Pizza Leila Brings Sicilian Pizza-by-the-Slice to Dallas

Pizza Leila will open its first physical location in downtown Dallas in January. Since 2020, the operation has been run as a ghost kitchen for Sloane’s Corner, a restaurant on Ross Avenue. Now, Pizza Leila will move to 2111 Flora St., a three-minute walk from its current home.

Pizza Leila aims to be a modern take on the traditional New York City pizzeria. Pies will be served by the slice and will be displayed for guests to “window shop” as they pick out their slices. The restaurant will have limited indoor seating and an outdoor patio where guests can sit.

The pizzas are Sicilian-style, made with a thick crust and served in square cuts. Chef Ji Kang, who is also the chef at Sloane's Corner and Dakota's Steakhouse (all of which are owned by the same group), created a menu that pairs current favorites with some new recipes. The vodka sausage and peppers pizza has a vodka cream sauce base, topped with Italian sausage and yellow peppers. For meat lovers, The Butcher has Italian sausage, pit ham, salami and pepperoni. Other pies include artichoke and spinach and spicy and sweet soppressata.

A selection of new appetizers will also be on the menu. The cacio e pepe arinchini is a modern twist on the mozzarella stick, stuffed with pecorino, parmesan and mozzarella.

One unique aspect of the restaurant will be nitro negroni on tap. The traditional Italian cocktail is typically composed of gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, but this brings the drink to a new level. We are excited to see (and taste) exactly what a nitro negroni is.

Chef Ji Kang takes pride in his ingredients and aims to serve the Dallas community high-quality food. “I understand there are a lot of other options for pizza out there, that are maybe more convenient, less expensive and different styles, but I refuse to skimp on ingredients, quality and effort it takes to make a good pizza that I hope everyone enjoys,” says Kang. That commitment to quality earned Pizza Leila a spot on our list of best pizza joints in Dallas.

Pizza Leila will open in January 2023 and offer dine-in, takeout and delivery seven days a week.