Food Hall News

DFW's newest food hall opens in Grapevine with stellar foodie lineup

The hall features architecture reminiscent of America’s grand 19th century rail stations.

Courtesy of HH

Dallas-Fort Worth has a new food hall that's shaping up to be one of the area's best entries: Called Harvest Hall, it's an expansive European-style food hall and entertainment venue featuring a collection of local culinary concepts that will open in Grapevine on February 6.

The hall is operated by Coury Hospitality and is connected to the recently opened Hotel Vin, Autograph Collection. The hall is also part of Grapevine Main, a $114 million mixed-use development in Grapevine.

Tom Santora, Chief Commercial Officer at Coury Hospitality and managing director of both Hotel Vin and Harvest Hall, says in a release that the hall is a game changer for Grapevine.

"All of our chefs come from vastly different, yet complementary backgrounds, and each is committed to providing a high-quality experience for their diners," Santora says. "This destination within a destination is centered around stimulating your senses. Whether it is live music and comedy in Third Rail, or creative culinary events or art festivals on our 30,000 square foot plaza, there is something for everyone."

In addition to the kitchens, Harvest Hall is home to Third Rail and the Harvest Hall Main Bar, as well as the Main Line Coffee Bar.

All the restaurants are family-owned-and-operated and focus on preparing meals made from scratch:

Arepa TX specializes in gourmet comfort food with a Latin twist including arepas made from scratch prepared to order, tacos, empanadas, rice bowls, and artisan pops.

Chick & Biscuit specializes in biscuits paired with fried chicken, Nashville Hot Chicken, pulled pork, and brisket. It is the sibling of Mason & Dixie in Grapevine, owned by chef Beth Newman.

Easy Slider is the slider concept from Caroline Perini and Miley Holmes, featuring Angus Beef sliders with unique toppings, farmer's market produce such as Texas-grown portobello mushrooms, and sliders that showcase seasonal ingredients, with sauces and breads made fresh daily, and locally-made desserts.

Monkey King Noodle Co. is the Northern Chinese street food concept from chef Andrew Chen with Lamian (hand-pulled) noodles and Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings).

Spuntino by Loveria specializes in authentic recipes from homemade lasagna and pastas, as well as regional dishes from Ravenna, Italy, from Stefania and Andrea Matteucci who own their flagship restaurant Loveria Caffe – Taste of Italy, in Colleyville.

Zatar's specializes in original family recipes from owner Niddal Abedrabbo, brought down through the generations, providing an authentic Mediterranean flavor including lamb kabobs, hummus dips, falafels, zatar pies, and shawarma on a spit.

The Third Rail and Harvest Hall Main Bar represent new additions to Grapevine's happening nightlife scene:

Third Rail is an intimate space ideal for a business lunch, work session, or lounging during the day. At night it transforms into a space for live music, comedy, food and wine, private events, and more.

Harvest Hall Main Bar serves as the centerpiece of the food hall and is a community gathering place.

The Main Line Coffee Bar features coffee beans from Counter Culture Coffee, the specialty roaster that has a training center in Deep Ellum. The coffee bar offers an array of loca products including doughnuts from Burleson-based Dough Boy Donuts; pastries from Grapevine's Main Street Bakery & Chez Fabien; and Latin-inspired ice cream from Azucár Ice Cream Company in Bishop Arts.

Beyond the food, Harvest Hall has an amazing space with architecture reminiscent of America's grand 19th-century rail stations. It has 40-foot soaring ceilings with exposed trusses, large panoramic windows, and overlooks the train station.

Harvest Hall is also home to the City of Grapevine's Visitors Information Center, and provides access to the 150-foot high Observation Tower.

Additionally, it is connected to a 38,000-square-foot public plaza that will host the City of Grapevine's music and art festivals, holiday events, local fairs, markets, and year-round entertainment.

Harvest Hall will be open daily: from 6:30 am-9 pm on weekdays, and until 11 pm on Friday and Saturday nights.

openings

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.

closings