This restaurant news roundup is beefier than usual for early July. It features the return of a iconic Fort Worth burger joint, a new place for pho, and a new Chicago dog. There are a few sad closures, including the loss of a longtime cheesesteak restaurant. But bright spots come in the form of a new afternoon tea at a luxury hotel and new ice creams to scoop up.

Here's what's happening on the Fort Worth food scene:

Tommy's Hamburgers has finally reopened its 24-year-old restaurant at 5228 Camp Bowie Blvd. after a nearly year-long closure for refurbishments following a fire. Changes include a redesigned dining room and expanded bar. There are also a few new menu items, including a new Gouda patty melt and a kimchi burger that won the burger competition at the 2023 Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival.

Phoenix Pho, a family-owned noodle and coffee bar, has made its Fort Worth debut in the Alliance corridor, at 9771 N. Freeway. The menu includes authentic Vietnamese dishes including Shaken Beef Pho, Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl, and pho in beef, chicken, and dry varieties. The drink menu includes Vietnamese coffee and the other coffee, matcha, boba, and green tea offerings. Grand opening festivities will take place Sunday, July 5, starting at 10 am. The first 200 customers will get free drinks, and guests can receive a 20 percent discount all day.

La Playa Maya is closing its Stockyards location, at 1540 N. Main St., on July 5. It will be the first time since 1988 that there's no La Playa Maya on the city's north side. Three other locations - Westside (on Sunset Drive, near Camp Bowie Boulevard), Southside (on Hemphill Street), and Hudson Oaks - will remain open.

Mutts Canine Cantina announced Monday, June 29 they're permanently closing all locations, including Shops at Clearfork Fort Worth, after more than a decade in business. Dallas-based FreeRange Concepts, which owns Mutts, told CultureMap the company closed Mutts to focus on their other concepts.

Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard has opened at 8900 N. Tarrant Pkwy. in North Richland Hills, in an old Salad and Go drive-thru stand. The new shop features Rita's signature Italian ice, frozen custard, Gelati treats, and more. It's the first of four planned DFW locations, with Flower Mound, Carrollton, and Farmers Branch slated to open later in 2026.

The Philly and Burger Shack, longtime go-to for authentic Philly cheesesteaks, has closed for good at 6016 Denton Hwy, Watauga. The restaurant was a Philly cheesesteak pioneer, first opened by David McCurtain, who sold it to Fred and LeeAnn Gonzales in 2022. McCurtain went on to open nearby Philly Dave's while the Gonzaleses kept the momentum going for a few more years.

Hungry Howie's Pizza in Keller closed on June 30. The pizza joint, which had been open for two years at 1320 N. Main St. #100, posted a goodbye note on Facebook thanking its staff and loyal Keller customers. There's another location at 3301 E Berry St., inside an east Fort Worth gas station. Hungry Howie's serves Detroit-style pizza with crusts in different flavors.

Hungry Howie's Pizza in Keller has closed. Photo courtesy of Hungry Howie's

TeaCupFuls, an Oregon-based chain that opened its first Texas location in north Fort Worth nearly a year ago, closed on July 1. The shop, at 5800 N. Tarrant Pkwy. #106, was a unique boba tea spot specializing in boba tea, coffee, and candies. "While we are sad to see this location go, we are excited that we are in the process of opening two other locations in Texas. We will have more info on that at a later date," they posted on social media.

Whole Foods Market will anchor the forthcoming coming Shivers Farm mixed-use development in Southlake, marking the first major grocer planned north of SH 114 in the project. Construction will begin this summer and completion is slated for late 2027. The 40-acre development along the SH 114 corridor will include 111,000 square feet of retail, office space, single-family homes, and a pad for hotel, entertainment, or additional retail uses, along with a central park, outdoor dining areas, and additional restaurant and retail tenants.

Clay Pigeon Food & Drink is rolling out a trio of weekly dining specials for the summer. On Sundays, the restaurant is debuting a Sunday Chicken Roast: a family-style meal for two featuring a whole roasted Green Circle chicken with three seasonal sides for $90, plus Sunday Cellar Closeouts with discounted wines and all-night happy hour specials. From Tuesday through Saturday, diners can enjoy a rotating Summer Prix Fixe menu highlighting seasonal ingredients with a three-course dinner for $50 per person. And on Mondays, the restaurant continues its popular Steak Frites Night, featuring premium steaks, seafood, salads, soup, hand-cut frites, and paired cocktails and wines from 5-9 pm.

The Chumley House has added five new menu items for summer: Maple Glazed Quail with roasted sweet potato and goat cheese salad with lime vinaigrette; Chilean Sea Bass with samke harra, baby zucchini, and confit heirloom cherry tomatoes; Pan-Seared Romano Beans with Worcestershire butter and crispy quinoa; Cavatelli Pasta in summer squash pesto with cherry tomatoes and smoked almonds; and Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake with chocolate mousse, crispy cardamom meringue, honey-glazed hazelnuts, and tart cherry gelato.

Bowie House, Auberge Collection hotel is introducing luxurious seasonal afternoon tea in the Mulberry Room on Sundays from July 19 through Labor Day, with an additional seating on Labor Day Monday. The experience begins with a glass of champagne and includes savory bites, biscuits, sweet pastries, and loose-leaf teas. Seating is available at 12 pm and 3 pm, though only the 3 pm seating will be offered on July 19, July 26, and August 9. Parties of up to six can be accommodated. Reservations are $95 per person and available now.

West + Stone at the Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown is hosting its monthly Fort Worth First Fridays event on July 3 from 5-8 pm. The free gathering will feature live music by Stephen Montoya and Tony Cox, rotating food specials, and $4 Texas beers and spirits. The series returns August 7 with a performance by Josh Mather.

La Madeleine is celebrating this summer's World Cup with free butter croissants after wins by the U.S. or France. Redemption details will be shared on the bakery-café's social media, with guests receiving a complimentary croissant with any purchase during a 24-hour redemption window. The chain has also debuted a limited-time Red, White & Blue Croissant, filled with pastry cream, whipped cream, strawberries, and blueberries, available through July 21.

La Madeleine red, white, and blue croissant.Photo courtesy of La Madeleine

Hat Creek Burger Company is jumping on the dirty soda trend with a limited-time lineup of six handcrafted drinks, available through early August. The summer menu includes creamy concoctions like the Little Miss Strawberry and Oranje Dutchman, plus fruit-forward refreshers such as Georgia Peach and Gummy Gulp, with a sugar-free option rounding out the collection.

Blaze Pizza has expanded beyond pizza with a revamped salad lineup. The menu introduces three new entrée salads — the Chicken Chickpea Salad (limited time), The Chop, and Bacon Pesto Bliss — featuring upgraded ingredients like chickpeas, pickled red onions, fresh mozzarella, roasted chicken, and new house dressings. Each entrée salad, priced from $11.95 to $12.95, comes with Blaze's signature fast-fire'd flatbread made from the same fresh dough used for its pizzas.

Sunny Street Café is bringing back its annual Dino-Mite Week July 13-17 at participating locations. The family-focused promotion features dinosaur-themed décor and activities, including inflatable dinos, games, prizes, and photo ops. Kids under 12 receive a free dinosaur-shaped pancake with a toppings bar (with purchase of an adult meal).

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse has added a new lineup of crispy chicken sandwiches. The menu includes a Korean Sweet & Spicy Chicken Sandwich with pickled vegetables and sriracha aioli; a Classic Crispy Chicken Sandwich served plain or with sauces like Honey BBQ, Hot Honey Buffalo, or Nashville Hot; and an Original Crispy Chicken Sandwich with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and honey mustard on a brioche bun.

Fuego Tortilla Grill in Burleson is offering two limited-time summer items through September 27: a Chicken Bacon Ranch Taco and a Spicy Mango Margarita. The taco features chicken, bacon, and ranch in the chain’s signature taco style, while the margarita blends mango flavor with a spicy kick. Both items are available at participating locations.

Flying Fish is offering a Surf and Turf special through August 31 featuring tinned Portuguese sardines in olive oil for $12 or canned all-beef Vienna sausages for $15, each served with saltine crackers and a mix of mayo, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice.

Hash Kitchen is rolling out a limited-time summer menu. New items include “Loaded Waters” such as Watermelon Lime with a chamoy-Tajín rim and Pineapple Mango Coconut made with coconut water, plus a boozy option called The Kool-Aid Man with fruit punch, rum, and pineapple juice. The menu also features seasonal dishes including Suh-weet BBQ Pork Hash with cheddar, BBQ-braised pork, and crispy onions; a BBQ pork sandwich with jalapeño cabbage slaw; and a Blue Dream Bowl made with spirulina, fruit, granola, and peanut butter.

Cheba Hut is offering its limited-time Fully Loaded Guac Not’Chos through July 26. The dish features fresh guacamole piled on Garden Salsa SunChips, topped with pineapple, onion, pepper jack cheese, jalapeños, and a drizzle of Jamaican Red Hot sauce.

PJ’s Coffee is offering three new craft sodas a Peach Strawberry blend with cream and strawberry crumbles, a Blue Raspberry soda topped with a cream float and gummy candy, and a Coconut Banana version finished with a cream float and gummy cherry.

Handel’s Ice Cream has launched a new non-dairy line in partnership with Oatly. The menu features three fan-favorite flavors made with Oatly’s Full Fat Oatmilk: Coffee Truffle, Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie, and Peanut Butter. The non-dairy options are available in cones, dishes, shakes, and hand-packed pints.

Salt & Straw artisanal ice cream shop has brought back its seasonal Berries Series through July 23, featuring returning favorites alongside two new flavors and the limited-time return of its Strawberry Shortcake Waffle Cone. New offerings include Huckleberry Oat Crisp with Foraged Porcini and Raspberry Marzipan Princess Cake, while returning flavors include Birthday Cakes and Blackberries, Strawberry Pretzel Salad, and Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero.

Portillo’s has launched a limited-time Char’diniera Dog. Developed with Vienna Beef, the new hot dog features a char-grilled beef frank infused with giardiniera and provolone cheese, and is available topped Maxwell-style with mustard and grilled onions or Chicago-style with traditional toppings, or served plain.

Soulman's Bar-B-Que is serving a limited-time Jalapeño Cheddar Sausage through September 2 at all locations in North Texas. Made with the chain's house sausage blend, cheddar cheese, and jalapeños, the sausage can be ordered on its own or added to barbecue plates, sandwiches, SoulBowls, and catering orders.

A landmark mixed-use property at 1109–1121 W. Magnolia Ave. in Fort Worth’s Near Southside has been sold, marking a new chapter for one of Magnolia Avenue’s most recognizable buildings. The 8,388-square-foot property, which is home to Cherry Coffee and formerly housed Heim Barbecue, will continue operating with its existing retail, restaurant, and residential mix under new ownership, which plans to preserve the site’s current character.