Craving Italian food?
Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best high-end Italian restaurants around Dallas, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to venture next time you're on the hunt.
1. Lucia
Topping the list is Lucia. Located at 408 W. Eighth St. in the Bishop Arts District, this is the highest-rated high-end Italian restaurant in Dallas, boasting four stars out of 394 reviews on Yelp.
The spot offers a revolving menu, but sample items include salumi misti: a tasting of housemade cured meats including Red Wattle coppa, ventricina Vastese, peach pit salame and hops salame. Other options include Tagliatelle with Red Wattle pork ragu and broccoli raab; duck leg confit with otto file polenta, hedgehogs, cippolini and broccoli raab; and banana semifreddo with gianduja and coffee brittle.
2. Parigi Restaurant
Next up is Oak Lawn's Parigi Restaurant, situated at 3311 Oak Lawn Ave., Suite 102. With four stars out of 179 reviews on Yelp, the Italian spot has proven to be a local favorite for those looking to indulge. Visitors can expect decor modeled after the bistros of Paris, with a New York feel, and a menu refined by the business for more than 30 years.
Check out the summer ratatouille, made with eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, mushroom, house tomato sauce and goat's cheese; acorn squash stuffed with quinoa, peas, carrots, parsnips and spinach; and vongole ravioli, served with clams, parsley, chili flakes and white wine.
3. Sprezza
Oak Lawn's Sprezza, located at 4010 Maple Ave., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the upscale bar and Italian spot four stars out of 161 reviews.
Traditional pastas include Bucatini Amatriciana with pancetta, tomato, chili and parmigiano; Linguini Cacio e Pepe with ricotta whey; and Mezze rigatoni with sausage, shiitake, escarole, brandy and cream. Finish your meal with desserts like flourless chocolate cake served with pistachio gelato, lemon tart with graham cracker crust and lemon zest and more. (Find the full menu here.)
4. Mille Lire
Mille Lire, another Italian spot in Oak Lawn, is also a pricey go-to, with four stars out of 121 Yelp reviews. Here's a sampling of the menu: start with a pear salad, mixed with Baby Gem lettuce, candied walnuts, Gorgonzola and balsamic vinaigrette. For your main course, check out the sea scallops, served with winter butternut squash caponata and mustard sauce, and Cacio e Pepe al Tartufo, made with black winter truffle paste, pecorino and cracked black pepper sauce. Head over to 3102 Oak Lawn, Suite 116, to see for yourself.
5. The Charles
Over in Near East, check out The Charles, which has earned 4.5 stars out of 42 reviews on Yelp. The restaurant, at 1632 Market Center Blvd., is a collaboration between Chas Martin, Chef J. Chastain, and brothers Ross and Corbin See of Sees Design.
Menu items include ricotta gnudi with brown butter honey, sage and hazelnuts; a pork blade chop with fennel crust, wild mushrooms and orange; and white bolognese cappelloni with Parmesan cream, basil, dried lives and orange. End your night with desserts like chocolate budino, served with pistachio biscotti and candied kumquat.
