piadine—Italian flatbread sandwiches with gourmet fillings such as Parma (prosciutto, goat cheese, and candied figs) and Mortadella (burrata and pistachio pesto). At dinner, Roman-style Pinsa flatbreads take center stage — crispy, airy, and topped with Calabrese (spicy salami, San Marzano tomato, honey drizzle) or Modenese (prosciutto di Parma and stracciatella cheese).

Designed for both casual lunches and refined dinners, Tutto Gustoso offers a warm, contemporary setting with Italian charm, perfect for date nights, family gatherings and weekend aperitivos on the patio.

openings