A new locally-owned restaurant and bar is coming to SMU Boulevard this winter. Barsella, an Italian-American restaurant, New York-style pizzeria and cocktail bar, will open at 5600 SMU Blvd., Suite 120 in Dallas for dinner and late night, with slices from a walk-up window during the day.
Barsella is the first hospitality concept from Dallas native Oliver Steinberg. Barsella is meant to work for more than one kind of night. Guests can settle in for dinner and a bottle of wine, meet friends for happy hour, grab a New York-style slice from the window, enjoy spritzes on the patio or end the evening with drinks and late-night bites.
“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,” says Dallas resident and creator of the concept, Oliver Steinberg. “We wanted to create a place where families, couples, friends and neighbors all feel equally at home, whatever brings them in that night,” he adds.
From the dining room to the slice window, each space has its own identity and energy, all served by the same kitchen and consistent approach to food and hospitality.
At its core, the new restaurant offers a thoughtful take on Italian-American dining. “The menu is intentionally filled with dishes people know, love and want to order such as rigatoni alla vodka, ravioli and lasagna, yet executed at a high level,” expresses Steinberg.
Many dishes take inspiration from iconic New York pizzerias and restaurants the culinary team visited while developing the menu. The goal is food that is craveable and memorable without ever feeling overly complicated or intimidating, paired with an extensive spritz and craft cocktail program and a thoughtfully developed wine list.
New York-style pizza isn’t an accessory to the bar or dining room; it is one of the foundations of the concept. Inside, a seven-seat pizza bar offers a more casual way to experience the restaurant, sharing the slice window’s menu along with offerings beyond pizza.
Walking up to the slice window is meant to feel like stepping beneath the marquee of a Broadway theater, with bright, theatrical signage recognizable from down the street. The window serves individual slices from a mix of staple pies and rotating specials.
The patio, envisioned as a bit of an Italian escape with a pergola and lemon-vine plantings overhead, is a natural place to enjoy one, and large sliding windows connect it to the interior bar.
As dinner fades into night, Barsella becomes a late-night spritz and cocktail bar. Live music fills the room most Thursday through Saturday nights, and a dedicated menu of light bites, featuring dishes guests won’t find everywhere else, is served until 2 a.m.
An intimate private dining room of approximately 16 seats can also host private dinners, celebrations and events, carrying the same green tones, tile and millwork throughout.
Liz Johnson of Wallace Johnson Studio is leading the interior design, drawing on classic Italian-American concepts, New York cafés and European aperitivo culture for a space that feels polished, bright and colorful rather than dark and rustic. Hexagonal mosaic floors, olive-green millwork, green tile and red pleated booths set the tone inside the approximately 3,100-square-foot space which will seat 80 in the main dining room.
Barsella is slated to open this winter at 5600 SMU Blvd., Suite 120, Dallas, Texas. Additional details on the menu and opening date will be announced closer to opening.
