Taco Time

New taqueria docks in Fort Worth with fruity cocktails and fresh fare

Bartaco is coming to WestBend.

Photo courtesy of Bartaco

A new taqueria called Bartaco will make its Texas debut in a mixed-use development in Fort Worth. The concept, operated by Barteca Restaurant Group, will open at WestBend, the University District mixed-use development, and it will serve inventive tacos and cocktails in a spacious spot overlooking the Trinity River.

Inspired by a healthy, outdoor lifestyle, Bartaco combines fresh, upscale street food with a coastal vibe in a relaxed environment. The minimalistic décor is light and breezy, with the air of a rustic beach shack. The cuisine is rooted in tradition and pulls from a broad palate of spicy, bold flavors from the Mediterranean, Asia, and beyond.

Barteca CEO Jeff Carcara has lived in the Fort Worth area for the past four years. "We've spent a lot of time in the neighborhood," he says in a release. "While there are a lot of great taco places around, we believe we bring something a little different to the table."

That something at the table includes tacos with fish, chicken, pork, and vegetables, plus grilled corn and fusion rice bowls. Its cocktails are fetching, with watermelon and other fruity options such as the recently introduced chai mezcalita cocktail, made with mezcal, tequila, house-made chai syrup, fresh lime juice, salt, and a star anise garnish. Patios are on the menu, too.

Parent company Barteca was founded in 1995 and includes Bartaco and sister chain Barcelona Wine Bar, a Spanish tapas bar with about a dozen locations. Bartaco is more casual, serving upscale street food with a coastal vibe, and has branches in Connecticut, New York, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.

In Fort Worth, Bartaco will join other restaurants at the complex including East Hampton Sandwich Co., HG Sply Co., Silver Fox, and Zoë’s Kitchen. WestBend is undergoing a redevelopment with new retail, restaurants, office space, a public art program, bike racks, and outdoor seating along the Trinity River and Trinity Trails.

openings tacos

Breakfast News

White Rock Cafe in North Richland Hills is a breakfast & lunch gem

White Rock Cafe

A family-owned cafe is serving Mexican eats and coffee in North Richland Hills: Called White Rock Cafe, it's located at 7640 NE Loop 820 #110, in North Hills Village, in a former event space called Eventfully Yours, where it opened in May.

Not to be confused with White Rock Coffee or White Rock Lake, White Rock Cafe is named after a location in Oaxaca, Mexico — Rosa Blanca — and the ancestral hometown of sisters Jenny and Stephanie Pantoja, who own the restaurant with their cousin Kevin Nazario.

"It's where my father grew up," Jenny says. But she and her sister and her cousin all grew up in NRH.

“We decided to open in North Richland Hills because even though we live on the edge of Fort Worth, we kind of grew up here and are familiar with the people," Jenny says. “That’s why we decided this would be the perfect community to open a breakfast place.”

Their menu ranges from Mexican breakfast to comfort food to burgers and chicken-fried steak. There are all your bacon-and-egg-and-pancake combos with choice of potatoes or grits, but there are also crepes, topped with berries, and a Mexican Benedict, featuring an English muffin topped with grilled red onions, green peppers, seasoned chorizo, poached eggs, avocado, and Hollandaise sauce.

They also have a coffee program including brewed coffee, espresso, white coffee, hot chocolate, and hot teas.

White Rock CafeWhite Rock Cafe

Lunch has a homey home-cooking vibe, including a daily special with dishes like chicken fried steak and pot roast with two sides and Texas toast for only $8. There's a perfect California club with crisp bacon, red tomato slices, and fresh Romaine on toast, neatly trimmed, for $10; and that DFW classic combo of grilled cheese sandwich served with tomato-basil soup.

Prices are low, topping out at $14 for chilaquiles. They're open every day from 7 am-3 pm.

Jenny works in a surgery program most days when she’s not at the restaurant. She got her start working at a breakfast restaurant and grew to appreciate the hours and the culture, inspiring her and her family to open this breakfast cafe of their own.

It's a friendly, tidy place, with black vinyl booths and a lovely mural on the wall that summons the Mexican area for which it is named.

“My father used to work at a Cracker Barrel and other breakfast places, then he had the dream of opening his own place,” Jenny says. “That was the same for me too."

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