BBQ News

Fort Worth's beloved Heim Barbecue to open new location in Dallas

Learn how to barbecue like a pro with demonstrations led by the owner of Heim BBQ.

UPDATE 10-19-2020: According to a Facebook post, the restaurant will open on October 22.

"We're excited to announce we will start our Soft Opening at Heim Barbecue Mockingbird on Thursday, Oct 22," the post says. "Please be gentle the team is training like crazy, and we are working overtime to prepare to see your smiling faces! Let’s Go Dallas!"

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Fort Worth's buzziest BBQ spot is headed east: Heim Barbecue, the acclaimed Fort Worth "farm to smoker" barbecue restaurant, is opening a location in Dallas. According to a release, the restaurant will open at 3130 W. Mockingbird Ln., across from Dallas Love Field, with a due date of June 2020.

It's taking over the space vacated by Mockingbird Diner, a home-cooking restaurant that closed in June 2019.

Heim is the venture of husband-and-wife Travis and Emma Heim, who started out in 2015 as a food truck, where they developed a dedicated following, not to mention two- to three-hour lines, for their signature bacon burnt ends along with brisket, pulled pork, turkey, ribs, and sausage.

The couple opened their first brick-and-mortar location on Magnolia Avenue in 2016, then followed that with a larger location in West Fort Worth's River District in 2019, this one featuring more parking, a full-service bar with 24 taps, and an outdoor patio to accommodate the crowds.

Heim has been featured numerous times on the Food Network, and were named one of the top 50 BBQ joints by Texas Monthly. Travis Heim says in a statement that they're amazed every day by the number of people who they serve - some of whom come all the way from Dallas.

"Emma and I opened our food truck five years ago with $100 to our names, praying that enough people would show up for us to be open the next day," he says. "A lot of our guests live in the Dallas area and we've been interested in expanding, but never found a spot that felt right. As soon as we visited the Mockingbird space, we knew this was a perfect fit."

Greg Pierce and Andrew Lehner with CBRE arranged the 5,082-square-foot lease on behalf of Heim Barbecue.

Pierce says in a statement that the location has great visibility as well as accessibility to highly populated areas that include Highland Park, University Park, Preston Hollow, and Bluffview, as well as its proximity to the main entrance of Love Field on Cedar Springs. Get off your plane, go get BBQ.

Heim says that their goals include creating an environment that is an inclusive, vital part of the communities they serve. "We are incredibly excited to bring a little Fort Worth hospitality to Dallas," he says.

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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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