Coronavirus Comeback

These Fort Worth bars and restaurants will reopen May 22 after coronavirus closure

America Gardens bar, Fort Worth West 7th

Happy hours are here again.

In time for Memorial Day Weekend fun, Fort Worth bars may resume service at 25 percent capacity and restaurants, at 50 percent capacity, on Friday, May 22, as part of phase 2 of Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to reopen Texas. But, as everyone has come to expect, there will be strict rules in place to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Under Texas' health protocols for bar operations, to maintain social distancing, bars must remove bar stools and seat all customers at tables of six or fewer people. There'll be no loitering at the bar, no dancing, arcade games, or rounds of pool. Patios are not subject to capacity restrictions, but they are still required to maintain at least six feet between tables and limit groups to six people or fewer.

These Fort Worth-area restaurants and bars (including breweries, tap rooms, and wine rooms) are reopening their doors on Friday, May 22 (and a few have revealed upcoming opening dates). The list will be updated as more places announce their plans. Also, here is a list of the restaurants that opened on May 1, and here are popular restaurant patios that have reopened.

America Gardens
The West 7th bar says on social media that it will open Friday and adhere to all safety protocols. "We hope everyone is safe and look forward to seeing you soon," they say. "God Bless America."

Aventino's Italian Ristorante (opens June 1)
The beloved Ridglea-area restaurant has put much consideration into its opening date of June 1. Read about the results of a survey and more about the precautions they're taking here.

Cowtown Brewing Company
The downtown-area brewery and barbecue spot will reopen its tap room at 11 am Friday.

Horseshoe Hill
"Who is ready for some Chicken Fried Steak??!!! We are excited to announce that we will be Reopen this Friday from 4-10 pm," chef-owner Grady Spears says of his Stockyards CFS outpost on Facebook.

Hot Box Biscuit Club
"Ok y’all...it’s been long enough. We’re opening up our dining room on Friday at 9 am! So join us inside or order online and swing by for curbside pickup," the buzzy Near Southside biscuit shop says in a Facebook post.

Clay Pigeon
Chef Marcus Paslay's acclaimed restaurant will make its long-awaited return to in-house dining 5 pm Friday. They also will be offering some menu items, as well as bottles of wine and cocktails to-go, for curbside pickup, they say.

Flying Saucer
The Sundance Square bar and patio will reopen at 11 am Friday.

Funky Picnic Brewery & Cafe (opens May 28)
The Near Southside craft brewery and restaurant is preparing to resume in-house dining service on May 28, they say on social media.

Grand Cru Wine Bar
The Magnolia Avenue wine bar will reopen Friday. They encourage reservations by calling 817-923-1717.

HopFusion Ale Works
The Near Southside brewery will reopen at 12 pm on Friday but will also still offer beer to-go.

Kent & Co. Wine Bar
The Magnolia Avenue wine bar is opening Friday at noon for seating, but opening at 10 am for a special reopening sale on wine bottles. "Great deals while supplies last," they say on Facebook.

Kung Fu Saloon
The West 7th-area saloon opened right at midnight Friday to kick off Memorial Day Weekend celebrations. It'll be open until 2 am Friday, Saturday, and Monday.

Love Shack
Tim Love's burger joint in the Stockyards reopens at 11 am with strict protocols. "The Dirty Love Burger is just around the corner and trust us we’re ready for everyone to enjoy one! With that being said we will be practicing social distancing, temperature checks, and health declaration with name and email required for entry," they say in a Facebook post.

Niles City Hall Saloon
The Stockyards saloon will open at 5 pm Friday and will include live music.

Panther Island Brewing
The north Fort Worth brewery will reopen at 12 pm but will also still offer curbside beer to-go.

Poag Mahones Irish Pub
The neighborhood pub between downtown and the Cultural District threw its doors open to say, "Sláinte!" at midnight Friday.

Playground Neighborhood Music
The West 7th playground-themed bar reopens Friday for drinks, music, games, and more.

Proper on Magnolia
The Magnolia Avenue craft cocktail bar will reopen Friday with limited seating, abbreviated hours, and more precautions that they have outlined for customers on their Facebook page.

Rahr & Sons Brewing Company (opens May 23)
Fort Worth's original craft brewery will reopen at 12 pm Saturday, May 23. An opening-day event will include live music and a food truck on site. Check their Facebook page for more details.

Rancho Loma Vineyards
The hidden wine bar located along South Main Street will reopen Friday for tastings of their wines, which are made from the vineyards of the Texas panhandle.

Sarah's Place
The West Fort Worth bar and karaoke hot spot will reopen at 3 pm Friday.

Stirr Fort Worth
The Crockett Row restaurant bar got an early start at 4 pm Thursday, May 21. They are taking every necessary precaution, they say on social media.

T&P Tavern
The historic train station diner-turned modern day gastropub at the Texas & Pacific Lofts reopens at 4 pm Friday with happy hour specials.

Taverna Rossa, Southlake (opens May 26)
The Southlake hot spot will reopen its patio and dining room for limited service starting at 5 pm May 26. It will continue to offer to-go service, as well.

Thompson's
The downtown speakeasy-style bar will reopen at 3 pm Friday.

Tinie's Mexican Cuisine (opens May 26)
The upscale South Main Mexican eatery, which had barely opened its doors before the pandemic, is reopening May 26 with a limited dine-in menu and to-go service from 5-10 pm.

Two Brothers Winery
The Keller wine room will open its tasting room and patio Friday and also will start to be open Sundays, they say.

Tulane's
The Foundry District bar inspired by New Orleans’ French Quarter will reopen at 3 pm Friday and will stay open until 2 am for socially distanced late-night revelers.

Waters Restaurant (opens June 4)
Jon Bonnell's Sundance Square seafood restaurant, which has been doing a robust takeout business, will resume in-house dining June 4. They are taking reservations now.

White Elephant Saloon
Tim Love's Stockyards bar adjacent to Love Shack will open at 12 pm Friday.

WineHaus (opens May 28)
The romantic Near Southside wine bar will open May 28. "We will have some great new safety measures in place, including: sanitizer stations, limited capacity, super spaced apart seating, and plenty of open space on our gorgeous patio," they say in a Facebook post.

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Have a place to add? Email stephanie@culturemap.com

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Chef News

Fort Worth's Will Rogers Memorial Center welcomes bright new chef

FortWorthtx.gov

Will Rogers Memorial Center

There's a new chef in town: Waylon Cornelius, named executive chef of catering and concessions for Craft Culinary Concepts, the food and beverage provider at Will Rogers Memorial Center.

Will Rogers Memorial Center is the 120-acre entertainment complex anchoring Fort Worth’s Cultural District, owned and operated by the City of Fort Worth. Cornelius will oversee menus for trade shows and other events at the center which bring in more than 2 million visitors a year.

Craft Culinary Concepts is headquartered in Glendale, Arizona, and manages food and beverage programs for entertainment, sports and cultural facilities.

Chef Waylon Corneliusfortworthtx.gov

According to a release, Cornelius joined the team this summer and is already shifting the expectations of guests from a typical “BBQ and beans” menu to a bill of fare satisfying every kind of palate.

“We always have fajitas ready to go, but we also make a beautiful Beef Wellington or baked salmon with a pink salt crust,” Cornelius says in a statement.

For consumer trade shows, Craft and its partners Caribou and Taco Heads offer more choices for the thousands of guests who attend events at WRMC annually.

“Some of our equestrian guests are away from home and here for several days, and they need more than popcorn and hot dogs,” Cornelius says. “Our concessions offer biscuits and gravy, burritos made in-house, strawberry salad, fruit and yogurt cups.”

A native of Mansfield, Cornelius grew up helping in a farm-to-table kitchen. He was raised on a farm with his mother, grandmother, and grandfather -- a Vietnam veteran who enjoyed vegetable gardens and raising hogs and chickens. He studied computer science after high school and holds an associate's degree in Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis from Tarrant County College.

He's a 2003 graduate of AIMS Academy of Culinary Arts in Dallas where he was mentored by a number of great chefs. While training as assistant executive sous chef at the AAA four-diamond Grand Hyatt DFW, he worked with Executive Chef Sutti Sripolpa, chef Eric Dreyer (who went on to be Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef), and Chef Jean-Claude Plihon, under whom he honed his French cooking skills.

As executive sous chef at the opening of Perry’s Steakhouse and Grille in Southlake, Cornelius gained expertise with volume. While at HG Sply Co., he learned about gluten-free items and other food allergies.

HG Sply is also where he crossed paths with Chef James R. Schell III, Craft’s general manager at WRMC, who recruited Cornelius to the complex.

"James said he needed someone who can hit moving targets, push the culinary team to be more avant-garde and use locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, so here I am," Cornelius says. "Culinary is a small world."

“I want people to say, ‘When we were in Fort Worth, you won’t believe what we got at Will Rogers!’” Schell says. “Even the celebrities who perform [in the auditorium] are surprised. When Chicago played here recently and we served dinner backstage, they said they felt treated like the Rolling Stones.”

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