Stellini Trattoria Is Downtown Grapevine's Go-To for Italian

Order the meatballs and try your hardest not to slip the serving pot into your bag. Aaren Prody

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Stellini Trattoria is an Italian spot on the outskirts of Historic Downtown Grapevine serving the neighborhood's favorite Italian food. It's a place where free bread bakes, extra cheese sprinkles and gluttonous dreams come true.

It's a blend of casual and slightly upscale. Come as you are in everyday clothing, and you won't feel underdressed. The lone rangers watching golf at the bar, families in the dining room, and groups dotted throughout cemented Stellini's neighborhood feel.

This is appreciated considering Dallas proper is usually either/or. Sometimes, we don't want to get dolled up to wine and dine. Is it a crime?

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Stellini's down-to-earth dining room.

Aaren Prody

The menu is mostly Italian staples like house-made meatballs and lobster ravioli along with unique dishes such as salmon carpaccio and hot rock bistecca.

Weekend brunch is not your average unlimited mimosa and eggs benny. Okay, maybe a touch, but there are some really interesting options like a smoked salmon pizza, traditional breakfast pizza, risotto waffles and plenty of classic Italian drinks for under $10. We'll most definitely be back for those.

We didn't miss out by visiting for dinner service, though. We had a full spread of those house-made meatballs, caesar salad, cacio e pepe and tiramisu.

We've been on a caesar salad kick, so that was a shoo-in to be a favorite. When is it not? This one is served as a half head, which can normally make for a dry salad, but they drizzle the dressing between all the leaves and give you a generous amount of toppings.

You can't fully appreciate a well-made salad until you've had a bad one and this one deserves all its glory. Just look at it.

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We're no strangers to a well-made Caesar salad.

Aaren Prody

The next notable plate we had was the cacio e pepe. The cheese and pepper pasta in case you haven't heard.

We were shocked when it was placed in front of us because it's not every day you get a free chunk of bread with your plate of carbs. You can even request extra cheese on top for no charge.

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Noodles drowning in cheese? Yes, please.

Aaren Prody

If we wanted to get picky, we would have preferred our pepe to be freshly cracked rather than the pre-ground, and it could have used a touch more lemon zest.

Weekday Happy Hour is from 3 to 6 p.m., and offers a $30 bottle & board option with your choice of pizza, coccoli (bread, ricotta and proscuitto) or tagliere (basically charcuterie) and a bottle of the featured red or white.

Is your neighborhood Italian doing that? We didn't think so.

Stellini Trattoria, 400 E. Dallas Road, Grapevine. Monday – Thursday, 3–9 p.m.; Friday, 3–10 p.m.; Saturday, 2–10 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.