Southern Italian restaurant Partenope Ristorante will open Sept. 23 in downtown Dallas.
The restaurant was founded by husband and wife duo Dino and Megan Santonicola. Chef Dino Santonicola was born and raised in Spanish Quarter of Naples, Italy, and this restaurant acts as a “love letter” to his hometown.
“I will never forget the first time Dino brought me home to meet his family in Naples,” Megan Santonicola said. “I was blown away by the gorgeous simplicity of the dishes I ate that also bared a genuine focus on quality and taking time to prepare. Sunday meals start at 4p. His family takes all day to cook, then we enjoy hours and hours of dining, drinking, and conversation.”
The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will be inside the historic Titche-Goettinger Building at 1900 Main St. and will serve Neapolitan cuisine. The restaurant will be on the first floor of the eight-story Renaissance Revival and Art Deco-style building, which was built in 1929.
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“It hasn’t been easy working with a historical Dallas landmark since there are so many obstacles to overcome; but we knew once we set eyes on this space how special it was,” Megan Santonicola said. “We knew it had to be the spot for Partenope and are incredibly grateful it all worked out.”
The restaurant’s open kitchen will have a pizza oven that was custom designed and made in Naples with hand-painted Italian tiles. The dining room seats 100 people with 12 at the full-service bar. The private dining room seats up to 20 people.
Dino Santonicola is a master pizzaiolo and chef in Dallas. He received his formal training from the Italian Culinary Institute and worked in restaurants and pizzerias throughout Naples. In 2011, Dino Santonicola became the chef and master pizzaiolo of Cane Rosso in Dallas and grew the concept from one location in Deep Ellum to nine locations throughout Dallas, Houston and Austin.
Megan Santonicola has her bachelor of science degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Missouri, and has been involved in restaurant and hotel concepts in the DFW-area, such as The Green Room, Dragonfly and Hibiscus. Megan also developed and guided Cane Rosso’s growth and operations for seven years.
