This latest round of dining news across Fort Worth and Tarrant County has promising openings, sorrowful closings, and new menus for spring. There are cocktails to sip, BBQ to try, and new English muffins, available for a limited time.
Here's what's happening in Fort Worth restaurant news:
The Londoner Pub, the British pub chain with three locations in the DFW area, is getting ready to open a new one in Tarrant County: in Arlington, at 1409 N. Collins St., in the former Shakertins sports bar. The Londoner is known for fish & chips, Scotch eggs, and bangers & mash, as well as being a destination for watching soccer. It has opened numerous locations around Dallas-Fort Worth over the years, with the current three being Colleyville, Dallas, and Addison. The Arlington location is near AT&T Stadium and is aiming to be open in time for the 2026 World Cup when Arlington will host nine games. Owner Charlotte Tate says they are working through permitting issues, but hope to open at the end of May.
Tokyo Cafe chef Kevin Martinez has departed the Camp Bowie fixture from restaurateur Mary Ho after 18 years. Martinez, who has received multiple nominations for Best Chef in CultureMap Fort Worth's Tastemaker Awards, including 2016, 2017, and 2018, and who is very active on the local chef scene, had been at the restaurant since 2008. In a nice note, he expressed gratitude for the "experiences, guidance, and friendships" he made, and said he would look back on his time at Tokyo Cafe with appreciation and pride.
Shake Shack has two new menu items for summer: Boneless Baby Back Rib Sandwich, featuring boneless baby back pork ribs, BBQ sauce, coleslaw, and pickles on a toasted potato bun for $13; and a side of mac & cheese with cavatappi pasta in cheddar & American cheese sauce for $6 — the chain's third new side in the past year. Available at all DFW locations through the end of July, depending on supplies.
La Guera Street Tacos, a family-run taco spot that opened in south Arlington in 2023, has debuted a new all-you-can-eat brunch buffet every Saturday and Sunday from 9 am-2 pm. The buffet has breakfast basics like pancakes, French toast, and waffles but also Mexican dishes like papa huero, papa Mexicana, huevo jamon, huevo tocino, chilaquiles, rice, and beans. Plus lunch dishes such as tacos, puerco chile rojo, puerco chile verde, chicharron verde, quesadillas, flautas, pozole, and menudo. Plus nuggets and fries. It's $17 for adults and $9 for kids.
Velvet Taco has a first-ever limited-time margarita: Called the Spicy Pineapple Margarita, it has tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, agave nectar, jalapeño, and pineapple with a spicy rim and is available through June 2.
Hat Creek Burger Company has partnered with Terry Black’s Barbecue on a limited-time collaboration that brings Central Texas barbecue to 26 Hat Creek locations across Texas including Keller, Mansfield, Roanoke, and Coppell. The centerpiece is the Pitmaster Stack, a burger layered with Terry Black’s chopped brisket, BBQ sauce, cheddar, pickles, and onion rings on a Martin’s Potato Roll. Plus beef tallow-fried onion rings and a new banana pudding shake made with real bananas and topped with vanilla wafers. The menu will be in place for six weeks, ending in early June.
Element Cocktail Lounge is a new bar now open in downtown Arlington, taking over the space at 200 N. Mesquite Dr. #105 that was previously occupied by On Tap, a craft beer bar and growler station. Element is from someone familiar with the area: Paul Checkeye, former manager of Grease Monkey Burgers next door, with partner Stacy Hall. They're celebrating their opening this weekend, with beers on tap, craft cocktails, and more to come. Opening cocktails include margarita, espresso martini, red sangria, sloe gin fizz, and a smoked old-fashioned.
LaGondola Ristorante Italian in Mansfield has closed after 18 years, with a history that dated back nearly 50 years. Founder Sal Cucci, who passed away in 2013, previously owned local favorites The Original Italian Pizza and Italian Villa before opening LaGondola, serving signatures like stuffed chicken with sausage. In a post from the restaurant, they said the decision was not an easy one, and expressed gratitude to their customers.
Truluck’s has two new items for May: Lemon-blueberry custard bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream, crème anglaise, blueberry sauce, and lemon streusel; and The Lychee Empress cocktail with Empress Elderflower Rose Gin with Carpano Bianco, lychee, lemon, and raspberry.
China Bull Express, a Chinese takeout restaurant that opened in Dallas in January, is now opening a second location in Pantego, in a former DQ at 2424 W. Park Row Dr. Their model is delivery and takeout only, with customizable combos of your classic Chinese takeout options like orange chicken, General Tsao's chicken, black pepper chicken, Mongolian beef, mixed vegetables, and more which you partner with rice, noodles, or shrimp fried rice, priced from $6 to $10. Appetizers include egg rolls, wontons, dumplings, and chicken nuggets, because there always has to be chicken nuggets on a menu, no matter where you go. They're aiming to open in May.
Gyuto Sushi & Ramen, a Japanese restaurant in the Cooper Street Commons center in Arlington at 1030 W. Arkansas Ln. #204, has closed. Their final day was April 26. The restaurant received good reviews on both its ramen and its sushi, and had not even been open a year. In a note announcing the closure, the owners offered no reason for the closure, but expressed thanks and appreciation to their customers.
Thomas', the English muffin brand, has debuted new, limited-edition Thomas' Apple Cinnamon English Muffins featuring cinnamon and real apple pieces, available for a limited time through October for $5.69 per package. Thomas' dates back to 1880 when Samuel Bath Thomas created his original English muffin in New York using a secret process that included griddle baking to create the famous Nooks & Crannies English Muffin. The company has since added bagels, muffin tops, and breakfast breads, including a line of swirl breads, to its breakfast offerings. They sell the #1 English muffin and #1 grocery bagel in the U.S.
Tostitos is expanding beyond the chip aisle into the refrigerated realm with a new guacamole. Called Tostitos Chunky Guacamole Hint of Lime Flavored Dip — that's a very long name — it will have fresh Hass avocados with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives and will be non-GMO project verified, vegan, kosher, and gluten free. Their surveys found that 64 percent of consumers eat guacamole with tortilla chips. It will launch in fall 2026, in 8-oz, 15-oz, and single-serving 2-oz sizes.
Tacos Juancho, a taqueria in Dallas' Oak Lawn area, is the only place in Texas to have made a new list by Food & Wine of the "8 Hottest New Taco Spots to Visit in the US." The writeup mentions its "tacos al pastor, gaoneras de rib-eye on a blue corn tortilla, and tacos de suadero."
