Century-old building to house Chicago-based Italian restaurant

  • 2021-05-13
Etta, an Italian restaurant, will be opening on the Central Business District’s far east side in 2022.

A chef-owned enterprise that started in Chicago, its Dallas location, Etta East Quarter, will be housed in a two-story building more than 100 years old at 2203 Commerce Street. Etta will be the What If Syndicate’s third concept in the city. The 11,000 square-foot restaurant will be open daily for dinner and weekend brunches.

The group opened two restaurants, Kessaku and Monarch, in The National building in March. Dallas-based Todd Interests handled both the East Quarter and National building projects.

Like Etta, Monarch’s menu also leans towards Italian but is a more exclusive. Etta has a more neighborhood eatery vibe with lower-priced meals, among which are wood-fired pizzas, salads, house-made pastas, and dishes for sharing. The graphic design of a restaurant’s menu is a key part of the business’s overall décor.

The Etta building, in addition to including a historic garage, also has an adjacent alleyway for which What If is looking for an outside-of-the-box use.

The East Quarter is made up of 18 picturesque brick buildings. Originally these structures were used as automobile showrooms. They surround the Meletio building, which Todd Interests is now restoring and developing. A new 20-story mixed use development is also in the works, containing office, retail, and residential space.