A Look Inside Ari's New Downtown Market: Italian Groceries, Sandwiches and More

Ari Lowenstein opened Ari's Pantry in Oak Cliff in December 2023. He'd previously spent a decade eating his way through Italy and, before that, he grew up eating many Italian dishes based on family recipes.

At its core, Ari's has always been a place to walk in — perhaps with no idea what you want to buy or make for dinner — and leave with all the ingredients (from pasta to herbs and a house-made sauce) to make a true Italian meal. That was Ari's original intention in Oak Cliff. However, after expanding with a second store at the Trinity Groves complex in West Dallas, they inherited kitchen space, and the offerings grew to include ready-made meals.

Lowenstein hired an executive chef, Trevor Ball, who is the grandson of Karl Kuby of longtime Dallas stalwart Kuby's Sausage House, along with a team of cooks to run both front of house and back of house and leaned into authentic Italian offerings.

This new third space in downtown is a beneficiary of that expansion. Ari's in downtown — located where Berkley's Market was previously and across the street from Neiman Marcus — is part boutique grocery store, part ready-to-go market and deli.
The most vital amenity in the store might be a small twirly stand with recipe cards right as you walk in. Should you need inspiration for a dinner, these recipe cards list every ingredient needed for the meal, all of which is available at the store, including a small fridge of fresh herbs and fresh produce.
But you'll be hard pressed to leave without eating something there. A gelato stand at the back of the store is scandalously ripe for a scoop as you shop. (Ari procures his gelato from Two Guys From Verona in Denton, which is also available by the pint.) A dab of Amerena cherry will hold you over.
There are also ready-made sandwiches on focaccia bread (which sold out on day one) and baked goods; on Wednesday, they had freshly made carrot kugel (sometimes called carrot pudding) and blood orange olive oil cakes ($3.99), which are also a nice snack while shopping and will hold you over until you get to the gelato stand in the back.
At the center of the store is a large open cooler with heavy bricks of lasagna Bolognese and easy grab-and-go items like pasta with pesto, lemon artichoke risotto, salads, and fruit. Prices range from about $6 for small salads to $11 for lasagna.
There's fresh bread; Ari's makes the focaccia, and they get the rest of Commissary down the street.
The sandwich board is small but mighty. There's a mortadella, mozzarella and arugula on focaccia; turkey on ciabatta with provolone and pesto; and porcetta and giardiniera also on ciabatta.

A cooler with Italian salumi and cheese stands next to a cooler with Italian gelato and cold treats.

And yes, there's wine. There has to be.

Ari's will continue to expand with stores slated for the Cypress Waters development near Coppell and Fort Worth in the Spring.

For now, downtown residents and commuters have a great new option for lunch, dinner and a few bites to hold you over in between.