The Knox District development at the corner of Knox and Travis streets in Dallas has announced its first of several restaurants. Italian cafe Sant Ambroeus will serve Milanese food in an indoor-outdoor setting overlooking Dallas’ Katy Trail.
It’s expected to open in 2026.
Sant Ambroeus has restaurants in Aspen, New York City, Paris and Palm Beach, Fla. The original remains in Milan, Italy, and dates back to 1936.
The cafe’s expansion into Dallas marks Sant Ambroeus’ first restaurant in Texas.
Stephen Summers, head of retail leasing for the Knox neighborhood, said international growth into Dallas was accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. He helped bring restaurants like Carbone to the Dallas Design District, and now he’s focused on attracting similar talent on Knox Street.
Sant Ambroeus will join “Dallas’ new city center,” the phrase Summers is using to describe the growth on Knox.
“Knox Street has long been a treasured part of Dallas, and as it grows, we’re excited to help shape its vibrant future,” said Sant Ambroeus partner Gaetano Guarducci in a statement.
The corner at Knox and Travis will include the Knox Hotel, 48 luxury condos, a 186-unit multifamily building, an office tower, a half-acre outdoor park and at least a half-dozen restaurants. The development is a joint venture between BDT & MSD Partners, Trammell Crow Company, The Retail Connection and Highland Park Village Associates.
“In Dallas, there are no coastlines, no mountains,” Summers said. “The Katy Trail, it’s like the High Line of New York.”
His business partner Ray Washburne described the Katy Trail similarly in spring 2025: It’s “Dallas’ oceanfront property.”
Indeed, Knox Street and the Katy Trail have evolved from quaint zone near Highland Park to some of the priciest real estate in Dallas. The restaurant mix needs to match the demographics, Summers said, and the food and retail will be chosen to serve apartment dwellers, luxury condo owners, travelers, 9-to-5ers, Highland Park neighbors and more.
Sant Ambroeus is expected to have a cafe and a restaurant. The cafe will likely serve espresso drinks and its beloved panini, which The New York Times wrote in 2023 are “as savory looking as they are seductive.”
The 7,800-square-foot space will also include a sit-down restaurant designed to be “elegant but accessible,” Summers said.
Menus for Sant Ambroeus’ Dallas expansion were not yet available.