6 new restaurant-bars opening at The Star in Frisco

A fleet of new restaurants will open at The Star in Frisco in 2022.

Among them are a high-end Italian restaurant; a scotch bar; an adult game-watching (and game-playing) hot spot; and more.

All six come from operators who are from the North Texas area — a feat, especially considering how many out-of-town restaurant concepts are moving into Dallas-Fort Worth.

Lombardi Cucina Italiana

The most upscale of them all will be Lombardi Cucina Italiana, a pasta house from Dallas restaurateur Alberto Lombardi — who operates 13 restaurants, including Bistro 31, Toulouse and Taverna. Lombardi is putting a focus on Plano and Frisco after several of his restaurants have done well in Collin County, he says.

Lombardi Cucina Italiana will take the place of Da Mario, an Italian restaurant at The Star that closed in spring 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. (Its chef, Luigi Iannuario, is opening a new restaurant in the Dallas Arts District, in place of the former Stephan Pyles Flora Street Cafe.) Lombardi’s chefs Alfio Longo and Ty Thaxton have created the menu of house-made pastas. A seafood case will display the day’s options in the middle of the restaurant.

Although the restaurant brings back Lombardi’s name, it will be “totally different” from the restaurant he put his name on in 1977 — his first Dallas restaurant.

“In 1977, dinner used to be [eggplant or chicken] Parmigiana, Chianti and a candle on the table,” Lombardi tells The Dallas Morning News in an interview. “Now, it’s much more sophisticated.”

Lombardi Cucina Italiana is expected to open in February 2022.

The Glen and Monarch Stag

The Glen is another new restaurant opening at The Star alongside a scotch bar named Monarch Stag. The two-in-one concept comes from Derek and Sheree Simms, who operate Frisco restaurant J. Theodore and its speakeasy, Rare Books Bar.

Notably, this restaurant and bar replace Zaytinya, the high-profile Mediterranean hot spot from chef José Andrés that closed in late 2019.

According to a press release, The Glen will have scotch-forward cocktails and a seafood menu. Aerial artists will perform during dinnertime. At Monarch Stag, customers can visit the cigar lounge, drink scotch or eat from the full dinner menu.

The Glen and Monarch Stag are expected to open in early 2022.

Roti Grill

Roti Grill is moving from its spot on Winning Drive in The Star to 3675 Gaylord Parkway, the former home of Raising Cane’s. The concept remains the same — fast-casual Indian food like chicken biryani and chicken tikka, plus lots of vegetarian options including chana masala (curried chickpeas) and aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower).

Expect it to open at the new address in early 2022.

Snowbird Cocktail Lounge & Kitchen

The former Ziziki’s Greek restaurant has closed and will be replaced by Snowbird Cocktail Lounge & Kitchen. Not much is known about this place yet, except that it comes from David Nguyen and Sobe Ahmed, who opened Gaslight in Uptown Dallas. Gaslight closed in May 2021 after a fire.

On the menu: cocktails and small bites in an art deco setting.

Snowbird is expected to open in spring 2022.

Sidecar Social

An “eatertainment” venue Sidecar Social will also move into The Star, where Trophy Park Sports Lounge used to be.

The first Sidecar Social in North Texas opened in Addison in fall 2019.

Here, you’ll find games for grownups: shuffleboard, ping pong, karaoke and tons of TVs for watching sports. Unlike many venues, at Sidecar Social, games are free to play.

It’s expected to open in fall 2022.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich.