Updated April 19 with opening date information.
Good news for wine aficionados and bruschetta enthusiasts: A beloved wine bar from Phoenix is now open in Dallas.
Postino is bringing its wide-ranging wine selection, bruschetta boards and other snacks to Deep Ellum in April. It’s in the building formerly home to Lula B’s antique shop.
The wine bar’s co-founder and CEO Lauren Bailey and her team toured Deep Ellum three years ago with thoughts of bringing the concept to the neighborhood, but they held off.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know if we’re cool enough to be here yet,’” Bailey says. “But it was always in the back of my mind.”
The Arizona-based chain, which opened its first location in an old Phoenix post office in 2001 (hence the name, which translates to “postman” in Italian), has 14 locations across Arizona, Denver and Houston.
Bailey fell in love with Deep Ellum’s gritty character, old buildings and storied history. It seemed like a good home for Postino, which is known to be a gathering spot for the blazer-clad and the high-top-wearing alike, she says.
In recent years, the neighborhood has been engrossed in a cultural custody battle between those who wish to preserve its history and unpolished character, and developers looking to capitalize on prime real estate.
Bailey says Postino’s business model has always been centered on adaptive reuse buildings and creating spaces and experiences that mirror the neighborhoods they’re in, and that’s what they plan to do in Deep Ellum.
“We just want to contribute and be a part of the community, but be a meaningful part of it and not try to change anything about it,” Bailey says. “We’re coming there for a reason, and that’s because of its diversity and because of the different types of experiences you can have there. We have and always will be of that mindset.”
The wine program and food menu will be similar to the other locations around the country. All of the 30 or so wines that will be available will be sold by the glass, and all wines will be $5 a glass every day from open until 5 p.m.
Postino’s lease in Deep Ellum was signed before the pandemic hit, but Bailey, a self-described eternal optimist, says she is still confident about expanding into Dallas.
“I’m pretty bullish on the fact that humans need to connect, and we have the beautiful privilege of being able to give people that. Now, we have to do it in a little bit different way, but I have enough creativity in my team to find ways to do that,” she says. “I just have to believe that it will be OK.”
Postino is at 2639 Main Street, Suite 130. postinowinecafe.com.
