This week in gluttony

These are the 7 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

Birthday pie all around.

Photo courtesy of Emporium Pies

Halloween fans will be stoked about a super scary, immersive pop-up experience that’s set to debut at a popular Fort Worth bar this week. Less frightening festivities include a barbecue and beer pairing at a Tex-Mex hot spot, whiskey pairing dinner, boozy afternoon tea, and grand opening of a new outdoor bar. Save room for cake and pie, because two bakeries have big birthdays this week and they're hosting sweet celebrations for customers.

Wednesday, August 31

Birdie's Social Club Grand Opening
A veteran bar group in Fort Worth is debuting a new venue: Called Birdie's Social Club, it's in the Cultural District at a familiar address: 2736 W 6th St., IE, the space that was formerly Lola's. Birdie's is a casual, open-air concept, spanning the entire block between 5th and 6th streets, with three indoor and outdoor bars, multiple patios, food, drinks, and entertainment. The Grand Opening party on Wednesday will feature a live performance by the Powell Brothers, corn dogs from Fletcher's, and complimentary champagne from the Bubble Bus (while supplies last). It all gets started at 4 pm.

Thursday, September 1

Emporium Pies 10th Birthday
The Bishop Arts gourmet pie destination turns 10 years old on September 1, and there’ll be specials at all four DFW locations to celebrate. Visit for a slice of the limited edition Smorgasbord pie — a brownie pie with a graham cracker crust, marshmallow meringue, and festive sprinkles, available all of September. Emporium will also offer a one-day special Chicken Lickin savory pie, made with puff pastry filled with chicken, veggies and gravy. Emporium also has locations in Fort Worth, McKinney, and Deep Ellum.

Free Cake Day at Nothing Bundt Cakes
To celebrate the bundt chain’s 25th birthday, all Nothing Bundt Cake locations will give away free individually wrapped Confetti Bundlets to the first 250 customers. Nothing Bundt Cakes has locations in Fort Worth, Lake Worth, Southlake, Hurst, Burleson, and Arlington, as well as Dallas, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Lewisville, and Flower Mound, Allen, and .

Whiskey Dinner at Winewood Grill
The Grapevine steakhouse and fine wine destination will host a four-course whiskey-pairing dinner featuring Aberfeldy and Craigellachie brands. Courses include oysters Rockefeller, heirloom tomato and green apple caprese, rack of lamb with Brussels sprouts, and crème brulee. All courses will be paired with neat pours of scotch and whiskey. The dinner is $125 plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6 pm.

Friday, September 2

Barbecue & Beer Pairing at El Chingon
The West 7th district Tex-Mex restaurant and late-night bar will toast to summer’s last hurrah with a barbecue and beer pairing special available all weekend long. Folks can order the Parrillada Chingon platter with carnitas, grilled steak skirt, grilled chicken breast and shrimp with peppers, queso fundido, and guacamole paired with a Dos Equis beer tower for $70. The entire ensemble serves two to four people and will be available Friday through Monday.

Saturday, September 3

Boozy Tea Party at Hooligan’s Pub
In conjunction with the final weekend of Arlington Museum of Art's "Disney Art from Private Collections" exhibition, Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter will visit nearby Hooligan's Pub for high tea and Disney trivia. The $59.99 per-person ticket includes a glass of bubbly upon arrival along with a tea tower filled with quiche, puff pastries, mini sandwiches, scones, tarts, macarons, and more, paired with a Earl Grey tea-infused old fashioned. End the evening with another glass of bubbly. The event will run from 6-9 pm.

Sunday, September 4

Black Lagoon at Nickel City
Cue the horror music. Halloween arrives early this year thanks to a spooky pop-up bar set to debut at Nickel City. Called Black Lagoon, the immersive experience will take place in nine cities across North America, from Montreal to New York City. Guests can expect horrific décor, mysterious music, and creepy cocktails. Don't miss the Screaming Banshee, with gin, Giffard L'Abricot, pineapple syrup, and Greek yogurt; and the Hellraiser, with Hornitos, Chairman’s spiced rum, Cointreu, and spiced oat orgeat. Drinks will be served in custom glassware that will be available for purchase. Get a super scary sneak peek of the pop-up this Sunday from 6-10 pm.

news-you-can-eat cocktails dinner desserts

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