Uptown News

Uptown Dallas' Patrizio closes to pave way for new Italio restaurant

Kebabs and glass of wine at Sallio Bistro in Dallas

Patrizio is exiting but Sallio is stepping in.

Photo courtesy of Sallio Bistro

An Italian restaurant at one of the most central spots in Uptown Dallas is on its way out, but there's already a new place moving in. The Italian restaurant is Patrizio, located at the intersection of McKinney Avenue and Hall Street, and it will be replaced by a new concept called Sallio Italio.

The musical-sounding Sallio Italio is a spin-off of Sallio Bistro, the Mediterranean restaurant at Preston Road and Forest Lane, and comes from Larry and Karen Williams, who own Amberjax, the excellent seafood spot at Trinity Groves. Karen Williams confirms that they'll be taking over the space from Patrizio owner Ed Bailey at the beginning of August.

"Ed's down in Florida and loving life, and is maybe a little tired of restaurants these days," she says. "And we're excited about the opportunity to do Italian food."

Patrizio moved to that location in 2015 after more than 25 years at Highland Park Village, when HPV owner Ray Washburne decided abruptly not to renew its lease. Bailey, who bought the Patrizio chain in 2006, moved into the Uptown space, which had previously been occupied by the restaurant Barter.

Patrizio was valuable because it made decent Italian, better than the gloppy suburban Italian, for an affordable price. At the time it moved to Uptown, it also had locations in Fairview, Plano, Highland Village, and Southlake, and there was previously a location in Fort Worth's West Seventh District. The chain is now down to a sole branch in Highland Village.

The couple have a history of scooping up restaurants in need of loving owners. They took over Sallio Bistro, which had previously been a venture between Jeff Armand and chef Avner Samuel; Armand passed away in 2016.

The Patrizio space came along just as the Williamses had Italian on the brain. "The space has a wood-burning brick oven which Larry just loves, so we're going to hone in on our Italian," she says.

That said, they won't be doing Patrizio recipes. "We're going to split the menu between dishes from Northern and Southern Italy, with seafood and tomatoes and olives," Karen says. "You know how much Larry likes fish."

She acknowledges the name is a little silly, but that's part of its magic. "It's a corny name, but when you lay your head you’re going to be singing 'Sallio Italio,'" she says.

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Closure News

Sylvan Avenue Tavern in West Dallas closes but a new bar's on the way

They're known for their pizza and chill vibe.

Courtesy of BST

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A West Dallas tavern is closing, but that's not the end of the story: Sylvan Avenue Tavern, located at Sylvan Thirty at at 1888 Sylvan Ave. #F250, closed for good on November 3, after three years at the address.

The restaurant-bar opened in the complex in 2021, a spinoff of Bryan Street Tavern, a longtime bar in East Dallas, serving pizza, beer on tap, and a laid-back atmosphere with pool tables and outdoor space.

The bar had been closed for much of August, which owner Joe Hinkson attributed to issues with the landlord. It reopened in at the end of August, only to close these two months later.

"We reopened for football season, but we didn't get the boost like we hoped," Hinkson says. "It was becoming the definition of insanity.."

"It's official this time," he said. "The shopping center is dying. Coopers gone, Craft & Co. gone, Shayna's gone and there's been nothing new since we moved in."

In a Facebook post, he stated that "the complex is dying and we've lost four other businesses prior to us making our decision to close. And now we’ve become the fifth one to leave. We've enjoyed our time there, but without support from the property owners we had call it a day."

Some of the bar's neighbors said that the bar "trashed" the suite, leaving broken glass as well as one of the gas burners open, requiring the fire department to come out because of complaints about the smell gas.

But Hinkson said that wasn't true. "We removed equipment," he said. "Not sure what the spray paint was. It was just residual trash. No vandalism. We left most of the furniture and the beautiful bartop."

Hinkson's attention is on a new sibling, called Fate Village Tavern, opening in the city of Fate at 4970 East I-30, #130 — a center so new, it barely shows up on the map.

Fate Village is set to open in November, with a similar menu, spirit and beer selection, TVs galore, and a large outdoor patio with a pet-friendly area.

"This has been in the works for about a year — we started construction back in June," he says. "We're excited about it. It's going to be a truly polished version of BST, and we will be the only bar in Fate city limits."

They're finishing up construction with includes touches like a pressed tin ceiling and shiplap on the walls, to give the new build space some lived-in character.

"Adam Navan, my partner in Sylvan Avenue, moved to Fate a few years ago, and that gave us an awareness of the town's growth," Hinkson says. "We watched them build out the retail center, called Fate Village, which was an instant success. We approached the developer and one year later, they reached out to us a year later and we signed up."

It's bigger than Bryan Street and they've given it a huge patio.

"We are soooo close — we're just waiting on last bit of furniture and final inspections," he says.

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