A new restaurant on McKinney Avenue is betting that Uptown Dallas diners don't have to choose between tacos and trattoria. Burrito Bellas has opened at 2523 McKinney Avenue, serving a menu that blends traditional burritos and quesadillas with chicken parmesan-inspired dishes, sausage and pepper creations, and other Italian ingredients folded into classic burrito styles.
The restaurant is the anchor tenant of Calabrian Piazza, an open-air food hall modeled after southern Italian gathering places, according to CW33 Dallas / Ft. Worth. The concept comes from Shawn Horne, a restaurant industry veteran whose more than three-decade hospitality career includes prominent Dallas establishments like Star Canyon, Aquaknox, the Green Room, Abacus, and Stephan Pyles, per CultureMap Dallas. Horne reportedly landed on the Mexican-Italian fusion after analyzing local market data showing Mexican and Italian rank as the top two highest-selling culinary categories in Uptown Dallas, the outlet reports.
A Piazza Built On Family Roots
The property itself carries a personal story. It's owned by DFW businessman Oscar Renda, founder of OR Asset Holdings, whose family roots in Calabria, Italy, inspired the outdoor development's regional Italian theme and name, according to CultureMap Dallas. Renda partnered with Horne to revitalize the high-profile Uptown street corner into the multi-concept plaza now taking shape.
Calabrian Piazza is designed as an open-air layout with outdoor seating meant to function as a neighborhood gathering space, complete with common areas for sports broadcasts, per CW33 Dallas / Ft. Worth. Burrito Bellas will eventually share the courtyard with additional concepts, including Goomba's Hoagie Hole — serving toasted grinders, cold-cut hoagies, and muffalettas, according to CultureMap Dallas — as well as Punk Rock Pizza and Pierogies and a space called Bella's Loft, which CW33 Dallas / Ft. Worth reports will serve as a venue for watch parties, private events, tastings, and neighborhood programming.
Pizza-Dillas And Draft Cocktails
The kitchen's fusion extends well beyond burritos. Specialty items include pizza-dillas stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella, along with thin-cut fries topped with either spicy Calabrian pepper queso or blue cheese queso, per CultureMap Dallas. Burrito Bellas serves lunch through evening drinks, and its bar leans on pre-batched cocktails poured straight from the tap rather than hand-mixed from bottles, according to CraveDFW. The tap lineup includes draft margaritas, sangria, and a piña colada variation called the Coco Loco.
The restaurant also plans to launch Bella's Wine Club, which will highlight French, Calabrian, and American wines, with American producers including Austin Hope, Silver Oak Napa Valley, and Caymus Cellars, according to CW33 Dallas / Ft. Worth. Additional membership and programming details for the wine club are still to be announced, the outlet reports.
A Building With A Complicated Past
The 2523 McKinney Avenue address has seen its share of turnover. Before Burrito Bellas and Calabrian Piazza moved in, the building housed Nickel & Rye, a neighborhood whiskey bar and brunch spot that operated for six years before closing in December 2019, followed by Turkey DAM, a Cajun sports bar, according to CultureMap Dallas coverage from that period. Nickel & Rye's run ended amid legal trouble, too — the bar was among 19 venues nationwide sued by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers over alleged nonpayment of music licensing fees, the outlet reported at the time.
Above the restaurant space, the building complex also includes short-term Airbnb rental units, according to Burrito Bellas. The property's commercial value reflects Uptown's premium real estate market: the 7,593-square-foot building was listed in 2026 with an asking price of $36 million, according to Lacy Milani Real Estate. That price tag underscores just how much is riding on Horne and Renda's bet that Uptown diners will embrace a menu that treats tacos and trattoria fare as one and the same.
