Ari Lowenstein opened Ari's Pantry in Oak Cliff in December 2023. He'd previously spent a decade eating his way through Italy and, before that, he grew up eating many Italian dishes based on family recipes.

At its core, Ari's has always been a place to walk in — perhaps with no idea what you want to buy or make for dinner — and leave with all the ingredients (from pasta to herbs and a house-made sauce) to make a true Italian meal. That was Ari's original intention in Oak Cliff. However, after expanding with a second store at the Trinity Groves complex in West Dallas, they inherited kitchen space, and the offerings grew to include ready-made meals.