Eataly celebrates its first year in Dallas with an “All You Can Eataly” storewide party on Nov. 12. Yes, it’s All You Can Eat!

Better late than never, Eataly Dallas is throwing a grand opening party nearly a year after it first opened its doors. Blame the pandemic, but credit Eataly’s owners for recognizing how much this town likes a party with great food and drinks.

But don’t expect a typical dine-around party. You have to buy tickets to this one (here, general admission $99, VIP $149), and entrance to the free stuff will be staggered by how much you paid for your ticket (organizers say there will be plenty of food and drink regardless).

All three of Eataly’s restaurants will be serving samples. So will the wine cellar, where more than 100 different wines will be available for tasting, and 30+ marketplace cooking stations handing out Neapolitan pizza, fresh pastas, artisanal salumi and cheeses, Roman-style pizza, cannoli, gelati, tiramisu (Eataly’s is crazy good!), grilled lamb, roasted pork, hand-pulled mozzarella and freshly shucked oysters.

The store will close at 3 pm that day to get ready for the event, which means you’ll have free reign inside to eat, drink and explore without a shopping cart. VIP ticket holders can enter at 6 pm; the rest of us have access at 7 pm or 7:30 pm. Eataly’s restaurants, counters, and the retail marketplace will offer unlimited tastings and limited shopping. Outside of the Boedeker Street entrance in the NorthPark Center parking lot, grills will be cooking and serving arrosticini (a traditional lamb skewer from Abruzzo) and porceddu (a whole-roasted pig traditional of Sardegna) alongside an Aperol Spritz bar, more live demonstrations and music.

If the crowd gets too thick, multiple cocktail bars will be scattered throughout the store to serve you something to calm your jitters.