Opening soon

Italian restaurant from TV chef to debut at Dallas' Victory Park

A celebrity chef-led restaurant that's been in the works for nearly three years is finally opening its doors in Dallas' Victory Park: Urban Italia, from chef Carla Pellegrino, will debut on Friday, January 9 in the former WFAA studio at 3030 Nowitzki Way.

According to a release, Urban Italia will be a "modern interpretation of Italian-American cuisine ... blending Old World technique with New-World flair."

Photo courtesy of Urban Italia

Chef Carla's Marinara at Urban Italia.

Led by TV-famous chef Pellegrino in partnership with Dallas-based Tivona Group, Urban Italia will feature what they're calling "Italia-Merica" food.

“Italia-Merica food, as we call it, started in these tiny kitchens where immigrants were just trying to bring a piece of home to their new life,” says Pellegrino in the release. “They made do with what they had — more meat, more garlic, whatever was fresh — and out came dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmesan, steak pizzaiola. At Urban Italia, we’re serving nostalgia, making sure these classics are made with care, with great ingredients, and with the kind of love that started it all.”

Crispy Calamari & Zucchini.Photo courtesy of Urban Italia

The menu features hand-tossed Neapolitan-style pizzas, as well as housemade pastas such as Fettuccine al Ragù Bolognese, Shrimp Fra Diavolo, and Cappelletti Carciofi & Prosciutto.

Appetizers include jumbo lump crab meat cocktail and baked clams. Entrees include Chicken Milanese, Chilean Sea Bass Mediterranea, Salmon Harissa, and American Wagyu Sirloin Au Poivre.

Cocktails and mocktails promise to come with an Italian accent. Developed by award-winning mixologist Yangdup Lama, the beverage program pairs classic Italian flavors with contemporary mixology. Signature sips include: Milano Bianco (gin, dry vermouth, bitter bianco, grapefruit, Campari air); Amalfi Highball (vodka, Italicus, limoncello, cranberry, lime, milk-clarified and carbonated); and Sicilia Espresso Martini (mezcal, fig-infused Marsala, hazelnut, espresso.)

Pellegrino was born in Rio de Janeiro, lived in Italy, attended the French Culinary Institute in New York, and with Frank Pellegrino Jr opened Baldoria Restaurant in New York's theater district. She has starred on TV cooking shows such as Top Chef and Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

In 2023, she partnered with restaurateur Sanjay Joshi on a restaurant in Grapevine called Teatro Bistro and Cocktail Lounge. Joshi is also partnered on this restaurant and previously said in a statement that he was excited to partner with Pellegrino to bring an Italian experience to Victory Park.

"When I heard the old WFAA space was becoming available I immediately knew that it was the perfect home for our new restaurant," Joshi said. "With its high visibility in the bustling heart of Victory Park, it’s truly one of the most desirable locations in Dallas.”

The restaurant includes a private dining room.Photo courtesy of Urban Italia

Urban Italia spans 5,500 square feet and seats 250 guests across an indoor dining room, indoor-outdoor bar, and spacious patio. The design, by Fusion AE, draws inspiration from coastal Italy, combining warm natural woods, bright accents, and a relaxed yet refined aesthetic, according to the release.

Urban Italia will open for dinner on January 9; lunch service will debut at a later date.

---

Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.

celebrities chefs victory park italian openings

Supermarket News

Texas supermarket chain H-E-B to open its first location in Carrollton

H-E-B

New H-E-B supermarket grocery store in Allen.

The city of Carrollton will welcome its first location of the massively popular H-E-B supermarket chain. According to a release, the store got a thumbs up from the Carrollton City Council at a meeting on January 6, when they approved an ordinance to rezone the land at the northeast corner of Parker Road and Josey Lane, in order to make way for the grocery giant.

The zoning amendment accommodates a 120,000-square-foot store with gas station, car wash, restaurant, and pharmacy — with the latter two offering drive-thru services.

Other features will include covered grocery pick-up and more than 600 parking spaces, along with bakery, seafood counter, meat market, floral section, housewares, produce, and seasonal plants.

Carrollton’s Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on November 24, 2025, and made a recommendation to approve the ordinance to rezone the tract to allow for not only retail space, but the onsite gas station and car wash, as well. A traffic impact analysis was also submitted, reviewed, and approved by Carrollton’s Transportation Engineering Division.

In a statement, Carrollton Mayor Steve Babick says they are all so very proud.

"This venture is the culmination of years of hard work across the region by several actors and shines a light on Carrollton as our community continues to set itself apart as an example of investment and development opportunity," Babick says.

H-E-B director of public affairs Mabrie Jackson says they are "excited to bring a new store to Carrollton and surrounding cities."

"While no construction timeline has been finalized, we look forward to sharing more details later this year," Jackson says.

Intriguing that she felt compelled to mention the "surrounding cities." In case you don't have Google maps in front of you, cities surrounding Carrollton include Addison, Farmers Branch, Lewisville, and The Colony.

H-E-B opened its first DFW-area store in Frisco in 2022, and has since opened locations in Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Melissa, Rockwall, and Prosper, plus two in Tarrant County: Fort Worth/Alliance, and Mansfield.

supermarkets openings h-e-b