Dallas’ New Must-Try Italian Restaurant: A Vaunted Chef Goes Casual — and Foodies Can’t Get Enough

Sprezza is a little slice of Italian heaven nestled in a modest brick building on Maple Avenue in Dallas, just north of Oak Lawn. This is the much anticipated new restaurant from chef Julian Barsotti (Nonna, Carbone’s), with a vibe and menu that echo its namesake: sprezzatura, the nuanced Italian term for studied nonchalance.

Backing the venture are the entrepreneurial brothers behind Henderson hot spot The Dram: Chris Donohoe, Martin Donohoe and DJ Donohoe. Sprezza is less formal than Barsotti’s other eateries, with a relaxed atmosphere and a simple and sophisticated menu of Roman favorites, handmade pasta (spaghetti carbonara, blue crab linguine, quail gnocchi) and pizza al taglio so good that it has already created a foodie buzz.

Libations channel the great boot country, too, with a wine list strictly limited to Southern Italian winemakers and craft cocktails rooted in Italian spirits. Sprezza, 4010 Maple Ave., 972.807.9388.