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An iconic name in pizza is opening in one of Dallas' ritziest neighborhoods: Campisi's, the beloved longtime pizza chain, will open a location at 7709 Inwood Rd., taking over the desirable space previously occupied by Perch, which closed in March.

The location, across the street from Inwood Village, brings Campisi's back to a neighborhood where it has resided for 30 years, says owner David Campisi.

Most recently, they were in a storefront at 5405 W. Lovers Ln. but were ousted after 20 years in the space, when the center suffered a fire in December 2025. Prior to that, they operated a satellite location in Inwood Village, in the former Lovers Egg Roll space next to Pogo's.

"This will be our third location at Lovers Lane and Inwood Road, where we've been serving generation after generation," David says.

His goal is to open by January 1.

The space, which was originally a Steak & Ale, has seen turnover in recent years. Prior to Perch, it was Dea, an Italian restaurant, and before that, a popular location of Fireside Pies. But scoring it was a triumph, and Campisi won out over other suitors.

"I'm hoping to be good neighbors with Shinsei owner Lynae Fearing," David says.

This Campisi's will be larger than most of the other eight locations in the chain, but David has some bold plans that incorporate both relying on tradition while looking ahead.

"You've got all these out-of-town concepts charging $4 for an iced tea," he says. "We want to be what we've always been: a restaurant for everybody — a dining experience with great food and service where you don't have to wear a sports coat."

It'll definitely have a bigger bar presence.

"The new location will be a little more bar-driven," he says. "It'll have a huge horseshoe bar where you can get small bites for a great price. We won't do happy hour. We'll just always have the strongest and cheapest drinks on Lovers Lane — taking you back in time to the intimate Club Room vibe at the original Campisi's on Mockingbird Lane."

Campisi's signature dishes include its thin-crust rectangular Sicilian-style pizza, buttery crab claws, and "Joe's Famous" garlic toast. Other menu signatures include shrimp scampi, lasagna, spaghetti & meatballs, and fettuccine alfredo.

"But we'll introduce some daily specials, like a fresh pasta of the day," David says. "We've always had weekly staples, like Tuesday nights, we do an $8.99 spaghetti with red sauce, with garlic toast and a house salad — we stole this idea from El Fenix — and on Wednesdays, we do $5 Chianti. We're not creating value meals, we're adding value. The pricing in this city has spiraled and I think people are tired of it."

Opening the location will also help streamline delivery, which represents a large chunk of their business, to that side of town. (They also just opened a dedicated pickup and delivery location at Preston-Royal at 5944 Royal Ln.)

Updates on the interior at the new location are underway, with a goal to "exceed expectations" for their generations of guests.

"You'll see the red tufted booths, the dim lights, our vintage photos bringing our long history in Dallas to this location," David says. "We've lasted 80 years because we are a family — we don't have employees, we have 350-plus family members, and they're the reason. In the end, it'll be a red sauce joint — we're not trying to be anything else."