New Restaurants

Favorite Fort Worth tavern lends Texas twang to Las Colinas plaza

This Texas-style feast is coming to Las Colinas.

Photo courtesy of Cork & Pig

The buzzy bustling Water Street project in Las Colinas has some more exciting buzz in the works, including a new restaurant with Hollywood ties. Water Street, you may recall, is the mixed-use development on the hypnotic shores of Lake Carolyn.

According to a release, the newbies include a popular local pub and a new concept restaurant from a Meso Maya veteran.

Several are spinoffs of locations we already know and love, as follows:

Cork & Pig Tavern will open its fourth location at Water Street in fall 2018. Cork & Pig Tavern is chef Felipe Armenta's mini chain with locations in Fort Worth, Odessa, and San Angelo. It's known for delicacies like West Texas biscuits and gravy, enchiladas, and pork ribs.

The Ginger Man, known for its pioneering, expansive collection of beer, will open its ninth location at Water Street in fall 2018. The Fort Worth Ginger Man is at 3716 Camp Bowie Blvd. The new Water Street location will also feature a full restaurant menu in addition to its popular bar appetizer menu.

Olivella's, the artisanal pizza chain from Dallas restaurateur Charlie Green, is opening its sixth location at Water Street in September. It already has a Fort Worth location at 6333 Camp Bowie Blvd.

Green also opened El Famoso, his Mexican diner concept, at Water Street earlier this year. The menu puts an L.A. spin on Tex-Mex with items such as the Sloppy Jose sandwich, carne asada fries and giant burritos.

Go Fish Poke opened its second location at Water Street with poke bowls, Asian craft beers, and sake cups.

Creamistry is the dessert chain that specializes in liquid nitrogen ice cream in unique flavors such as honeycomb toffee and lemon cookie.

Big Little Market, a family-owned neighborhood pantry and beverage bar opening in September, will offer groceries, beer, wine and meals to-go, such as specialty deli sandwiches with gourmet meat and cheeses, fresh-baked bread, and locally grown organic produce.

Hugo’s Invitados, a partnership between Hugo Miranda, previously with Meso Maya, and movie producer Mark Hulme, is expected to open fall 2018. Hugo's Invitados menu is influenced by Mexico and characterized as Cocina Fresca, good food that’s good for you. Each and every dish is handcrafted from all-natural, nutritious ingredients that are always fresh and flavorful.

Additional retailers and conveniences at Water Street include The Gents Place, an ultra-premium men's lifestyle and grooming club opening in September. We Yogis is Water Street’s yoga studio, offering both in-studio and lakeside classes. Ciel Nail, GQ Tailor and Waxing the City are all now open; Flirty Girl Lash Studio opens in August. Dallas-based designer Mike Mousel also opened a Homeworks studio offering residential and commercial design services. Homegrown Hounds is a nonprofit doggie deli and bakery benefiting a local dog rescue organization.

Water Street has a massive mix of retail, restaurant, apartment homes, green space, and lake views, all walking distance of the DART Rail System, Toyota Music Factory, and the landmark Mustangs at Las Colinas.

openings

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