Sometimes new trendy restaurants focus more on the aesthetic than the food. But Felina in Fort Worth’s Near Southside has both a charming atmosphere, and even better pizza.

When you enter the white-brick building off South Main Street, the interior feels like a homespun restaurant. Green can lanterns and mismatched chairs make the environment casual, but the menu feels more elevated for its affordable prices. The space reminded me of Soma Winery, another South Main gem.

Bocca Italian, its sister restaurant across the street, offers an upscale environment. Those who love Bocca can visit Felina to enjoy pizza and wine at a more reasonable price point – which is what brothers Alfonso and Alessandro Salvatore envisioned.

They first opened Bocca Osteria Romana in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 10 years ago. The success there pushed them to open a second Bocca in Near Southside at 411 S. Main St. in late 2024.

Their third concept, Felina, just opened in February and is inspired by the summers they spent in Rome, eating Roman style pizza.

Bocca serves pastas like carbonara and lasagna, gnocchi and grilled dishes like steak and chicken. Felina serves unique appetizers and eight different thin-crust, six-slice pizzas.

For a 4:30 dinner on a Wednesday, Felina had about a third of the restaurant full.

What we tried at Felina

It’s always a good sign when the menu is small. That tells me the restaurant is focused on the quality of each dish. And, for all those who are indecisive, it’s a bonus when there is less to choose from. Despite a small menu, there is a dish for everyone.

I started with the hummus. I’ve never seen hummus at a pizza place, so this intrigued me. The fresh, oily, herby and nutty hummus was served with a garlicky “pizza bianca,” which is just naked pizza dough baked without sauce and toppings. This is a great dish to start with, but it does fill you up fast.

The starters are where you can get adventurous. There’s calamari fritti and Mediterranean octopus. Next time, I want to try either the amatriciana suppli (fried tomato-based spaghetti), or the mortaza (burrata and mortadella sandwich). And there are also lamb lollipops in a mint vinaigrette and pressed pork belly in a chipotle glaze.

The pizzas really stay simple with options like margherita, pepperoni, romana or vodka. But there are also some unique flavors like la Felina with poblano crema, ragu and raisins, or the Middle Eastern za’atar spice sprinkled on the marsili.

I went with the hot mess pizza because I love the combination of sweet and spicy. This pizza has soppressata, whipped ricotta and drizzles of hot honey.

The pizza’s crust is extremely thin and charred, yet chewy. The dough is topped moderately so the sauce and toppings don’t make the crust soggy or floppy. The crust is truly what makes the pizza so scrumptious.

Felina also has a full bar with spritzy cocktails options like Aperol, Hugo, Campari or Limencello. To adapt to a Texan’s palette, they also serve margaritas and old fashioneds. Wine options serve glasses for $12 to $16 and bottles for $40 to $60.

More about Felina

Felina is located inside the old Funky Picnic brewpub at 401 Bryan Ave., unit 117. The neighborhood features other hit restaurants like Ichiro Izakaya, the Japanese yakitori bar, and Tinie’s, which was newly revamped by a Mexico “Top Chef” finalist.

You can’t miss the white building with a green panther cat slapped on the side. Felina means cat-like and was inspired by Fort Worth’s nickname of “Panther City.”

The restaurant is bright inside, decorated with leather seating, wooden tables complete with utensils and napkins in mason jars. There are large garage-door windows that can open on days with nice weather. The staff is friendly.

They are open for dinner only from Tuesday to Saturday, 3:30 to 9:30 p.m.

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