On another visit, we opted for the Bolognese with gemelli pasta. Our waiter was quick to acknowledge the mistake, but the corrected dish took another 20 minutes to arrive, as if the message to expedite a replacement entrée was lost in the shuffle. We opted for sausage, but when the plate arrived it was chicken. Our bartender/waiter offered the option of getting the rigatoni with either chicken or sausage. The spicy vodka rigatoni ($18) we tried on our first visit lived up to its name as well. The bright and herby pesto filled every nook and cranny of the fusilli, while chunks of flavorful rosemary chicken breast and sweet-tart slivers of sun-dried tomato added layers of complexity. Pesto fusilli ($22) was possibly our favorite pasta dish. The pizzas come in one (large) size only, and are enough for two or three people to share. Our sausage rustica pie ($18) sported Italian sausage from Jimmy’s, caramelized onions and roasted peppers that hit the mark. That’s not to say that Sfuzzi version 4 is resting on its pizza laurels the pies we tried deserve high praise for the light yet chewy crust with perfect wood-char flavor. Wood-fired pizza was a novel idea from the first Sfuzzi in 1987 but much more commonplace today. The portobello mushroom fries ($12) were a better decision, with spears of portobello battered and lightly fried to tender goodness, served with a bright tomato aioli.Īlison McLean Pizzas and pastas are where Sfuzzi starts to sparkle. Unfortunately, the savory and salty flavors of prosciutto never materialized, having been drowned out by the sweetness of the melon. We had higher hopes for the prosciutto e melon ($16), which promised chunks of cantaloupe wrapped in 24-month-aged prosciutto. Classics like fried calamari ($14) are decently executed the calamari was lightly fried with a breading that held up to the fork but suffered from a somewhat bland flavor unless dipped into the accompanying marinara. Our own deep dive into Sfuzzi’s menu naturally started with appetizers. Forget trying to Instagram your food, because every photo will be cast with a red hue, as if you’re eating in a submarine. Black and white are the primary colors come dinner time, the space is predominantly illuminated by red lights and neon. While the vibe of the new Sfuzzi is lively and rousing, it’s best to remember that Sfuzzi is a bar first and a restaurant second, then set your expectations accordingly.Īlison McLean Sfuzzi’s interior is dominated by a large U-shaped bar, with roomy semicircular booths lining the walls and high-top tables filling the aisles. Back again are the red and black motifs, frozen Bellinis and pizza, but now with the promise of more upscale fare on the menu. Sfuzzi is back for a fourth go-around, this time on Henderson Avenue. A third version of Sfuzzi popped up on Cedar Springs Road in 2015, but lasted just six months before shuttering. In 2009, Sfuzzi was resurrected on McKinney Avenue and offered wood-fired pizzas and frozen Bellinis to the see-and-be-seen crowd of Uptown Dallas before closing in 2013. Long before anyone knew what 'going viral' meant, the Sfuzzi concept expanded to 20 locations, mostly in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, before the owners filed for bankruptcy in 1995.

The first Sfuzzi restaurant opened in 1987 and quickly gained a rabid following for its blend of great Italian food and vibrant bar scene. Most Dallas natives and long-time residents will recognize the Sfuzzi name.

Goodtimes pizza