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.
