Where to Eat

Where to eat in Fort Worth right now: 6 best new restaurants in the suburbs

Corned beef hash, Irish brunch, Chef Point Cafe

Chef Point Cafe has a new location.

Photo courtesy of Chef Point Cafe

Fort Worth has seen buzzy new restaurants open in obvious places we all expect: from the Stockyards to the Near Southside to West Seventh.

But there's buzz happening in the 'burbs, too. In fact, at this moment, the 'burbs are seeing the majority of the action.

For the September edition of Where to Eat, we go beyond the loop to find the six best new restaurants in the suburbs.

Casa Jacaranda
Mansfield lucked out by landing the second location of this family-owned, fast-casual Mexican restaurant. Like the original in the tiny North Texas town of Venus, the new location, at 1050 Country Club Dr., specializes in artfully presented Tex-Mex fare, from fajitas to enchiladas to street tacos, in a festive atmosphere. The restaurant also serves breakfast all day, and not just the usual breakfast tacos. Choose from migas, huevos rancheros, and massive breakfast burritos stuffed with eggs and your choice of bacon, barbacoa, beans, or potatoes.

Chef Point
The second location of this gourmet comfort food spot has finally debuted in Colleyville in the old Gator's building at 5200 Highway 121. Opened by Franson Nwaeze and Paula Merrell in a gas station in Watauga, the original restaurant became a regional sensation after an appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The Colleyville store has nearly the same menu, but there's more legroom to enjoy signature dishes such as lobster mac and cheese; crab-stuffed pork chops; and over-the-top Bloody Marys studded with sliders, waffle fries, and shrimp.

Cherry Kitchen & Catering
New mom-and-pop cafe in River Oaks takes over the historic building at 5412 River Oaks Blvd., for decades occupied by beloved doughnut shop Jessie's. Owner Kathy Cox Mills-Hood has given the space a homey makeover, decorating it with antiques and comfy furniture. There are light bites, such as lemon rosemary scones and pecan pie muffins, plus gourmet sandwiches like the Thanksgiving 365, which comes with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry relish. There are also salads, kids meals, and assorted coffee drinks. On Fridays, many items are half-price.

Dog Haus Biergarten
Hot dogs get the gourmet treatment at this newly opened beer and brats spot in the Arlington Highlands area, at 4000 Bagpiper Way. The second North Texas location of this Cali concept, the restaurant serves a half-dozen hormone- and antibiotic-free beef hot dogs topped with ingredients such as arugula, bacon, chili, and pineapples. Sausages and black Angus burgers get the same chef-inspired treatment, plus there are two plant-based burgers and two plant-based dogs. All are served on King's Hawaiian Bread — a nice change of pace from the same old. Sides include fries, tater tots, and coleslaw, and there are 24 beers on tap.

HG Sply Co.
Dallas-based Paleo-inspired concept opens a third location, this time in the suburb of Trophy Club, at 2980 TX 114. It boasts some new features that the Dallas original and the second location in Fort Worth lack, including an outdoor game area and an expanded menu featuring a 24-ounce porterhouse steak, roast chicken with goat cheese dumplings, and a salmon poke bowl, joining the signature bowls for which HG is best known.

Wounded Duck
New tavern in Hurst, in the old Vino space at 750 E. Pipeline Rd., comes with a menu designed by local chef Blythe Bridges. Of course duck is featured prominently, in dishes such as smoked duck cakes with garlic aioli and mac and cheese spiked with duck, bacon, and green onions. There are gourmet burgers with cutesy names, like the Guacing Dead and Give 'Em Something to Shiitake Bout, and hearty dishes such as chicken-fried steak. There's also a breakfast buffet that runs 7-10 am Monday through Saturday.

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where to eat

Where to eat in Fort Worth: 9 restaurants to take your holiday guests

Manny Rodriguez

Chumley House

The holidays draw near and for many of us, that means one thing: family’s coming to town. Cook your heart out for them, yes, but take advantage of Fort Worth’s thriving restaurant scene and show off some of our city’s finest places to eat.

For our annual December edition of our monthly Where to Eat feature, we offer suggestions for where to take the family, with a list that accommodates every type of eater — from the Tex Mex lover to vegans to big splurges.

Here's Where to eat in Fort Worth right now:

Best barbecue: Goldee’s Barbecue
Lauded by The New York Times, recently high-fived by Michelin, and ranked No. 1 on Texas Monthly’s best barbecue list, Goldee’s remains the top ‘cue choice for many in Texas and beyond. Part of the experience of eating here is the wait. Chances are, you’ll stand in line (or sit; you can bring chairs) for a good two or three hours, but with the wait comes a sense of community - and isn’t that what the holidays are all about? Maybe? You can’t go wrong with the expertly smoked brisket, huge beef ribs, or housemade Lao sausage. Be sure to get a couple slices of bread; it’s made in-house.

Best Tex Mex:Fiesta Restaurant
Fort Worth of course is well known for its Mexican cuisine, and zeroing in on one spot for all to try can be difficult. Open for more than four decades, this charming, uncomplicated restaurant on the south side is a good choice: Its menu is more expansive than others, offering dozens of varieties of enchiladas, nachos, chimichangas, and other Tex Mex staples. It’s one of the few restaurants in the area to offer parrillada, sizzling platters of chicken thighs, steak, pork, and veggies that are perfect for sharing. On weekends, there’s an all-day breakfast menu with items such as menudo, chilaquiles, migas, and breakfast tacos.

Best Hot New Spot: The Chumley House
This exquisite new European-inspired steakhouse in the museum district is definitely one of the toughest tables to get right now. A spinoff of the original location in Dallas, The Chumley House offers a variety of European-inspired dishes, chef-inspired takes on American classics, and homages to global cuisine, in a handsomely designed space. Dishes include butter chicken pie with coriander-glazed roots and ginger yorgurt, herb popovers with salted butter, the signature Beef Wellington, a center-cut tenderloin and spinach crepe hidden in a puff pastry, and a halibut “porterhouse” with chimichurri. Steaks include a NY strip and bone-in ribeye. For dessert, there’s salted caramel Biscoff trifle with sweet mascarpone and icebox pie with blackberry cobbler crumble.

Best Outdoor Space: La Cabrona
Patios may definitely be an option for Christmastime dining - remember, this is Texas and typically it’s nice this time of year. This new high-end Mexican restaurant in the W. 7th area has a real beauty for a patio - it’s festively decorated and overlooks all the W. 7th activity. The Monterrey-inspired menu includes dishes such as mole chicken enchiladas, pan-roasted cactus tacos, and carne asada, as well as lighter options such as shrimp cocktail, ceviche, and aguachile, a dish comprised of shrimp cured in a lime and serrano pepper marinade. Great selection of margaritas, cocktails, and beers, too.

Best for a Large Group:Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall
With a spacious dining area that spans three rooms and a bar area, Tim Love’s restaurant/music venue combo in the Stockyards is a good option for large groups. As if it were made for indecisive diners, the menu is incredibly varied, with an emphasis on classic American cuisine. Appetizers include grilled fish tacos, raw oysters, smoked crab and green chili dip, and tuna tostadas. Main dishes feature a dry-aged beef double cheeseburger, smoked baby back pork ribs, brisket enchiladas, beef stroganoff, and smoked chicken. A kids menu includes a cheese quesadillas and chicken tenders with fries. The restaurant and music venue are in separate areas, so there’s an additional cost to see the concerts.

Best Late Night:Pho 95
Late-night dining is becoming a thing of the past in Fort Worth - thankfully, Ol’ South is still around. But in Arlington, after-hours grub is still easy to find. Pho 95’s east Arlington location, at 2525 E. Arkansas Ln., is a good option for night owls craving Vietnamese classics, like bowls of piping hot pho, beef stew and other hearty soups. It’s a fun, no-frills atmosphere in which the tables and chairs are pushed so closely together, you’re bound to make a friend or two.

Best splurge:Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine
With some dishes hovering in the $60-$70 range, Fort Worth chef Jon Bonnell’s namesake restaurant is definitely on the upper end of the splurge scale. But this southwest Fort Worth restaurant is a truly unique experience, in that your guests may never eat food quite like this again. Among the entrees: pepper-crusted buffalo with whiskey cream, ancho chile-rubbed elk backstrap, made from a premium cut of meat that runs along the spine, and a larger-than-life tomahawk pork chop, rubbed with a special barbecue seasoning, with mascarpone whipped sweet potatoes. Appetizers include crispy quail legs and elk tacos - only in Texas.

Best on a budget: Sunny’s Cafe
Opened earlier this year in the space once occupied by Bavarian Bakery & Cafe, this second location of the Sycamore School Road staple offers breakfast and lunch essentials, made to order and priced inexpensively. For breakfast, try the excellent pancakes - pillow-y on the inside, with nicely browned edges on the outside. Home fries - cubed fried potatoes cooked with onions and peppers - are a must. Rotating lunch specials include chicken-fried steak, pork chops, Shepherd’s pie, and chopped steak, and come with your choice of two sides, usually for less than $12.

Best quintessential Texas: Dayne’s Craft BBQ
Though just a year old, Dayne’s Craft Barbecue has all the hallmarks of a quintessential Texas restaurant: It’s located in a small town (Aledo, about 20 minutes west of Fort Worth), it’s housed in a historic building that’s nearly a century old, and the dining room looks out onto railroad tracks. You can enjoy your terrific brisket sandwich or excellent smashburger while watching the trains chug by; that’s about as Texas as you can get.

bests holidays where to eat