Uptown Dallas imports Italian from big-shot restaurateur

Uptown Dallas will get its Italian fix in a big way with the opening of a branch of North Italia, the modern Italian concept from Fox Restaurants Concepts, opening at the Union Dallas in 2018.

North Italia is the modern, full-service pizza and pasta Italian concept from restaurant mad genius Sam Fox. The 5,500-square-foot restaurant will be located on the ground level and open onto Field Street, with indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the central plaza of the office, residential, and retail project in the Uptown area of Dallas. It'll serve lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Known for from-scratch daily pastas and pizzas, the restaurant will bring a fresh and moderately priced dining option to the area. It will join another Sam Fox restaurant at this location, The Henry.

"North Italia is a sophisticated, highly successful restaurant concept from the one and only Sam Fox, which perfectly complements the polished, welcoming live-work-play urban environment we are creating at The Union," sas Mike Ebert, of the project's developer RED Development. "North is a real draw that will appeal not only to residents and people who work at The Union, but also to neighbors and visitors to Uptown Dallas seeking a best-in-class restaurant that marries wonderful food with a hip and inviting setting."

Dallas will be the third city in Texas to get North Italia, along with Austin and Houston.

"After the success we've seen with North in Austin, we've been eager to bring this restaurant to Dallas," says founder Sam Fox. "The Union is going to provide an energetic community dynamic, and hopefully North will provide a unique experience for any occasion: a quick drink after work, causal lunch, or special dinner."

Fox Restaurant Concepts is making waves in Dallas, with a True Food Kitchen in Preston Center, and a branch of Flower Child in Inwood Village opening soon.

The menu at North Italia will be the same mix of pizzas, chicken, seafood, and steak options offered in their other nine locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, and Texas. Short ribs, New York strip, Atlantic salmon and diver scallops will be on the menu, along with home-made strozzapreti with Bloomsdale spinach, Bolognese tagliatelle, and several pizza options, all accompanied by an extensive wine list and desserts such as salted caramel budino and olive oil cake.

The Union’s 21,000-square-foot green space and events plaza will enhance North Italia’s exceptional culinary experience. The central plaza will be designed by top Texas landscape designer James Burnett, and will be surrounded by water features, seating areas, trees, and a performance area so that diners may extend their experience before or after their meal with a stroll through the green space or simply sit and enjoy the ambience of the park-like setting.

Located at Field/Moody Street and Cedar Springs Road, The Union is a connection point for many of Dallas’ most vibrant business and residential districts including Downtown, Uptown, the Arts District, and Victory Park neighborhoods.

One of the nation’s largest law firms, Vinson & Elkins, will move its firm to the project in 2018 and will occupy approximately 82,000 square feet on three floors of the signature office building. Weaver, the largest independent accounting firm in the Southwest, will move its Dallas office to approximately 58,000 square feet and two floors in the office tower.

StreetLights Residential is leading the design and development for the 23-floor residential tower offering 309 luxury apartment homes and distinctive amenities.

Designed by Dallas-based architect HKS, Inc., and with DPR as the general contractor, the project will feature 87,000 square feet of retail including a 60,000-square-foot Tom Thumb grocery store on the ground floor to provide convenient on-site grocery shopping.