Step Inside Macellaio, Dallas’ New Salumi-Obsessed Bistro

Last week, the much-anticipated Macellaio made its debut in the Bishop Arts District, bringing a restaurant devoted to charcuterie and cured meats to Dallas.

The sister eatery from Lucia’s David and Jennifer Uygur is already one of the city’s hottest new dining destinations. A peek at Resy, the online reservations platform used by the restaurant, indicates that it’s already booked solid throughout the month of June. Fortunately, 19 seats are available each night at the restaurant’s bar for walk-ins, along with tables on the covered patio.

Decidedly roomier than its sister restaurant Lucia, Macellaio’s space at 287 Bishop Avenue is bright and spacious, with a full wall of windows to let in plenty of natural light. Exposed ceilings and metal finishes give the space an industrial vibe, while warm wood tables and chairs make it feel cozy. Expansive wooden booths are stocked with pillows for comfort, and a shelf of (faux) cured meats drives home the salumeria vibe. The decor is functional, with a cart holding jars of pickles, cookbooks, and cans of olive oil adorning the host stand, and glassware hanging from above at the bar.

Kathy Tran/Eater

Kathy Tran/EDFW

As far as the food is concerned, diners can look forward to a tight menu of snacks, small plates, and entrees influenced by the cuisines of Spain and Italy. An entire page of the menu is devoted to salumi, which can be combined into individual boards or one big enough for sharing. There’s a section of spreadable meats, including spicy ‘nduja spiked with Calabrian chile, and chicken liver mousse. Prosciutto, coppa, lonza, and capicola will likely be stalwarts of the menu, along with quirkier options like loukanka, a cumin and garlic sausage and dry salame made with Peruvian aji panca paste.

Outside of the cured meats, though, Macellaio still has plenty to offer. Kick off dinner with duck tongue confit served with onion dip, then move on to slow-roasted grits from Anson Mills served with wild mushrooms, poached egg, and cacio e pepe broth. Heartier offerings include fabada, a Spanish stew of white beans with morcilla and pork short ribs, and bread gets its own section on the menu, rubbed with tomato and served with sobrasada (cured sausage) and honeycomb or paired with beef tartare.

Macellaio is now open for dinner. Getting a reservation might be tough, but waiting in line for one of those bar or patio seats is definitely worth it. Before heading to Bishop Arts, take a peek around the space courtesy of Eater photographer Kathy Tran.

• The Owners of Lucia Are Opening a Charcuterie-Focused Restaurant [EDFW]
• Macellaio, a Spin-Off of Lucia, Is Opening Tomorrow [EDFW]
• All Macellaio coverage [EDFW]