Taco News

Upscale taqueria Taco Diner shutters 2 locations including Fort Worth

No tacos in Sundance Square today.

Courtesy photo

An upscale taqueria in Fort Worth's Sundance Square has closed: Taco Diner, which had been open at 156 W 4th St. for six years, closed the location on January 1, with a post on its website and Facebook page, announcing the sad closure.

"Thank you for dining with us at Taco Diner over the last six years," the post says. "We have made the very difficult decision to close our Sundance Square location and want to thank our loyal guests in the Fort Worth community for embracing our style of Mexico City street food."

"We have taken steps to ease the closure by finding opportunities for all managers and team members at neighboring restaurants within the M Crowd family and look forward to continued service and great memories in the years to come," the post says.

This was the chain's only remaining location in Fort Worth. The chain simultaneously closed its location in Las Colinas, with a similar message to its Las Colinas audience.

That leaves just two locations, both in Dallas: West Village and Lake Highlands.

It's a big decline from what was once a thriving chain with locations in Southlake, Addison, Dallas' Preston Center, and Southlake, Fort Worth's Waterside, Plano's Shops at Legacy, Richardson's Cityline complex, and beyond.

Taco Diner, which describes itself as a "celebration of the authentic taco stands of Mexico City and the classic American neighborhood diner," was created in 1999 by restaurateur Mico Rodriguez as a casual younger sibling to the Mi Cocina chain, which he also co-founded.

When it debuted in Dallas' West Village, it was a fresh and lively concept that drew big crowds for its craft margaritas and soft tacos - far ahead of the ensuing glorification of tacos that exists today, and a glorification that also probably helped set the stage for its decline.

In its latter years, it broadened its menu to include crowd-pleasing items like burgers and Mi Cocina's signature margarita, the Mambo Taxi.

Its fortunes were not helped by Mico's departure from parent company M Crowd.

The chain closed down entirely in March after the onset of COVID-19, and the most recent three closures — Plano, Richardson, and Waterside — have all closed since the virus hit.

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Stephanie Allmon-Merry contributed to this story.

Closure News

Tropic Lady restaurant-bar on Fort Worth's Race Street says aloha

Tropic Lady

The dip trio at Tropic Lady.

A chill restaurant and bar in Fort Worth's River East district has closed: Tropic Lady, which opened in the former Fuzzy's Taco space at 2719 Race St. in 2023, has closed.

The restaurant, which closed in mid-December, was a sibling to Bearded Lady, the popular gastropub in Near Southside; their last Facebook post was on December 10. Their phone number is not working, and their website is no longer active. Owner Shannon Osbakken was unavailable for comment, but a Bearded Lady employee confirmed the closure.

Tropic Lady was a tropical-themed gastropub opened by a trio of friends: Bearded Lady owner Shannon Osbakken, her business partner Sarah Allen, and general manager Amanda Yunger. It offered a similar menu as Bearded lady but with more tropical-inspired fare, including shrimp tacos, bacon-wrapped grilled pineapple bites, and guacamole dotted with mango.

For a gastropub, they did interesting food with dishes like watermelon salad with feta and cucumber; or their Dip Trio, with mango guacamole, tomatillo salsa, and queso blanco served with house-made tortilla chips. Definitely not run-of-the-mill. They also had great lunch specials like a smashburger with curly fries for $10.

Food did not seem to be the problem.

Decor featured artwork and murals created by local artists. A beautifully landscaped patio wrapped around the building’s facade. So the setting did not seem to be a factor.

It's tempting to point the finger at its location on Race Street, which has witnessed a round of closings in the past two years including buzzy birria taqueria Caliscience, which closed in February 2024; as well as The Post at River East, a restaurant and live music venue that shut down the same month.

In 2023, three other restaurants on Race Street closed: Tributary Cafe, the Bon Appetit-lauded La Onda, and vegan burger spot Zonk Burger. But separate reasons can also be found for each of those closures, whether that be inexperience or lease issues.

For years, the city and neighborhood advocates have been trying to turn Race Street into a trendy hotspot. As part of the city’s Urban Villages program, the city of Fort Worth invested $5.6 million in revitalizing the area, making improvements to traffic flow, sidewalks, landscaping, and outdoor lighting.

When Osbakken opened the bar, she said she loved the area, stating "it reminds me of Magnolia when were first were on it 10 years ago in our old location. It's a great community and the neighbors have been friendly and reaching out."

And there are still restaurants along the street, including a popular Mexican restaurant called Tesoro, the Dough’d Up doughnut shop, and Kingyo Sushi & Ramen House, as well as a coffee shop, Race Street Coffee.

The Bearded Lady continues to flourish. Osbakken originally opened the popular gastropub on Magnolia Avenue in 2013. Six years later, she moved it to the South Main, where it’s still going strong.

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