Photography by Kathy Tran
Photography by Kathy Tran
Photography by Kathy Tran
Photography by Kathy Tran
Photography by Kathy Tran
Photography by Kathy Tran
What was once a chocolate lover’s favorite stop is now serving classic Italian cuisine.
Pane Nostro has moved into the CocoAndré house at 508 W. Seventh St. CocoAndré vacated the space in September 2023 after a 15-year run.
“We originally wanted to be down in this area to begin with,” Pane Nostro co-owner Dion Gazzaruso says of Bishop Arts. “All the development that’s been going on, all the new restaurants, I think it’s a good community and people really support the businesses.”
Gazzaruso and co-owner Adalberto Lujan opened Pane Nostro in October 2022 after moving to Dallas from Las Vegas. They found a spot located in McKinney’s Adriatica Village, but it unfortunately lacked visibility and foot traffic.
“After about seven, eight months, we kind of realized McKinney really wasn’t what we were hoping it would be,” Gazzaruso says. “So we decided then to start looking again, to try to find some place down here.”
When they saw the CocoAndré house on the market, they jumped on it.
“We were competing against two other buyers and wrote a letter to the owner. We came to talk to them a lot, explained exactly what we were doing, and it was important to her to keep someone in the space that could have a lot of positive things to contribute to the community as well,” Gazzaruso says. “She wanted a local business to be in there. And an interesting fact is that the original owners of this house were Italian, so it was just kind of meant to be.”
After it took about six months to get permits, which were secured by the end of July 2024, the restaurant began to take shape and opened in early March.
Pane Nostro’s menu sticks to Italian classics like bucatini all’amatriciana ($25), spaghetti aglio e olio ($21) and linguine alle vongole ($32). Most ingredients used are imported from Italy, Gazzaruso said.
“It’s homemade, family-owned — we’re not doing any type of fusion or anything like that,” Gazzaruso says. “These are all just real, traditional, tried-and-true recipes. Most of them are handed down from my family. So that’s the difference. We’re not doing anything new. We’re sticking with tradition.”
The McKinney restaurant closed on Nov. 7, 2023, and renovations on the new Dallas space were slated to begin in early 2024. But the pair faced some setbacks with permitting.
“It was a long and frustrating process, but it was all a learning experience,” Gazzaruso says. “We’re just enjoying the process and really appreciate the community helping us and coming to support us and talk to us.”
The interior of the restaurant is Italian-inspired, from decorations to products to tile. After all, the most important aspect for Gazzaruso is staying true to his Italian roots.
“I know when I have Italians from Italy coming to the restaurant, then I know that we’re doing something right,” Gazzaruso says. “We’ve gotten really good reception from the area, and it’s been really popular so far. We’re really grateful for that.”
Pane Nostro, 508 W Seventh St. 214.425.3280, pane-nostro.com