Dog News

Dogs of Fort Worth will get their very own Mutts Canine Cantina

Mutts is there for the dogs and the hot dogs.

Photo courtesy of Mutt's Cantina

Good times ahead for the dogs of Fort Worth, thanks to Mutts Canine Cantina, an urban dog park and restaurant slated to open at the Clearfork development in fall 2018.

Not your average dog park, Mutts first debuted in Dallas' Uptown neighborhood in 2013, where it has served as an outdoor oasis for dogs and their humans to socialize and play.

It's a dual concept with a communal beer and wine garden and several HD TVs. A separate patio area features a menu of concession-style food options such as hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, burgers, and milkshakes.There's also a special doggie menu.

The Mutts in Fort Worth will be located along the Trinity River, accompanied by trees, trail access, and connectivity to The Shops at Clearfork and The Kelton multi-family project.

It will have two fully-enclosed, fenced lawn spaces — one each for large and small breeds — that expand over an acre of land. This gives dogs plenty of space to run and play safely, in both shaded and unshaded areas.

Kyle Noonan, co-owner of FreeRange Concepts, Mutts' parent company, describes it as a place where owners can take their dogs and also have a good time.

"We created Mutts in order to give dog owners living in the city, a nice natural environment that lets you enjoy all your favorite things in one great place," he says in a release.

The park will be accessible with a choice of day pass, monthly pass, or annual membership. That includes free Wi-Fi, "bark rangers" who provide water and pick up your mess (and your dog's), and a dog washing area.

Visiting dogs must be four months old or older; spayed or neutered; well behaved; current on all vaccinations; and off-leash trained.

The park also hosts canine-centric special events, including a weekly happy hour, costume contests, holiday pictures with Santa Paws and the Easter Bunny, dog birthday "pawties," and more.

Kyle Noonan and Josh Sepkowitz created Mutts Canine Cantina in 2013, and launched a franchising division in 2016. Mutts has been one of many trailblazing concepts they've created under the FreeRange Concepts umbrella, along with Bowl and Barrel, their bowling alley-restaurant concept; and The Rustic, their live music venue-restaurant.

Fort Worth will be the second location for Mutts, and is being viewed as a flagship, reflecting the changes that have been made since the concept began in 2013.

The dog park will be open to members from 6 am-10 pm daily. The Cantina will be open Monday-Thursday 3-8 pm (3-10 pm during daylight savings time); Friday 12-8 pm (10 pm during daylight savings time); and Saturday-Sunday 11 am-8 pm (10 pm during daylight savings time).

Clearfork is the master-planned, mixed-use development encompassing residences, riverfront access, retail, dining, entertainment, office, hospital, and green spaces.

The lineup includes The Shops at Clearfork, The Kelton at Clearfork multi-family unit residences; and The Trailhead at Clearfork featuring Press Café, Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop, The Clearfork Farmers Market, and an outdoor fitness and activity lawn.

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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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