San Marzano, a pasta joint that opened in Uptown Dallas on Sept. 24, 2024, is hard to find but easy to like.
It’s tucked in West Village in the spot formerly occupied by Public School 214. There’s no sign — and maybe trees would cover it anyhow.
This stretch of Cityplace W. Boulevard, east of McKinney Avenue, feels like home to co-owner Dave Malekan because he used to live in the apartments nearby. His wife, Charlotte Malekan, worked down the street at the company formerly called the Richards Group.
San Marzano is a pasta shop where the campanelle, rigatoni, pappardelle and spaghetti are made in-house every day. Customers pick a pasta shape, then a sauce, for $14.
“This is meant to be the kind of restaurant where you leave happy and comfortable and don’t feel like you got punched in the face from prices,” said Dave. His family owns three other San Marzano restaurants. The Dallas shop is the first in Texas.
With its reasonable prices, it might seem like San Marzano is a fast-casual restaurant, but customers will sit down and order from a server. Other menu items match the price point: Burrata, arancini and salads cost $9; a selection of three paninis are $12 each; and all beers are $5.
Wine starts at $7 by the glass, and the priciest bottle is just $29.
The Malekans are naturally confident in their rustic, delicious Italian food, but the journey to get there was winding.
Older brother Kamran Malekan immigrated from Iran to the United States as a teenager. Dave followed a decade later. Their mom made Persian food at home, but it was the pizza and pasta in their new home of New York City they turned into a business.
But first, Kamran studied pre-med in college. He left academia after buying the restaurant he worked in. Dave started his career as a computer programmer at Goldman Sachs, then went to law school and became a practicing attorney. He, too, eventually felt called into the family Italian business.
Dave has now lived in Dallas for about a decade.
“I have resisted opening this restaurant for most of those 10 years,” he said, smiling.
The rigatoni maialino is made with lightly wilted kale and spicy sausage — an early favorite during a tasting. The pappardelle with short rib ragu is hearty. The campenelle vecchia bettola, a vegetarian dish with pink-colored vodka sauce, $14, will make you wonder why you’ve spent twice as much (or more) at more expensive Italian restaurants around Dallas.
In a few weeks, Dave plans to open for weekend brunch. He’ll add eggs benedict, French toast and $4 mimosas, sticking with the low-price model. Avocado toast will be made with house-made bread, a hobby Dave has come to love.
His wife explains his approach to, well, anything: “He’s never done,” she said. “He researches, tinkers and perfects.” Perhaps that’s the computer programmer in him.
In a similar story of dedication, his brother Kamran learned to speak Italian so he could talked to the customers in New York who were convinced he came from an Italian household.
San Marzano is one of the only new restaurants in Dallas recently that’s making low price points part of its story.
“Dallas has a huge restaurant scene,” Dave said, “and we think our unique combination of atmosphere, handmade food and great prices will really set us apart.”
San Marzano is at 3700 McKinney Ave., Suite 148 in West Village, Dallas. It opens at 4 p.m., Sept. 24, 2024. Starting Sept. 25, 2024, it will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
