Modern Italian cuisine has been on the rise in Fort Worth for several years now. The city still loves a classic red-sauce joint — neighborhood faves like Prima’s and Milano’s aren’t going anywhere — but diners have increasingly embraced restaurants like Piattello, 61 Osteria, and il Modo.

That is, restaurants that skip the kitsch and lean into housemade pastas, modern decor, and a more contemporary style of Italian cooking.

Newly opened Buonissimo fits neatly into this revolution. Found in a corner pocket of downtown near the courthouse, in the space last occupied by Avanti, it joins a wave of restaurants broadening the horizon of Fort Worth’s Italian cuisine landscape.

But it easily sets itself apart, offering cuisine that heavily zeros in on a specific region of Italy — Venice — and, what may be a culinary first for Fort Worth, a kitchen led by three chefs who all hail from Italy. 

Executive chef Armando Sobatti, sous-chef Gian Daniele Solinas, and pastry chef Fabio Dicataldo each bring their own regional sensibilities, experiences, and training from various locales in Italy, including Venice. While Fort Worth is no stranger to chefs with Italian heritage or classical training, a trio of Italian-born chefs simultaneously steering one kitchen is something new for the city.

“In a lot of markets, especially on the coasts, you’ll find restaurant teams made up entirely of chefs who grew up in Italy,” says John Commodore, the restaurant’s general manager. “But here in Fort Worth, that’s incredibly rare. I’ve been in this business a long time, and I can say with confidence, a lineup like this doesn’t come around often.” (Ferdinand Plaku, co-owner of Keller Italian restaurant Acquario, was originally attached to the restaurant but is no longer affiliated; he, too, has roots in Italy). 

Sobatti, the executive chef, is shaping the menu around staples of northern Italian cuisine, which is known for fresh seafood and pastas made by hand. His pastas include an excellent gnocchi with a Formaggio fondue cheese and truffle; ricotta and spinach tortelloni with butter, sage, and toasted hazelnuts; and tagliolini pasta with clams. 

Seafood dishes include a sea bass filet with capers and a creamy, housemade lemon sauce and expertly grilled octopus with pumpkin cream that tastes better than it sounds. But the Cotoletta alla Milanese, a plate-engulfing breaded veal cutlet, may steal the show, with its fork-tender meat, perfectly seasoned and crisped sheath of breading, and side of snappy roasted potatoes.  

Pastry chef Dicataldo helms a dessert program that blends classical Italian sweets with more contemporary presentations. Think pastry-case favorites like panna cotta and tiramisu, but also lesser-known desserts that highlight regional ingredients, such as the sublime salted caramel millefoglie, a unique play on the classic Italian puff pastry cake. 

Commodore says the power of the team isn’t just their resumes but the way their skills intersect.

“What stands out to me is the way they work together,” he says. “Each one has a completely different perspective shaped by where they’re from and how they trained. You put that in one kitchen, and suddenly you have this exchange of ideas that elevates everything, not in an over-the-top way, but in a way diners can genuinely taste.”

Commodore himself is somewhat of a catch for the restaurant. Originally from southern California, he began his restaurant career in 2011 and has since blazed a distinguished path through the food and beverage industry. A certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, Commodore has worked at several high-profile restaurants, including The Arthur J, a Michelin-starred steakhouse in Manhattan Beach, California; he moved to Texas in 2024.

While Buonissimo fits comfortably within Fort Worth’s expanding Italian dining landscape, owner Ervin Cibaku, opening his first restaurant, believes it will add something distinct. The chefs here, he says, are building a restaurant that mirrors how people in Italy eat today: a mix of cherished classics, regional comfort foods, and creative nods to modern Italian dining.

The restaurant itself is designed to match that sensibility, Commodore says. The space is warm but sleek, inviting but not leaning on rustic tropes. The intention, he says, is to give Fort Worth diners a place they can use in multiple ways: dates, business dinners, celebrations, or a pasta-and-wine night at the bar.

“We didn’t want to create a special-occasion restaurant that people only visit once a year,” Commodore says. “We want Buonissimo to feel like a regular part of people’s dining. We’re right across the street from the courthouse, and we get a lot of people from there. We want it to be a place you can drop in for pasta and a nice glass of wine or stay for a while and enjoy a long meal.”

The team has also developed a robust Italian wine list and a cocktail program centered on Italian spirits and aperitivo culture.

Buonissimo’s opening underscores a larger trend in Fort Worth: Diners have become more adventurous, more informed, and more appreciative of restaurants that emphasize technique and authenticity over gimmicks. And the restaurant’s leadership believes the timing couldn’t be better.

“There’s real momentum right now in Fort Worth,” Commodore says. “People here are curious. They want the real thing. And when you have three chefs who were raised in the culture of Italian cooking, who understand the food intuitively, you can give guests an experience that feels both genuine and new.”  

Buonissimo, 150 Throckmorton St., buonissimofw.com