Coronavirus News

Master list of Fort Worth restaurants reopening dining rooms May 1

Just don't get too close to the wine steward.

Photo courtesy of Del Frisco's Grille

Armed with gallons of sanitizer, face masks, and in some cases, plastic table barriers, dozens of restaurants around Fort Worth plan to reopen for dine-in service on Friday, May 1.

The state of Texas has given permission to restaurants, movie theaters, and malls to reopen, as long as they limit occupancy to 25 percent. It puts operators in a real dilemma: Do you follow the advice of health professionals and remain locked down, or do you live on the edge and try to squeak out a few bucks?

This list is about the second group, who must follow a set of regulations to get their doors back open. It includes no valet parking, no parties larger than six, no salt shakers, and seating at least 6 feet apart. Diners will be encouraged to use contactless payment and are urged to wear face coverings when they're not eating.

"Right now it looks like about 40 percent of the independent restaurants plan on some kind of opening either Friday or Saturday ... about 60 percent are going to continue with whatever they're doing right now — delivery, curbside, all of those," Fort Worth chef-restaurateur Jon Bonnell said on Mayor Betsy Price's daily coronavirus briefing April 29.

He says customers should expect more spacing than might have anticipated, and he urged everyone to be patient.

"I would really encourage some empathy out there," he said. "Each situation, each owner, each operation has a completely different set of circumstances they're working with, so please show a little understanding for those who have either chosen to open and those who have not."

This list includes independently owned restaurants, as well as locally owned chains. (Many other restaurants in the Fort Worth area are open for takeout and curbside but have opted not to open at this time.)

OPENING

American Revelry, Burleson

Andalous Mediterranean Grill, Arlington

Angelo's Barbecue

Babe's Chicken Dinner House

Bacon's Bistro and Cafe, Hurst

Bobby V's, Arlington

Bob's Steak & Chop House, Grapevine

Buffalo Bros Pizza, Wings & Subs

Chill Bar, Grapevine

Chubby's Burger Shack/Acadia Parish Crawfish

Coolgreens, Southlake (opens May 11)

Cooper's Old Time Pit BBQ

Cork & Pig Tavern

Coyote Drive-In (pre-purchase tickets online)

Crab Station

Crù Food & Wine Bar

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse

Del Frisco's Grille

Dickey's Barbecue Pit

Dog Haus, Arlington

Ellerbe Fine Foods (opens May 7)

Gloria's Latin Cuisine

Grub Burger Bar

Habanero's Fresh Mex Cantina

Hat Creek Burger Co., Roanoke and Mansfield

The Healthy Hippie Cafe, Watauga

Herencia, Southlake (opens May 4)

Hurtado Barbecue, Arlington

Jack & Grill, Roanoke

Joe T. Garcia's

La Playa Maya

Lonesome Dove Western Bistro

Loveria Caffe, Colleyville

Mesero

Messina Hof, Grapevine

Mi Cocina

Mi Dia from Scratch, Grapevine

Newk's Eatery

Oliva Italian Eatery, Keller

On the Border (opens May 6)

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille, Grapevine

Queenie's Steakhouse, Denton

Reata Restaurant

Riscky's Barbeque

River Bend Cafe

River Oaks Cafe (opens May 4)

Rodeo Goat (opens May 4)

Saltgrass Steakhouse

Sauce'd, Grapevine (opens May 6)

Seven Mile Cafe

Shell Shack

Silver Fox

Southern Recipes Grill, Arlington

The Spice Rack, Burleson

Strumolo's, Roanoke

Sunny Street Cafe

Swiss Pastry Shop

Taco Diner

Texas Bleu, Keller

The Tipsy Oak, Arlington

Toasted Coffee + Kitchen (opens May 2)

Tortas la Hechizera

Uncle Julio's (Camp Bowie Blvd. and Grapevine locations only, open May 7)

Vaquero Coffee Co.

Vickery Cafe (opens May 4)

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux, Arlington

Winslow's Wine Cafe (opening rescheduled for May 11)

Wishbone & Flynt

Woodshed Smokehouse

The Yucatan Tequila Bar & Grill (formerly Yucatan Taco Stand)

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.

health openings

In Today's Bun News

Fun Asian restaurant in Fort Worth smashes together burgers and ramen

Sumo Smash

Cute buns at Sumo Smash

A restaurant combining two buzzy food groups — burgers and Asian fare — has just opened in north Fort Worth: Called Sumo Smash, it’s an innovative mash-up of smash burgers and ramen, all under one roof at Presidio Towne Crossing, in the former Char’d space at 8901 Tehama Ridge Pkwy. #137.

Founder Binh Ngyuen says they opened in September. He previously owned a poke concept called Poke Stop, which he opened in 2017 with Dat Bui of My Lan Vietnamese. He sold his share in that restaurant to turn his attention to Sumo Smash.

"The concept was inspired by a friend who wanted to do smash burgers, and I have experience in ramen," Nguyen says. "We decided to put the two together."

On the burger side, there are half a dozen options, most featuring 5-ounce Angus beef patties, served on a buttered hamburger bun and topped with fun Asian and foodie ingredients such as:

Sumo Pro topped with fried mozzarella cheese stick, potato crisp, and onion ring
Tokyo Lights, topped with pork belly, fried egg, spinach, tomato, onion strings, and enoki mushrooms

There's also a mushroom burger and veggie burger made with Beyond Meat, done classic style with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and vegan mayo.

Other sandwiches include a half dozen sliders, served on fluffy, white steamed bao buns including soft-shell crab and lemon pepper tofu; and sandwiches on baguettes including shrimp katsu and a Korean peppersteak with Hellman's mayo, no less.

Five varieties of ramen include spicy miso; black garlic tonkotsu; and yuzu shio, a vegetarian option in a clear salt base broth with tomato, mushrooms, and corn.

They even offer chicken tenders, a Cobb salad, and roti wraps in choice of chicken, beef, or tofu. Their fries are curly fries, and you can get them in a loaded-style dish called Sumo fries topped with crumbled beef, American cheese, and a fried egg. Prices range from $5 for a bao slider to $15 for a bowl of ramen.

Sumo Smash serves no alcohol but they do have a huge selection of shakes in 16 options such as vanilla Oreo, pumpkin spice, strawberry & cream, sea salt caramel, and matcha.

Nguyen has so far done little marketing — his Instagram page has yet to see a post — but diners in the area have already discovered this fun mixed-up fusion place.