Craft Beer News

New biergarten honoring Dirk Nowitzki to open at Dallas Love Field

The 44 Farms burger by chef Blaine Staniford.

Photo by Rhi Lee

A one-of-a-kind eating-and-drinking option with celebrity cachet is landing at Dallas Love Field: Called Nowitzki Biergarten, it's a culinary collaboration between Dirk Nowitzski, former player and special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks, and D&B Mitchell Group, a Dallas hospitality company known for its portfolio of award-winning dining concepts located in non-traditional settings.

The biergarten will be a kiosk on the West Concourse at Love Field, where it will feature a full bar with beer, wine, and snacks.

According to spokesperson Heather Peoples, they're hoping to be open by early fall.

"This has been in the works for a few years," Peoples says. "Our company founders Derek Missimo and Don Mitchell met Dirk and shared their idea of creating a restaurant around him and his persona. He really liked the idea."

They reached out to Love Field, who loved the concept of a kiosk inspired by one of Dallas' most beloved sports figures and local celebrities.

"He's a little like an ambassador for Dallas," Peoples says.

Nowitzki is also no stranger to the craft beer world, even inspiring a beer called "The Big German," a kolsch made by Rollertown Beerworks, the Celina brewery from Ben Rogers and Jeff "Skin" Wade, famous for "The Ben and Skin Show" radio show they hosted for nearly two decades.

Not to worry, that beer will definitely be served at Love Field.

"We'll have The Big German on tap, along with four to five other beers on tap and some in bottles, plus mixed drinks, wine, and a few snacks that pair well including charcuterie boards and soft pretzels," Peoples says.

Founded in 2004, the D&B Mitchell Group owns and operates restaurant brands at airports throughout the U.S. including DFW Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, such as Banh Shop and International House of Pancakes.

The company was honored in 2017 as the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency’s ACDBE Concessionaire of the Year.

The Biergarten kiosk will be a 536-square-foot space boasting Nowitzki-inspired decor, including Dirk-themed photos and memorabilia, plus TVs with the capability to play highlight videos of Nowitzki from his stellar career.

There may also be merchandise available such as T-shirts, beer steins, and mementos, although they're still a ways off from finalizing exactly what.

Mobile ordering will be available so that items can be shipped directly to a passenger's home if they don’t want to carry it with them on their flights.

"We think Dirk has a great reputation in the Dallas area, and we hope people will want to come visit," Peoples says.

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New Italian restaurant with pizza-slice window to open near SMU Dallas

Courtesy rendering

Rendering of Barsella's lounge.

A new Italian-American restaurant, pizzeria, and late-night cocktail bar with a walk-up "slice window" is headed for the neighborhood near Southern Methodist University: Called Barsella, it will open this winter at 5600 SMU Blvd. Ste. 120, at the base of the Belclaire Apartments, close to Greenville Avenue.

The restaurant — from Dallas native and first-time restaurateur Oliver Steinberg — combines a full-service restaurant, pizzeria, and cocktail bar, with different options depending on the time of day. That might mean a quick stop at the window for a New York-style slice while out running errands; an intimate meal with wine by the bottle; or friends gathered for live music, light bites, and drinking on the patio until wee hours.

“Barsella was designed in hopes of becoming a neighborhood institution, elevated enough for a great dinner or date night, approachable enough to become your regular spot, and lively enough to be where you want to end the night," Steinberg says in the release.

Dishes and drinks were largely inspired by New York City restaurants and speakeasies the Barsella team visited while developing the menus, the owners say.

Barsella will serve familiar Italian recipes near SMU. Photo courtesy of Barsella

The menu will feature familiar Italian-American fare, such as rigatoni alla vodka, ravioli, lasagna, and other “dishes people know, love, and want to order, executed at a high level,” Steinberg says. Drinks will include an expert-curated wine list, craft cocktails, and a selection of spritzes.

Barsella will also tap into one of the biggest trends of 2026 in Dallas: pizza by the slice. The restaurant's most distinctive feature will be its walk-up "slice window," situated beneath a brightly lit Broadway-style marquee. Customers will be able to order individual New York-style slices from a mix of staple pies and rotating specials.

At a seven-seat pizza bar inside, guests can sit and enjoy slices and other small bites available at the takeaway window.

A main dining room will seat 80, and a private dining room will have 16 or so seats. A pergola- and lemon-vine-encased patio that's meant to feel like an Italian escape will have sliding windows that connect it to the indoor bar.

After dark, Barsella will transform into a true nightlife destination featuring live music Thursday-Saturday until 2 am.

The restaurant design (Wallace Johnson Studio) draws on Europe's aperitif tradition of socializing, sipping, and lightly snacking in anticipation of the meal ahead, as well as classic Italian-American and NYC cafe concepts, the release says. The 3,100-square-foot space is meant to feel bright and colorful, with hexagonical mosaic floors and red accents including dark cherry pleated booth seating.

Barsella is aiming for a winter opening. Additional details on the menu and opening date will be announced closer to opening, the owners say.