Pizza News

Favorite Dallas pizzeria from Marco's and My Family's Pizza fame is back

They were a good pizza in Dallas at a time when there wasn't much good pizza around.

Courtesy My Family's Pizza

A pizzeria beloved to old-school Dallasites is making a return under a new name. Called Pizza Gianna, it's from the family that brought us Marco's Pizza and My Family's Pizza, and will open at 5219 W Lovers Ln.

Co-owner Frank Nuccio confirms that the restaurant will open on October 20.

Pizza Gianna has a legacy that dates back to 1956, when Pizza by Marco was founded at the corner of Preston Road and Royal Lane by Marco Nuccio. It quickly became a neighborhood favorite, supplying top-quality thin crust pizza and pasta, during a time when Dallas didn't have a lot of great pizza.

In 1993, the shopping center owner decided to redevelop the center and the pizzeria relocated to the corner of the center, next to Fish City Grill. That same year, the name "Pizza by Marco" was legally challenged by an Ohio Holding Company for the "Marco's Pizza" name, and Nuccio changed Pizza by Marco to My Family's Pizza.

Alas, the restaurant was part of the wreckage wrought by the 2019 tornado which destroyed the pizzeria and the entire shopping center.

Marco's son, Frank Nuccio, decided to rebuild, and has partnered with John Kinzer, an experienced Dallas restaurateur, to manage the restaurant’s operations.

A long-time patron and fan, Kinzer wanted to bring back "the best pizza in Dallas" and is joined in the venture by James Shull and chef Ray Skradzinski, who will be utilizing their multi-faceted restaurant experience to oversee the business operations.

They plan to open two Pizza Gianna locations in the next year, with this first location on Lovers and Inwood Road and a second in Preston Hollow, plus plans for more in the works.

The pizza will feature the legendary sauce for which My Family's is known, but with a transformation to the pizzeria that gives it not only a new look and feel, but also modern technology to improve the customer experience:

Ordering: Nostalgia is one thing but they want to improve the old routine of calling and getting a busy signal, and will now allow orders to be placed online.
Payment Options: Orders can be paid online or via phone.

One new facet they'll add is delivery, which they never did previously, both via Pizza Gianna drivers as well as Door Dash.

They'll also be selling ice cream by Howdy Homemade Ice Cream, by the pint in several flavors.

Hours will be 3-10 pm.

openings pizza

Bagel News

Buzzy Northeast chain PopUp Bagels ready to debut in Dallas

PopUp Bagels

PopUp Bagels coming to Dallas.

A buzzy bagel concept founded in the Northeast is coming to Dallas: Called PopUp Bagels, it famously started as a backyard project during the pandemic, and will open a location at Inwood Village, in the former I Heart Yogurt shop (which only just closed), next to the Inwood Theatre at 5450 W Lovers Ln. #143.

Signage has already gone up on the location and according to a spokesperson, the shop will open in early spring.

PopUp Bagels was founded in Westport, Connecticut by entrepreneur and home baker Adam Goldberg, with his cousin Jeff Lewis, as a side project during the pandemic, when everyone was baking at home. The bagels earned such a warm reception that Goldberg started hosting bagel popups in various locations near his home.

The concept's success has been helped by a national surge of interest in bagels, as well as viral moments on TikTok and other social media. Goldberg sold the concept to equity growth firm Stripes in 2023, who drew celebrity investors such as Paul Rudd and Michael Phelps, with plans to open hundreds of locations across the U.S. Talk is cheap but for now, there are 23 locations in New York, Maine, Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and North Carolina.

One of their selling points for a seamless expansion is that they've kept things simple including a compact menu of bagels, spreads, and a pound of smoked salmon. There's a minimum purchase of three bagels, along with a mandatory tub of cream cheese or butter, for $12, and they only offer five flavors: plain, salt, poppy, sesame, and everything.

Bagels are sold whole only, no sandwiches and also not sliced — leading to their nickname "rip and dip," in which customers rip the bagels and dip them into spreads. Their texture is softer and lighter than the classic New York dense bagel, making them easier to "rip."

They're also known for their collaborations on over-the-top schmear flavors — beyond their regular original cream cheese, scallion cream cheese, and vegan cream cheese — which they rotate in with frequency. Recent specialty schmears include Honey Chipotle Cream Cheese, Salted Maple Banana Bread Schmear, Cheez-It Schmear, and a Lemon Pepper Schmear just announced with WingStop that summons the wing chain's Lemon Pepper sauce.

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