Austin Is Cool

New taqueria treats Fort Worth with Austin-inspired tacos and fries

You can tell the tacos are cool because they're angled in the photo.

Photo courtesy of Austin City

The long-gestating Austin City Taco Co., a new fast-casual taqueria concept making its debut in the Cultural District, will be open for business on April 24 at 5 pm, serving tacos, fries with queso, and house-made salsas in a variety of flavors.

The restaurant is located at 517 University Dr., in the space formerly occupied by The Grotto.

Austin City was founded by Cameron Powell, a Fort Worth resident and UT alumnus who drew his inspiration from Austin, with the signature dish being 18-hour smoked brisket tacos.

To help execute his vision, he assembled a team that included Juan Rodriguez, chef and owner of Magdalena's (and CultureMap Tastemaker Best Chef nominee), and Plan B Group, the Dallas-based architecture/branding/design company.

Their decor features interior brick walls and has a kind of woodsy beige thing going on with aqua accents and cheerful yellow seating.

The menu includes tacos with rotisserie chicken, Gulf shrimp, and veggies.

They have:

4 chicken tacos, including one called the "State Fair," and another called al carbon
4 brisket tacos; 3 with shrimp, including salt & vinegar, Baja, and Gulf coast
2 pork, including pastor

There are 2 veggie tacos and 5 breakfast tacos: bacon & egg, chorizo & egg, and potato & egg, plus a migas taco, and an indulgent one called Midnight Craving.

They also have french fries with queso, and a line of salsas that include guajillo, jalapeño, habanero, and jalapeño-vinegar. They're making their own tortillas in flour, corn, blue corn, and a half-and-half that's plain and blue corn together.

When they say their inspiration is from Austin, it seems like they're talking about Torchy's, a chain well known for its fries with green chile queso. Austin City's version has a little extra pop, with skin-on fries and a drizzle of habanero sauce.

They're also on top of a big dessert trend, by offering soft-serve ice cream.

Beverage offerings include frozen house margaritas, beer, Topo Chico, bottled Mexican Coca-Colas, and nitro cold brew coffee.

openings

Food Truck News

Ghost Food Park brings food truck fare and culture to Arlington

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Food spread at Ghost Food Truck Park

A food truck park is gaining traction in Arlington: Called Ghost Food Park, it's a venture owned by two brothers, located at 2601 W. Arkansas Ln., in the Dalworthington Gardens area.

The outdoor concept was founded in 2023 by Juan and Chris Labra, who are hosting it on the property of their print shop, New Gen Print and Designs. Juan handles the social media and marketing for the park; Chris handles the contracts for the trucks.

They feature six food truck vendors — the maximum number allowed by the City of Arlington — that operate on different schedules every day of the week.

“A popular BBQ truck called 225 BBQ first put us on the map," Juan says.

Dishes span several cuisines: from hibachi to Venezuelan to BBQ fusion. The main attractions include:

King Hibachi with steak and noodle plates and loaded fries
Autana Food & Catering with Venezuelan arepas and cheese-stuffed bread rolls
Karibou Coffees

Ghost Food ParkGhost Food Park

There’s also a local celebrity chef most weekends: Marc Fadel of Habibi Barbecue.

Fadel and his truck were featured on HBO MAX’s BBQ High, a show about several groups of high school culinary teams competing for a state BBQ championship. He whips up dishes that include brisket, pork ribs, and Lebanese sides like tabbouleh (a parsley salad) and batata kizbara (fried cubed potatoes).

“He’s this college kid, and as much as he would want to open more time, he’s focusing on school now, but he does open on weekends,” Juan says.

Prices range from $10 for a pulled pork sandwich at Habibi Barbecue to $30 for a hibachi combo plate at King Hibachi. Truck hours are daily, with Thursdays-Sundays from 11 am-9 pm the most active.

They’ve recently expanded out to hosting weekend markets as well — often with a theme such as Halloween, when they did a cute "truck or treat" theme. They open the park to other non-foodtruck vendors, crafters, and jewelry makers. There’s outdoor seating, with umbrella-shaded tables, and yard games with space to play pickleball.

It's still in test mode. “We’ve got a good sized waiting list since it’s been getting some good traction recently," Juan says.

food-trucks openings