Coronavirus News

These Fort Worth restaurants forced to close temporarily due to coronavirus

No Fredburgers right now.

Photo by Malcolm Mayhew

It’s not “goodbye,” it’s “see you later.” That’s the hope for these Fort Worth restaurants that have chosen to cease all operations amid the COVID-19 outbreak, which has forced bars and restaurants to close their dining rooms.

Some attempted curbside pick-up and delivery, even offering alcohol to-go. But many say that take-out dining did not allow them to keep the lights on.

Here’s an ongoing list of who’s gone dark — just temporarily.

Alchemy Pops
The South Main Street frozen pops purveyor sold out and decided to shut its doors until it's safe to gather again.

Clay Pigeon Food & Drink
Chef Marcus Paslay's acclaimed restaurant has closed its doors for now. "With recent developments, we feel that it is in the best interest to temporarily cease operations, for the safety of our employees and guests," the chef-owner said on the restaurant's Facebook page.

Chop House Burger Euless
While the Euless burger spot is closing its doors temporarily, Chop House Burger Fort Worth will remain open for pick-up and delivery (via Doordash, Favor, and Caviar platforms) from 12-9 pm, Sunday-Saturday, with a special menu. All emergency workers, police officers, and fire fighters will receive a 30 percent discount, parent company DRG Concepts says.

City Works
All locations nationwide of the sports bar and restaurant chain, including Fort Worth’s outlet at the Shops at Clearfork, are closed until at least March 31.

Enchiladas Ole
Opened just weeks ago in its highly anticipated new Forest Park Boulevard location, the Tex-Mex restaurant has closed indefinitely despite initial attempts to offer curbside pick-up. UPDATE: The restaurant will reopen for curbside pick-up service on Thursday, April 2, they announced on Facebook.

Fred’s Texas Café
The 40-plus year-old burger institution has closed all three of its Fort Worth locations indefinitely, stating in a Facebook post that takeout, curbside, and delivery sales were not enough to offset costs. “We make this move to close our stores now, in the hopes of reopening in a few months after the virus threat is no longer,” the post says.

Gemelle
While Tim Love’s Italian-inspired West Fort Worth restaurant has closed until further notice (as well as Lonesome Dove Western Bistro), fans of the celeb chef can still order Love’s “Bring Love Home” package online, which includes four heat-and-serve family meals (each serves four) for $150 delivered. Woodshed Smokehouse remains opens for pick-up and delivery.

J&J Oyster Bar
Shucking oysters for more than 40 years, the seafood dive is ceasing operations with “the sincerest hope” of reopening, a Facebook post says. “We were happy to offer takeout service, but sales were not enough to offset operational costs.”

Piattello Italian Kitchen
The popular Waterside restaurant in southwest Fort Worth has decided to close temporarily. "With recent developments, we feel that it is in the best interest to temporarily cease operations, for the safety of our employees and guests," chef-owner Marcus Paslay says in a post on the restaurant's Facebook page.

Press Café
While the Clearfork restaurant has temporarily halted all services, curbside pick-up and delivery is still available at its sister restaurant, The Tavern Bar & Grill.

River Oaks Cafe
The River Oaks eatery tried curbside and takeout, but in a Facebook post on March 23, they said sales were not enough to offset costs. "We make this move to close our cafe now, in the hopes of reopening in a few weeks or months after this virus threat is no longer," the post said.

Rogers Roundhouse
The restaurant will temporarily close, effective 9 pm March 31, they posted on Facebook. "We believe closing now gives us the best chance to open back up when it is safe to do so," they say.

Seven Mile Café
The breakfast, brunch, and lunch spot has closed its Fort Worth and Keller locations, although the Denton location remains open for delivery and pick-up. “We hope to see all of your smiling faces again once city officials give us the go ahead to open back up,” says a Facebook post.

Stevie's Diner
The nine-year-old diner in far north Fort Worth diner has closed indefinitely. "Due to the restrictions placed on restaurants because of COVID-19, sales are just not enough to sustain remaining open," they said in a Facebook post.

Stirr Fort Worth
Stirr Fort Worth, Stirr Dallas, and Stirr Addison closed on March 17 until further notice. "We remain hopeful that we will be allowed to reopen soon, and continue to serve you, which is and remains our favorite thing to do," their post says.

SusieCakes
As of March 21, SusieCakes has temporarily closed all of their bakeries throughout California and Texas, including Fort Worth's WestBend location. "They will reopen as soon as there is a change in the current climate, but for now they will remain closed," a spokesman says.

Sweet Lucy's Pies
The Fort Worth pie company has decided to cease operations at this time. "We are so grateful to our customers and other wonderful Fort Worth businesses who continue to support us in the endeavor of great pie," they said in a Facebook post.

Taco Heads
Taco Heads and its brand new sister restaurant, Tinie’s Mexican Cuisine, have both closed. Tinie’s closure is indefinite, while Taco Heads claims all operations will cease for two weeks. “The safety of our employees and customers are way more valuable than to-go margaritas,” a Taco Heads Facebook post says.

The Beignet Bus
The popular food truck that serves hot beignets and afe au lait posted on Facebook that it would not be rolling for now. "We want to err on the side of caution," their post says. "Will will miss serving you and can't wait to see your faces when we all flatten this dang curve!"

The Black Rooster Cafe
The Black Rooster has suspended operations for now. In a March 14 Facebook post, it said, "We have not made this decision as a result of fear or panic, but one guided by common sense and reason in our desire to protect and mitigate from further spread of COVID19. Our organization has committed to paying our employees through April 5, 2020 in the event we remain closed for an extended period of time."

The Lunch Box
The Lunch Box has ceased all operations and closed to the public for the time being. However, beginning Tuesday, March 24, they will have 200+ free lunches available each weekday to anyone in need, including first responders, healthcare workers, laid-off service industry, or anyone who could use a free meal, they announced in a Facebook post. It comes with a sandwich, chips, fruit, and cookie.

Wild Salsa
The downtown Fort Worth Tex-Mex restaurant has closed temporarily. "Following all city, county, state, and federal government directives, we are working with each of our employees through this unprecedented business impact," a spokeswoman for parent company DRG Concepts says.

---

Stephanie Allmon Merry contributed to this story.

health closings

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