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Beloved Dallas pizza chain Cane Rosso to open location in Lake Highlands

Cane Rosso spread

Cane Rosso Austin/Facebook

One of Dallas' most acclaimed pizzerias is opening a new location: Cane Rosso, the chain that debuted in Deep Ellum in 2011, will open a location in Lake Highlands, at the Lake Highlands Town Center at the intersection of Skillman and Walnut Hill, in a former Taco Diner space, at street address 7150 Skillman St. #190.

This will be the first Cane Rosso opening since the North Dallas Cane Rosso location opened in 2022 - a relatively long timespan for the burgeoning chain. According to a release, founder Jay Jerrier hopes to have it open in April.

UPDATE 6-17-2024: The restaurant will open on June 19. It'll debut a few new menu items from Chef Christian Petroni including the return of Cacio e Pepe (after a long hiatus), an updated spicy Penne All'Amatriciana pasta, a revamped Cheesy Garlic Bread — to reflect the garlic bread Petroni currently sells at Yankee Stadium — and a new Chicken Milanese sandwich on wood-fired bread.
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Cane Rosso does Neapolitan-style pizzas, wood-fired in traditional ovens, plus salads, pastas, desserts, and cocktails. They do a monthly pizza such as their current Misti featuring mozzarella, salami, red onion, arugula, and balsamic reduction.

They've appeared on The Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri, and have received many media accolades. They've also been a game-changer in terms of spreading the word of Neapolitan-style pizza and improving pizza standards across DFW. The chain currently has seven locations throughout Texas in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, and Frisco.

Simultaneous to the new locations, they've appointed a new head of culinary: Christian Petroni, a Brooklyn-born chef who's been on TV, has his own line of products, and has a cookbook due out in 2024 called Parm to Table.

Petroni, who spent summers of his youth cooking with his family on the island of Ponza off the coast of Naples, Italy, is eager to bring his Italian roots to refresh Cane Rosso’s menu offerings, as well as work on the menus at sibling concepts Zoli's and Thunderbird Pies.

In a statement, he says he has been “very careful in getting back into this game in the right way. I’ve known Jay for many years now, and I saw such great potential in coming down to Dallas, Texas to bring what I do, from my New York food upbringing, to my time in Ponza or to my mother cooking for me at home, to this incredible community that my friend Jay has built. It was honestly a no-brainer to join.”

"Working with Christian has been a dream of mine for 10 years, and I'm pumped that I was finally able to get him down to Texas," Jerrier says. "His passion for authentic Italian cuisine falls in line with our commitment to delivering a fun and unique dining experience at our restaurants…AND he has committed to bringing REAL NEW YORK WATER with him when he comes down.”

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Soccer and dining venue from the UK gears up for U.S. debut in The Colony

Photo courtesy of TOCA Social

TOCA Social will make its U.S. debut in Grandscape in The Colony.

In time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup frenzy taking hold of Dallas, a soccer-themed entertainment and dining venue from the United Kingdom will make its U.S. debut in DFW this spring: Called Toca Social, it will open at The Grandscape complex in The Colony on March 6.

First announced for Grandscape in 2024, Toca Social combines soccer, entertainment, and dining, with a state-of-the-art venue and innovative soccer-based games. (A Toca Social was originally planned for Dallas, but that location was scrapped.)

The concept was founded by two-time U.S. World Cup veteran and MLS player Eddie Lewis and is backed by soccer legend Abby Wambach. It's billed as "the world’s first soccer social club" and only has three other locations - two in London and one in Birmingham, England.

“Toca was born from my obsession with the technical side of the game and the belief that a soccer ball should be at everyone’s feet,” says Lewis in the release. “After seeing the incredible reception in the UK, bringing our Social flagship home to the U.S. — and specifically to a soccer-rich market like Dallas — is a dream realized. We’ve created a place where the skill of the pros meets the energy of a world-class night out.”

Toca Social soccer Toca Social coming to Granscape in March 2026. Toca Social

The 20,000-square-foot high-tech venue features "social boxes" where players kick soccer balls against a screen that keeps score on best kicks. Cleats are not required. They tout their proprietary ball-delivery and tracking technology — an evolution of the "small ball" training method Lewis used during his 14-year professional career, the release says.

“Soccer is the ultimate unifier, but for too long, the 'entry fee' was being a pro-level athlete,” says Wambach in the release. “Toca Social is changing that narrative. This Dallas-area flagship is where the next generation of American soccer culture is being built.”

Sustenance comes by way of a chef-driven “Global Street Food” menu featuring Birria Tacos and Spicy Fried Chicken; along with a bar program that includes something called a "Pitch Invader" cocktail, which the release does not describe but calls a fan favorite.

There are massive 4K screens, ensuring Toca Social will be a premier location for FIFA World Cup watch parties this summer. Nine World Cup matches will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in June and July. Dallas' Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will serve as the official will also serve as the International Broadcast Center.

Toca currently operates another concept, Toca Soccer and Sports Centers, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with locations in Allen, Carrollton, The Colony, Keller, and Mansfield. The company also has a strategic partnership with MLS club, FC Dallas.

“Our partnership with MLS is a cornerstone of our mission to engage fans in innovative new ways,” says Yoshi Maruyama, CEO of Toca. “By launching our U.S. Flagship at Grandscape now, we are providing a world-class destination where fans can play, dine, and celebrate the global game."

Reservations are now open at Toca Social in Grandscape for group outings, celebrations, corporate events, and matchday gatherings.

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Raven Jordan contributed to this report.

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